Hong Kong’s pastry scene has a new addition with the arrival of Santa Nata, the London-based Portuguese bakery best known for its handmade Pastéis de Nata. The new shop on Lyndhurst Terrace marks the brand’s first location in Asia and its tenth outlet worldwide.

Founded by Portuguese entrepreneur Francisco Oliveira in 2019, Santa Nata began in London with a simple idea: to recreate the authentic flavours of the custard tarts he grew up eating in Portugal. Oliveira comes from a family with more than three generations of baking heritage, and the bakery’s signature tart is based on traditional Portuguese methods and recipes that date back more than 300 years.

The bakery’s namesake comes from Santa Maria de Belém in Lisbon, the birthplace of the original Pastéis de Nata. Since opening its first shop, the brand has expanded to six locations across London, one in Oxford, and franchise stores in Kuwait, Doha and Istanbul. Hong Kong is now the next chapter in that growth story.

Freshly baked throughout the day

At the centre of the menu is the classic Pastel de Nata, priced at HK$14 each. Customers can also purchase boxes of two, four or eight tarts, making them easy to share or bring back to the office. The tarts are baked in multiple batches daily at 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm and 6pm, ensuring that visitors can enjoy them warm from the oven.

According to the bakery, the Hong Kong recipe has been adjusted slightly to suit local tastes while staying true to the original Portuguese version. The result is a tart with crisp, flaky pastry and a creamy, caramelised custard filling.

More than just custard tarts

Alongside its signature pastry, Santa Nata Hong Kong is launching with two other baked goods.

The first is Pão de Deus (HK$25), or “God’s Bread”, a traditional Portuguese sweet bread that has been adapted with influences from Hong Kong’s coconut buns. It uses a soft Japanese-style bread dough filled with coconut paste and topped with nata custard.

The second is the Santa Nata Brioche (HK$25), a croissant-style brioche that can be enjoyed on its own or with an additional serving of nata cream for HK$5.

For drinks, guests can pair their pastries with a Nata Latte (HK$48), Nata Milk Tea (HK$45), or a selection of coffees and teas starting from HK$30.

A menu that changes regularly

One feature that sets the Hong Kong outlet apart is its rotating menu. Alongside its core pastries, Santa Nata plans to introduce limited-edition creations, seasonal desserts and Hong Kong-exclusive products every 30 to 60 days. The changing menu is intended to give regular customers something new to try on repeat visits.

The bakery itself is designed to reflect Lisbon’s café culture, with seating for eight guests and standing room for another eight. Visitors can also watch the bakers at work through the open kitchen as fresh batches of pastries come out of the oven throughout the day.

Santa Nata Hong Kong
Address: 25-27 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong
Opening Hours: 10am to 9pm daily
Contact Number: +852 3594 5724
Website: www.santanata.com
Instagram: @santanata.hk

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Images: Santa Nata Hong Kong