Portugal Guide: Breakfast in Coimbra

The drive between Lisboa and Porto is a lovely scenic 3 hour drive. We left early to make our private boat tour in Porto on time so we decided to have breakfast on the road, making a stop off at the old medieval city of Coimbra. With limited parking walking paths that have steep inclines and declines, no stop off in Portugal is simple and Coimbra was not an exception to that rule so plan your time to account for those things. The city is beautiful and home to the historic University of Coimbra.

We choose to grab a bite Cafe Santa Cruz located in the town square. I was taken by the incredible architecture dating back to 1530 and the beauty of the building. Cafe Santa Cruz in housed in a former chapel of the Monastery of Santa Cruz. It boasts original high vaulted Portuguese Gothic ceilings, wood paneling and stained-glass windows. Cafe Santa Cruz has been in operation since 1923 and serves fresh baked traditional Portuguese snacks and coffee. Hungry and drawn in by the smells we ordered a nice variety of treats. We tried their Bachalau (cod cakes) which were incredible fresh out of the oven and a nice taste and texture. We also ordered the Rissóis de Camarão which is a half moon pocket pastry with a delicious shrimp paste filling. Of course, we tried their pastéis de nata which had a bit of a thicker crust but were nonetheless delicious. Bolo de arroz—a Portuguese rice muffin which was a hands down favorite.

Filled with coffee and Portuguese pastry we made our way back up the narrow and steep medieval streets of Coimbra lined with orange trees and to our car to continue onto Porto.