Pastelaria Adega

This is the finest bakery with the finest pastries on the South Bay Area. I salivate just thinking about their breads and their special little Portuguese pastries, the name of which I have forgotten. I cannot go to Portugal during this pandemic, but I can vicariously go there, actually to three Portuguese restaurants, all owned by the same people. Adegas is in our own Lttle Portugal on Alum Rock Ave., and it has a Michelin Star! Patescos,is on South First street at the center of the SOFA District. It is my "go to" restaurant for great food and service, and it thankfully has outdoor seating for the Pandemic wary. I am a Professor at SJSU, and if I want to eat out with colleagues or a visiting Professor, Pasteleria would be a special choice for coffee and pastry, Patescos for most occasions, and Adega, well that would be beyond our Department budget, but,for a special occasion with a group of four or five, like celebrating achieving Tenure, it would be perfect.

I can understand the hype about this place. The egg tarts were one of the best I've tried. Light, fluffy and their filling was delicious. They have a few flavors but my favorite is still the original one. The malasadas were pretty good, although their dulce de leche could be a bit creamier.

Beware as finding a parking space can be a nightmare. Other than that, I fully recommend this place!

Dawn of the Bread

Offshoot Portuguese bakery to one Michelin-starred Adega (currently known as Petiscos) located in the heart of DTSJ.

The concept is similar to what three Michelin-starred Manresa did with their eponymous award-winning bakery, but instead of featuring classic American and French baked goods, Pastelaria Adega (PA) focuses on Portuguese baked goods, like Malassadas, Pastéis de Nata (aka Portuguese Egg Tart), and Portuguese croissants.

The Good:

*Don't fret if there's a small line as it moves fairly quickly. We were standing outside the door but it took probably less than ten minutes to get to the front.

*Egg Tarts were fantasticly tasty and had a very good savory buttery crust. I really liked all their different flavor variations they had too, but the price for them is a bit outlandish. Considering you can go to a Chinese bakeries and get larger Egg Tarts for half the price. Sure they maybe not be as good a PA's, but the flavor differences aren't that much greater to justify the cost.

*Friendly and fast service

*Full-service Café with coffee and tea

*They also have a small selection of Portuguese goods like quince jam, chouriço, and candies.

The Meh:

*Their much ballyhooed Malassadas have gotten PA a tremendous amount of social media attention that made this place almost unvisitable for a while due to insanely long lines. Well, we finally got to try them and they were just OK. Nothing nearly as good as we've found in Hawai'i or even at local restaurants. They were just too thick and bready which made them very heavy and didn't leave our tummies feeling too good afterwards.

*There is some small tables to sit inside, but you're most likely gonna have a stranger's ass in your face the entire time as the never-ending line is just inches from the tables.

The Ugly:

*Parking in DTSJ can be a challenge and almost always (Sun & holidays are free) will cost you a few bucks.

Conclusion: Nice, albeit pricey, Portuguese bakery that has some tasty treats but we're not in a rush to come back any time soon.

I had heard a lot of good things about Pastelaria Adega and wanted to stop by while I was downtown for lunch. They had a line inside when I got there, but apparently that was considered pretty short since when I drove by later on, the line was outside and wrapped around the side of the shop.

They were quickly running out of options while I was there. It looked like they were making more in the back but they were not putting new things out and were actually taking away the signs and platters as they sold out. The service was pretty slow since there was only one person taking orders and then ringing them out. The other 5-6 workers were all visibly in the back chatting and weren't actually helping her.

I ordered the set of 6 tarts for $21 (usually $4 for one) and one lemon malassada for $5. The tart flavors I chose included 3 original, 1 mango, 1 passion fruit, and 1 blueberry. Definitely on the pricey side for the size of the tarts, but I had some pretty high expectations.

The tarts were leaning on the sweeter side for me and definitely not as flaky as I expected. It was also really sticky which was surprising. I liked the unique fruit options but it honestly didn't taste as flavorful as you'd expect. The tarts are on the small side and you could probably eat it in 1-2 bites easy. The malassada was ok, nothing too special imo.

I don't think I'd make a special trip here or necessarily go back since there are some other competitors out there for cheaper with better textures/flavors that I enjoy more. Just glad I got to try them out and find out for myself.

CRISPY, CRUNCHY CRUST

I've eaten lots of egg tarts mostly from Chinese eateries. Even though I love the custard the crusty isn't flaky but crumbly. The first time I had patéis de nata was when I had dinner at Adega in December prior to its closing. As a complimentary gift I got patéis de nata. I took the patéis de nata home and ate it. There was something about the patéis de nata that got me hooked.

The first time I came to Pastelaria Adega was on a Saturday during Memorial Day Weekend. I ordered three types of patéis de nata: passion fruit, blueberry, and traditional. You can never go wrong with the traditional. Besides the egg tarts I also ordered the coconut malasada and sweet egg croissant. I wanted the sweet egg malasada but was sold out. Hence why I ordered the sweet egg croissant. The filling on the coconut malasada felt skimpy. When I tasted the sweet egg croissant the filling was more than enough. At the end I was glad I didn't order the sweet egg malasada.

The second time I came here was in July. As last time I ordered three patéis de nata however besides the traditional I selected apple and lemon. I overheard one of the customers asking what's the difference between the ham and cheese croissant and the ham and cheese pocket. One of the workers replied that the dough for the ham and cheese pocket is different than the croissant. The dough for pocket is the same as the egg tarts that's why I ordered the folhado misto - ham and cheese pocket. The ham and cheese pocket here at Pastelaria Adega is best the I ever had because the flaky crust. The folhado misto is better than any ham and cheese croissant because the pocket is lighter yet crispy.

Then two Saturdays ago I went here again. I ordered the chocolate croissant, which was in a form of chocolate au pain. The crust wasn't as flaky and the chocolate inside was skimpy. I ordered two dozen of patéis de nata - one dozen was assorted while the other dozen was traditional.

Despite the size and the price to pay for one the patéis de nata at Pastelaria Adega are addictive. The center is filling yet the crust is crunchy and crispy. The contrasting textures of the inside and outside of the patéis de nata at Pastelaria Adega makes them distinct from other egg tarts. The other items I liked at Pastelaria Adega are the sweet egg croissant and ham and cheese pocket. If I'm craving for an egg tart I'm going Pastelaria Adega. While I am there I'll order the folhado misto with a side of coffee.

So many goodies I had to hold myself back from getting more! I got three egg tarts: strawberry, traditional and blueberry and a vanilla malasada. I popped in on a Saturday afternoon and there was a small line inside. They also sell sandwiches and coffee. They had just ran out of sandwiches for the day or I would have loved to try a grilled ham and cheese. The egg tarts were delicious, sweet and flaky. My favorite was the strawberry one. The malasada was also really delicious and not too sweet! Would love to come back and try something different.

Egg tarts (original, blueberry, strawberry, passionfruit) were waaaaaay to sweet for me. I was only able to take a small bite of each. Crust was as very flakey and delicious!

Almond croissant was overcooked on the bottom which gave it a bitter after taste however the croissant itself was very flakey and nice.

Ham and cheese croissant was too dense and doughy on the inside.

Staff was friendly and interior was clean.

Went a little overboard on my shopping. I picked up two different types of Portuguese cheese, a sausage bread thing, a coconut pastry thing and a box of pasteis de nata. I skipped the classic, and went for lemon, mango and passion fruit. One was more delicious then the last. Mango is in season and this one tasted best to my palate. The pastry was flaky and light.
My friend insisted on sharing a loaf of cornbread. To the uninitiated, it's a very heavy loaf of bread, very tasty.

With a line out the door , i was very exited to try . I got a lot of different things . The chocolate filled pastries are very yummy and the bread is done so well it's amazing .
You must try the savory chorizo pastry it very different but in a good way . I'm glad i came here ! The place is very cute and the people are so nice ! Will be back !

Pasteleria is the charming "love child bakery" of the renowned Michelin Star restaurant Adega (unfortunately closed down) in downtown San Jose's heart. This popular spot is a must-visit for anyone craving authentic Portuguese pastries, and be prepared for a line--this bakery's reputation certainly draws a crowd!
The menu features an array of delectable treats, including the iconic Pastel de Nata, available in various flavors that delight the palate. Don't miss the oversized traditional Portuguese Croissant, a buttery wonder that's perfect for sharing (or not!). For those with a sweet tooth, the Bola de Berlim offers delightful options like the Creme de Ovo Malasada--a light, egg cream-filled doughnut that was my favorite--and the Chocolate e Avelã, my sister's go-to. The Folhado, available with cheese or ham and cheese, is another savory highlight worth trying.
The bakery's decor is simple yet elegant, featuring stirring and baking items adorning the main wall and beautiful metal birds overhead, creating a cozy atmosphere with just a few tables to enjoy the aroma of fresh pastries.

Pasteleria is a delightful destination that captures the essence of Portuguese baking with every bite which will not disappoint your taste buds!

**TIP**
Be sure to arrive early; once they run out of goodies, you're out of luck!

Finally tried Pastelaria Adega, the pastry shop in SJ that I had bookmarked on Yelp for a long time! I kept seeing videos of their malassada with egg cream and wanted to try it!

When my family and I came here, there was only two malassada with egg cream left and one customer in front of us. Luckily, she did not order those. We ended up getting the last two malassada with egg cream, one lemon, and one Dulce de leche (per the worker's recommendation). They had a deal to buy four for $16 or $5+ each. The other thing we bought was their Pastel de nata (regular and two strawberries).

Personally, we thought their Pastel de nata was only ok. It was super crispy and hard almost like the glazed butterfly cookies at the Chinese bakery shops. The egg custard tasted good. We also tried very fresh ones at a Pastel de nata shop in SF and that one blew our minds! Our toddler loved it too!

My favorite thing here was the malassada with egg cream! If we were to come back, we would just get that! Fresh fried donut with a sweet egg cream filling! Tasted exactly as it sound! The lemon one reminded us of the lemon cake roll filling at the Chinese bakeries placed inside a sugar donut instead of a cake. The Dulce de leche was our least favorite.

The ambiance was a bit dark compared to other pastry shops! Not a sit in kind of place and the selections were small. Overall, it was an average pastry shop in downtown SJ with parking lots nearby. Workers were friendly in compared to what I read on Yelp!