The Portugália Restauração Group will open the first Manteigaria – Fábrica de Pastéis de Nata store in Hong Kong in April, the group’s managing partner in Macau told Lusa.
“It’s a real and ongoing project. It was a little delayed, but we already have the space identified [e] will begin construction shortly after Chinese New Year”, in the central area of Hong Kong island, said Diogo Vieira.
The Lunar New Year holiday period, the scene of the largest annual migration in the world, takes place this year between February 15th and 23rd in mainland China.
“We are very excited and happy to be able to enter that market, which has a different dynamic”, said the managing partner of Grupo Portugália Restauração in Macau
Vieira highlighted that Manteigaria has bigger plans for Hong Kong, “a city with at least seven million inhabitants, with a very large area, with many tourists, with very populated areas, where it is possible to expand quickly.”
“It is the brand’s objective, within a year, after opening the first one, to be able to open at least three stores in different locations in Hong Kong”, revealed the executive.
“We want to show locals and tourists who visit Hong Kong that it is possible to have a product that comes from Portugal (…) and show the manufacturing, the Portuguese tradition”, said Vieira.
After Hong Kong, the executive revealed, Manteigaria’s “expansion project” will look into “other surrounding markets”, including mainland China, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand.
The brand opened its first store in downtown Macau in January 2025, followed by a second store on the island of Taipa in November, and, said Vieira, currently employs “between 25 and 30 people”, selling an average of 2,500 pastries per day.
Manteigaria’s operation in Macau “is profitable and growing, so the investment is expected to be recovered in a very short time”, added the group’s managing partner.
The semi-autonomous Chinese region already had local custard tarts on the market, inspired by the Portuguese pastry, recreated by a Brit living in the city, Andrew Stow (1955-2006).
Although this is “an advantage”, Vieira says that “the necessary adjustments were made (…) to market needs, desires and local culture”, with a reduction by half of the sugar used in the pastel de nata recipe.
In October, the Macau Government inscribed 12 events, including local custard tarts and Portuguese folk dance, on the territory’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
A decision that will also benefit the Portuguese pastry, defended Vieira.
“We with the original Portuguese version, the other local producers with the Macau version, but we all compete a little in the same environment and in a very similar product and we all end up benefiting”, said the executive.
Leave a Reply