It became a bit of a MacGuffin of our trip through Portugal to seek out these tiny little local pastelarias and eat pastries and drink coffee with the old ladies and gents who frequent these establishments regularly, and Pastelaria Scala was just that. We became loyal customers over our two-day stay in Lamego, wolfing down pastel de nata and croissants and other pastries filled with a mysterious filling our English-speaking server compared to "pumpkin" (what are these?). The coffee was sweetened and delicious. We sat in booths and surveyed the local scene. It's a quiet town, as our serve confirmed, but that only throws truly special cafe moments like these into sharp relief: come treat yourself to a sweet and a coffee the way the locals do.