Adorable and delicious pastry shop in the heart of Sintra! It's certainly a bit touristy, but it absolutely deserves all the hype as the oldest and most traditional pastry shop in the city. I was waiting for my tour of the Palace of Regaleria to start, and stopping by Casa Piriquita seemed like the perfect way to spend my morning. I tried two of Sintra's classics -- the travesseiro and quejada. The travesseiro was delightful, especially when fresh and warm; the pastry was super soft in the center yet delightfully flaky, with a slight crisp on the outer layers. It melted in my mouth almost seconds after taking a bite, and the almond cream inside was tasty and not overly sweet. It truly lives up to its name (literally "pillow"). Equally impressive was the quejada, a tasty little cheese tart with a slightly chewy, springy texture. It's not very sweet and has a great cinnamon flavor; it's also quite small, so it's the perfect little two-bite treat if you don't want to have too much.

The store is quite popular, so it's very busy at all hours. However, they move quite quickly and efficiently, especially for the takeout counter. When you come in, squeeze your way over to the ticket machine on the wall to the right of the door, and then wait for them to call out your ticket number. There is a €5 minimum to use a credit card, so be sure to either have cash on hand or be prepared to buy a few pastries (not that that's hard -- they're absolutely delicious; our two pastries were €3,20, as context).