Holy Nata

Picky Eater a month ago

I’d go as far as to say this is the best egg tart I’ve had in the Bay Area. The pastry was crisp and flaky, while the custard inside was silky, creamy, and incredibly smooth. I do wish they were served warm rather than pulled from a pre-made batch, because that fresh-out-of-the-oven warmth would’ve taken them to another level ! That said, the balance was kind of impeccable. Not overly sweet, but not so restrained that it felt bland either. Nothing about it was particularly over-the-top, it was just really well executed. Simple, balanced, and genuinely hard to fault.

R S 3 months ago

Disappointed that (a) this place uses MARGARINE instead of butter. At $3.75 each?? C’mon. Please use real butter. And (b) the cream is way too sweet. The sweetness was the first thing that I tasted.

Vivian Anne 3 months ago

I was really underwhelemed by Holy Nata. We went on a Wednesday around 12 pm and there was no line. First, I was disappointed that their website said peanut butter was their special for the week. When we got to the shop, the employee told us they didn't have it. They had traditional, nutella, pistachio, and dulce de leche. We got traditional, pistachio, and dulce de leche. The pasteis de nata were served warm and the traditional is topped with cinnamon. I thought the pastel de nata were ok. I have tried pastel de nata before and expect the custard filling to be creamy, silky, smooth, and have some structural integrity. The pastel de nata we had from Holy Nata were extremely runny, which I wasn't expecting. Our dulce de leche pastel also seemed underbaked. A part of the pastry tasted raw. I don't know if we had a bad batch, but I wasn't expecting runny filling and raw tasting pastry. Overall, I was underwhelmed and wouldn't come back.

Jake Gebhart 5 months ago

Our experience with the Holy Nata is a unique one. We were just walking by on our way to dinner and I saw a picture of the pastel de nata and I was immediately drawn to the store front as I have had these pastries growing up as a child. We attempted to walk in, but failed to read the sign saying the store hours. One of the employees told us they were closed and we walked away, fairly dejected. We were about 30 ft down the road and that same, amazing employee, flagged us down and brought us 4 pastries in a to go box for free. They were still warm and the most delicious thing I have had! What an incredible impression that left on my wife and I. If we didn’t live across the country in Maine, we would come back often to get more! If and when we come back to San Francisco, Holy Nata will be on our list of stops. Thank you to that kind employee for making our day!

Michelle Xu 6 months ago

Probably the best pasteis de nata I've had outside of Portugal! The pastry is light and crispy, while the filling has great texture and is not overly sweet. I tried the pasteis de nata here when the shop first opened and had it again recently after the store expansion... and I'm happy to report the recipe has stayed delicious and consistent! Always worth a stop if I'm in the area.