TLDR: The pasteis de nata cooking class was an amazing experience made possible by the wonderful staff at Compadre Cooking School. A must for any foodie looking for a new experience while visiting Lisbon.
Vibe: 5/5. Located north of Lisbon's touristy Bairro Alto, the Compadre Cooking School has a nicely appointed kitchen classroom that comfortably accommodates 12 students per class. The school has modern equipment, attractive modern decor that is eye catching (classroom is visible from the street), and well designed for instructors to demonstrate without crowding.
Service: 5/5. The staff and instructor at Compadre were top notch. When we arrived to the school, all of our raw ingredients were already laid out and ready to go. The instructor was fluent in English which made following her instructions a breeze. As we progressed through the class, the school had a staff member cleaning up dishes and utensils as when finished in order to keep our cooking area clutter free. Only if I had this kind of cleanup service in my home kitchen!
Food: 5/5. The recipe we followed ended up yielding the best pasteis de natas I had my entire Portugal trip. The pastry was light and crunchy, with the custard being perfectly sweet and decadent. I'm not much of a baker, but this class made me feel like the next Christina Tosi! Overall, if you are a foodie on vacation in Lisbon, I highly recommend taking a few hours out of your day to pop in at Compadre Cooking School. read more