Pastechi — Curaçao's Breakfast Pastry
Pastechi is the Curaçaoan answer to the empanada: a flaky deep-fried pastry filled with cheese, spiced meat, tuna or chicken, eaten for breakfast and at any snèk (snack bar) all day.
Cheese (keshi) is the classic morning filling, washed down with coffee. You will see pastechi at bakeries, snack windows and even gas stations across the island — cheap, hot and satisfying. Pair one with a Curaçaoan breakfast and you eat like a local. The café downstairs and nearby snèks are easy places to try one.
Good to know
- Cheese (keshi) pastechi is the classic breakfast choice.
- Find them at any "snèk" snack bar across the island.
- Eat hot and fresh — they are best straight from the fryer.
Questions & answers
What is the most popular pastechi filling?
Cheese (keshi) is the classic, especially at breakfast, followed by spiced meat, chicken and tuna.
Stay in the heart of it all
Majestic City Palace — a restored 1892 monument in Punda, steps from everything in this guide.