As a Hong Kong resident for over 8 years, I’ve now been to Macao over a dozen times. It’s become a must whenever we have visitors in town for the first time or if there’s a big event or concert (seeing Celine Dion live there is forever a highlight!). With a rich history influenced by Portuguese colonization, Macao (also spelled as Macau in Portuguese) offers so much more than just casinos (though those are fun too if you can win at gambling 🤑). Macao has plenty to offer as home of the original fusion food, so here are my favorite places to eat in Macao starting with my favorite spots for local and Portuguese flavors, as well as fine dining later in this list. I’ll slowly add more restaurants, but hope this helps for your next day trip!
Be sure to buy your discounted ferry tickets on Klook: take the Cotai Jet ferry to go to Cotai (most convenient for visiting the Cotai Strip and Taipa Village) or the TurboJET Ferry to the Outer Taipa Ferry Terminal (most convenient for visiting the Macau Peninsula/old Macau where the Ruins of St. Paul, Senado Square and other historical sites are).
If you’re staying overnight, my favorite hotels are the Wynn Macau on the old Macau side (check out the stunning 2000 square foot suite!), and the Parisian Macao on the Cotai strip with a view of their mini Eiffel Tower from the suite and pool.
Must-Try Local & Portuguese Food in Macao
Lord Stow’s Bakery
A trip to Macao is incomplete without a Portuguese egg tart, with the Macanese version being less sweet, more custardy and without any cinnamon or lemon compared to the original pastel de nata from Portugal. Lord Stow’s is easily the most popular place to get them with locations all over Macao, and my preferred option over the other famous bakery, Margaret’s Pastel de Nata (though see the next spot for my favorite place!)
Jim Sai Padarias / Kam Lei Loi Bakery
I’m not sure why the name on Google Maps is different from the sign on the door, but I AM sure that these are the best portuguese-style egg tarts I’ve had in Macao. Jim Sai Padarias aka Kam Lei Loi Bakery is a tiny, old school bakery located a short walk from Senado Square in old Macau. Besides the egg tarts with a not-too-sweet eggy custard and the crispiest, evenly separated layers of crust, you can also find delicious sugar egg puffs, a local style of doughnut, and other Cantonese baked goods.
Cunha Food Street in Taipa Village
Taipa Village is my favorite historic area to explore with colorful preserved houses and endless street food that’s within walking distance from the Venetian Casino and Galaxy Macau on the Cotai Strip. Rio do Cunha or Cunha Street is at the center of the action, with endless food stalls and surrounding cafes to try. There’s an outpost of Lord Stow’s here, and you can also try mango and other fruit mochi from the Mochi Macau stand, spicy and savory Lao Day Beef Offal, and bouncy fish balls and other street skewers in a rich curry sauce.
If you’re looking to try Portuguese food, check out Antonio’s for an authentic taste of octopus, crab meat salad, seafood rice and more.
Watch my food crawl through Taipa Village:
Casa Maquista
Located within one of the beautiful Taipa Houses is Casa Maquista, where you can get a taste of Macanese dishes inside a dining room filled with antique items like old record players, sewing machines, and other artifacts of Macao’s colonial past. Try authentic homey dishes featuring the fusion flavors of Macanese cuisine, like plump curry shrimp with okra, turmeric and ginger chicken, and the capela, a savory meatloaf that’s like a Chinese minced pork patty combined with Portuguese black olives, cheese, and bacon.
Soda Bing Sat Cafe
Within Taipa Village is my favorite cha chaan teng (local Hong Kong diner) in Macao with big, tender pork chop buns with scrambled eggs and cheese, stir fried macaroni with great smoky wok hei flavor, cheesy baked pork chop rice, and sinful HK French toast cubes covered in peanut butter (my favorite!!).
Sun Hung Fat
If you’re looking for an old school cha chaan teng closer to the Ruins of St. Paul, check out Sun Hung Fat. They have similar dishes to Soda Bing Sat, including a standout stir fried beef macaroni and a giant french toast that’s doughy inside and crispy outside.
Chak In Kei
What happens when you combine Portuguese egg tarts with a classic Hong Kong egg waffle? You get the gai daan zai of my dreams! While Chak In Kei has been operating since 1944, it serves this innovative combination of two local favorites that’s super crispy on the outside, with a not-too-sweet molten custard on the inside for an absolute must-try treat. I got it from their truck at the center of the Fisherman’s Wharf promenade just a short walk from the Outer Taipa Ferry Terminal, though they have locations all across Macao including at Galaxy Macau’s Broadway Food Street. Now I just need someone to put pineapple bun topping on this waffle to make the ultimate trifecta egg waffle!
Wong Kun Sio Kung
Head to this local shop for a flavor-packed, comforting crab porridge and bouncy shrimp roe noodles. This is one of the last remaining places that makes the noodles traditionally with a bamboo pole (a technique featured by Anthony Bourdain when he visited Hong Kong).
Goat Bakers
Modern bakery serving tasty, Instagrammable egg tarts (though I personally still prefer the other spots previously mentioned) and Flower Cheese Cups, which are like decadent cheesecake croissant cups that are my must-try item.
Must-Try Fine Dining in Macao
It’s only fitting that the lavish casinos and hotels have some of the best fine dining restaurants! I’ve been spoiled with many incredible meals in Macao, but these are the places I would happily spend money to revisit.
Lotus Palace
I’ve actually visited this upscale Chinese restaurant at the Parisian Macao 3 separate times, both for a dim sum lunches and hot pot dinner in a private room, and it has continually exceeded expectations. The relatively affordable menu items are creative and delicious, served in a swanky red-accented dining room.
Drunken Fish
With a stunning bar on one wall and views of the Wynn Macau’s Performance Lake fountain show from the floor to ceiling windows, Chef Henry Zhang Zhicheng’s Drunken Fish is a must-visit for Beijing-influenced dishes and premium seafood, proudly displayed in a curved glass aquarium. Some of my favorite dishes were the whole steamed fish, whole crispy chicken, and dumplings that are folded and boiled to order right in front of your table (as pictured above). As Macau’s only Mao-tai bar, you can find nearly 100 varieties of the Chinese spirit alongside creative Mao-tai cocktails. Plus, if you visit on a Friday or Saturday, they host a fun live auction for unique and rare seafood that you can bid on for the chef to prepare as you wish.
Some other restaurants to try are Chef Tam’s Seasons, The Eight, 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana, and Lai Heen (will add photos and descriptions from these meals soon!).
