What to eat in Macau

African chicken, baked egg tarts, samosas, pork-and-olive fried rice. In Macau, Portugal meets China with a dash of southeast Asia and a sprinkling of Africa. Macanese cuisine is, quite literally, a blend of all the places that Portuguese traders visited along the 16th century maritime?route from East Asia?to Lisbon.

Don't be surprised to find European dishes like salted cod and stewed rabbit followed by pork buns and rice on any menu here.

A stunning mixture of foods that are at once familiar and exotic, Macanese cooking effortlessly combines ingredients like tumeric, ginger, papaya and curry with the grounded familiarity of meat and fish grilled to crispy perfection over charcoal.

Here's a?hit list of the best?things to eat in Macau.

Portuguese fried rice

Fried rice like never before: hopped up on European ingredients. This moreish rice?is infused with prawns, bacon bits, egg, asparagus, chicken and olives.

Try it

A Lorcha
Antonio

Egg tarts

The Macanese version of the pastel de nata is a light, fluffy affair with less sugar than its Lisbon counterpart. This makes it all-too-easy to chow down several, especially when fresh from the oven.

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Lord Stow's Bakery
Margaret's Cafe e Nata

Garlic prawns

What it says on the tin, except so much more delicious. Hefty doses of fresh garlic, heaps of butter and a generous splash of white wine, all flash stir-fried into a thickened, irresistible sauce.

Try it

Espaco Lisboa
Miramar
A Lorcha

Pork chop bun

Macau's favourite snack food is perfect in its simplicity: a fresh Portuguese bread roll stuffed with a gleaming fried pork chop. No extras needed - this bad boy does the job without frills.

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Tai Lei Loi

Spicy charcoal-grilled chicken

Succulent whole chicken grilled over charcoals until the skin is delightfully crispy and burnt around the edges, then chopped Chinese-style and served with french fries.

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A Lorcha
Banza

Stir-fried clams

Fresh clams stir-fried in a wok with spring onion, generous doses of garlic and white wine make these among the best you’ll have in your life (really).

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A Lorcha
Litoral
Restaurante Fernando

Serradura

The name of this dessert means ‘sawdust’ but don’t be fooled: it’s a rich vanilla custard layered and topped with crushed Marie biscuits and served chilled.

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Serrdura
Antonio
A Lorcha

Grilled fish

Sea bass, sardines, bacalhau (cod): you name the fish and they will grill it in Macau. This is almost always done on an open-air charcoal grill and the fish are served whole, with head, eyeball, crisp skin and all.

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Miramar
A Lorcha
O Manuel

Seafood stew

Fresh octopus, clams, hunks of cod, more clams, crab and mussels are thrown into a thick broth, oftentimes with rice and fresh vegetables like asparagus and Chinese greens. The result is this stew that is seriously difficult?to stop eating.

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Miramar
Clube Militar de Macau
Espaco Lisboa

African chicken

A whole chicken, cooked in a luxurious sauce of garlic, tomato, piri piri chillis and coconut milk, this dish is a not-so-spicy version of piri piri chicken or Brazliian barbecued chicken.

Try it

Antonio
O Porto Interior
Litoral

Almond cookies

Another favourite Macanese dessert: almond cookies are made fresh and sold in shops and restaurants on every street corner in Macau. A box of these makes a perfect Macanese souvenir.

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Choi Heong Yuen
Koi Kei?

Minchi

Minchi served over potatoes. Image courtesy of Macau Government Tourism Organisation

Macau’s oddest-sounding dish and perhaps its most intriguing fusion: pork and beef mince stir-fried with soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cumin and onions and served either with fried potatoes or over rice. A fried egg is often added over the top. Fusion comfort food at it’s finest.

Try it

Riquexó
Antonio
Litoral

Baked?scallops

A Portuguese favourite: scallops?served on the shell, smothered in a cheesy, creamy sauce and baked until the cheese bubbles brown.

Try it

Miramar
Restaurante Fernando

Wine

Macau doesn’t produce any wine of its own, but because?of a lack of import tax on alcohol, you can find fantastic varieties of European wines here, and tastes fall especially to Portuguese wine thanks to the long history between the two places.

Try it

Banza
Clube Militar de Macau
A Lorcha