Food · Macau · China
What to eat in Macau
The dishes, drinks and food experiences that define Macau, and where locals actually eat them.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Quick answer
Start with Portuguese-style egg tart, Pork chop bun and African chicken. Compare the Coloane-style egg tart from Lord Stow's with the version at Margaret's Café e Nata near Senado Square, both descended from the same original recipe. Hong Kong dollars are accepted almost everywhere at par, but change is usually given in patacas, which are hard to use elsewhere.
Key facts
- Signature dish
- Portuguese-style egg tart
- Vegetarian-friendly picks
- 5
- Tipping
- Restaurants and hotels usually add a 10% service charge, so extra tipping is optional.
- Food experiences
- 3
10 foods to try
Dessert · Vegetarian
1.Portuguese-style egg tart
A flaky pastry shell filled with a creamy custard caramelised on top, adapted from the Portuguese pastel de nata by an English baker in Coloane in 1989 and now Macau's best-known snack.
Where: Lord Stow's Bakery in Coloane Village and Margaret's Café e Nata near Senado Square; buy them warm.
Street food
2.Pork chop bun (Zhu pa bao)
A bone-in, marinated and fried pork chop in a crusty Portuguese-style bun. Simple and messy, it is Macau's signature sandwich.
Where: Long-established cafés in Taipa Village and local cha chaan teng diners across the peninsula.
Dish
3.African chicken (Galinha à africana)
Grilled chicken in a spicy, rich sauce of peanuts, coconut, chilli and paprika, a Macanese creation that draws on Portuguese Africa and Asian spices.
Where: Macanese and Portuguese restaurants in Taipa Village, Coloane and the peninsula.
Dish
4.Minchi
Minced beef or pork stir-fried with diced fried potato, onion and soy sauce, usually topped with a fried egg and served with rice. It is Macanese home cooking at its most typical.
Where: Macanese restaurants and some local cafés; ask for it if it is not on the main menu.
Dessert · Vegetarian
5.Serradura
A chilled 'sawdust pudding' of whipped sweetened cream layered with finely crushed Marie biscuits, served in a glass or cup.
Where: Portuguese restaurants and dessert cafés, often as part of a set lunch.
Snack · Vegetarian
6.Almond cookies
Crumbly round biscuits made from mung bean or almond flour, sometimes with a piece of pork fat inside, pressed in wooden moulds and baked over charcoal.
Where: The bakery chains along Rua de São Paulo and Rua do Cunha, where you can watch them being made.
Dish
7.Bacalhau
Salted cod, the staple of Portuguese cooking, appears as fritters (pastéis de bacalhau), baked with potatoes or shredded with eggs and straw potatoes as bacalhau à Brás.
Where: Portuguese restaurants on the peninsula, in Taipa Village and by Hác Sá Beach.
Snack
8.Meat jerky (Yuk gon)
Sheets of sweet, smoky barbecued pork or beef jerky, sold by weight and grilled to order. Flavours include spicy, honey and black pepper.
Where: Jerky shops on the street leading to the Ruins of St. Paul's and on Rua do Cunha.
Dessert · Vegetarian
9.Double-skin milk pudding
A silky steamed milk pudding with a thin skin on top, served hot or cold, a Cantonese dessert popular in Macau's milk-dessert shops.
Where: Traditional dessert shops around Senado Square.
Drink · Vegetarian
10.Portuguese wine
Macau's restaurants carry wide lists of Portuguese wine, from light vinho verde to Douro reds, often at lower prices than elsewhere in Asia.
Where: Portuguese restaurants and wine shops in the peninsula and Taipa.
Food experiences
Egg tart taste-off
Compare the Coloane-style egg tart from Lord Stow's with the version at Margaret's Café e Nata near Senado Square, both descended from the same original recipe.
Macanese dinner
Order a spread of African chicken, minchi, curry crab or Portuguese-style chicken and serradura for dessert at a Macanese restaurant, a cuisine shaped by four centuries of trade.
Rua do Cunha snack walk
Taipa's pedestrian street is lined with bakeries, jerky shops and dessert stalls; graze from one end to the other, then walk on to the Taipa Houses.
Quick bites and street food
- Pork chop bun — Long-established cafés in Taipa Village and local cha chaan teng diners across the peninsula.
- Almond cookies — The bakery chains along Rua de São Paulo and Rua do Cunha, where you can watch them being made.
- Meat jerky — Jerky shops on the street leading to the Ruins of St. Paul's and on Rua do Cunha.
Vegetarian options
Of the 10 foods in this guide, 5 are usually vegetarian: Portuguese-style egg tart, Serradura, Almond cookies, Double-skin milk pudding and Portuguese wine. Check preparation with staff, as stocks and fats vary.
Eating out: tips and etiquette
- Hong Kong dollars are accepted almost everywhere at par, but change is usually given in patacas, which are hard to use elsewhere.
- Portuguese and Macanese restaurants are popular at weekends; book dinner ahead, especially in Taipa and Coloane.
- Lunch set menus in local cafés are inexpensive and usually include a drink.
- Resort restaurants on Cotai cost far more than equivalent local places a short walk away in Taipa Village.
- Restaurants often add a 10% service charge, shown on the bill.
Tipping
Restaurants and hotels usually add a 10% service charge, so extra tipping is optional. Rounding up taxi fares is common but not expected.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Nei hou | Hello (Cantonese) |
| M̀h'gōi | Thank you / excuse me (Cantonese) |
| Dò jeh | Thank you for a gift (Cantonese) |
| Obrigado / Obrigada | Thank you (Portuguese) |
| Bom dia | Good morning (Portuguese) |
Questions travellers ask
+What food is Macau famous for?
Portuguese-style egg tart, Pork chop bun, African chicken and Minchi. A flaky pastry shell filled with a creamy custard caramelised on top, adapted from the Portuguese pastel de nata by an English baker in Coloane in 1989 and now Macau's best-known snack.
+Is Macau good for vegetarians?
Several local staples are meat-free, including Portuguese-style egg tart, Serradura and Almond cookies.
+Do you tip in restaurants in Macau?
Restaurants and hotels usually add a 10% service charge, so extra tipping is optional. Rounding up taxi fares is common but not expected.