4 Best Restaurants in Downtown Macau, Macau

Full-flavored petiscos—Portugal’s answer to tapas—take center stage at this stylish bar-restaurant in São Lázaro, alongside Portuguese craft beer, wine, and cocktails. Sip a bottle of vinho verde or a port-and-lychee cocktail while splitting plates of pica-pau (beef cubes with pickles), tender fried octopus, baby snails, and bacalhau com broa (baked cod with a cornbread crumble and black olives). The decor is a treasure trove of antiques, from hanging fish traps and copper stills to old pedal bikes and plush, red executive seats salvaged from decommissioned TAP planes—all sourced from Lisbon’s vintage markets. This beautiful tavern wouldn’t feel out of place in Bairro Alto.

Tucked into a charming cobblestone courtyard in Macau’s historic St. Lazarus district, Albergue 1601 serves up classic Portuguese flavors in a setting steeped in Luso culture. Chaves-born chef Pedro Almeida’s specialties—seafood rice stew, braised Ibérico pork cheek, piri piri chicken, grilled octopus bathed in garlic and olive oil—pair beautifully with a deep Portuguese wine list. When the weather’s right, dine alfresco beneath century-old camphor trees.

This grab-and-go spot hidden in an alley in the historic center isn’t much to look at it, but it really nails its specialty: Macau’s signature pork chop bun. Since 1965, the shop has served juicy, bone-in pork chops wedged between crusty bread and fluffy scrambled eggs. To wash it down, opt for either the cold milk tea or coffee, both brewed in a clay pot over charcoal. It may be simple, but Sei Kee has received Michelin Bib Gourmand status year after year for a reason. If you miss out here, join the queues at its other branch in Taipa. 

Part of the Macao University of Tourism (UTM), this restaurant is a training ground for students pursuing future careers in hospitality. They work in the kitchen, the bakery, and the front of the house on a variety of Macanese, Portuguese, and Western dishes, and they do it all at a high level. At lunch, order à la carte to try Macanese dishes like shrimp toast and chicken sautéed with turmeric and ginger, or come for dinner for the five-course set menu, including Macanese laksa, tamarind pork, and more made to pair with Portuguese wines.