5 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.

Founded in 1870 as a private military club, the stately pink-and-white structure was restored in 1995 and reopened as a restaurant. Although the club itself is members-only, the dining room is open to the public for lunch and dinner. Its languid old-world atmosphere perfectly complements the extensive list of Portuguese dishes, including an excellent arroz de marisco (seafood rice) and African chicken, a Macanese classic.

Quirky and one-of-a-kind, long-standing Dom Galo is as famous for flamboyant decor—rooster paraphernalia, bright yellow chairs, spray-painted disco balls strung from the ceiling—as for its generously portioned Portuguese dishes. The clientele ranges from couples on dates to gambling-compliance lawyers and Cantonese families celebrating birthdays and special occasions.

Mediterranean beauty is in evidence inside and outside, with a gleaming white facade opening into a dining room with graceful arches, terra-cotta floors, and wrought-iron furniture. The menu is creative, with dishes ranging from African chicken to pork and clams cataplana (in a stew of onions, tomatoes, and wine).