3 Best Restaurants in Macau Inner Harbour, Macau

Time stands still inside A Lorcha (“wooden ship”), a cozy Portuguese restaurant that has delighted local diners and travelers since 1989. The menu has barely changed since it opened; nor have the portions. Order dishes to share like dobradinha (spicy beef tripe and chickpea stew), pataniscas de bachalau (salt cod fritters with vegetables), and Macanese coconut and turmeric chicken. But save room for the serradura (“sawdust”), a Macau specialty made with layers of biscuits and pudding.

Just up the road from A-Ma Temple, this popular family-run restaurant has served Macanese and Portuguese favorites since 1995. The menu runs the gamut from hard-to-find specialties like bafassá (pork braised with saffron or turmeric) to Macau’s unofficial national dish, minchi (wok-fried pork and potato hash topped with a fried egg). Don’t overlook Litoral’s famed African chicken, though. On weekends, expect large crowds lingering at their tables with bottles of wine, admiring the white-washed walls and timber frames, and ordering lavishly. There is another branch in Taipa, too.

Located across the street from the Moorish Barracks, this decades-old Italian restaurant keeps it simple with pizzas, pastas, grilled dishes, and timeless desserts like tiramisu and gelato served inside a warm, rustic space. What it lacks in “wow” factor it makes up for with affordable prices, satisfying flavors, and a family-friendly atmosphere. Favorites include the beef carpaccio, homemade tortellini and ravioli, and, of course, the wood-fired pizzas.