Macau, once dubbed “Las Vegas of the East”, has recently surpassed Las Vegas as the world’s most lucrative gambling destination. The gaming revenue is estimated to be at least three times that of Las Vegas. With this influx of wealth, Macau’s gastronomic scene has also boomed. In the most recent Michelin guide, Macau was awarded 29 Michelin stars across 19 restaurants. In this article, we examine must-visit fine dining establishments in Macau.
Why Macau’s Fine Dining Scene Deserves a Place on Every Foodie’s Radar
Macau has long been celebrated as the Las Vegas of the East, but its gastronomic scene has quietly become just as compelling as its casinos. With 29 Michelin stars across 19 restaurants in the most recent Michelin guide, this former Portuguese colony punches well above its weight as a fine dining destination. The city’s unique blend of Cantonese tradition, Portuguese heritage, and international culinary ambition creates a dining landscape unlike anywhere else in Asia. From rooftop Cantonese restaurants at The Ritz-Carlton to theatrical Indian tasting menus near the Old Macau centre, there is something here for every serious food lover.
From Peking Duck to Portuguese Lobster: Macau’s Most Memorable Plates
What makes Macau’s restaurant scene so exciting is its sheer variety. At Blossom Palace inside Galaxy Macau Resort, a master carver prepares wood-fired Peking duck tableside with 108 precise slices, while Chiado at The Londoner brings two-Michelin-starred Chef Henrique Sa Pessoa’s modern Portuguese cuisine to the city for the first time outside of Portugal. The Raffles Lounge raises the bar further still with Hokkaido scallops topped with Ossetra caviar and a dessert trolley that is genuinely hard to resist. For travellers who appreciate fine dining experiences as much as any sightseeing highlight, Macau is a destination that rewards curiosity at every turn.
1) Chiado, The Londoner Macau
As a former Portuguese colony, it would be remiss not to recommend a Portuguese restaurant. One of the finest is Chiado, inside The Londoner. Chef Henrique Sá Pessoa—who holds two Michelin stars—opened his first dining concept outside of Portugal here. His flagship restaurant, Alma in Lisbon, is a top example of modern Portuguese cuisine.
The decor is understated and refined. The decor includes loving artwork and photography from the Chiado neighbourhood of Lisbon. There are porcelain statement pieces on display, but the restaurant never feels stuffy or overly formal.
Dishes are immaculately presented with edible flowers and just the right amount of haute cuisine foam. Henrique’s menu has a distinct seafood focus. Eyecatchers include a well-marbled hamachi with green gazpacho, cucumber, and apple. Lobster is so popular that it appears in both the appetiser and main course. The appetiser is served in an almond emulsion. In the main, lobster stars in a showstopping seafood rice alongside other treasures like banana prawns.
The highlight from the dessert section is their marine masterpiece — sea flavours and citrus with yuzu sorbet and crystallised algae. It is light, it is a great palate cleanser, and the presentation just reminds you of a seabed.
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2) Justindia, Old Macau centre
Situated near the Old Macau centre, one must-visit location is Justindia, headed up by chef Justin Paul. This small venue allows you to enjoy exquisite food in a cosy setting, with walls adorned by artwork showing off the varied scenery of India from which the dishes draw their inspiration.
They offer an extensive à la carte menu, allowing you to tailor your food to your taste and appetite. During lunch, there is a Thali offering; in the evening, they offer a set menu (MOP598) with optional cocktail pairing (MOP188), which we opted for. Most striking was the inventiveness of the options – each of the nine courses gives an unexpected taste of this nation’s cuisine you may not have seen elsewhere. The presentation was exceptional, and despite the competitive price point, no expense was spared on ingredients. We experienced caviar, tiger prawns, wagyu beef, and scallops – which clearly contributed to its recent Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition.
Highlights for us included the pani puri filled with a tangy passion fruit and coriander beer, a fabulously tender Lucknowi lamb rack in an earthy brown onion sauce, and the shrikhand fig – a moreish fig compote perched atop a sweet and tangy wild honey-infused yoghurt topped with a powder of vivid pistachio and cardamom crumb.
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3) Lai Heen, The Ritz-Carlton
This one-Michelin-starred restaurant is located on the 51st floor of The Ritz-Carlton hotel and offers one of the most scintillating views of Macau you will find in the city. The decor is spectacularly ornate. Highly decorative Chinese ceramic vases adorn much of the restaurant, along with glass wine cellar partitions that showcase top-quality wines. This is the kind of Cantonese restaurant where you can dress up to impress. They do enforce a smart casual dress code where sleeveless shirts and shorts are not allowed.
The cuisine is Cantonese, but there are subtle nods to the former Portuguese roots of Macau. Their stewed prawns are served with a homemade 15-year-old aged port wine sauce. The kitchen team does like to add complexity to dishes with extravagant sauces and accompaniments. Another example is the barbecued sliced Iberico pork with French foie gras in honey sauce.
My highlights? The elegant simplicity of their traditional tossed noodles with spring onion oil and a half-serving of iberico pork. The noodles were suitably al dente and the oil was packed with umami-richness. This was followed closely by the refreshing “Ko Tong” soy sauce pudding. Yes, they’ve used actual soy sauce in a pudding, which added umami notes to the dessert.
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4) Blossom Palace, Galaxy Macau™ Resort
The Peking duck specialist is well-known in mainland China, where they have seven restaurants. The Macau branch opened in 2023 and is the first branch outside of mainland China. The bright and airy decor showcases the intricate woodwork and ornate chandeliers particularly well. They have an open kitchen, where you can observe how their Peking ducks are prepared, especially with their custom-built wood-fired oven.
Their wood-fired roasted Peking duck is clearly a must. The final preparation is carried out in front of your table. The master carver is supposed to carve out approximately 108 precise slices. A harmonious balance of skin and meat is crucial. At Blossom Palace, they send their master carver to neighbouring Guangzhou for an intensive two-week training course.
The cuisine is mostly a contemporary interpretation of Beijing and Huaiyang regional cuisines. They serve up enticing appetisers like crispy fried anchovies with sweet and sour sauce and comforting offerings like braised fish maw with gorgon fruit. The restaurant is situated inside Galaxy Macau™ integrated resort destination with countless high-end retail brands nearby. It makes for the perfect afternoon out in Macau.
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5) Raffles Lounge, Galaxy Macau™ Resort
Whilst Raffles Lounge is supposed to be the more “casual” restaurant at Raffles at Galaxy Macau, its spectacular custom-made chandelier would suggest otherwise. The exquisite creation uses 500,000 crystals and 23,000 crystal rods. Only first-class crystals are used, so that it all connects seamlessly to resemble a stunning diamond installation. The impressive high ceilings, along with marbled pillars and an immaculately well-polished grand piano, all add to a sense of theatricality whilst dining here.
Even perusing their lunch menu, you will see they offer a fine selection of oysters and caviar. For our starters, we savoured juicy Hokkaido scallops that had an intensely sweet and rich flavour. It was also topped with superior Ossetra caviar. Green pea soup might seem a rather prosaic choice, but their version includes Hokkaido sea urchin.
Main courses are no less extravagant. The pan-seared seabass is sourced from the Atlantic. Whilst our wagyu beef striploin had an M9 rating, meaning it has the highest possible score on the Australian meat marbling scale. Make sure you leave room for their impressive dessert trolley, which will be hard to resist.
Click here to visit their website.
Why not check out my article on Lan Kwai Fong: The beating heart of Hong Kong’s nightlife scene, click here to read the article.
