11 Best Restaurants in Downtown Macau, Macau

"Quirky" springs to mind when describing the colorful decor, with plastic monkey puppets and funky chicken toys hanging from the ceilings. The eclectic clientele includes graphic designers, gambling-compliance lawyers, and 10-year-old Cantonese kids celebrating birthdays.

This 1930s-style Parisian brasserie in the MGM Macau is one of the trendiest restaurants around. Diners are particularly fond of its catch-of-the-day seafood, French mains, and chic decor.

Founded in 1870 as a private military club, the stately pink-and-white structure was restored in 1995 and reopened as a restaurant. The languid Old World atmosphere perfectly complements the extensive list of traditional Portuguese dishes.

Well known to both locals and visitors from Hong Kong, Fat Siu Lau has kept its customers coming back since 1903 with delicious Macanese favorites and modern creations. A second branch, called Fat Siu Lau 3, is in Taipa Village and offers the same great food albeit in more modern settings.

With its dedicated view of the Wynn Macau's Performance Lake show and the flashing glows of the Lisboa casinos providing ambience, one of the most romantic restaurants in Macau plays host to Asian celebrities and well–heeled travelers alike. Popular among the impeccable southern Italian delights are tenderloin carpaccio and cioppino starters and sweet potato and pancetta gnocchi, accompanied by chilled wine from an exhaustive list. Desserts range from crispy cannoli to homemade sorbets and ice cream imported straight from Italy. Window seats in particular are at a premium and are best reserved three weeks in advance. The dress code is "casual elegance," which means long pants, closed-toe shoes, and no open shirts for men; this is not the place for children under five.

Walking toward the Ruins of St. Paul's, you will likely be accosted by salespeople forcing Macanese snacks into your hands and enticing you to enter one of the street's pastelarias. Competition is fierce, but Pastelaria Koi Kei is one of the oldest and best.

Despite the Portuguese name, exquisite dim sum and Chinese haute cuisine are Portas do Sol's specialties. Tiny, sweet Shanghainese pork buns, turnip cakes, and soup dumplings are some of the traditional offerings; there are also innovative new creations that look like miniature jewels on the plate. For dessert you can choose from a wide variety of Chinese sweets, including a fish-shaped chilled mango and coconut pudding, double-boiled papaya with snow fungus (a tasteless mushroom that becomes gelatinous when cooked), and deep-fried sweet milk with longan fruit. Reservations are a good idea on weekends, as this place fills up with Hong Kong and mainland visitors.

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).

Designed by Hong Kong's Alan Chan, The Eight is an opulent-looking restaurant where the food is as impressive as the decor—it was awarded three Michelin stars in 2014. The chefs here prepare fine Cantonese and Huaiyang cuisine; signature dishes include braised abalone with Chinese herbs, steamed Japanese bean curd with dried seafood, and steamed fish-shaped shrimp dumplings. The wine cellar contains more than 14,100 different labels; teetotalers can enjoy teas from an extensive menu that includes a pu er that has been aged for 49 years.

Lunchtime diners can choose from a menu that boasts over 50 types of dim sum.