Hong Heng Tai Macau cha chaan teng
Photograph: Vivianna Cheong
Photograph: Vivianna Cheong

11 must-try cha chaan teng in Macau

Craving heart-warming comfort food? Check out these cha chaan tengs that serve the best of local flavours

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Cha chaan tengs, while ubiquitous in our city, are not entirely unique to Hong Kong. Our sister SAR Macau, renowned for its vibrant international dining scene, also has its fair share of these humble yet hearty eateries. If you ask a Macau local for their beloved flavours that are not the usual tourist spots, they’ll likely steer you towards the humble cha chaan tengs. Apart from CCT classics such as milk tea, pineapple buns, wonton noodles, and Hong Kong-style French toast, Macau’s local eateries also serve up iconic dishes with Portuguese and Macanese influences, such as Portuguese-style chicken, spicy sardine paste, and minchi (read on to find out what this is). Here are some CCTs in Macau you should definitely try out.

RECOMMENDED: Walk off all that food with the best things to do in Macau!

Best cha chaan tengs in Macau

Choi Lou Kei

Established in 1986, this eatery has been a beloved part of the historic Bairro Horta da Mitra area for over three decades, a small district with a strong sense of community that sees white-collar workers and high-school students alike gathering for quick bites during their lunch breaks. One of Choi Lou Lei’s classics is Buddha’s Delight, a vegetarian dish known in Cantonese as ‘Lo Hon Jai’. This is essentially a mix of vegetables, bean curd sheets, fat choy, wood ear, snow peas, and cellophane noodles. 

As with most cha chaan teng fare, there’s a level of customisation available to your palates, so if you’re particularly hungry, go ahead and order your dish topped with chicken or fish fillets. If you crave something with a kick, slurp a bowl of piping hot satay beef vermicelli noodles – and remember, there’s nothing stopping you from topping it with a fried egg.

Where to find it: G/F, Edifício Io Meng, 4A Rua de Tomás da Rosa, Macau

Mei Mei Hin

If you’re visiting the nearby Guia Fortress and Lighthouse, head down the Instagrammable Rua Nova à Guia to find this humble-looking eatery. Aside from cha chaan teng classics like crispy buns with condensed milk, pineapple buns, instant noodle and macaroni dishes, you can also try some dishes with southeastern influences, such as the Burmese ohn no khao swè (coconut chicken noodles) and mohinga (fish noodle soup). 

If you’re a big fan of spicy food, you must try the beef brisket curry, which marries a thick curry sauce with the flavourful beef brisket. Paired with one of their refreshing cold drinks like milk tea with red beans, this is a perfect way to revive yourself on a hot day. 

Where to find it: G/F, Edifício Cai Mei, 5 Rua Nova à Guia, Loja C, Macau

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Shea I (The Home Cafe)

Another CCT hotspot on Rua Nova à Guia is The Home Cafe. As its Chinese and English name suggest, this no-frills eatery is where you can enjoy homey, value-for-money dishes, and affordable indulgence. With a TV that everyone watches and the sounds of regulars asking after the soup of the day, this eatery is the epitome of neighbourhood comfort. 

Their soup rice dishes are a crowd favorite, with three flavors available – mixed seafood, winter melon and roasted duck, and minced meat with oyster – that are all top-notch. If you visit during the summer, be sure to try the Thai-style seafood fried rice or the pork chop with onion sauce served with rice. 

Where to find it: G/F, Edifício Kam Seak, 42 Rua Nova à Guia, Macau

Kam Seng

Located on a bustling street in the Macau peninsula, Kam Seng has been around for over five decades, famously being the go-to lunch spot for factory workers when the city’s textile industry was at its peak in the 1970s. This is also one of those eateries that has made their name with a single dish: ‘double sauce’ chicken vermicelli noodles (the sauces in question refer to beef brisket sauce and curry sauce). Of course, you can also have alternatives like ho fun noodles or cuttlefish balls. The tender chicken pieces and noodles are served in chicken broth with a spoonful of homemade chilli sauce, so you get a blend of spicy, savoury, and slightly sweet flavours in each bite. 

Where to find it: G/F, Edifício Cai Mei, 16-20 Rua da Madre Terezina, Macau

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Alves Cafe

Alves Cafe is a beloved household name in Macau, with a menu of delicious Chinese and Macanese dishes, making it a perfect spot to grab a quick and satisfying bite. From mouth-watering rice dishes like Portuguese-style chicken with its mild yellow curry, to minced pork with potatoes (also known as minchi), or even ox tongue, there’s something for every palate. This cha chaan teng also serves a signature teapresso: a fusion of milk tea and espresso, brewed with tea leaves from Sri Lanka through their own espresso machine. If the post-lunch sleepies are hitting you, this might just give you a much-needed jolt.

Where to find it: G/F, Units A3-4, Edifício Nam Van, 737-741 Avenida da Praia Grande, Macau

Ma Hing Hong

Founded in 1926, Ma Hing Hong is one of the oldest cha chaan tengs in Macau. Older generations might still remember its original location at what is now a tourist hotspot, Largo do São Domingos, but it’s been at its current home on Rua de Francisco Xavier Pereira since 1987. Despite its simple decor, it’s hard to overlook Ma Hing Hong over lunch breaks with its frequently long queues at the entrance. The interior, with cream-coloured booths, tiled walls, and simple fans to beat the heat, feels like a throwback to an older, simpler time.

Hit up Ma Hing Hong for their set breakfasts, featuring macaroni, instant noodles, or Jiangxi rice vermicelli, topped with ingredients like ham, sliced pork, and beef, and walk out feeling satisfied and well-fed. For lunch, don’t miss the steamed or pan-fried pork patty with rice and a runny egg.

Where to find it: G/F, Edifício Vai Tat, 65A Rua de Francisco Xavier Pereira, Macau

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San Hong Cafe

Chicken pilau rice is a much-loved Macanese dish in the city; there is even a Facebook page for enthusiasts to track eateries that serve it across Macau. For the uninitiated, it features golden fried rice with a thick chicken fillet, slices of ham, and raisins, though different restaurants will have varying approaches to the dish. At San Hong Cafe, the chicken fillet is replaced with a succulent chicken leg, promising a satisfying bite for hungry souls.

The menu is a treasure trove of culinary delights, featuring a wide range of rice and noodle dishes and some chef’s specials. We’d recommend ordering the deep-fried chicken wings with belacan paste and oil noodles, and instant noodles served with cheese and smoked salmon.

Where to find itG/F, Unit J, Tong Nam Ah Central Comercio, Rua de Londres, 17 Alameda Dr. Carlos d'Assumpção, Macau

Hong Heng Tai

Nestled along Rua de Coelho do Amaral, Hong Heng Tai has been serving the local community with various delicious noodle dishes for over two decades. Try their signature dishes of dried scallops and chicken wings with noodles, chicken lai fun noodles served in soup, and pork liver noodles. The interior of Hong Heng Tai is comfortingly nostalgic, with cozy booths, and large pieces of calligraphy and paintings decorating the walls.

Where to find it: G/F, Edifício Seng Fai, 151B Estrada de Coelho do Amaral, Macau

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Duckling Gourmet

Over on Taipa, this spacious, frills-free eatery is the ideal spot for you to enjoy siu mei (Cantonese roasted meat) such as sweet and savoury char siu, succulent roasted duck, marinated steamed chicken, or soy sauce chicken. If it’s texture you’re after, order the roasted pork with crispy skin for a satisfying crunch, or the cold pork knuckle for a refreshing bite in summer time. With a kitchen that’s as versatile as it is skilled, this cha chaan teng also offers a wide range of dishes, from rice and noodles to sizzling pot and steamed staples. 

Where to find it: G/F, Prince Flower City, 161-177 Rua de Nam Keng, Taipa, Macau

Cafe Neptune

This nostalgic cafe bills itself as a bing sutt, meaning ‘ice room’ in Cantonese, so it makes sense to expect creative iced beverages such as red bean ice with grass jelly, pineapple ice, and iced milk tea or coffee with red bean. Cafe Neptune is also a haven for beef lovers, offering everything from beef offal and beef brisket to beef tendon. Whether you pair these beef cuts with rice or noodles, each bite is a delightful, flavoursome mouthful. And if you’re looking for something different, trust us when we say their curry dishes are a delicious departure from the usual steak or ox tongue.

Where to find it: G/F, Edifício Kinglight Garden, 313 Rua de Bragança, Taipa, Macau

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Coloane Pier Noodle Shop

If you’re kicking about Coloane island, lean into the village spirit and fill your stomach at this eatery. It specialises in dried seafood, whipping up a menu of delights such as shark’s fin noodles and abalone and mushroom noodles with oyster sauce. The classic here is shark’s fin noodles, served in a rich broth cooked with shark’s fin bones and shreds of chicken and ham. Additionally, you can treat yourself to noodles topped with pan-fried cuttlefish or pork cutlets, or beef brisket noodles. This down-to-earth, no-frills eatery is also housed in a building that’s a departure from the normally Chinese CCT vibe, featuring wooden shutters on its windows and walls decorated with Portuguese azulejo tiles.

Where to find it: 116 Rua dos Navegantes, Coloane, Macau

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