Finally Revisiting Macau: A Brand New Guide to Eating, Drinking, Fun, and Accommodation!

For most people, the historic Ruins of St. Paul's, stunning church architecture, the magnificent Grand Lisboa Hotel, a diverse culinary culture blending Chinese and Western flavors, and the colorful, tranquil narrow streets and sloped lanes define Macau, the Pearl of the Pearl River Delta. Recently, Huahua also visited the Grand Lisboa Hotel located in the heart of Macau city, exploring this elegant and iconic landmark. Designed by a renowned Hong Kong designer, this landmark building takes the golden lotus, a symbol of Macau, as its architectural concept, and the overall structure is resplendent and majestic. Whether in various parts of the Macau Peninsula or in Taipa, the shining hotel can be seen from afar.

Grand Lisboa Hotel Macau

The hotel lobby is magnificent, imbued with various auspicious meanings of Chinese Feng Shui, and stands a statue of the hotel's founder, Dr. Stanley Ho. Dr. Stanley Ho has been committed to promoting cultural and artistic development, and the Grand Lisboa Hotel is like a treasure exhibition hall, with rare collections visible everywhere. Upon entering the lobby, straight ahead, a giant diamond named "The Star of Stanley Ho" and a "Fortune and Blessings Gem" are on display. "The Star of Stanley Ho" weighs 218.08 carats, making it the world's largest flawless pillow-shaped diamond. Its cutting alone took over a year, and the pillow shape carries the beautiful meaning of "a worry-free pillow." A giant bronze incense burner, a bronze sculpture of Tai Chi sparring, the golden artwork "Golden Dragon Boat," and the famous painting "Joy on the Brow" are all worth stopping to admire slowly. The exquisite "Lotus Pond" and the spiral staircase are not only photo spots in the lobby but also filming locations for many movies and TV shows, including "Johnny English." Huahua felt like a leading lady! At the lobby's pastry and souvenir shop, the hotel's mooncake gift sets for the Mid-Autumn Festival have already been launched! Unlike other hotels that purchase mooncakes externally, the mooncakes launched by Grand Lisboa Hotel each year are personally prepared and designed by Chef Yau Wah Fai, the dim sum chef of the hotel's Michelin three-star Chinese restaurant, The Eight. They are genuinely homemade and therefore limited! While checking in, Huahua also applied for a membership card at the Grand Lisboa Hotel, which offers various discounts and promotional activities, including up to 20% off at the hotel's restaurants or discounts on hotel accommodation. You can also earn points to redeem for hotel stays, ferry tickets, dining vouchers, and more, or use membership points for exclusive discounted rates on various awards. Such a VIP experience is not to be missed. Besides its renowned themed resort hotels, Macau's culinary scene is also highly acclaimed, earning it the title of "Creative City of Gastronomy" from UNESCO. The Grand Lisboa Hotel is the only hotel in Macau to hold a total of 7 Michelin stars, including 2 Michelin three-star restaurants and 1 Michelin one-star restaurant, making it a must-visit for star-chasers. Additionally, the hotel has several very affordable restaurants with great reputations, so Huahua's trip to Macau was also a "Taste of Macau" journey!

The Eight Restaurant

Located on the second floor of the Grand Lisboa Hotel, The Eight is the only high-end Chinese restaurant in Macau to have received three Michelin stars for seven consecutive years. It is also the pinnacle of Macau's Chinese cuisine, having won numerous awards since its opening. A gentle reminder: Michelin restaurants have dress codes. Ladies are advised not to wear slippers, slide sandals, or flip-flops, and gentlemen should not wear sleeveless tops, shorts, or open-toed shoes. Designed by a top Hong Kong designer, the restaurant incorporates the auspicious number "8" and the symbol of abundance and vitality—goldfish—throughout. The black and red color scheme, accented with gold, exudes a new Chinese-style elegance. A giant crystal ball, dazzling plum-shaped chandeliers, goldfish screen paintings, and a holographic projection hallway are all must-see spots. The plates and decorations are luxurious and pleasing to the eye. Executive Chef Tse Kam Chung has over 50 years of hotel catering experience and excels in sourcing seasonal fresh ingredients to create delicate dim sum, innovative Cantonese dishes, and classic Oriental cuisine. The delicious abalone with yuzu, crispy fried sole and pan-seared scallops, and refreshing snow crab (aka king crab) with organic cherry tomatoes are all small, exquisite appetizers that bring a sense of luxury to the palate. Among the appetizer platter, the honey-glazed Kurobuta pork char siu made from Japanese plum blossom pork shipped directly from Japan impressed everyone. Huahua, a true Cantonese native, greatly appreciated the rich sweetness. The main courses—shark's fin soup with fish maw and shredded chicken, official bird's nest stuffed in bamboo pith, and crispy blue angel flower chicken—feature premium ingredients combined with the chef's skill and innovation, leaving a lasting and memorable impression. The golden garlic and jadeite star grouper was the most enticing dish of the night. The chef uses only the most precious middle section of the leopard coral grouper, completely deboned, with the skin skillfully flattened and smooth. Upon serving, a hot broth made from chicken and fish is poured over it, instantly releasing a fragrant aroma. However, the chef revealed that the secret lies in the condiments: minced garlic, sugar, dried tangerine peel, and fermented black beans stir-fried until fragrant, and shredded spring onions and ginger lightly fried in oil. Each condiment perfectly highlights the unique sweetness of the grouper with the broth and sauce. The plating is also highly creative: green young broccoli is carved into the shape of the restaurant's name "8," making the dish look particularly elegant and soothing. Whether you choose mango pomelo sago or black-and-white sesame pudding for dessert, you'll be satisfied, and then the restaurant's complementary Macau-style egg tarts warmly and crisply remind you that you are in Macau, at the top representation of Macau Chinese cuisine, "The Eight." Fine wine and good food are inseparable. The wine cellar at Grand Lisboa Hotel houses over 500,000 bottles of over 17,000 world-renowned wines, and has won the highest honors from Wine Spectator and China's Best Wine List for many consecutive years. Huahua was fortunate to enjoy the top Chinese cuisine at The Eight while also tasting the sommelier's recommended fine wines, including an excellent wine from the famous Burgundy producer Domaine Faiveley. Let this sparkling Michelin journey at Grand Lisboa begin with a slight buzz!

📍 Address: 2nd Floor, Grand Lisboa Hotel

⏰ Opening Hours: Adjusted during the pandemic: Thursday to Sunday, Lunch 11:30-14:30, Dinner 18:30-22:00

Robuchon au Dôme

Legendary chef Robuchon's restaurants around the world have earned over 30 Michelin stars. Among them, Robuchon au Dôme at the Grand Lisboa Hotel in Macau offers traditional haute French cuisine. It has been awarded three Michelin stars for 12 consecutive years and has received the "Grand Award" from the renowned wine magazine Wine Spectator annually since 2005. Located at the top of the Grand Lisboa Hotel, inside a dome 238 meters high, the glass and steel structure creates a futuristic feel, allowing every seat to enjoy a panoramic view of Macau's sea, sky, and bustling cityscape. Upon entering, all eyes are drawn to the giant crystal chandelier in the center of the restaurant. This modern art chandelier, custom-made in Austria, is inlaid with 131,500 Swarovski crystals and hangs elegantly from the glass dome, like a fairy tale. Under the dome, a Baccarat crystal floor lamp and a hand-carved wooden classical piano from the 17th century by Steinway & Sons of Germany are perfect photo spots. The restaurant's details echo the lobby's artworks: on the honeycomb-shaped cut wall with French antique bronze mirrors, Huahua saw the familiar silhouette of the "Tai Chi Sparring" art sculpture. The luxurious dining tables and decorative pieces come from renowned designers worldwide, and the selected fine china is breathtaking. Riedel crystal wine glasses and Bernardaud high-relief platinum plates subtly reveal a pursuit of perfection. The bread cart, available throughout the meal, also becomes part of the restaurant's artistic atmosphere. The bread basket first served brings a warm and joyful feeling, perhaps because the two types of freshly sliced butter—creamy unsalted and salted—look as adorable as a little chubby baby. At a restaurant that has earned three Michelin stars for 12 consecutive years, you can't help but feel a sense of pilgrimage. When opening the menu and seeing the rainbow light shining through the dome, it feels like a blessing of deliciousness. The saying that every French dish is a work of art is always true. The welcome snack—crayfish with sea urchin waffle—is made with the delicacy of French pastry. The appetizer: French caviar with seafood jelly and cauliflower cream is a classic dish at Robuchon au Dôme, and it's essentially a must-order for every guest (those with trypophobia may need some mental preparation but can still enjoy it). The chef skillfully prepares the seafood jelly in advance. Before serving, a tower of Alaskan king crab meat is placed on the plate, topped with the highest grade Imperial caviar and edible gold leaf from France. Then, like an artisan, the chef evenly spaces dots of white cauliflower cream and green parsley sauce around the seafood jelly. It is an undeniable work of art. When you taste it, the salty flavor subtly arrives, yet the texture remains refreshing. Crayfish ravioli with savoy cabbage: When freshwater crayfish meets handmade ravioli, when the ravioli meets black truffle, when Cantonese pastry meets a French restaurant—what does the chef think is more important: the scampi ravioli, the black truffle, or the green savoy cabbage? Huahua thinks eating it while it's hot is what matters most :)

Crispy fried egg with caviar and smoked salmon: The top-grade caviar is excellent, and the smoked salmon too, but when an appetizer features a crispy fried runny egg, that creamy texture is truly memorable.

Main course: Roasted beef fillet with foie gras and Port wine sauce: This creative dish is a pride of the restaurant's chef and a favorite among loyal fans of Robuchon au Dôme. Japanese premium beef fillet and well-balanced foie gras are combined into a thick strip, roasted, and then placed in a wooden box with rosemary, fragrant wood sticks, and cherry tomatoes for a gentle smoke, creating a Michelin-style ceremony. The roasted beef fillet and foie gras are cut into thick slices and served with Portugal's "national wine," Port sauce, all in one smooth, irresistible move.

Roasted lobster with peas and lobster bisque: Compared to red meat, Huahua prefers white meat, so this lobster main course naturally scores high. The lobster bisque is rich in salty flavor, but the chef specifically pours the soup over the roasted lobster upon serving to prevent it from becoming too salty and soggy. This strict attention to detail is the foundation of the restaurant's top Michelin recommendation. This dish also has high visual appeal—perfect for a photo!

The dessert cart is also wheeled to the table by the waitstaff for guests to order. Each exquisite dessert combines richness, crispness, and smoothness in the mouth, allowing you to enjoy a French moment on the palate. French vanilla mousse with French-style Huahua, under the gentle sunlight, everything is wonderful. Like other restaurants at the Grand Lisboa Hotel, Robuchon au Dôme uses wines from the hotel's cellar, which houses over 500,000 bottles of over 17,000 world-famous wines. Since 2005, it has annually received the "Grand Award" from Wine Spectator.

📍 Address: 43rd Floor, Grand Lisboa Hotel. Take the elevator to the 39th floor, then transfer to the elevator to the top floor.

⏰ Opening Hours: Adjusted during the pandemic: Friday to Sunday, Lunch 12:00-14:30

Don Alfonso 1890 Italian Cuisine

At the Grand Lisboa Hotel, besides the Michelin-starred French restaurant, you can also enjoy authentic traditional pizza from the Naples region at Don Alfonso 1890 Italian Cuisine, experiencing the pure and rustic southern Italian food culture. Huahua was even lucky enough to learn from pizza chef Maurizio Ferrini how to make a creative pizza, and easily graduated without any trouble!

📍 Address: 3rd Floor, Grand Lisboa Hotel

⏰ Opening Hours: Lunch 12:00-14:30, Dinner 18:30-22:00, Closed on Tuesdays

Located in the center of the Macau Peninsula, the Grand Lisboa Hotel has a bus hub at its entrance that easily connects to various parts of the Macau Peninsula, Taipa, and Coloane. Therefore, whether on weekdays or weekends, in addition to hotel guests dining at the hotel's various restaurants, Macau locals also like to gather here. The Day & Night Café is one such spot. Open 24 hours a day, the café's limited pastries, cakes, and breads, carefully crafted by the pastry chef and baker, are the most popular. They are of high quality and reasonably priced, often selling out as soon as they come out of the oven each day. The yuzu mousse cake—surprisingly affordable for a five-star hotel café's offering! Yummy! Cream cheese cake with citrus jelly, dried fruit peels, butter cake, and blueberry Danish pastries. The café also offers global classics such as Portuguese cuisine, Cantonese roasted meats, Thai light meals, and Vietnamese pho. On weekends, you can enjoy both Chinese and Western delights with friends! Huahua recommends: Hainanese chicken rice. Huahua also learned from a Japanese pastry chef how to make a popular local Portuguese dessert—wooden cake (actually a biscuit crumb cake)—paired with rich bubble milk tea. Loved it!

📍 Address: Upper Mezzanine, 2nd Floor, Grand Lisboa Hotel

⏰ Opening Hours: 24 hours

Day & Night - Congee and Noodle Area

Another 24-hour dining outlet at the Grand Lisboa Hotel is the Day & Night - Congee and Noodle Area, a highly recommended "food spot" by Macau locals. It's the perfect place for those with a "Chinese stomach"! The restaurant offers a variety of authentic Chinese dishes, such as various handmade noodles, congee, Cantonese dim sum, and Sichuan-Shanghai snacks. The cooking methods are meticulous, and there are absolutely no pitfalls! Huahua recommends: Vinegar-Soaked Crispy Vegetables. Choose high-quality crispy radish, cut into medium-long chunks, and slice each chunk five times to make it easier to absorb flavor and look better. Drunken Chicken with Hua Diao Wine. Use five-year-aged Shaoxing Hua Diao wine and rose wine to soak fresh chicken. The aroma is rich when you eat it, and the meat is especially tender. Mother's Soy Sauce Duck. The cooking method is not much different from traditional soy sauce duck, but young duck is used to avoid any gamey taste affecting the texture. Tangerine Peel Oil-Exploded Shrimp. The oil-exploded shrimp looks ordinary but hides great depth. High-temperature oil makes the shrimp skin very thin and crispy, so it can be eaten directly. The tangerine peel and maltose are cooked together, balancing the oiliness of the shrimp with a sweet-sour flavor. Famous Water Crab Congee and Char Siu with Century Egg Congee. The various congees at the restaurant are already praised by Macau locals. The essence of congees like abalone and chicken congee, water crab congee, and char siu with century egg congee lies in the base. The smooth and sweet base is irresistible. Sichuan-Style Pickled Cabbage with Mandarin Fish Fillets. Huahua didn't expect to find this famous Chinese dish in a five-star Macau hotel. The pickled fish soup at Grand Lisboa uses fresh fish to make the broth, paired with a secret sour pickled cabbage and freshly sliced middle-section mandarin fish fillets. The rich, mildly spicy, and savory broth is perfect with rice! The restaurant specially hired a Shanxi handmade noodle chef to make various fresh-to-order noodles, including knife-cut noodles, Lanzhou pulled noodles, and knife-tossed noodles. They even offer a unique "one noodle" that can extend up to seventy feet. Guests can choose different handmade noodles and pair them with sour-spicy soup, pork bone soup, or beef broth. They can also select toppings such as Shanxi stir-fried pork, Shanxi mixed meat sauce, Shanxi vinegar sauce, pickled vegetable with shredded pork, steamed pork ribs, eight-treasure spicy sauce, special minced meat sauce, five-spice beef, and salt-and-pepper pork chop. Truly, anything you can think of, the restaurant can make! While dining in the noodle area, you can also watch a tea master perform a "Kung Fu Tea" show. Each cup of eight-treasure tea costs only 18 MOP—a great deal!

📍 Address: Upper Mezzanine, 2nd Floor, Grand Lisboa Hotel

⏰ Opening Hours: Adjusted during the pandemic: Friday to Sunday, 8:00-24:00

Grand Lisboa's emphasis on art and culture extends even to its casual dining areas. The Crystal Lounge, open 24 hours, hides a must-visit photo spot! The hotel invited a Macau artist to create a whole-wall mural behind the cashier counter. Elements like red bean ice, the Grand Lisboa Hotel, an old-style tea restaurant, pineapple buns, and rickshaws are artistically integrated into the painting. This mural, combining local cuisine and Macau elements, has become an "Instagram wall"! The lounge offers a variety of Hong Kong-Macau specialty drinks and local dishes, including red bean ice made with Japanese Tokachi red beans and rich milk, various nostalgic specialty drinks, Hong Kong-style pineapple buns, pan-fried cocktail buns, four-treasure rice, and the signature char siu with fried egg rice. Huahua's favorite is the spicy sardines with Spam and fried egg instant noodles—a delicious meal and a heartwarming nostalgic treat.

📍 Address: Upper Mezzanine, 1st Floor, Grand Lisboa Hotel

⏰ Opening Hours: 24 hours

All-Season Heated Outdoor Pool

On a sunny autumn day, with just the right amount of sunshine and breeze, you can enjoy a swim in the hotel's outdoor pool in the afternoon. The pool is heated year-round, suitable for the whole family.

📍 Address: 5th Floor, Grand Lisboa Hotel

⏰ Opening Hours: 08:00 - 20:00

Casino Stage Bar

If you get tired from exploring and eating, why not head to the Stage Bar inside the hotel's first-floor casino? Enjoy cocktails freshly mixed by the sommelier while watching stage performances. The dancers invited by the casino come from a Parisian dance troupe. Their performances, combining art and sensuality, have been a staple in Macau for over forty years. Daily shows include French cancan, Indian dance, pole dance, swing dance, and more. Guests can enjoy them for free at the casino. Each performance is captivating—cheer for the performers!

📍 Address: Casino Stage, 1st Floor, Grand Lisboa Hotel

⏰ Show Times: 13:00-21:00

Grand Lisboa Spa & Wellness Center

The Grand Lisboa Spa & Wellness Center maintains the same grandeur and elegance as the hotel. It has just received a five-star rating from the 2020 Forbes Travel Guide. If you're on a leisure vacation in Macau, don't forget to experience its exceptional service and professional quality. Covering a total area of 10,000 square feet, the spa has 11 treatment suites, each equipped with a "Private Heaven" offering various shower functions and hydro-massage effects. The walls are adorned with platinum mosaic tiles installed by German technicians, and the bathtubs are inlaid with jade mosaic tiles, exuding luxury in every detail. The jade hydromassage pool in the spa suite is spacious and comfortable, offering a private sanctuary for relaxation. The spa uses premium oils made from pure plant extracts and natural essential oils. Huahua recognized the familiar Aromatherapy Associates aromatherapy products.

📍 Address: 5th and 6th Floors, Grand Lisboa Hotel

⏰ Opening Hours: 12:00 - 21:00

Hotel Rooms

With over 400 luxurious and magnificent rooms and suites, including lake-view rooms, grand rooms, luxury grand rooms, and luxury suites, the room design is elegant, luxurious, comfortable, and stylish.

Superior Room:

Luxury Suite:

Huahua stayed in a lake-view room on the 19th floor, offering a distant view of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the Macau Port Building of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, overlooking the bustling cityscape of the Macau Peninsula. The windowsill, capturing the whole blue sky, became Huahua's favorite little creative space for photography. The spacious bathroom is Huahua's favorite private space. The steam room with adjustable temperature and time, and the multi-directional massage bathtub, can wash away the fatigue and irritability of the day. After a peaceful night's sleep, enjoying room service by the windowsill, savoring delicate breakfast items while watching the beautiful scenery outside, Huahua starts a busy day full of energy!

Hotel Transportation and Surroundings

Located in the commercial center of the Macau Peninsula, the hotel provides complimentary shuttle service for guests to and from the Gongbei Border Gate, the Macau Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal, and the Macau International Airport. At the bus hub across the street from the hotel, there are multiple routes to various parts of the Macau Peninsula, Taipa, and Coloane. Whether you want to explore the historic Macau-Portuguese district or experience the vibrant and creative new city, you can reach it conveniently.

Within walking distance from the hotel, you can visit several famous historical sites, including the UNESCO World Heritage Site Ruins of St. Paul's, the IACM Building built at the end of the 16th century, Senado Square, the General Post Office, and St. Dominic's Church. While walking among these historic sites, you can pick up various Macau specialties and taste local delicacies like shrimp roe noodles, wonton noodles, dried meat, pork chop buns, and egg waffles! Just 200 meters from the Ruins of St. Paul's, next to Love Lane, is Kwan Chian Street, an emerging cultural and creative district in Macau. Kwan Chian Street's history dates back to the Kangxi era, when the customs office "Customs Department" was located nearby, hence the name "Kwan Chian" (meaning "in front of the customs"). In recent years, the government has laid traditional wavy Portuguese cobblestones on the street and introduced several cultural and creative projects. In the past two years, every weekend in October, a carnival called "Lan Kwai Lou Parade" is held, focusing on market culture and traditional Chinese skills, promoting a nostalgic cultural theme. Along the street, you can see artistic graffiti walls everywhere. Even small electrical boxes are decorated with various unique designs, colorful and fun. The Portuguese-themed wall with the Portuguese chicken is another must-photo spot! A building on the street, now called "Art Gate," was originally a 60-year-old iron factory named "Weng Kei." In 2017, it was transformed by local Macau artists into a new cultural and creative hub. The four-story building houses a café, a creative goods shop, and local design brand studios. The rooftop on the fourth floor retains the old "Weng Kei" iron factory sign. Art lovers, note this nostalgic photo spot! Although the street is not long, it hides a "Macau's only"—the Macau Coca-Cola Collection Museum. This small museum has a wide range of exhibits, including different product packaging from various periods of Coca-Cola, a variety of Coca-Cola-themed merchandise, and promotional materials featuring celebrities and famous figures collaborating with Coca-Cola. Some items are for sale, but most are for display only. Entry is free! The convergence of cultural creativity brings boundless vitality to Macau. In 2020, revisit Macau, starting from Grand Lisboa, and step into the new Macau!