Secret Macau
Tired of making the same old rounds every time you disembark from the ferry? We’ve rounded up eight tucked-away spots to check out the next time you visit our neighbor to the west.
We love Macau—but let’s face facts: it doesn’t take long to tire of all the usual tourist haunts. If you’ve done Fernando’s a hundred times, and the mere mention of Senado Square elicits a yawn, then it’s time to head off the beaten path on your next visit to the area. Fortunately, our sister SAR has plenty to do just a little way off the beaten path. Read on to discover our favorite, lesser-known Macanese delights.
St. Lazarus Quarter
On any visit to Macau, we head here first. The area surrounding St. Lazarus Church, it’s characterized by narrow lanes tiled with patterns and lined with colorful Portuguese-style facades. It used to be the site of a leprosy hospital, but since the whole area was cleaned up and restored several years ago, more and more creative outlets, shops and restaurants have sprung up. The epicenter of the action, Albergue SCM is a beautiful, peaceful square surrounded by buildings with yellow shutters and dominated by two huge leafy trees in the middle. Within the square itself, there’s a gallery as well as a new boutique that exclusively sells products imported from Portugual. The Portuguese Corner Shop’s (8 Calcada da Igreja de Sao Lazaro, Macau, (+853) 2856-2709) stock ranges from canned foods to delicate gold jewelry to fragrant bath products. Across the square, there’s also a restaurant called Albergue 1601 (8 Calcada da Igreja de Sao Lazaro, Macau, (+853) 2836-1601), which serves fusion food in an old-fashioned building with a contemporary interior.
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A few blocks over, pop into G17 Gallery (17A Rua de Sao Miguel, (+853) 2834-6626), a petite exhibition space which recently showcased a collection of local delicate ceramics and pottery work. On a recent Saturday, it was packed with culture buffs and well-wishers that all greeted and embraced each other like family. Nearby, there’s a small, inviting boutique called Jabber (Edificio Man Fai, 38 Rua de S. Roque, (+853) 2835-3618), where you’ll find everything from necklaces to vintage postcards to handmade soaps—It also doubles as a coffee shop. Around the corner is a former mansion house dedicated to promoting the area's Chinese traditions (7 Calcada de S. Lazaro, Macau, (+853) 353 537). The official name of the house—The Association of Educators of Chinese Children of Macau—is a mouthful, but its aim is simple. Lots of Chinese artifacts are on display in big cases on the walls, while chandeliers and bird cages hang from the ceiling. Calligrapher Carlos Choi was drawing couplets during our visit, and he chatted with us for several minutes while we gawped at his effortless, beautiful characters.
The new can't-miss spot is this neighborhood is G32 (32 Rua de Sao Miguel). The newly renovated tong lau (tenement building) has only been open for a few months; it’s been painstakingly restored to look like a typical Macanese home from the 1960s and 1970s. The narrow three-story building has a rickety staircase, retro floral wallpaper, period furniture and vintage knickknacks scattered about. Every Saturday and Sunday from 3-5pm there are free tours, and our guide talked excitedly about the building’s heritage and plans to turn part of the space into a café soon—it quickly became clear that renovating this house was a labor of love for preservation enthusiasts. The ground floor houses a display about how the tong lau was refurbished, and there’s also a darkroom for local photographers, but the highlight is the roof, from which you can see exactly how Macau’s back alleys and crumbling old architecture are set against all of the newer, sleeker developments.
Dom Galo
A quirky interior and an off-the-beaten-path location is what sets this Portuguese-Macanese restaurant apart from its brethren. Just a five-minute walk from the Sands, this colorful joint is the perfect spot for a laid-back lunch. We hear dinner is more crowded but at 12:30pm on a Saturday we walked in without a reservation and were seated immediately. The friendly, patient staff helped us select a warm, hearty chorizo and chickpea dish as well as a heaping plate of tangy, garlicky clams and prawns. But let’s return to the unique part—the décor: “Galo” means rooster, and there’s a ton of rooster paraphernalia scattered about as well as eclectic tchotchkes, wacky paintings and colorful tiles. Playfully arranged stuffed animals peer down at customers from the restaurant's interior balconies. Menu offerings are fairly standard, but the reason to come here is the peculiar, endearing setting.
Avenida Sir Anders Ljung Stedt, Macau, (+853) 2875-1383.