Macao is a popular travel destination for several reasons—the main allure being the massive casino scene, but where we are concerned, we are more drawn to the acclaimed Portuguese egg tart and pork chop buns. Little do most people know that this former Portuguese authority is actually a paradise for foodies with so much more in store than just egg tarts.

Each November, Macao plays hosts to an annual food festival that collaborates with hundreds of local food merchants. Better yet, international restaurateurs are also invited to this prestigious event, presenting authentic flavours from back home.

The Macao Food Festival is a popular event that gives local residents and tourists alike the opportunity to savour a vast variety of local and foreign delicacies in a lively, carnival-like environment. Spanning over two weeks from 10 November to 26 November 2017, it is time to do away with those diet plans (temporarily of course) and let the feasting begin!

The Macao Food Festival is one of the biggest annual events held in the territory. Located over five zones at the massive Praça do Lago Sai Van (Sai Van Lake Square) near the Macao Tower, this food festival is not something that can be fully explored in one day.

Making your way down to the Macao Food Festival 2017 is a breeze. You can choose to get there either via a taxi or the free shuttle buses that depart from three separate locations—Luso Bank Main Branch, OCBC Wing Hang Bank (Hak Sa Van Branch) and opposite Taipa Altira Macao.

Michelin stars and the city’s unique Macanese cuisine have finally put Macao on the culinary map. While the 17^th Macao Food Festival is just one of the many monumental events to take place this year, the collection of food on display is bigger than ever.

The festival will be segregated into “streets”, each dedicated to a particular cuisine, making it much easier for you to pick and choose the food that you would like to try. You can expect to find a few notable local bakeries setting up shops there to promote their products too.

And if you are indeed planning to buy traditional cookies and snacks in Macao back home as souvenirs, you will be delighted to know that there are many that are worth getting them at the festival itself. The goodies are sold at promotional prices which beats paying more for the same quantity of goods.

The event is great for kids and adults alike as you can expect street food stalls and traditional funfair rides. Let your little ones indulge in some sweet treats from Malaysia such as the Potong ice cream that comes in an assortment of flavours. This cool creamy dessert really takes the edge off the heaty foods.

The food festival is enlivened by a series of live performances—from live bands to dance performances. Nothing gets better than munching on your favourite snack, sipping on a cold beer and having good music to keep you entertained.

It is also important to note that cash is no good here. You would, instead, have to purchase food vouchers in order to buy food, which is available at the numerous booths scattered all over the event space.

The Macanese seem to enjoy eating lobsters a lot given that there are several stalls selling cooked lobsters at the event. The grilled garlic lobsters are a must-try, but despite having long queues for them, we dare say that if you are a lobster lover like us, you should be more than willing to wait for it.

Savouring the beautiful combination of fragrant garlic and sweet lobster, surrounded by the subtle smoky charred flavour is really a remarkable experience.

Seafood lovers will feel like in heaven at the Japanese Village, as many stalls offer sushi, sashimi, various grilled seafood ranging from squid, scallops and even pan-fried crab legs. Wagyu is also a popular item here, served in the form of burgers and teppanyaki.

With the cool evening breeze accompanied by an ice cold beer, nothing pairs better than some form of grilled meat—which is why we would recommend stopping by for some of the many barbecue offerings above all else. Think hearty meat skewers and grilled chicken wings fresh off a blazing charcoal grill.

Plan your Macao food adventure with Dynasty Travel by filling up the enquiry form at https://goo.gl/3AwM2Z, and receive MOP 200 food vouchers to be spent at the festival when you confirm your booking with them! Whether you are a true-blue foodie or not, you are bound to leave with something memorable—which we hope for your sake is not a couple more pounds to your waistline.

17th Macao Food Festival
Sal Van Lake Square
10 November to 26 November 2017
Mon to Thu: 5pm – 11pm
Fri to Sun: 3pm – 12am

All photos are credited to MGTO.

This post is brought to you by Dynasty Travel.

Coined as the Las Vegas of Asia, Macau is a municipality of China and one of Portugal’s last colonies. While Macau might be famous for their extravagant casinos, do make it a point to venture beyond the city center’s luxurious hotels.

Take a walk along Macau’s vibrant cobblestone streets and you will discover a wide variety of delectable dishes. These tasty street foods are mostly influenced by the Chinese and Portuguese cuisines. The number of vendors is exhaustive and is admittedly overwhelming, especially for first-timers to Macau.

Dive straight for Macau’s famous classic Pork Chop Buns if you have no additional time and stomach capacity to spare. This delightful street snack is similar to the Western hamburger but with a unique Macanese twist.

The Pork Chop Bun is essentially a deep-fried pork chop stuffed between two fluffy buns. The lightly toasted buns are crisp on the outside and pillow-like on the insides.

Unlike the messy cheeseburgers that are loaded with cheese, capsicums and whatnot, Macau’s pork chop buns only have marinated pork as its only ingredient stuffed between the delicate buns.

Each serving is made to order and served to customers in paper bags. The Macanese specialty is best eaten while they are still piping hot.

Do take caution that these Asian ‘burgers’ are insanely greasy to the extent where you can simultaneously see and feel oil seeping through the paper bag onto your hands! While they are definitely not the healthiest option around, these tasty pork chop buns are actually worth the nasty calories for street food enthusiasts.

Pork Chop Buns can be found on almost every corner and alleyway on Macau at very affordable prices; the only problem would be deciding which hawker to choose from.