(Last updated: November 17, 2025)
If Macau had a restaurant designed with tourists in mind, it would look exactly like Casa Maquista.
Housed inside one of the old Taipa Houses built in 1921 for senior Portuguese officials, it’s a remarkable venue, one that wouldn’t look out of place in Portugal’s Douro Valley.
It actually reminded me of the living rooms I sat in while visiting there, featuring the same cream-coloured walls, century-old antiques, family photos, and furniture that hasn’t properly functioned since 1955.
As a historical relic, Casa Maquista is undoubtedly priceless. As a dining experience, though, the food tells a very different story.
The menu is the work of two Portuguese brothers, Pedro and Mauro Almeida, who aim to revive traditional Macanese recipes that were never written down, but passed from one generation of Macanese families to the next. It’s an ambitious project to be sure, and maybe that explains the unevenness. While some dishes are certainly prepared properly, others collapse under the weight of a Wynn Palace chandelier.
Take the Black Fungus Minchi with Glass Noodle ($148), for example. It’s a curious invention, like minchi went on holiday and came back confused.
I’ve only ever seen it served with rice and an egg, never with glass noodles that indicate a heavy Chinese influence. Somehow, it still half-worked. The sauce had enough salt and flavour to rescue the noodles, although I’d still order a bowl of rice. 3.5 stars
The Turmeric Iberico Pork ($228), on the other hand, was right on the mark.
Juicy, well-seasoned, and balanced, it was a faithful nod to Macanese roots. Order without hesitation, and like the minchi, get some rice to go with it. 4 stars
Unfortunately, the Duck Rice ($198) was a miss in every way. Dry, smothered in garlic and tasting as though it had been reheated one time too many, it was completely unacceptable. 1 star
At Casa Maquista, one dish gives you hope, the next makes you wish you hadn’t ordered it. It doesn’t help that the portions are small AF — the pork and the minchi feel like appetizers more than mains, which means you could leave hungry unless you double down. On our visit the house special, Capela, was sold out, which probably tells you it’s the safest bet when they actually have it.
In the end, Casa Maquista leans heavily into its history and heritage, the kind of restaurant where the cameras come out before the knives do. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just part of the package, and if you’re coming to Macau to catch some colonial vibes, Casa Maquista is as old-world as it gets.
Much like Albergue 1601, set inside the beautiful Old Ladies House, just don’t expect every plate to keep up with the surroundings.
