(Last updated: February 1, 2026)
Chan Chi Mei Choi Kun literally translates into “True Taste Restaurant”, and there is absolutely no lying in that name! The best place to eat in Coloane Village, it also qualifies as one of the best Chinese restaurants in all of Macau, right on par with Lei Hong Kei and Niu Ji on the old Peninsula.
Owned by the same person that runs Nga Tim, you can order food from both restaurants at both places, although Chan Chi Mei Choi Kun keeps stricter hours, only opening for lunch and dinner, while Nga Tim keeps going straight from noon to about 10:30 or 11:00 pm.
Given that I live right down the street, Chan Chi Mei Choi Kun has become my standard go to at night, which is why I’ve had so many of their dishes. Starting with their roast meat, three stand out in particular, each worthy of 5 stars: Braised Pigeon ($78), Crispy Braised Pork Brisket ($78), and Honey Sauce BBQ Pork ($68).
I started out loving the Honey Sauce BBQ Pork, or ‘cha shao’, but soon pivoted to the Pork Brisket later, basically ordering it every single time I went.
The cha shao is more suitable for people dining in groups, given the rich heavy sauce that sometimes hits the stomach too hard.
I’m not as high on the Jelly Cut Chicken ($68) or Braised Duck with Black Pepper ($68), perhaps just down to personal preference. The waitress did tell me the duck is a lot better at lunch than at dinner, so only order it then.
Chan Chi Mei Choi Kun also serves all of these roasted meats in smaller portions, along with rice, for about $20 cheaper. For solo diners who aren’t gluttons like me, that very well could be the way to go!
Beyond the roast meats, my five favourite dishes are the Pork Ribs with Spicy Salt ($78), Yu-Shiang Eggplant in Casserole ($75), Steamed Pork with Preserved Vegetable in Casserole ($88), Sizzling Lamb with Cumin ($90), and Diced Chicken with Chili and Nuts ($75).
Lamb isn’t very popular in Macau, which is one reason why I’m so happy to get it at Chan Chi Mei Choi Kun, while the Steamed Pork requires special instructions. Make sure you’re eating the fatty and lean meat at the same time, otherwise you’ll be missing out. Thanks to the waitress for telling me that, as I was absolutely eating it the wrong way before!
Light and refreshing, the Hand Shredded Chicken 1/2 ($138) is so fresh it’ll make your head spin. In all likelihood steamed and then sparsely seasoned with ginger, garlic, coriander, and vinegar, just take care when you eat it since there’s a lot of little bones. Go too fast and you’ll be gagging outside among a gaggle of curious onlookers, which may or may not have happened to me.
The Fried Chicken Cubes with Preserved Tofu ($85) is better known as Lemon Chicken, a weird combo for sure, but one that just works. A favourite of the wait staff, add as much lemon as you like on top, with less probably preferable to more.
Keeping it up, other dishes that are easily 4 stars or better include Sichuan Sautéed Sliced Pork with Pepper ($75), Sautéed Fresh Beans with Minced Pork and Olive Pickles ($68), Sautéed Pork Ribs in Sweet and Sour Sauce ($68), Sizzling Chicken in Black Bean Sauce ($85), and Sliced Beef in Hot Chilli Oil ($88).
As for noodles, the Wet Stir Fried Noodles with Shredded Meat ($70) are far inferior to the Stir Fried Rice Noodles with Beef ($70), so just stick with the latter instead.
Despite having tried so many dishes, I haven’t even gotten into any of their seafood yet, mostly scared of the price. A lot of it looks quite awesome though, from what I’ve seen walked out to other tables.
Update: So far, so good with the seafood.
The Ji Yu (鲫鱼, $168) delivers soft, fresh meat in a slightly sweet sauce that plays beautifully with rice. Served with a ton of bones, the waitresses were almost afraid to bring it out, but I got through it just fine. One of my wife’s favourites dishes, it’s hard to find fish this good in Macau for just $168.
For fried rice, you can’t go wrong with their delicious Yangzhou Fried Rice for just $70, generously packed with assorted seafood, vegetables, and pieces of pork.
My apologies for not having taken the picture in time, but you can still see how big the serving is, and the fact that it could feed a table of four easily.
While the vast majority of dishes at Chan Chi Mei Choi Kun are top shelf, a few clunkers do disappoint, and we’ll get to those now. I’d stay away from all of the Steamed Spare Ribs with Black Olive and Pumpkin ($75), Stewed Mushrooms with Beef ($85), Fried Spare Ribs with Minced Garlic ($88), Steamed Eggplant with Dried Shrimps ($85), and Sautéed Beef with Bitter Melon ($88).
Whether too oily, too strange, too unfortunate (yes, I mean you bitter melon), each one had an issue that sabotaged the outcome in some way.
Bowls of rice cost $8 and the staff are fun to chat and joke with, although only Chinese is going to work with them. The owner frequents the place and is hella respectful, occasionally indulging in blended whisky and occasionally not, while his brother (or brother in law), the venerable Feeling Wang, sometimes serenades the night away outside, belting out tunes on his guitar or erhu, in between the glasses of wine. On those warm Macau nights when it’s full, when the music and voices are adrift in the air, amongst the picturesque backdrop that is Coloane Village, Chan Chi Mei Choi Kun can turn quite ambient and special, the handiwork of people nearly twice my age simply feeling good and having fun.
Don’t tell anyone, especially her boyfriend who works at Nga Tim, but my girlfriend is one of the waitresses there, the sweetest, kindest, most special one, who often can’t understand a word I say. On other days she seems disgusted by the amount of food I can eat, but that could be the secret of our connection and chemistry. During Spring Festival she was seriously ill and could barely talk, but is doing great now.
When I want Portuguese food in Coloane Village, I turn right for Espaco Lisboa. When I want Chinese, I turn left for Chan Chi Mei Choi Kun. I don’t visit Sea View Coffee as much as I should, only because that’s more a venue for groups, instead of solo diners. That’s to say, it’s not hard to pick a restaurant when you’re in Coloane Village, it all depends on what you want.
Chan Chi Mei Choi Kun is the clear choice for stupendous Chinese fare with their litany of great home style dishes. Five star restaurants on this site are super rare, but Chan Chi Mei Choi Kun has earned every one of them.
