(Last updated: May 12, 2026)
Fado’s five-course dinner setcosts $720 and earns a respectable 4 stars overall, although the kitchen takes a rather complicated route getting there. The weaker dishes are loaded with garnishes that don’t seem to know one another. The best ones put excellent meat or fish on the plate and leave it alone.
The opening Crab Bread Stew with Octopus Carpaccio and Bell Peppers was the weakest course. The octopus looked elegant but tasted watery, while the bread stew underneath never came together. The generous lump of crab in the middle was the only part I wanted more of. 3 stars
The Stuffed Squid with Chorizo followed the same pattern. Crispy sweet potato, roasted vegetables, pumpkin purée, tomatoes and peppers were arranged all over the plate, but none of them seemed particularly interested in the squid. The squid itself was very good, tender with a little bite, while the pumpkin purée contributed almost nothing. Another 3 stars.
Things improved dramatically with the Portuguese Style Cod in a Bread Shell with Smoked Pork Loin and Onion Confit. Normally cod doesn’t do much for me, but this was excellent. The fish remained soft without collapsing, while the bread shell added needed contrast and structure. Excellent. 4.5 stars
The Slow-Cooked Veal Cheek was another success. The meat practically fell into the rustic potato mash underneath, which may have been the best thing on the plate. Add some onion confit and a little alheira flavour and we were in serious business. 4.5 stars
Dessert was a Pumpkin Lava Cake with White Cheese Mousse and Toasted Almonds. It wasn’t especially sweet and landed somewhere between a lava cake and a soufflé. Perfectly pleasant, particularly with a glass of port. 4 stars
The wine pairing costs only $160 for an astounding five glasses, a price that didn’t require much consideration.
Predictably, quality ranged from excellent to borderline punishment. The first vinho verde tasted sour and lifeless, while the first red conjured up notes of dry vinegar. The second wine represented a major recovery, the fourth worked beautifully with the veal, and the final port did its job with dessert.
For just $160, I won’t complain too much, even if two glasses made me question whether someone in Portugal secretly hates me.
I returned to Fado one week later and found more of the same: occasional frustration mixed with clear evidence that this kitchen can cook.
The Alheira Sausage on Crispy Shell with Turnip Green Pudding ($110) sounded better than it ate. The shell shattered the moment I cut into it, leaving a dry pile that was awkward to eat. Shame, because the earthy turnip pudding underneath was excellent. 2.5 stars
The Crab Bread Stew ($180), however, absolutely rocks. This version was significantly better than the one included in the set menu. The bread soaked up the broth without turning to mush, while the crab finally tasted like crab. 4 stars
Both soups were strong. The Lobster Soup ($100) was creamy and unmistakably lobster, although I wanted it slightly thicker. Still very enjoyable. 4 stars
The Creamy Cod Soup ($80) was even better. Thick, smooth and so intensely fishy that it was practically cod in liquid form. 4.5 stars
The Mirandesa Steak might quietly be one of the best value steaks in Macau right now. At only $260, it’s absurdly good: beautiful char on the outside, properly juicy within, and full of flavour. It operates in the same territory as the rib eye at Frites, at roughly half the price. That’s hard to ignore. 5 stars
The Roasted Lamb Leg ($250) came down partly to personal preference. I’ve always preferred richer, more steak-like cuts of lamb, although this was neither tough nor dry. The fatty sections were delicious; there simply weren’t enough of them. The mashed potatoes, gravy and sweet peas may have been better than the lamb itself. 4 stars
After two visits, Fado remains a 4-star restaurant. It occasionally tries to fit half the kitchen onto one plate, but when they keep things simple, the results can be outstanding.
***
Here’s my first foray into Fado, from about 2016.
Fado is very well regarded around town, but I’m not as high on the restaurant as others seem to be. Portion sizes are decreasing as the years go on, so much so that I don’t believe it’s good value for money anymore.
If Fado were a Michelin starred restaurant then maybe they could get away with such business, but they need to remember where they are – on the M floor of the Royal Hotel, not in some big name resort down on the Cotai Strip.
When the King Clam appetizer for $200 came out, I honestly thought they were going to bring another plate.
Compared to the clam dish served at Cafe Xina for half the price and you’ll see why I was disappointed.
The Octopus and Squid Soup would have been fine had it been twice the size, but I couldn’t believe how tiny the bowl was. I mean, there might have been 10 tablespoons of soup broth in it, it was that pathetic.
The Roasted Sea Bass for $180 was another puny half serving of fish, far too small to be considered a proper main, and prepared strangely at that, on top of an oily slab of bread that added nothing.
The only thing that returned proper value for money was the Mirandesa Steak for $260. Garnished in olive oil, it was a tremendous dish, the meat unbelievably soft and tender.
Even with all of these scathing remarks, you’ll notice that Fado still gets four stars. The simple reason being that with the exception of the roasted sea bass, everything tasted amazing.
It’s obvious that Fado pays great attention to detail and ingredients which results in food of very high quality – the problem is that there’s just not enough of it. Portuguese restaurants usually return some of the best value in town, but not here, which is why I gave Fado four stars inside of five.
