(Last updated: November 19, 2025)
I know it’s a hard and fast Top 10 rule: avoid Chinese restaurants inside casinos. But with Le Chinois, some rules are made to be broken. For one thing, most of the patrons aren’t tourists. They’re locals from the Inner Harbour who have taken that long elevator ride to the 18th floor for a restaurant they clearly believe in.
And honestly, that should tell you everything.
Possessing none of the pretension that plagues so many Cotai Strip operations, Le Chinois is a restaurant for the people. If it were in the Londoner, everything on the menu would be double. That’s just how it’s done down there: mark everything up beyond reason and fleece befuddled tourists who haven’t seen daylight in two days, beholden to baccarat and bloated by buffet coupons
But Le Chinois, perched high above the Inner Harbour, doesn’t prey on that crowd. It feeds the people who actually live in Macau. With many mains just a touch over $100, prices are only $20 to $30 more expensive than what you’d pay at Chan Chi Mei Choi Kun, my favourite place to eat in Coloane Village.
And that’s why the locals go. And that’s why I went. And that’s why you probably will too.
The Roasted Peking Duck ($228/half) has been on the menu for at least 15 years, and it remains one of the better versions in Macau. A little sweeter than the northern style and prepared differently too, I dig the Cantonese version just as much.
In Beijing, the skin and meat are served together while the bones are turned into a soup. In the South, you’re mostly eating skin, with just a bit of meat, wrapped in a pancake. The rest of the meat gets fried with potatoes and vegetables, almost like a little side dish of its own.
It actually reminded me a lot of minchi, and tasted even better three hours later, after we took it home. A firm 4.5 stars
Everything else I’ve tried has come from their seasonal menus, which rotate once per season.
Smooth, a touch creamy, with real depth. Surprisingly good for a “soup of the day.” The other seasonal soups should be just as strong. 4.5 stars
The Steamed Chicken Fillet with Termite Mushroom ($108) kept things simple. Juicy chicken, unusual mushrooms and no unnecessary sauce trying to hijack the dish. 4 stars
The standout. The salted fish brought it all to life. Soft pork, great texture, and that unmistakable, unforgettable Macanese coastal city funk you cannot get in North America. This is the kind of dish that demands an Asian shoreline. 4.5 stars
Too much yam, not enough of anything else. Soft, plain, and forgettable, let’s hope they don’t bring this one back. 2.5 stars
If you’re in Macau, try the beef tongue, and thank me later. I know it sounds scary, but it’s just a soft, tasty cut of meat that goes great with rice. 4.5 stars
Speaking of which, bowls of rice cost $18 (painful), while tea is a surprisingly cheap $15.
Dessert was a complimentary Chinese herbal jelly which I can only describe as cough syrup re-imagined as a solid. Bitter, black, and syrupy, I wanted to finish it out of respect, but only got halfway there.
The service at Le Chinois also deserves a shout. Sporting smart red uniforms, the staff are attentive, friendly, and fast.
They aren’t quite Michelin-level proficient. That requires six years in waitress school learning how to rotate a plate. But they actually seem to care, which is more than I can say for half the restaurants in Cotai.
The venue is genuinely lovely as well, featuring a wide dining room, huge chandeliers, panoramic harbour views, and enough space between tables that you never feel boxed in.
Elegant without being intimidating, stylish without being showy, Le Chinois scores an easy 4.5 stars.
