Utama

(Last updated: September 3, 2026)

About a decade ago, there was a Portuguese restaurant beside A Petisqueira called O Lopes. It was never one of Macau’s famous names, but I always thought the food there was unusually good. And then one day, out of the blue, it just disappeared.

During my interview with Chef D, I asked him which restaurants he really liked in Macau. One of the first names he mentioned was Utama in Taipa Village.

After researching it a little, I discovered it was the same Portuguese owner from O Lopes, just under a new name. Between Chef D’s recommendation and my memories of the old restaurant, I couldn’t wait to try Utama out.

Unfortunately, it only took a dish or two to realize I’d made a mistake.

The first warning sign came with the House Style Clams ($133). Fresh clams should be plump, juicy and maybe a touch sweet. These were the opposite. Most were tiny, with barely any meat at all, and they felt old and lifeless. When one of the simplest Portuguese classics falls this flat, it doesn’t inspire much confidence for the rest of the menu.  2 stars

The Pig Ear Salad ($68) was somehow even worse. It was tiny, overwhelmingly sour, and completely out of balance. Instead of being bright and refreshing, the acidity drowned out everything else. It also didn’t taste particularly fresh, making me wonder whether anyone had tasted it before it left the kitchen.  2 stars

Shrimp Rissois ($39) arrived piping hot, but there wasn’t much else to recommend. The filling had almost no shrimp flavour, while the breadcrumb coating was so thick it overwhelmed everything inside. It felt more like frozen fast food than something made in-house.  2 stars

The Favas ($133) continued the disappointing trend. There was a decent amount of fatty pork, but the stew itself was strangely muted, lacking the rich, savoury depth that makes this one of Macau’s great Portuguese dishes. Compared to Fernando, O Manuel or even A Petisqueira it wasn’t close. Favas should fill you up and hit you smack in the face with flavour. We were actually still hungry afterwards.  2.5 stars

The one bright spot was the Duck Rice ($123). There wasn’t much duck mixed through the rice, but the rice had absorbed plenty of duck flavour. It wasn’t too salty, wasn’t too dry, and was comfortably the best thing we ordered.  4 stars

After all the anticipation, Utama was a real disappointment. Maybe O Lopes really was left behind with the old address, because very little here reminded me why I enjoyed it all those years ago. The clam dish, more than anything else, told the story. When the ingredients themselves don’t seem particularly fresh or high quality, there’s only so much a chef can do. It was an easy decision not to come back.