Macau, China. It’s the first Asian city I ever visited. The memories bring tears to my eyes. It’s a quaint-feeling, giant city with uniqueness around every corner (quite literally.) The street food is amazing. The smells all blend together to bring you something so different, it’s worth going back to. Therefore, I came back and I brought my mother and little brother to see and experience this cute and amazing city and perhaps try street food they’ve never had before.

Every time I look at my old pictures and videos I took of my previous trip I remember what it feels like. It’s like being born for the first time and opening your eyes and suddenly everything is new and exciting and different and you want to learn it all. I took pictures of the wires hanging on the streets, the tiles on the floor. I loved the patters in the pavement. The chaos in the way some buildings tower over everything else. It all fascinates me.

Macau is more than just the Las Vegas of China. In fact, I’ve never been to their casinos. Although, my hotel had a casino, to me, Macau is more than a city where people gamble.

Considering, I’ve already written a few blog posts on Macau, I’m not going into depth this time around. Although, if you want to check out how to get to Macau from Hong Kong, check out this post here. If you’re wondering about my last trip to Macau and the sites I saw, you can view that post here as well. For this trip I’m going to focus on a couple of things I didn’t do on my last trip. The street food! Oh yeah!

Macau & Where to Find Street Food

Last time I was here, I didn’t have enough time to explore the street food. This time, I nearly missed it again. It turns out, Macau’s street food scene is great on the weekends. You can find back alleys and major squares filled with legit street vendors all day. However, since we arrived Sunday night, we missed most of it.

That’s not entirely bad though. Macau has several shopping areas and pedestrian streets you can explore and get some pretty unique food.

If you’re trying to find some great and authentic street food you can hit several places and do it all in one day. So if you’re at Senado Square, follow the signs to Ruinas de Sao Paulo (The Ruins of St. Paul.)

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If you follow the signs at one point you’ll begin walking away from Senado Square, the beautiful Portuguese-looking square with the swivel pattern on the floor. You’ll make a left on Rua De Palha. All of these streets are pedestrian only. They all have lots of stores. As soon as you get to Patio de Batega, you’ll reach a cute little teashop with a great restaurant next door. The signs are yellow and red, all in Chinese. Therefore, I don’t know what it’s called. We stopped and stared at their weird squid on sticks.

TIP: Macau is famous for their Portuguese egg tarts. Since we decided today is the day for street food, as soon as I saw egg tarts for sale, I bought my family a couple to share. If you see them, buy them. Don’t even hesitate!

The Squid on a Stick, a Macau Delicacy?

We stopped at the store with the yellow and red signs. My little brother decides he needs some squid on a stick. It’s on display at their storefront. They ask us if we like it spicy and of course we said yes! She takes the squid on a stick grills it. She adds oil and chili powder. We watch as the smoke rises from our soon-to-be snack.

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She gives it to my little brother and we start eating. We share one between the three, because there is way more territory than we can cover. Our stomachs can only hold so much. I mean we have to try as much as possible.

My little brother bites off its tentacles and passes it to me. I bite off a few more tentacles and I pass it to my mother. She then eats some other parts of the squid that has been sliced open and pretty much pierced and laid out to look like some kind of  “Facehugger” from the movie Alien.

We take our squid and walk the cute, pedestrian-only street, Rua De Sao Paolo, which is basically an extension of the street you’re already on.

It’s starting to get crowded. We take some pictures as we window shop. My brother eventually see’s an ice cream shop and suddenly gets really excited. It’s a Turkish ice cream parlor. He says he’s seen videos on YouTube about how they tease you until you get your ice cream. I looked at him and thought, I doubt it, but we stop and get ice cream anyway.

Turkish Ice Cream in Macau, China

He gets a chocolate cone. Pays. As they hand him the ice cream the guy pretends to drop it only to catch it with his scooper. He then proceeds to have my brother chase after it in the air. He misses several times. It was hilarious. I thought my brother was joking when he said they tease you with your ice cream. It was so fun to watch. It felt like a show.

I start recording on my phone but regretfully only catch the last few seconds where my brother officially catches his cone. It’s definitely a fun experience and if you’re near this Turkish Ice Cream shop, they’re not only tasty but also very fun. I recommend it.

At this point, we’re done with our squid and move on to our ice cream until we see a boba and aiyu jelly drink shop! It’s extremely hot and humid and my mother decides she wants a fruity drink to cool off. It gives me a chance to get a taro flavored aiyu jelly/boba drink! You know I love me some aiyu jelly in my drinks!

My mother gets dragon fruit juice with ice to share.

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We sip our drinks as we walk up to the Ruins of St. Paul, which are gorgeous and make for the most picturesque moments. We relax and observe our surroundings. We take a break and continued to walk around.

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It’s so hot sweat is literally dripping from our faces. Our shirts start to soak through. Our drinks help and so does the high blast of AC coming from several stores.

We saw almond cookies, free samples of jerky and dried shark fin hanging from store windows. Dry fish filled the air with fishy scents.

We also saw everything on a stick. I mean, sausage on a stick, fish balls on a stick, pepper intestine on a stick, dumplings, beef balls on a stick. You name it. All of these were on display waiting for a hungry person to try it.

At the end my brother buys a Portuguese soda to stave off the extreme heat.

Macau is so cute. The food is incredible. The European and Chinese fusion makes Macau unique. If you get a chance to walk around its pedestrian streets, alleyways, or just any old street in Macau, make sure to taste the street food. It will make for a great experience you will not forget. I know I wont.

Let Me Break It Down For You:

There’s something about Macau. Everything is so cute and unique. It’s like something right out of a movie. It’s dense, crowded, fast-paced, part European and part Chinese. If looking for a unique vacation, Macau is a must for everyone.

Macau street food is wild. You will find everything from squid on a stick to more traditional fish balls on a stick to Portuguese egg tarts. The best thing is that an activity like this will only cost a few dollars!

Save my map if you’re looking for a street food guide. I made is super quickly but at least you’ll be able to see where to start. There is definitely more streets with street vendors I did not get to explore. This is just one of them. Enjoy and have fun.

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