Macau’s Hottest Portuguese Restaurant – Try Multiple Ways to Cook “Bacalhau”

Reported and photographed by Reporter You [symbol] / Macau

When visiting Macau, aside from traditional tea restaurants, international cuisine is also an important feast. Due to its past under Portuguese rule, Macau’s architecture clearly showcases the country’s warm and colorful style, and its food scene also features many Portuguese restaurants and eateries that blend Macanese flavors.The hottest Portuguese restaurant in Macau recently is the well-known “Tromba Rija Royal Portuguese Cuisine” in Portugal itself, serving up the homely flavors of Portuguese moms—rich and warm flavors that are truly moving..


▲% A restaurant with a night view is currently a very popular Portuguese eatery in Macau.


Established in 1966, it originally started in the central part of Portugal. The main “Tromba Rija Royal Portuguese Cuisine” branch is located in a small town called Leiria in Portugal. It began as a grocery store in a small village selling wine and meat. But in the past, because food was hard to preserve and prone to spoilage, one day the mother at the shop used leftover pork and beans to make a home-cooked dish. Customers were so impressed after tasting it that the recipe spread.

The Portuguese translation of Tromba Rija is “hard pig snout,” which is also the main dish that initially wowed people, hence the name. The current owner, Fernando, is the son-in-law of the original shop owner and took over in 1972. The brand now has four locations in Portugal. The Portuguese cuisine served here differs from the common Macanese-Portuguese dishes in Macau—it’s authentic Portuguese cuisine, with ingredients mostly sourced from imported suppliers. Fernando pointed out that Macanese-Portuguese dishes mix various elements, change quickly, and lack traditional taste, so he wanted to offer genuine Portuguese cuisine so diners in Asia could also taste the original flavors.


▲ Owner Fernando is the son-in-law of the original shop owner and took over in 1972.

Presented in buffet style, “Tromba Rija Royal Portuguese Cuisine” offers over 60 traditional Portuguese dishes, including bacalhau (salt cod), which can be tasted in multiple cooking styles. Fernando said that bacalhau is the essence of Portuguese cuisine—salty and rich—with each frying or preparation method offering different textures. Here you can try various bacalhau dishes.


▲ Bacalhau dishes, where you can enjoy multiple different cooking styles.
% They use a DIY selection method, offering 100 Portuguese dishes.


 

Tromba Rija Royal Portuguese Cuisine
Address: Ground Floor, Macau Tower
Phone: (853) 2896 2878
Business Hours: 12:00–14:30; 18:30–23:00
Prices: Lunch from 218 MOP; Dinner from 350 MOP