Your Guide to Eating Healthily in Macau

Healthy havens in the heart of Macau.

Whether you’re feeling tender after a big night out on the strip, or just on the hunt for a fresh bite to eat, our Macau expert, Sally Victoria Benson shares with us this month, her healthy go-to’s.

Read more: The Macau Foodie Bucket List: Dishes You Have to Try

Breakfast:

We all know that most of the hotels in Macau have fabulous buffet breakfast, but if you aren’t in the mood for an all-you-can-eat situation, or find yourself up early exploring, here a few of our faves…

Common Table by Taipa Café
Common Table is the new kid on the block and a hangout for locals. Still, in its soft opening, it’s already a firm favourite among those who live on Taipa Island! A modern, European all-day diner, café, bakery and grocer, everything is freshly made daily in-house, and it has a great range of options for breakfast. Think eggs, croissants and muffins. Its coffee is fab and its interior is comfortable and stylish, making it perfect for a quick brekkie or lazy lunch.

Common Table, No. 349-365, Avenida de Guimaraes, Nova City R/C Shop A, 853 Taipa, Ilhas, Macau, +853 2885 6601, www.facebook.com/commontablemacau

Palms Café & Bar
Although it’s technically located in a hotel, Sheraton’s newly revamped, Palms Café & Bar is just what the city needed. Dine in or takeaway, this place actually serves food and drinks all day, however, we love its fresh and healthy breakfast options. Freshly baked loaves of bread, cronuts, croissants, all-day breaky, fruit and nut toast with ricotta and honey, smoothies and its signature, matcha smoothie fruit bowl are all available.

Palms Café and Bar, Sheraton Grand Macao Hotel, Estrada do Istmo, S/N, Cotai, +853 8113 1200, www.sheratongrandmacao.com

Lunch:

CHA BEI
CHA BEI has really made a mark on the dining scene in Macau over the last year. While it is usually known for its delicious afternoon tea and range of sweet delights, it has a really great lunch menu that includes healthy options. I’m a huge fan of its Aloha Poke Bowl, soups and poached salmon – and I always order a side of steamed vegetables. It has healthy pressed juices, fermented drinks (Taboocha), as well as a range of teas, but there is also a couple of more indulgent dishes, so its the perfect place to dine with those who are not aren’t looking to be quite as healthy.

CHA BEI at Galaxy Macau, 1047, 1/F, Galaxy Macau, Cotai, +853 8883 2221, www.galaxymacau.com/cha-bei

Greens Kitchen and Juicery
Hailing as Macau’s first juicery and a long-time favourite among those living here, Greens Kitchen is home to delicious coconut yoghurt, wraps, salads, cookies and smoothies. Everything is made fresh daily on the premises and is easy to grab and go. Located right in the heart of the CBD, it offers healthy juice cleanses and serve the best-pressed juice in Macau, along with having super friendly staff.

Greens Kitchen & Juicery, Calcada de Santo Agostinho No. 1A, +853 6288 0870, www.facebook.com/GreensMacau

The Blissful Carrot
This is a local favourite and probably not news to Sassy readers, but if you are in Taipa Village this has got to be the best place to grab a healthy lunch or snack. Great for all ages, it has a large menu full of salads and heartier meals. It also has a large range of fresh juices, smoothies and non-dairy milk options for coffee! It is takeaway only, but there are so many parks and benches around to sit and enjoy your meal. I am a regular here and love its protein power bowl and banana bread.

The Blissful Carrot, No. 79 R. Direita Carlos Eugenio, Taipa Village, +853 6298 8433, open daily except Wednesday from 10am to 8pm, www.facebook.com/blissfulcarrot

Café Esplanada, Wynn Macau
A longtime favourite of most Macau-based expats, Café Esplanada, located inside Wynn Macau Hotel, has some of the best healthy dishes in town. With a large range of menu options including Macanese, Asian, and international cuisine, its salads, grilled seafood dishes and great service are what keep people coming back time and time again. Despite its hotel location, the prices are fair considering the quality and freshness of the food and the enjoyable atmosphere in which it’s served. With non-dairy milk options available grabbing a coconut or soy cappuccino was never so easy, and it even has a special vegetarian and vegan menu. This is a great place to grab lunch before heading off to finish your sightseeing, or to end the day with a light healthy salad before journeying back to Hong Kong.

Cafe Esplanada, Wynn Macau, Rua Cidade De Sintra, Macau, +853 8986 3663, www.wynnmacau.com/en/restaurants-n-bars/casual-dining/cafe-esplanada

Ting Ting Café
Ting Ting Café is a local gem that offers everything you need to have a healthy and affordable lunch. It has healthy smoothies, fresh juices and several versions of its homemade veggie burgers that are famous around town. Perfect for breakfast, brunch and lunch. This is the perfect place to ‘grab and go’ as seating is limited and the kiosk is smack bang in the middle of the CBD, right opposite New Yaohan. The most popular items worth trying are its beetroot vegetable soup, tofu burger, black pepper mushroom burger and organic quinoa salad sushi.

Located in the park at Praca de Jorge Alvares, Ting Ting Café, Praca de Jorge Alvares, Macau. +853 6387 7345. Opens from 8.30am to 7pm, Mondays to Fridays and from 9.30am to 7pm on Saturdays.

PUFFIN CAFÉ
This is a great place to seek out if you are looking for a quick healthy bite to eat just beside the Ruins of St Paul. This place is great for everyone, but especially those who are also a bit fussy with food, as you can build your own sandwiches and salads from a never-ending amount of healthy options. Vegetarian or vegan? You’ll have no issues finding food here as one of the owners is vegan and does their best to promote lots of dining options on its menu.

Puffin Cafe, 16A Rua de Santo António, Macau, Tel: +853 2883 6663, www.facebook.com/PuffinCafe

Dinner:

ROOT Macau
Located over on Macau Island side near the Macao Museum of Art, ROOT Macau is a new addition to Macau’s dining scene, but is fast becoming one of the most popular. This is the second restaurant by local chef, Anthony Sousa Tam, and is leading the way by incorporating organic local produce into contemporary dining. It has its own vegetable garden in Macau and grows lots of its own ingredients to incorporate in its menu, believing in the benefits of organic, healthy nutrition in its dishes. Both authentic and creative, ROOT is establishing itself as a true modern classic in Macau.

ROOT Macau, 323 Av. Xian Xing Hai, NAPE, Macau, +853 2875 0085, www.rootmacau.com

Read more: Sassy’s Guide to NAPE, Macau

Caffé B Macau
Overlooking Nam Vam Lake and the Macau Tower, Caffé B offers the best of both worlds when it comes to authentic Italian dining. This is one of my favourite places for a healthy bite in an open and modern setting as it’s hard to find something like this right in the heart of the CBD. Suitable for everyone, it serves a light, fresh and healthy approach to Italian food, and I love its delicious soups, fresh salads, grilled vegetables and seafood.

Caffé B, Lake View Mansion Block 1, 744G-H Avenida Panorâmica do Lago Nam Van, Macau, Tel: +853 2838 6886, www.facebook.com/Caffe-B

Snacks:

Cocos Hung Heng
Located right off the oldest street in Macau, and a short walking distance from the St Paul’s Ruins, is this tiny little coconut shop. You can’t miss it – just look for the coconuts hanging from the shop front. Run by the loveliest elderly couple, that serve a delicious recipe (that is a family secret), and its’ still as delicious as it was over 30 years ago when I first tried it as a kid. Its coconut ice cream is the star of the show, made just from coconut meat and coconut water, which makes it sugar and dairy-free – all for MOP$20, it’s a real steal. If you’re not feeling coconut, it also serves mango and purple yam flavoured ice cream, along with coconut milk, coconut flakes and coconut cuts that are all fresh and ready to eat.

Cocos Hung Heng, 14 Rua da Tercena, Macau, Tel:+853 2892 0944, i.yp.mo/honghengcocos

Open 9:00am–1:00pm, 2:30pm–7:00pm however the shop shuts early if they sell out- which almost always happens – even in winter!