Drink Like a Local: Macau with Frankie Leong

Explore Macau with Frankie Leong, to discover a compact city where Chinese and Portuguese cultures meet through layered histories, late-night rituals, comfort-driven food, and a quietly evolving cocktail scene.

Macau is often described through contrast: a city shaped by centuries of exchange between East and West, where Chinese traditions and Portuguese heritage coexist in daily life. Narrow streets unfold into tiled squares, temples sit beside colonial facades, and local routines move at a slower, more intimate pace than the neon imagery most visitors expect. Despite its small footprint, Macau carries a density of culture that reveals itself best through repetition, return visits, familiar cafés, and conversations that stretch long into the night.

For someone who grew up here, left for nearly two decades, and returned with new perspectives, the city feels both deeply familiar and constantly surprising. Over the past twenty years, Macau has changed dramatically, yet it retains a sense of continuity rooted in food, language, and social habits. Even today, there is always something new to uncover, whether in a neighborhood café, a revived market, or a quietly ambitious bar pushing the scene forward.

Frankie’s connection to Macau is shaped by that duality. After years abroad, returning home brought a renewed sense of purpose: to help shape a modern drinking culture that respects tradition while welcoming new ideas. Through his work, he offers a lens into Macau that is personal, grounded, and attentive to the details that often go unnoticed by first-time visitors.

Born and raised in Macau, Frankie moved to the UK in 2004 and stayed for sixteen years before returning home permanently in 2020. His professional journey began outside the bar world, working in branding and communications after completing his degree, before shifting into photography. That creative background later informed his approach to hospitality, focused on storytelling, atmosphere, and intention.

His entry into the drinks industry came through Milroy’s of Soho, London’s oldest whisky specialist, where years behind the bar and within the whisky trade built both technical knowledge and a deep respect for craft. Those experiences shaped his understanding of what a bar can be: a place of learning, connection, and quiet influence rather than spectacle.

Since returning to Macau, Frankie has launched two projects that reflect his commitment to the city. Two Moons, opened in 2020, is a whisky and cocktail bar created to elevate local drinking culture. In 2021, he founded Yeast & Feast, a trading company focused on introducing distinctive, high-quality products to the market. Together, these projects support the local bar community and contribute to placing Macau more firmly on the regional drinks map.

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Big Picture

Macau is a unique blend of Chinese and Portuguese cultures, a living fusion of East and West. The city’s bar and nightlife scene reflects that diversity. Known globally as the “Vegas of the East,” Macau offers everything from cosy neighborhood cocktail bars and wine lounges to classic pubs, live music venues, luxury hotel bars, and established nightclubs. In recent years, the growth of craft cocktails has expanded the landscape, giving locals and visitors more thoughtful options for drinking well.

Hosting the Asia’s 50 Best Bars awards was a turning point, drawing international attention and encouraging deeper exploration of what Macau’s bar community can offer. One challenge remains: the absence of a concentrated bar district. With venues spread across the city, bar-hopping requires planning or local knowledge rather than spontaneity.

People in Macau tend to go out late, favoring private, intimate venues over loud, crowded spaces. Traditional happy hours are rare, with most nightlife activity concentrated on weekends, though Sunday and Monday nights can also surprise with steady energy. The legal drinking age is 18.

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The Food

Food plays an essential role in Macau’s drinking culture, with many guests expecting to eat alongside their drinks. The city’s culinary identity is defined by Macanese cuisine, a fusion shaped by Portuguese, Cantonese, and Southeast Asian influences.

Street food and casual dining are central to daily life. Macanese waffles are a popular snack, while the Camp Street Market Cooked Food Centre offers an authentic look at how locals eat, drink, and gather.

Three experiences stand out as essential. Ginger milk pudding showcases Cantonese technique, using fresh ginger enzymes to set warm milk into a silky dessert. Macau Chicken Rice Pilau (Mo Lo Gai Fan) reflects the city’s layered history, blending Portuguese, Indian, Southeast Asian, and Chinese flavors. Minchi, a comforting dish of minced meat, fried potatoes, and seasoning, captures the everyday soul of Macanese home cooking.

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The Drinks

Macau does not have a single traditional drink that defines it. Instead, drinking habits mirror its cultural duality. Cantonese herbal teas, milk tea, and yuan yang coexist naturally with Portuguese wines such as Vinho Verde, Madeira, and Port. This shared space between traditions is part of the city’s charm, and perhaps an opportunity for future generations to define something uniquely their own.

Cocktail culture has found its place within this mix, particularly in small, focused bars where craftsmanship and conversation take precedence over volume. For visiting bartenders, inspiration often lies beyond the bar: wet markets, historic streets, cable cars, and quiet cafés offer insight into the rhythms that shape local taste.

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The Big List

Cafes

• Choi Heong Ung
• Sun Chiao Cafe
• Ajar Tea House
• FOLKOFFEE
• PIER COFFEE
• Lam Coffee Macau
• Nam Ping Cafe

Bars / Cocktail Bars

• Two Moons
• Macau Soul
• Livin’ Record Bar
• Wood House Macau

Pubs / Breweries

• Old Taipa Tavern

Restaurants

• MADZ Kitchen
• Coloane Pier Ribbon Soup Shop
• Fernando’s Restaurant
• Lei Hong Kei Restaurante
• Laan Heong Restaurant
• Nam Yuet Restaurant
• New Heng Xin Restaurant
• Wu Lao Tea House

Markets / Experiences

• Macau Tower
• Guia Hill Cable Car
• Camp Street Market
• Ruins of St. Paul’s

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Tips & Phrases

Tipping: Not expected in most local venues, though some Western visitors do tip
Getting around: Taxi and walking; no Uber
Legal drinking age: 18

Local phrases:

• Cheers: Yam Seng (飲勝)
• Thank you: Dō-jeh saai (多謝晒)
• Hi/Hello: Néih hóu (你好) / Hā lóu (哈囉)
• Goodbye: Bāai bāai (拜拜)