Rua do Cunha (官也街)

Named after the Portuguese explorer and naval commander Tristão da Cunha, Rua do Cunha (Cunha Street) is a narrow pedestrian street filled with shops, stalls and vendors offering a range of delicious snacks, such as almond cakes, phoenix egg rolls and peanut candy, freshly made on the premises. This makes the street one of the best places for tourists to buy local delicacies as “souvenirs” back home.

Rua do Cunha is located in Vila da Taipa, the town centre of Taipa. Here, you can find many beautiful buildings built in Portuguese style with vibrant colours and tall columns, seemingly being instantly transported to Portugal instead of Macau. I personally love these buildings as it adds a European flair to Macau and immerses visitors in Macau’s unique multicultural society and heritage.

Skip the touristy and overrated Pastelaria Koi Kei and head to one of my favourite stores in Rua do Cunha: Heong Kei Jerky (香記肉乾), which serves up terrific beef and pork jerky in several flavours (original, spicy and barbecue). It is one of the best in Macau as it is so tender and flavourful, and is great souvenir as it can be stored for a long time.

Another fabulous shop that I love is Casa de Bolos Man Kei (文記餅家), which makes small batches of traditional Cantonese bakery goods baked fresh everyday such as Wife Cakes (老婆餅), which contains a filling of winter melon in a thin crust of flaky pastry, and Phoenix cookies (雞仔餅), which has a chewy crust filled with dried pork. These too are great souvenirs as they do not expire quickly.

Overall, Rua do Cunha is a great place for tourists to buy local Macanese delicacies as souvenirs to bring back home and is a fine example or product of Macau’s rich multicultural heritage.