Macao Trading
“If the above names doesn't call your attention enough, what about Bashful maiden, General Tso's C.C, Mah-Johng or Mata Hari.”
“The Hong Kong is great for tequila drinkers and a swig of the Mata Hari and the Dr. Funk had me wishing I had more of a tolerance.”
“We started with the octopus and mushroom & truffle croquettes – the croquettes were amazing.”
Macao Trading
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Macao Trading Co is an enigma.
I'm torn by the beautiful decor, yummy cocktails, and good service and the fact that Chinatown is a mere few blocks away and you can probably get the same food for 1/10 of the price tag. My friends and I went on a Saturday night, 7:30 reservation and were seated promptly upon arrival. You pass by the bar, which looks immaculate and located adjacent to the hostess stand. For 3 people, I would say our table was on the smaller side and we actually refrained from ordering more because we were afraid that we wouldn't be able to fit everything on the table.
The food is decent and nothing to rave about. 4 boiled chicken and pork belly dumplings for a hefty price of $11. We also ordered the Charred Octopus, Mushroom & Truffle Croquettes, Macanese Lobster Noodle, African Chicken, Bacon & Shrimp Fried Rice, Malasadas, along with a specialty cocktail called the "Drunken Dragon's Milk" (Charbay Green Tea Vodka shaken with Young Coconut Purée, Thai Basil & Macao Five-Spice Bitters, served tall). The star of the meal was the cocktails. I really enjoyed the Drunken Dragon's Milk- refreshing, It's also worth mentioning that the truffle croquettes and the lobster noodles were tasty. Words to describe the restaurant: lounge-y, hip, trendy, downtown, upscale. On that note, the one thing that really cheapened the experience was eating with disposable wooden chopsticks (the kind that you get with your Chinese take-out). Why not just give us plastic utensils to eat with?
After coming here, you realize that it's the cocktails that have people coming back and not the food. The cocktails are unique, tasty, and memorable. In fact, leaving the restaurant there was a large crowd of people standing around the bar, which made it difficult to leave the restaurant (almost to the point that I'm sure some fire codes were broken).
Macao Trading is definitely one of those places where you would come once for the experience. The next time I come here is going to be for pre-dinner drinks.
Well, it seems like people have been really unhappy with the service here but I had a great experience at Macao. My friend made a reservation for our large group for 9:30pm on a Sunday night. I met up with some friends unexpectedly and they joined us for dinner, the restaurant was able to squeeze us all in last minute and we had a really tasty meal. We had a big table in the dimly lit basement, there was a pretty cool bar downstairs too.
The food was Asian Fusion with some pretty enticing options on the menu. We started with a few appetizers that did not disappoint. Some of my favorites were the kale salad, baby back ribs, and mushroom and truffle croquettes.
As much as I wanted to try some of their cocktails I knew it would be a heavy night of drinking and wanted to stick to my wine. Do come here for cocktails though, those folks dining with us who were drinking them really enjoyed their drinks.
For dinner it was lobster noodles for me. Loved the little bit of spice in the dish, the flavors kept me wanting more. I have to say one of my favorite dishes was a side dish, the bacon and shrimp fried rice was incredible. I've been craving this dish ever since I left NYC, do yourself a favor and order it.
I should mention the service was very good as well. The hostess tried to get us another table to squeeze our guests in and even though it wasn't possible we were still able to squeeze them in. Our waitress was on top of it all night, overall a great experience.
I wanted to have a meal here as soon as I spotted a black coconut rice on their menu. I was curious about it.
I ordered:
Chaozhou style steamed cod: superior broth, shitake mushrooms, shanghai shoots. I asked for gluten-free and the server recommended to be made without the sauce as it's has soy sauce in it. The cod was tender and has some spicy oil to add on the taste.
Coconut black rice with edamame: the rice is savory, it's has a pleasant crispiness to it. I really like coconut flavor but it's quite subtle on this dish.
The lighting is dim, it may be a good idea to check at their menu online before going.
I'd probably just come here for the drinks. I knew they had a sizable food menu, but nothing really caught my eye. Plus, they smelled really greasy and fatty when the plates whizzed out by us. No thanks.
I tried two of their cocktails: their infamous Drunken Dragon's Milk (like a spiked creamy bubble tea, anyone?) and the Mamacita (I love rum, but this one was just too sour for my taste). Their drinks have potential to be great if they had more lessons in mixology.
They have a really fun and extensive cocktail menu though. I would come back just to try all of them.
I visited Macao for the first time last week and have to say it was one of the best meals I have had recently. The interior of the space is dimly lit and stunning. Apparently it is fashioned to look like the brothels and opium dens of 1930's Macao. That definitely comes through, especially when you take a look at the artwork and scandalous figurines that pepper the stairwell to the downstairs speakeasy. Around 7pm on a Friday night there were plenty of seats available, but after 8pm the place really seemed to pick up. The drink list is great and we really enjoyed our cocktails. The favorite at our table was the Bashful Maiden. Both the food and drink selection seems to be Asian inspired with an exotic twist. We split a number of appetizers and sides including the charred octopus, which was the best I have ever had. It had great texture and wasn't rubbery the way I have had it at some places. Our favorite thing by far were the mushroom and truffle croquettes. It was very difficult not to order more, they are a must! Service was attentive and we were happy that they accommodated our walk in, despite there being a lot of reservations coming in. I will definitely visit again and would love to come back to the speakeasy for a sexy date night.
This place is OK. First off- it's LOUD. I mean- can't hear the person next to you speaking- kinda loud. It's also dark and sorta night-clubby, if you get what I mean. Seems like the perfect place to take an awkward first date where you don't want to get too bogged down in awkward small talk.
Anyways, the food, overall was about average. It's tasty enough and the portions are large so you feel like you're getting your money's worth. My favorite was the mushroom and truffle croquettes. The dumplings were also decent, but could've been a little hotter.
We had the pork chop and lobster noodles for our entrees and the bacon and shrimp fried rice as a side- all decent but not special. The cocktails were expensive, sweet, weak, and small. A big disappointment on that end.
Service was more along the "excuse me" side- kinda uneven, but very quick to rectify things that they knew were issues.
Overall, we wouldn't go back here but if that's your thing, by all means go for it.
Great food. Limited menu though.
It is so noisy don't expect to be able to have a conversation if there are more than 4 of you.
What a sexy, beautiful, lip-smacking, delicious venue.
Can't speak to the food, as we just came in for cocktails. But….whoa…..the "feel" they are going for is spot on.
Someone described this place as an enigma. From the dimly lit ambiance to the cherry blossoms to the southeast Asian wall decor- I would have to strongly agree. A little mysterious. A lot unique.
I had some bourbon drink with sassafras. It was well-crafted and I enjoyed it immensely.
Will be returning here. Without doubt.