The egg tart that Andrew Stow invented in Coloane in 1989 changed the food culture of East Asia. He took the Portuguese pastel de nata — the caramelized custard tart from Lisbon’s Belém district — adapted it to local tastes by making the custard silkier and the pastry flakier, and started selling it from his bakery on the Coloane village square. Within a decade, his recipe had been copied by bakeries across Macau, adopted by Hong Kong’s cha chaan teng cafés, exported to mainland China by a Starbucks licensing deal that spread the format to every shopping mall in the country, and transported to the menus of Macanese restaurants from London to Toronto. The original, at Lord Stow’s Bakery on Coloane’s village square, is still the best.
I’ve visited Coloane Village several times, always seeking the same thing: the pace of the village square in mid-morning, after the first ferry of day-trippers has left and before the second has arrived. The square itself is a masterpiece of colonial Portuguese village planning — the yellow chapel of St. Francis Xavier facing the Tam Kung Temple across the cobblestone plaza, fishing boats tied at the waterfront, the old houses painted in the typical Macau palette of yellow, white, and pale blue. It is one of the most photogenic small squares in Asia and one of the most genuinely quiet.
The Chapel of St. Francis Xavier holds a surprise that most visitors to Coloane miss. The chapel was built in 1928 on the site of an earlier church, and inside it preserves an arm bone of St. Francis Xavier himself (the Jesuit missionary who brought Catholicism to Japan, India, and died on his way to China in 1552) — not a copy or replica but the actual bone, brought here from Goa in the 17th century when Xavier’s relics were distributed around the Jesuit world. It is kept in a silver reliquary on the chapel’s main altar. The Japanese Christian relics nearby — brought by Japanese Catholic exiles to Macau during the Tokugawa persecution — complete one of the most unusual collections of sacred art and relics in Southeast Asia.
The Arrival
Bus routes 25 and 26A from the Macau Peninsula reach Coloane in about 40 minutes (MOP 6). Taxi from the Venetian: MOP 60-80 (15 minutes). The approach through Taipa and the Cotai reclamation makes the arrival at this sleepy fishing village all the more striking in contrast.
Why Coloane Village belongs on your itinerary
Coloane Village offers the complete contrast to the Cotai Strip that makes Macau’s identity legible. In the same territory — a 30km2 peninsula and two islands — you have the world’s most concentrated casino resort development and a fishing village whose main attraction is a bakery that invented a specific kind of egg tart. The juxtaposition is not ironic or unfortunate; it is the essential character of Macau, which has always been a place where completely different worlds coexist without either consuming the other.
The Lord Stow’s Bakery egg tart visit is an experience in itself. The bakery is small, the queue at peak times is real (30+ minutes on weekends), and the tart itself costs MOP 12 — slightly more than at the copies around the city, and completely worth it. The pastry is flakier than the imitations, the custard is silkier, and eating it while sitting on the village square with the chapel on one side and the fishing boats on the other is the kind of specific, unrepeatable experience that justifies the journey to the quieter end of Macau.
The nearby Hac Sa Beach — Macau’s black sand beach, 10 minutes’ drive from the village — adds another dimension to a Coloane half-day, and Fernando’s Restaurant at the beach remains one of the best Portuguese seafood restaurants in the territory.
What To Explore
Coloane Village and Hac Sa Beach together make a perfect half-day — the village in the morning, Fernando's for a long Portuguese lunch, and the beach in the afternoon if the weather allows.
What should you do in Coloane Village?
Lord Stow’s Bakery — The original Macanese egg tart bakery, established 1989. The tart is genuinely the best in its category — flaky pastry, silky smooth custard, slightly caramelized top. Queue on weekends (up to 45 minutes); arrive early on weekdays for no wait. MOP 12 each. Eat it warm on the square immediately. Take a box to go for MOP 120-180 (12 tarts).
Village Square — The cobblestone square with the Chapel of St. Francis Xavier, the Tam Kung Temple, and the waterfront all converging is one of the most beautiful small plazas in Macau. Sit with your egg tart on the benches by the waterfront and watch the harbor for 20 minutes. Completely free and entirely worthwhile.
Chapel of St. Francis Xavier — The 1928 chapel holds a reliquary with an arm bone of St. Francis Xavier (the Jesuit who died attempting to enter China in 1552) and Japanese Christian relics from the Tokugawa persecution period. Free entry. The combination of relics from these two extraordinary historical threads — Portuguese maritime Christianity and the Japanese Christian martyrdom — in one small chapel is genuinely remarkable.
Tam Kung Temple — The working Taoist temple on the village waterfront dedicated to Tam Kung, a child deity associated with seafarers and weather prediction. The temple holds an elaborate model junk built from whale bones — one of the most unusual altar objects in Macau. Free entry. Active worship throughout the day.
Coloane Forest Park Walk — The hilly interior of Coloane is preserved as forest park with walking trails and views back over the village and the South China Sea. The Alto de Coloane, at 170 meters the highest point in Macau, has views across to mainland China and Hac Sa Beach. The walk from the village takes 45 minutes.
Hac Sa Beach — Macau’s black volcanic sand beach 15 minutes from the village. See the Hac Sa Beach guide for the full Fernando’s Restaurant experience. Combine with Coloane Village for the definitive Coloane half-day.
- Getting There: Bus 25 or 26A from the Macau Peninsula or Taipa ferry terminal, MOP 6, about 40-45 minutes. Taxi from Cotai casino strip MOP 50-70 (12-15 minutes). The bus is cheap and lets you see the full Macau geography.
- Best Time: Weekday mornings are the quietest — Lord Stow's has no queue before 10am. October through April for comfortable weather. Weekends bring significant crowds from Hong Kong day-trippers.
- Money: Coloane Village is Macau's cheapest destination. The main expense is the egg tarts (MOP 12 each) and lunch at Fernando's (MOP 200-350 per person for a full Portuguese meal). Daily budget: MOP 150-400 (USD 19-50).
- Don't Miss: The Chapel of St. Francis Xavier interior — the reliquary with Xavier's arm bone and the Japanese Christian relics are genuinely extraordinary objects that very few people outside Macau know exist. The chapel is quiet, cool, and completely un-touristy.
- Local Tip: Lord Stow's egg tarts are best eaten within 15 minutes of purchase — the pastry is at its most flaky and the custard at its silkiest when warm. Buy, sit on the square, eat immediately. This is the correct sequence.
The Food
Coloane's food story is anchored by Lord Stow's and Fernando's — two institutions that together represent the best of Macau's Portuguese-influenced food heritage.
Where should you eat in Coloane Village?
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Lord Stow’s Bakery — The original Macanese egg tart. MOP 12 each, eat warm on the square. The single best pastry in Macau and the food item that most defines the city’s hybrid culinary identity.
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Fernando’s Restaurant, Hac Sa Beach — 15 minutes from the village, the legendary Portuguese garden restaurant serves grilled prawns, suckling pig, clams in garlic and white wine, and roast chicken to packed tables year-round. Cash only. MOP 200-350 per person for a full meal. See Hac Sa Beach guide.
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Cafe Nga Tim — The village café on the square, directly opposite the chapel. Simple Portuguese and Macanese food — African chicken, bacalhau, pork chop with rice — at MOP 100-200 per main. The most accessible sit-down option in the village.
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Village bakery snacks — The bakeries near the square sell almond cookies, sesame cookies, and Portuguese-style sweet bread alongside the egg tarts. MOP 30-80 per item. Good walking snacks for the forest park trail.
Where to Stay
Coloane doesn't have conventional hotels — accommodation options are either the Westin Macau at Hac Sa Beach or staying on the Cotai Strip or Macau Peninsula and day-tripping to Coloane.
Where should you stay near Coloane Village?
Westin Macau, Hac Sa Beach (USD 200-400/night): The only full-service hotel in Coloane proper, the Westin sits above Hac Sa Beach with harbor views and easy walking access to both the beach and the village. The most luxurious option for experiencing Coloane at its quietest.
Cotai Strip or Peninsula Hotels: Most visitors to Coloane base themselves elsewhere and day-trip — the buses and taxis make this straightforward and the village is compact enough that 3-4 hours covers it thoroughly.
Before You Go
Coloane Village and Hac Sa Beach make a natural half-day from anywhere in Macau. Morning in the village (egg tart, chapel, square), lunch at Fernando's, afternoon on the beach. The perfect antidote to a night on the Cotai Strip.
When is the best time to visit Coloane Village?
October through April is optimal — cool, dry, and perfect for the village walk and the beach at Hac Sa. The summer months (June-September) are hot and humid, though the Lord Stow’s egg tart remains excellent in all weather. Weekday mornings (Tuesday through Friday before 11am) offer the most peaceful village experience — the crowds arrive with the Hong Kong ferry day-trippers on weekends.
Pair with Hac Sa Beach for the complete Coloane experience, or browse all Macau destinations.