Restaurant in Macau, China
Michelin-starred Cantonese, 51 floors up.
Lai Heen on the 51st floor of The Ritz-Carlton Macau holds a Michelin star and an Opinionated About Dining Asia ranking for good reason. Chef Jackie Ho Hong-sing's seasonal Cantonese menu, precise dim sum program, and a wine list backed by a dedicated sommelier make this one of the most complete special-occasion bookings in Macau at the $$$ price point. Book three to four weeks out minimum.
Most visitors to Macau's Cotai Strip assume the serious Cantonese cooking sits at ground level in the older casino hotels. That assumption is worth correcting before you book. Lai Heen, on the 51st floor of The Ritz-Carlton Macau, holds a Michelin star and an Opinionated About Dining Leading Restaurants in Asia ranking (currently #352 for 2025, up from #319 in 2024), and it delivers technically precise Cantonese cuisine in a room that earns its reputation for special-occasion dining. If you are planning a business dinner, a celebration meal, or a date where the setting needs to do work alongside the food, this is the booking to make in Macau at the $$$ price point.
Lai Heen is open for lunch and dinner daily, with Sunday brunch service beginning at 11:30 am. The kitchen under chef Jackie Ho Hong-sing is rooted in premium-ingredient Cantonese cooking, with seasonal produce driving what appears on the plate, so the menu shifts depending on when you visit. That variability is a feature rather than a flaw: the inspector's note from Opinionated About Dining specifically flags the kitchen's use of seasonal produce as a reason the experience changes across visits, and the Michelin recognition confirms a consistency of execution that holds regardless of the specific dishes available.
The dim sum program at lunch is where the craft becomes most visible. Dumplings shaped like pears and lobster-and-pork dumplings finished with gold flakes are examples of the kitchen's approach: careful presentation without sacrificing the flavour logic that makes Cantonese dim sum worth eating in the first place. Signatures from the dinner menu include steamed crab claw with egg white lobster bisque, braised pork belly with preserved vegetables, and char-grilled Iberico pork. The house-made XO chilli sauce is available for sale by the bottle, and it is worth asking your server about it before you leave.
The wine program is an asset that most Cantonese restaurants at this level cannot match. An all-glass wine room holds premium vintages from Bordeaux and Burgundy alongside Portuguese bottles, a deliberate nod to Macau's history as a former Portuguese territory. There is a sommelier available specifically to bridge the gap between Cantonese flavour profiles and European wine, which matters because that pairing is not intuitive even for experienced wine drinkers. If your group includes wine enthusiasts, this is one of the few Chinese restaurants in the region where you can take the wine list seriously.
For tea drinkers, the tea master's list of aged pu-erh blends is worth requesting at lunch, particularly if you are working through the dim sum menu. It is the more authentic Cantonese pairing for that format and one of the dining room's quieter points of distinction.
The 51st floor location means the room has views, and the design references that height throughout. For a special occasion, the main dining room delivers on atmosphere without requiring a private space. That said, if you are booking for a larger group or a business meal where conversation privacy matters, it is worth contacting The Ritz-Carlton Macau directly to ask about private dining arrangements. The hotel format and the room's positioning within the property suggest private dining capacity exists, but confirm specifics when you make your reservation rather than assuming availability.
For reference on the broader Macau dining scene, see our full Macau restaurants guide. If you are also planning accommodation, our full Macau hotels guide covers options across the Strip and beyond.
Within Macau's Cantonese tier, Lai Heen's closest direct peer is Pearl Dragon, also at the $$$ price point and also Michelin-recognised. Pearl Dragon is the better choice if you want a more traditional Cantonese room without the Ritz-Carlton hotel context. Jade Dragon and Wing Lei sit further up the prestige ladder and carry higher price expectations to match. Chef Tam's Seasons and Ying are worth considering if you want to explore Macau's broader fine-dining Chinese range. For regional comparisons on Cantonese cooking specifically, Forum in Hong Kong and Le Palais in Taipei give you useful benchmarks for what the category delivers at its highest levels elsewhere in the region.
If your trip extends into mainland China, Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine in Guangzhou is the most direct Cantonese peer on the mainland. Xin Rong Ji in Beijing, Xin Rong Ji in Chengdu, 102 House in Shanghai, Ru Yuan in Hangzhou, and Dai Yuet Heen in Nanjing round out the broader regional picture for serious Chinese dining.
For the rest of Macau's dining and leisure options, see our full Macau bars guide, our full Macau wineries guide, and our full Macau experiences guide.
Lai Heen is a hard booking. With Michelin recognition, a strong OAD Asia ranking, and a location inside one of Macau's flagship luxury hotels, weekend dinner slots and Sunday dim sum fill weeks in advance. Book at least three to four weeks out for dinner on Friday or Saturday, and further ahead if your visit falls during Chinese New Year, Golden Week, or any major Macau events calendar period. Lunch on a weekday gives you the leading chance of a shorter lead time, though the dim sum reputation means even weekday lunch is not a walk-in proposition. Contact The Ritz-Carlton Macau directly to make your reservation, and confirm any private dining requirements at the same time.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty | Leading For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lai Heen | Cantonese | $$$ | Hard | Special occasions, wine pairing, dim sum |
| Pearl Dragon | Cantonese | $$$ | Moderate | Traditional Cantonese room |
| Aji | Nikkei | $$$$ | Hard | Innovative tasting menus |
| Robuchon au Dôme | French Contemporary | $$$$ | Hard | French fine dining splurge |
| Feng Wei Ju | Hunan-Sichuan | $$ | Moderate | Bold spice, accessible price |
| Five Foot Road | Sichuan | $$ | Easy | Casual, budget-friendly |
The Ritz-Carlton Bar and Lounge is directly accessible from the restaurant floor. It runs a gin trolley with premium selections and hosts live jazz most evenings, making it a natural next stop rather than a reason to leave the building.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lai Heen | $$$ | Hard | — |
| Aji | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
| Five Foot Road | $$ | Unknown | — |
| Pearl Dragon | $$$ | Unknown | — |
| Robuchon au Dôme | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
| Feng Wei Ju | $$ | Unknown | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Lai Heen and alternatives.
The XO chili sauce is the one non-negotiable — ask for it with everything, and buy a bottle to take home. Beyond that, the kitchen's signature dim sum (including gold-flake lobster-and-pork dumplings), the braised pork belly with preserved vegetables, and the char-grilled Iberico pork are the dishes most cited by inspectors. If you're at Sunday brunch, ask the tea master for an aged pu-erh recommendation rather than defaulting to a standard green tea.
Cantonese kitchens at this level generally accommodate dietary requirements with advance notice, and Lai Heen's use of seasonal and premium ingredients means the kitchen has real flexibility. check the venue's official channels through The Ritz-Carlton Macau when booking and specify restrictions clearly. The menu rotates with seasonal produce, so confirming at the time of reservation is the safest approach.
Lai Heen sits on the 51st floor of The Ritz-Carlton Macau in Cotai — not the older casino strip, which means some first-timers underestimate the commute from central Macau. The menu changes with seasonal produce, so dishes you read about in reviews may not always be available. The house-made XO sauce is a constant; everything else is subject to what's fresh. Budget $$$ per head and allow time after dinner for the gin trolley and live jazz at the adjacent Ritz-Carlton Bar and Lounge.
Lunch is the stronger call for first-timers, particularly Sunday lunch starting at 11:30 am when the dim sum selection is at its fullest and the tea master service comes into its own. Dinner suits a longer, more formal occasion where you want to work through the à la carte and use the sommelier for wine pairings. Both services run to 2:30 pm and 10 pm respectively, so timing is not constrained.
Lai Heen's inspector notes describe careful craftsmanship across dim sum and chef's creations, with premium ingredients and seasonal produce driving the menu. At the $$$ price point, the format rewards guests who want the kitchen to guide the meal rather than ordering individually. If you prefer to pick and share dishes rather than follow a set sequence, the à la carte gives more control without sacrificing the kitchen's quality.
At $$$, Lai Heen holds Michelin 1 Star (2024) and ranks #352 in OAD's Top Restaurants in Asia 2025 — both of which are evidence the kitchen earns its pricing. The comparison peer within Macau is Pearl Dragon, also $$$ and also Michelin-recognised. Lai Heen differentiates on the 51st-floor setting, the wine program (an all-glass room with Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Portuguese bottles), and the tea master service. If the setting matters as much as the food, Lai Heen justifies the spend. If you want pure cooking-focused value, Pearl Dragon is worth comparing directly.
Yes, with a few practical caveats. The 51st-floor room, the wine room, and the adjacent jazz bar make it a complete evening rather than just a dinner reservation. Book dinner for the full experience; request a window table when reserving. The Ritz-Carlton address means the dress code will lean formal — confirm expectations with the hotel when booking. For a landmark birthday or anniversary in Macau, few rooms in this city offer the same combination of Michelin-recognised cooking and a setting that supports the occasion.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
