Taipa Village in Macau emerges as a top spot for foodies and art lovers

Tucked between the luxurious high-rise resorts of Cotai and the residential towers of Taipa is a tiny aldeia, or village, that would not look out of place in Alentejo or the Algarve – except, of course, for the Chinese characters on many of the signs.

Taipa Village, once a bustling fishing village, long ago went into a slumber, only starting to awaken about 40 years ago with the arrival of Cozinha Pinocchio.

When the restaurant first opened, Pinocchio was an unpretentious little open-air eatery located at the end of a dark alley off Rua da Cunha serving mouth-watering Macanese dishes that were based on time-honoured family recipes.

The restaurant has experienced at least two reincarnations since then, expanding beyond recognition and going considerably upmarket. It now occupies a key spot at the entrance to Taipa Village.

Other Portuguese and Chinese cafes followed in Pinocchio’s footsteps, and at least two of the originals remain: Galo and Comida Portuguesa O Santos, both of which opened in the 1980s and have changed little since then.

Other eateries came and went. More and more shops selling cookies and dried meats opened. Rua da Cunha became a popular destination for day trippers from Hong Kong on weekends.

But things remained pretty much unchanged until acclaimed Portuguese chef Antonio Coelho – who previously had a successful and critically acclaimed restaurant in Coloane – opened an eponymous eatery in a beautifully renovated shop house in the village in 2008.