Mesa by José Avillez Macau is a contemporary Portugnese restaurant located in the Karl Lagerfeld Hotel in the Grand Lisboa Palace in Macau. José Avillez‘s namesake restaurant in Lisbon, Portugal has 2 Michelin stars. Mesa re-opened in just a few weeks ago (after a few weeks closure for renovations) with a refreshed look and some new menu items.
The Mesa Bar itself is pretty impressive. Frederick Ma, who won World Bartender of the Year at the IBA World Cocktail Championship 2024, is the bartender and mixes up drinks with influences from both Macau and Portugal.
The menu was quite extensive, and it was hard for us to narrow down to picking just a handful of dishes (for our party of 3 to enjoy).
Codfish Cake and Garlic Emulsion Trout Roe was a lovely little bite to help start off the evening.
We had to try the Tártaro de Atum, a cone filled with tuna tartare and a spicy soy sauce. This was deemed a “must order” by the South China Morning Post. Another blogger likened these to Thomas Keller’s salmon cornets (French Laundry).
I really appreciate how Mesa by José Avillez is pretty friendly towards vegetarians, with a good selection of options. We ordered this lovely melange of grilled bok choy, asparagus, okra, and avocado in a green sauce, which was really tasty and healthy at the same time.
Piri-Piri Chicken with potato and avocado was alright, but perhaps one of the less popular dishes at the table. The chicken was a tad drier than we would have liked.
Arroz de Marisco (Seafood Rice) was fantastic, and generously filled with carabineiro, shrimp, and clams. The rice had a lovely seafood flavorful, and overall this dish was hearty and satisfying to eat.
Other signature dishes we didn’t get to order (but I would want to order if I went again) woudl be the Bacalhau à Brás (Chef José Avillez’s own self-proclaimed favorite dish consisting of salt cod, potato, and eggs).
This place is worth visiting if you want to experience a more upscale version of Portuguese food. Mesa by José Avillez has already won numerous awards, including 50 Best Discovery and SCMP 100 Top Tables of 2024. I think if I came back, aside from ordering Bacalhau à Brás, it might be fun to try a cocktail at the stunning circular bar.
Mesa by José Avillez Macau
3/F, The Karl Lagerfeld Macau
Grand Lisboa Palace Resort Macau
Rua do Tiro, COTAI
