The Senate Square, or Largo do Senado, has been the urban center for Macau for centuries. Today it is the centre of attraction for throngs of tourists and visitors to Macau. The square is an area paved with a wave-like pattern that is a traditional style Portuguese pavement. A number of heritage buildings surround the square including the Post Office, the Holy House of Mercy and St Dominic's Church. In the middle of the square near Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro is a fountain. Across the street is Leal Senado, the former senate building for the colony of Macau. This being a tourist area, the Macau Business Tourism Centre is also located here. On weekends, especially Sunday afternoons, the Senate Square is jam-packed with Filipinas - domestic helpers on their day off.
Largo do Senado is more than just a heritage square. It is also the place to get some of the best food in Macau. One of my favorite is a shop that sells ginger milk curd dessert. It is located in the building facing the Post Office. You can tell the shop by the "cow" sign outside. (see picture) My wife and I would go there many times during our visits to Macau, to try different items from their menu. As we don't speak the local dialect and the shopkeepers don't speak English, we just point at items on the menu.
Further down, there's another famous noodle shop. When we visited it, we saw from the pictures on the wall that a number of celebrities had dined there before. The noodle is like wanton noodles. They made their own noodles. If you ask me, I would say it tasted good, but it doesn't register in my memory as much as that milk dessert shop. If you are feeling homesick for something international, there's McDonald's and Starbucks at Largo do Senado. Also, down the alleys you can get Portuguese food and other shops selling local food.
On the far end of Largo do Senado is St Dominic's Church. Surrounding it are boutiques and shops you'd find in a mall. The square branches into two. The left branch takes you to the Ruins of St Paul's while the right branch leads to the Cathedral and Lou Kau Mansion.
Largo do Senado was one of the places in the Historic Centre of Macao inscribed by Unesco as a World Heritage Site in 2005, making Macau the 31st site in China to be accorded that recognition.
Getting there
Largo do Senado is at the very heart of town. It is located along Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro. Buses that ply this road include Nos. 2, 3, 3A, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8A, 10, 10A, 11, 18, 19, 21A, 26A and 33.
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