New Yaohan, the largest department store in Macau, is on a large block just west of the Macau Ferry Terminal. There is a decent food court located at the top level. It leans heavily towards Asian dishes, but I was a bit disappointed that there was not more of a Portuguese or Macanese selection of food. Chinese food is the most common cuisine here, followed closely by Japanese. Perhaps this is explained by the fact that the store is Japanese-owned.
The way this food court works is that once you know what you want to order, you must mention that item’s designated number to a central cashier. Once you pay (in Macau or Hong Kong currency), you will be given a receipt. This ticket is then presented to the appropriate counter, and then you just wait for your order. If your language skills are not that sharp, or if you just are not sure what to order, this system may be a bit problematic. Fortunately, most of the items have pictures or sculptured renditions on display, with their own magic numbers next to them.
I ordered my dinner from the Atani booth. Its Japanese selections were all beautifully presented with food sculptures, just like the ones in front of every restaurant in Tokyo. You may not be totally sure of what each item is, but they are all clearly tagged with a name, order number, and price in Macau. Better yet, the food is way cheaper that what I have found in Japan. My "Japanese curry noodle set" was a complete meal at well under $5. It included not one, but two appetizer selections, a pair of meaty gyoza, and a breaded vegetable patty with potato, carrots, and peas. There is a pile of white rice drenched with curry sauce and a hint of meat, along with a nice slurpable bowl of noodle soup with bits of meat, egg, and other stuff. All this, plus a small fountain soft drink, and you have a decent fast-food meal Asian-style.
Yes, this is a food court, so the seating area is large and mundane, but nothing too annoying. If you are not overwhelmed with your food, you can always daydream by looking at what others are having or stare longingly at the dessert station in the middle. The staff is fairly efficient in keeping the tables clean and sparkling.
Besides the food court, other options in the vast store are a bakery and a grocery store, where you can stock up on items to take away if you do not trust the outdoor markets of Macau. I would not make an effort to eat at the New Yaohan food court, but if you are in the area and looking for a filling and inexpensive meal in a comfortable environment, why not check it out?