Restaurants & cafes galore — top picks of Hong Kong eateries
A mini guide to Hong Kong living (EPISODE III)
Let me start this post by saying that I’m not your typical foodie. I am completely incapable of taking photos worthy of a food blog. And I am a notoriously bad cook. I am also not in it PURELY for the tastebuds. I’m in it for the good times: big tables of friends, plenty of food for sharing, fancy drinks, fun vibes. For all of the above, Hong Kong has a ton to offer. From #shitwhite to #solocal, here are my top picks for food at any time of the day:
10AM: Breakfast, Brunch, Coffee Time
§ 18 Grams Cafe: there are several 18 Gram Cafes across Hong Kong, but my favorite one is this one on Cannon Street in Causeway Bay. Tiny, hip, sit there for hours with friends or your computer and enjoy their amazing Matcha Latte and French Toast
§ Deadend Café: amazing little café and bakery (Po’s Atelier) tucked away at the end of Po Hing Fong in Sheung Wan. Grab something to go or sit outside and relax with a newspaper
§ Aberdeen Street Social: favorite Soho hang-out at the bottom of PMQ (on the corner of Aberdeen St. and Hollywood Rd.) with a great terrace and very tasty lobster role
§ Oola: just around the corner from Aberdeen St.Social is yet another Soho classic: Oola is the perfect brunch spot, where you’ll always find a place and good coffee and eggs
1130AM: time for Dim Sum, Yum Cha and ??!!! (For the newbies: Dim Sum is basically Cantonese brunch: you have tea “Yum Cha — 飲茶” and lots of different shaped steamed buns and other light pastries, both sweet and salty: “Dim Sum- 點心”)
§ Dim Dim Sum: great dim sum place with a good, but not excessive choice, There is one at Mongkok (if you’re visiting Ladies Market) and in Wan Chai
§ Tim Ho Wan — 添好運: The famed Hong Kong dim sum place that has made it into the league of Michelin starred restaurants. You would not tell from the place, it has not lost any of its rundown charm and remains quite cheap. One at IFC airport express and also several on Kowloon side
§ Lin Heung Tea House —蓮香樓: for a real Hong Kong dim sum experience, head to Lin Heung on Wellington. You’ll sit on one of the crowded round tables with a bunch of other Honkies and do your best to snatch what you can from the dim sum carts being wheeled through the place. True yum cha madness: definitely an experience to be made
§ Serenade Chinese Restaurant /香港文化中心餐廳大樓: if you feel like a more relaxed and upscale dim sum experience, head to this place in the Cultural Center just off the Avenue of Stars in TST. Enjoy the view over Victoria harbour and a fine selection of sweet and salty dim sum
1230PM: time for lunch, salad or bento box
§ Grassroots Pantry: this place on Hollywood Rd has become one of my favourites for lunch in Central. They serve lots of creative healthy dishes with a Korean touch, right next to Man Mo Temple
§ Takorea: absolutely go to this little Wellington St. place for a “Baap Bowl” — the perfect lunch with a mix of brown rice, eggplant, veggies, kimchi (and meat if you like)
§ Crystal Jade -翡翠食 & Din Tai Fung -鼎泰豐: if you love Xiao Long Bao 小籠包 (the famous pork-filled soup dumplings), which as a matter of fact I do, then you should head to Crystal Jade (e.g., at IFC or Harbour City) or to Din Tai Fung (e.g., in Causeway Bay).
§ Pirata: Lovely Italian restaurant in one of the Wan Chai high-rises (close to the MTR station), which has a cool lunch buffet with Italian antipasti and a lasagna that is to die for and definitely sufficient to share
§ Corner Kitchen Café: if you happen to be in Sheung Wan or Sai Ying Pun around lunch time, check out this cute little Sheung Wan cafe. It has a legendary chicken wrap and is perfect to hang out at after lunch for iced coffee and co.
4PM: time for a coffee boost or shopping break
§ Winston’s Coffee: cool café for when you’re exploring Sai Ying Pun (located right next to Sai Ying Pun MTR station on Queen’s Rd W). Try their Matcha cakes and take in the SYP crowd
§ The Peninsula: The Peninsula is a Hong Kong institution (the city’s oldest hotel built in 1928), and Afternoon tea in the Lobby is something not to miss out on. Head there anytime between 2 and 6pm and make sure you haven’t eaten too much to savor the treats on the 3-storey ”étagère” (Don’t fret, at 628 HKD for 2 people it’s pricy but affordable)
§ Omotesando Koffee: for a hipster Japanese cup of cappuccino, matcha or cold brew, head to this stylish new café in Wan Chai’s Lee Tung Avenue
§ Wan Chai hang-outs: Apart from Omotesando, there are a lot of other nice little restaurants in Wan Chai, perfect for studying or doing Chinese homework, including: Le Pain Quotidien (Lee Tung), The Coffee Academics (Johnston Rd) and Elephant Grounds on 8Wing Fung St. (Elephant Grounds and Coffee Academics have other branches across the city too)
8PM: Din…din…din…dinnnner time
§ Chom Chom: this is my absolute favourite Soho restaurant. Chom Chom has it all: a fun vibe sitting on the steps outside with a cold beer at the heart of Soho before dwelving into the super tasty Vietnamese food (The Pho Rolls, Mango Papaya Beef Salad and the Caramel Black Cod were my all time favs) and finishing with a Chom Chom house shot. Enjoy enjoy enjoy
§ Ho Lee Fok: Just down the road from Chom Chom is Ho Lee Fok (say it out loud … yes pun intended). But Ho Lee Fok actually means Good Fortune in Cantonese and the place lives up to its promise. The Wagyu short ribs are among my favorite dishes in all of Hong Kong. Also try the drunken clams, the dumplings and the pork belly. Btw, a little secret on the side: Chom Chom, Ho Lee Fok and a few other places on Hong Kong Island are all run by Black Sheep Restaurants. If you fancy checking out some of their other places, go to Le Garcon Saigon (also Vietnamese) in Wan Chai or the new French Bistrot Belon in Soho
§ Yardbird: modern yaktori Japanese in Sheung Wan (Bridges Street), always packed with hip people. Try any of the yakitoris, they are all to die for
§ Chachawan: Cool (albeit pricy) Thai in Soho. Get the seabass (Pla Phao Glua) and of course a good old mango sticky rice (Khao Niaw Mamuang) for desert
§ 121 BC: great little warehouse style restaurant that serves Italian tapas on a long tavolata, in the middle of all the action (Peel Street)
§ Mott 32: if you’re looking for a rather chic night out and some really good Chinese food, head to Mott 32 in Central. The place has different smaller rooms, and if you can ask to be seated in the Tangerine Room (the one with the ancient Chinese paint brushes along the walls). Also, if you would like to try their Beijing duck, make sure to order in advance
§ Tabibito: On a friendly summer evening, head to this small Japanese on Po Hing Fong and savour some of their Japanese tapas sitting out on the street or by the open windows
§ Tung Po -東寶小館: apart from the classic Soho hotspots (see all the above, tend to be rather #shitwhite), when in Hong Kong you should also experience a real Da Pai Dong -大牌檔 (typical Hong Kong food stall). This place in North Point is a very sophisticated Da Pai Dong, which you will definitely enjoy. It’s on the 2nd floor, so you’ll take the outdoor escalator and then group around a table for 10, drink beer from porcelain cups and order loads of food to share
§ Sijie Sichuan Restaurant- 四姐川菜: for those who like it hot, this is a great place for Sichuan food in Hong Kong. On the 10th floor of Bartlock Center in Causeway Bay, you can have anything Sichuan that your belly fancies: Mapo Tofu, Sichuan style spciy crab and fish, sweet and spicy cucumber etc.etc
§ El Mercado & Chicha: if you’re in need of a Pisco Sour and a good Ceviche, these are two nice Peruvians I have been to, one in Wan Chai (El Mercado) and one in Central (Chicha)
§ Hong Kong Claypot: when it gets really cold outside (which rarely happens), Hong Kong Claypot is the best dinner to warm up to. Go to Kunji Claypot-坤記煲仔小菜 in Sai Ying Pun and try the rice-based claypots with frog legs, chicken and many more yummy toppings
§ Hong Kong Hotpot: another local treat (suitable in cold and hot waether) is Hong Kong hot pot. Less spicy than hotpot from other parts of China, and with some special ingredients like the famous fishballs, HK hotpot is a guarantee for a fun night out. Both Da Hong Pao Hotpot — 大紅袍火鍋料理 (North Point point TST) and Megan’s Kitchen — 美味廚 (Wan Chai) are great spots
§ Shin Mapo /新麻蒲 BBQ (Korean BBQ): another fun thing to do as a group is a good Korean barbeque with plenty of meat, kimchi and of course Soju (Korean rice wine). This place in Causeway Bay is really nice and has been approved by our Korean friends
1030PM: time for sweeeeets (YES, Hong Kong has lots of places uniquely dedicated to desserts, so-called dessert bars)
§ Lucky Dessert — 發記甜品: go here for a typical Hong Kong dessert and order the Mango Sago (in Causeway Bay or TST)
§ Cong Sao Star Dessert 聰嫂星級甜品: another classic local dessert with great mango sago but also a very good honeydew ice-cream (Causeway Bay, Wan Chai)
§ Shari Shari Kakigori House: This place has the best Kakigori (Japanese shaved ice) and is a super cute little shop on Haven Street in Causeway Bay
§ Via Tokyo: just next to Shari Shari on the street corner is another Japanese dessert café with the best Matcha (green tea) ice-cream. You may need to queue, but it’s so worth it
2AM: time for a little late night snack (and probably my favorite part of this articles)
§ Ichiran — 豚骨拉麵: my absolute favorite for late night food: welcome to the best Ramen place in Hong Kong, welcome to Ichiran. The one in TST is funner as a group because you can sit at open tables, but make sure to head to the one in Causeway Bay for the real booth-style Ramen experience
§ Underbridge Spicy Crab -橋底辣蟹: for a wonderful dish of (more or less) spicy crab and a lot of other traditional Chinese dishes head to this place in Wan Chai
§ Shen Xiao Shitang 深宵食堂 Izakaya: my favorite little Japanese style eatery (“Izakaya”) is hidden away on the 6th floor of Bartlock Center in Causeway Bay. Go for the typical skewers and try the eggplant with honey. And get a bottle of Dassai Sake to go along
§ Beyrouth Bistrot: finally if you are dying for a Kebab after leaving the club in Soho or LKF, head to Café Beyrouth on the corner of Lyndhurst Terrace and Hollywood Rd for a high quality Shawarma
Check out all the Hong Kong posts:
Episode I: not entirely #shitwhite
Episode II: 6 Hong Kong trails to not miss
Episode III: Hong Kong eateries: the top picks (the one you’re on)
Episode IV: Living it up in Hong Kong bars & clubs
