Have you bought your ticket to hong kong, planned the itinerary, and now want to include the locals’ favorite places to eat? Here are top 10 hong kong restaurants you won’t even miss them, from fine dining to modest street food, choose from these 10 delicious options for where to find the best food in Hong Kong!
Photo by Vernon Raineil Cenzon on Unsplash
1. Ah Shun’s Kitchen
If locals travel that far and in such a modest place to eat seafood, you can be sure that this is a special place. After catching a ferry and passing through the alleys of Cheung Chau, you might be disappointed when you step into a basic restaurant that doesn’t even have a view of the sea.
But don’t be fooled by appearances: this is one of the best restaurants in Hong Kong, especially for seafood fans. You can buy at the fish market and bring your chosen ones to Ah Shun or order from the menu. Whichever you choose, you’re guaranteed a feast – from spicy clams in wine broth to fresh fried grouper, to prawns boiled in soy sauce.
- Where: G, 47 Tai San St., Cheung Chau
- Phone: +852 2981 0569
- Nearest Station: Central Ferry Pier 5
2. Tim Ho Wan
A cheap and happy lunch at Tim Ho Wan, a Michelin-starred one of the Top 10 Hong Kong Restaurants available.
Do you die of jealousy hearing from gourmet (and wealthy) friends who eat at Michelin Guide-starred restaurants? Because you can, too: welcome to Tim Ho Wan, one of the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurants in the world.
Inaugurated by chef Mak Kwai Pui, former chef at Lung King Hin restaurant (three Michelin stars), this modest establishment serves a delicious variety of traditional dim sum, including the unbeatable four: pork dumplings, rice noodles, turnip cake, and steamed egg cake. But be prepared to queue early as they don’t take reservations.
Meals are relatively quick as the menu is small (about 30 items). With a few branches open in Hong Kong and a recent expansion to Singapore, ride the wave of success and enjoy!
- Where: G/F, 9-11 Fuk Wing Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon
- Phone: +852 2788 1226
- Nearest Station: Sham Shui Po
3. Rainbow Seafood Restaurant
Catch the day outside Hong Kong’s legendary Rainbow Seafood Restaurant.
Open since 1984, this seafood palace which sits next to Hong Kong’s biggest fish market, is as big as it is delicious. With a capacity for over a thousand customers, everything is fresh there. You go directly to the tanks, choose your seafood and expect it to be served to your specifications.
Traditional dishes include fried crab with honey and pepper, spicy prawns, and grouper fish, but you can choose practically any seafood I didn’t see you regret. Watch out for an extra-convenient bonus: a boat transfer from the central station – here’s your perfect seafood meal in Hong Kong!
- Where: 23-25 First St., Sok Kwu Wan, Lamma Island
- Phone: +852 2982 8100
- Nearest station: Central Ferry Pier 4
4. Tsui Wah
Top-notch comfort food at Tsui Wah restaurant, a favorite among Hong Kong locals.
The essential stop after enjoying the animation of Lan Kwai Fong, the Tsui Wah it is the most traditional “pé-sujo” in Hong Kong.
Open 24 hours a day, and this restaurant is ideal to “enjoy” at night. The Tsui Wah’s menu is impressively diverse, mixing Chinese and Western food at affordable prices. Think fish cakes with noodles and beef curry mixed with giant hot dogs – here’s the essence of a part of Hong Kong where boozy expats join the locals for an evening experience like a few others.
- Where: G/F-2/F, 15-19 Wellington Street
- Phone: +852 2868 3322
- Nearest Station: Central
5. Mak’s Noodle
The best wanton noodles in Hong Kong are at Mak’s Noodles.
Wanton noodles, like fried rice, are already familiar to most global citizens. It involves prawns wrapped in a delicate ravioli coating and served with egg noodles in a salty fish broth. But few other places will get a more authentic version than Mak’s.
Even in Hong Kong, that kind of standard – handmade noodles served with a strong fish broth accented with monosodium glutamate – is already disappearing. And the kale served here – a typical accompaniment to pasta – is incomparably tender. Openly championed and praised by American chef Anthony Bourdain, Mak certainly deserves to be on the list of the best restaurants in Hong Kong.
- Where: 77 Wellington Street
- Phone: +852 2854 3810
- Nearest Station: Central
6. Maxim’s Palace City Hall
Brunch at Maxim’s Palace teahouse in Hong Kong.
Nothing embodies Hong Kong’s social style more than “yum cha” – the traditional Chinese afternoon tea, which includes small “dim sum” dishes. And no other place is more authentic when it comes to serving than the eye-catching decor, complete with huge chandeliers and well-worn carpets, it also has staff with an eternally sullen face, snarling incessantly and pushing carts with delicacies such as “har gow”, “siu mai” and “char siu bau.”
Meanwhile, groups of raucous customers are shouting their orders in the middle of a room almost the size of a small stadium. There may even be other better dim sum options around Hong Kong, but none better epitomize the local Hong Kong experience like Maxim’s. Row! Noise! Bizarre service! Nice food! The perfect combo is ready.
- Where: Low Block, City Hall, Edinburgh Place
- Phone: +852 2101 1333
- Nearest station: Central
7. Lei Garden
Lei Garden is a Michelin-starred restaurant in Hong Kong.
No Hong Kong food guide would be complete without mentioning the Lei Garden.
It’s stylish, unpretentious, Michelin-starred, reasonably priced, and always consistent. It’s the place to go for real Cantonese food. By far the most popular cantina for those in Central Station and also a magnet for local celebrities, Lei Garden is known for the quality of its dim sum, its range of hearty soups, fresh seafood, and contemporary dishes.
Several franchises exist, but the IFC (International Finance Centre) is perhaps the most beautifully decorated. And booking is essential! Take the opportunity to order the soup of the day and the typical crispy chicken.
- Where: Shop 3007-3011, 3/F., International Finance Center
- Phone: +852 2295 0238
- Nearest station: Central
8. Din Tai Fung
Preparing dim sum at Din Tai Fung, one of the biggest and best restaurants in Hong Kong.
The Taiwanese Din Tai Fung took over Asia and also conquered Australia and California. Their relentless focus on the perfect execution of a small range of favorite dishes has earned them an inclusion on the latest Bib Gourmand list.
Don’t be intimidated by the long lines: the space is large, and you probably will only have to wait up to 30 minutes. Use the wait to fill your order. When your number is called, you’ll feel the Michelin aura, with attentive and polite service, while the food is as delicious as it is simple. Essential dishes include “xiao long bao,” Zhejiang-style rice balls, and spicy Sichuan wontons.
- Where: Shop G3-11, G/F, 68 Yee Wo Street
- Phone: +852 3160 8998
- Nearest station: Causeway Bay
9. Loaf On
Simple seafood cuisine at the award-winning Loaf On restaurant.
Loaf On is a veritable temple dedicated to seafood prepared in the Guandong style. Be aware of the simple space, the common chairs, TV, drinks cooler, and a bright environment. Awarded with a Michelin star, it deserves to be seen up close!
Chef Sam “Tiger”’s cuisine reflects the best of his half Hakka half Tanka heritage, transforming the restaurant into a seafood paradise. Be sure to try the fried prawns in chili and garlic, the steamed grouper, the delicious soup, or the succulent escalopes.
- Where: 49 See Cheung Street, Sai Kung
- Phone: +852 2792 9966
- Nearest station: Hang Hau bus 101M
10. Tung Po Seafood Restaurant
Good food from Tung Po, one of the best seafood restaurants in Hong Kong.
Tung Po is a Hong Kong institution. It’s the best ‘Dai Pai Dong’ style – street food stalls that look like makeshift tables. If consistency, creativity, and flavor – not decor – were the only factors in scoring Michelin stars, Tung Bo would earn at least one.
Located in a state-owned building that also houses a fresh food market on the lower floor, Tung Po serves over 100 varieties of dishes featuring shrimp, crab, squid, scallops, and clams, accompanied by beer in a bowl and a soundtrack (loud ) with ’80s classics. Stay after 9 pm, and you’ll see owner Robbie trying some break-dancing moves, turning the place into a virtual disco.
- Where: Java Road Cooked Food Centre, 2/F, 99 Java Road, North Point
- Phone: +852 2880 9399
- Nearby Station: North Point
