Food
Savouring Hong Kong: The Essentials Dining Guide
In this legendary food city, you’re never far from an incredible meal – but some dining experiences still stand head and shoulders above the rest
From construction workers slurping noodles on plastic stools to CEOs discussing business over a Michelin-starred menu, in Hong Kong, a love of food transcends class and circumstance. As a result, the restaurant landscape is a beguiling – and occasionally bewildering – mix of cuisines, cultures and price points that can be difficult to navigate for the uninitiated. These ten dining destinations across the city, however, consistently offer the promise of time and money well spent.
For Gourmet Gastronomy: Amber
Hong Kong is blessed with a galaxy of Michelin stars, but few match the experience of dining at Amber, situated in The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong. This year, executive chef Richard Ekkebus and his team received the long-awaited third star for their sublime and sustainable cuisine, which draws from French roots, Hong Kong influences and pan-Asian inspiration. Dine on decadent creations like uni sea urchin with cauliflower, lobster and Royal Cristal caviar or magnificent Carabineros prawn tail with Sichuan pepper and marigold. Exquisite interiors and genuinely warm service complete the picture.
For Honest Eats: Kam’s Roast Goose
Daily queues form outside this Wan Chai institution well before the doors open at 11am, because everyone, from office workers to tourists, craves its famous rendition of a Hong Kong classic: roasted goose on rice. Kam’s also holds a Michelin star, making it one of the world’s most affordable Michelin-anointed eateries – and adding to the demand. Glistening roast pork, duck and other meats hang in the compact kitchen where skilled chefs wielding giant cleavers work with terrifying precision and speed. Your order, though, should certainly include that succulent goose with perfectly crispy skin and sweet-sharp plum sauce.
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For Stunning Views: Petrus
In such a sky-scraping city, with more than 550 buildings over 150 metres tall, stellar views understandably abound. Few, however, match those of Petrus, a French fine dining institution whose location on the 56th floor of the Island Shangri-La hotel in Admiralty delivers incredible panoramas across the heart of Hong Kong Island, Victoria Harbour, Kowloon and the mountains beyond. Dinner requires deep pockets, but the more approachable lunch or breakfast menus allow even budget-conscious diners to savour creative dishes by chef Uwe Opocensky from this perch on top of the world.
For People-Watching: Francis West
Pedestrianised Peel Street in Soho on Hong Kong Island has long been a key place for people-watching, as customers spill out of the many bars and restaurants that line the road, mingling late into the night. The finest vantage point is Francis West, where fragrant aromas fill the air with the flavours of the Maghreb. Among their fantastic spread, mashwiya brings charred eggplant with tomato and labneh, and moreish lamb ribs demand to be eaten with your hands. Book seats along the open street-side windows to maximise immersion in one of the city’s finest alfresco moments.
For Local Flavours: The Chairman
The only challenge at The Chairman in Hong Kong is securing a table, especially since this popular establishment clinched the top position among Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. Here, chef-restaurateur Danny Yip wows patrons with genuinely unique takes on Cantonese dishes, such as his beloved classic char siu roast pork. One of the secrets behind it? Rose-scented sugar in the mahogany-hued glaze. Do everything in your power to book a table, ideally go with a group of at least four – and definitely go hungry.
For Exotic Cuisine: Leela
Few foreign chefs in Hong Kong are as respected as Leela’s Manav Tuli, whose serious culinary chops include stints at Chutney Mary and Tamarind in London. It’s at Leela, however, that his most personal take on the cuisine of his homeland shines forth. Tuli’s forensic attention to research, detail and culinary anthropology leads him to celebrate recipes that have been lost for decades or even centuries, from all over India. Try the vibrant “six colour chicken”, shishranga murg, or the indulgent lamb croquette kola urandai – one of the finest things you’ll eat in the city. Trust us.
For A Sweet Treat: Kung Wo Dou Bun Chong
To experience a completely different side of the city, head to Kung Wo Dou Bun Chong in the proudly working-class Sham Shui Po district in Kowloon. Here, one ingredient rules them all: soybeans. Crushed on site in an ancient granite millstone, the beans are crafted into everything from bean curd puffs to simple cold soya milk, the perfect cooler on a steamy Hong Kong day. For us, it’s all about the sweet, silky tofu pudding, served hot or cold with optional brown sugar and ginger syrup.
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For An Iconic Experience: Man Wah
Hong Kong is the spiritual home of dim sum, and while literally thousands of restaurants serve it, nowhere can match Man Wah when it comes to superlative food, warm service and an exquisite setting inside the Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong. Intricately crafted dumplings reflect the years of training required for dim sum chefs to hone their craft, creating everything from shrimp har gau in a gossamer-thin wrapping to lobster dumplings with matsutake mushrooms and caviar. Alongside a world-class selection of teas, consider washing your meal down with a stiff dram of Chinese baijiu liquor.
For A Night Cap: Dark Side
Rosewood Hong Kong is a towering beauty of a hotel boasting cinematic views, and yet one of its biggest draws is a ground-floor bar with a compact outdoor terrace. The drinks and hospitality at Dark Side are just that good. Named for a cheeky take on what some Hong Kong expats call the Kowloon district, this self-proclaimed “cocktail parlour” has won multiple awards for its stellar list of original tipples, rare spirits and vintage cigars, all served with a side of the city’s finest live jazz.
For A One-Of-A-Kind Experience: Genuine Lamma Hilton Fishing Village Restaurant
Genuine Lamma Hilton Fishing Village reminds visitors that Hong Kong is more than a skyscraper metropolis. On Lamma Island, a 35-minute ferry chug away from the CBD, fishing villages and weather-worn temples meet jungle-clad hills and vistas of the South China Sea, and life slows down completely. The freshest seafood imaginable – caught on boats docked just outside – becomes a thing of beauty at Sok Kwu Wan, a tiny restaurant that has been delighting diners for more than half a century. Whether it’s clams with black beans, steamed garoupa with ginger and green onion, or fat shrimp buried under mounds of fried garlic – every plate is pure joy.
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