Hong Kong Chinese Food Guide: Traditional Hong Kong Food, Street Food, Chow Mein & Best Restaurants
On This Page:
- Hong Kong Is One Of The World’s Best Food Cities
- What Are Some Traditional Hong Kong-style Foods?
- Where To Go For The Best Hong Kong-Style Restaurants
- Dim Sum in Hong Kong
- What Does Michelin Have To Say About Dining in Hong Kong?
- Best Areas For Tourists to Stay in Hong Kong
- Tsim Sha Tsui:
- 1. Kimpton Tsim Sha Tsui Hong Kong
- 2. New World Millennium Hong Kong Hotel
- 3. Disney Explorers Lodge
- 4. Gateway Hotel, Marco Polo
- 5. Kowloon Shangri-La, Hong Kong
- Central:
- 1. The Murray, Hong Kong, a Niccolo Hotel
- 2. Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong
- 3. the Figo
- 4. Hopewell Hotel
- Causeway Bay:
- 1. Crowne Plaza Hong Kong Causeway Bay by IHG
- 2. Lanson Place Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
- 3. Mira Moon
- 4. The Hari Hong Kong
- Wan Chai:
- 1. Gloucester Luk Kwok Hong Kong
- 2. The Fleming Hong Kong
- 3. Novotel Century Hong Kong
- 4. AKI Hotel Hong Kong - MGallery Collection
- Mong Kok:
- 1. Cordis, Hong Kong
- 2. The Cityview - Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong
- 3. Nathan Hotel
- 4. Hotel Stage
- Make Plans For That Once In A Lifetime Trip to Hong Kong
6. Hong Kong Is One Of The World’s Best Food Cities
If eating well is high on your list of things to do while traveling, Hong Kong is a city that absolutely shouldn’t be missed. With more than seven million residents, 14,000+ places to eat, 93 Michelin star-rated restaurants, and a diversity of cuisine that is only found in a handful of cities around the globe, our recommendation for this bustling destination is to come hungry and not overeat, leaving room onboard to savor as many food spots as possible during your visit.
While Hong Kong can easily stand on its own two feet with its local cuisine which is primarily of Cantonese origin, the influences of more than a century of British colonial rule, plus flavors and spices that are Hokkien (traditional from Fujian Province in southeast China), Shanghainese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino, and from other Southeast Asian nations make this city a foodie’s dream come true.
For 2026 Food & Wine Magazine has named Hong Kong as the “Top Global Food City”, and a subsequent survey of more than 400 food journalists, chefs, and culinary notaries concurred, distinguishing the city as this year’s “Culinary Capital of the World”. Top international travel guides including Michelin have recognized over 200 Hong Kong restaurants as outstanding. But while upscale dining is abundant here, this doesn’t mean that visitors arriving in economy class (that would mean me) are forgotten, as the city’s collection of dim sum restaurants, cha chaan teng (Hong Kong-style cafes), and the street dining scene are stronger than ever.
Author: jcomp
Dry thin noodles with stewed pork and pork ball.
6. What Are Some Traditional Hong Kong-style Foods?
- Dim Sum: Think Spanish tapas, Chinese style, with a wide selection of small dishes available from a roving pushcart traditionally or ordered from a checklist that diners hand to the server. Some restaurants may offered a combined approach with some dishes readily available from the cart and others having to be ordered. Shared family-style dining with everyone joining in. Many dishes come in bamboo steamers for freshness and to retain heat. Dim sum is normally served from late morning to early afternoon, though you may find a few dining spots open as the sun comes up. The food is great and so is the atmosphere which feels like the local community is gathering to get caught-up with one another.
- Curry Fishballs: Perhaps the most popular street snack in Hong Kong. This local classic is served on skewers or small bowls with bouncy fish balls covered in a mild to semi-spicy curry sauce with a smell that will draw you in. Eat while you walk through the Mong Kok or Causeway Bay areas or grab a chair at a small table close to the food stall.
- Barbecued Meats: Called siu mei in Cantonese, available as pork, roast duck, or goose.
- Wonton Noodles: Egg noodles in a savory broth, usually with pork and shrimp dumplings (wontons). Also served from street food carts where you can build-your-own bowl with noodles, a multitude of toppings, and broth.
- Egg Tarts: Pretend you’re in Lisbon or Great Britain where these flaky pastries come filled with a sweet and creamy custard. I get the British connection but why Portugal? Macau, a Portuguese colony from 1557-1999 lies adjacent to Hong Kong and is also a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China. The combination of Chinese and Portuguese cultures is unique and fascinating if you find the time to plan a visit.
Author: lifeforstock
Sweet dessert with tart egg
6. Where To Go For The Best Hong Kong-Style Restaurants
You’ve settled into town after a potentially long flight to Hong Kong and want to grab some everyday comfort food that the locals eat. There are just too many possibilities here, so let’s try to make some sense of your options. Hong Kong cafes typically serve a lot more than what you may know as “Chinese food”, because they are influenced not only by the eight major regions of China and the rest of Asia, but also by Western cultures including French, Italian, Spanish, and so on. The culinary competition here is intense, so the quality of what you’ll discover while here will be amazingly high.
The blend of Cantonese cooking that was influenced by the British for more than a century has led to a wide variety of easy to make and quick to cook dishes. In fact, gathering the fresh ingredients often takes a lot longer than the brief time that vegetables and meats sizzle in a wok or frying pan. Surprisingly, standard offerings at Hong Kong-style tea houses and cafes include macaroni soup with ham, egg sandwiches, pineapple buns, baked pork chop rice, along with Hong Kong milk tea or coffee. This may not sound Chinese to you, but there’s also no shortage of what you were expecting with fresh vegetables and meats or tofu in spectacular sauces, served with rice, dumplings, or noodles. And do be sure to try some traditional claypot rice dishes. Mmm mmm.
Here are a few locally popular Hong Kong-style restaurants that you may want to check out:
- Tai Ping Koon, multiple locations in Tsim Sha Tsui, Western, and Causeway Bay - Known for their Swiss sauce chicken, baked pork cutlet rice, and dessert souffle.
- Kam Wah Café & Cake Shop, Mong Kok - Try the Hong Kong-style French toast, Hokkien fried rice, or a pineapple bun with pork.
- Ho Lee Fook, SoHo - Upscale Cantonese cuisine focused on traditional Hong Kong dishes. Chinese barbecue, seafood, wok-fried and claypot offerings. Dinner only with reservations recommended.
- Yong Fu, Wan Chai – Looking for someplace that the locals flock to? This is the place. Traditional Hong Kong-style cuisine with Ningbo seafood influences leading to incredible dishes such as steamed fish, shrimp in honey sauce, and unique dumplings that you won’t stop eating. Lunch and dinner set menus with 7-8 courses including appetizer, soup, and dessert.
Author: https://www.holeefook.com.hk/
Ho Lee Fook, SoHo Website
6. Dim Sum in Hong Kong
Enjoying dim sum in Hong Kong can be a casual experience with a bustling diner atmosphere, or an opportunity for a more refined meal known as “yum cha” where the dishes are more complex and colorful, similar in ways to omakase sushi, where skilled chefs present astonishing food. Whichever you prefer, or perhaps you’ll try both while here, the food is guaranteed to curb any hunger pangs you may be experiencing. Both dim sum styles are so popular and respected that the Michelin guide for Hong Kong features both in their listings. Hear are some highly regarded dim sum/yum cha restaurants that are regularly recommended on multiple Hong Kong dining websites:
Luk Yu Tea House, Central – This is one of Hong Kong’s most revered tea houses with old-world charm and traditional Cantonese dishes. Ranks right up there for an authentic Hong Kong dim sum experience.
Tim Ho Wan, multiple locations including Tsim Sha Tsui and Central – Inexpensive and wonderful with more than 20 dim sum styles offered. Casual, so come as you are. The signature immensely popular dish is the flakey char siu bun but try as many different items (BBQ pork buns!) as you can as the value can’t be beat. This may just be the least expensive Michelin-starred restaurant on the planet.
Mott 32, Central – One of the most awarded Chinese restaurants worldwide, serving dim sum and a full menu featuring Cantonese dishes, as well as those from Shanghai, and Beijing. Elegant and creative cuisine, foodies looking for an upscale modern dining experience will do nicely here.
Tai Wing Wah, Central – A Michelin Bib Gourmand recognized establishment which serves moderately priced dim sum dishes known as “wai tau choi”, meaning walled village food, noticeably different from Cantonese. The walled villages honor the cuisine of the New Territory areas that built walls to prevent attacks from marauding pirates and wild animals. The festive red and gold atmosphere is an ideal ambiance for trying their dim sun, and specialty dishes such as roast duck and steamed sponge cake.
One Dim Sum, Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui locations – Affordably priced, casual, and incredibly delicious Cantonese dim sum. From the steamed buns to the steamed dumplings, rice, and rice rolls, you can’t go wrong here. And the restaurant’s crispy garlic shrimp spring rolls and pan fried raddish cake keeps their patrons coming back.
Of course, there are hundreds of places to find dim sum in this fascinating city. Grab some at a street market, a casual storefront, or in the elegant dining room of a five-star hotel. No matter what style you prefer and what your budget will allow, incredible dim sum is located within walking distance or possibly within your hotel.
Author: https://mott32.com/hong-kong/
Mott 32, Central
6. What Does Michelin Have To Say About Dining in Hong Kong?
It’s a common misconception that in order to receive a Michelin star or Bib Gourmand recognition a restaurant has to be extremely expensive, opulently decorated, offer elaborate dishes, an extensive wine list, white glove service, and be impossible to garner a reservation at. Nothing could be further from the truth, as Michelin anonymously visits thousands of restaurants around the world each year that range from hole-in-the-wall barbecue joints to the fanciest digs you can imagine, knowing that looks can certainly be deceiving. As one of the world’s great food cities, Hong Kong and neighboring Macau do, at this time have 93 Michelin-star rated restaurants, 72 dining spots that they consider “notable”, and another 70 Bib Gourmand recognized places that offer excellent value and a superb dining experience. A future article about Hong Kong’s dining scene will focus solely on Michelin’s awards in this culinary mecca.
Author: © Martin Yu/8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo - Bombana
https://guide.michelin.com/hk/en/article/michelin-guide-ceremony/hong-kong-macau-full-list
6. Best Areas For Tourists to Stay in Hong Kong
Our go-to hotel booking website Travelated offers 250+ hotels throughout Hong Kong, with everything from inexpensive hostels to a wealth of five-star luxury properties to consider. Their prices are the best to be found on the internet which we why we make this our first stop when planning a trip. Listed below are five of the most popular areas of Hong Kong to consider staying and an overview of the vibe in each.
6. Tsim Sha Tsui:
Perfect for first-time visitors.
Great harbor views, shopping, and museums. Recommended hotels located here include:
6. Central:
Upscale, convenient location in the financial and cultural core of the city, excellent dining options, close to major attractions. Hotel recommendations:
6. Causeway Bay:
One of the world’s busiest shopping areas packed with restaurants and cafes. More affordable hotel prices can be found here including these popular properties:
6. Wan Chai:
Less touristy/more of a local feel, excellent dining, markets, bars, close to the waterfront. Popular hotels here include:
6. Mong Kok:
An energetic neighborhood with more affordable hotel prices, Ladies’ Market, Sneaker Street, Goldfish Market, more affordable hotel prices. Hotels just minutes north of Tsim Sha Tsui include:
2. The Cityview - Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong
Address: 23 Waterloo Road, Yaumatei, Kowloon, Hong Kong, HK
The Cityview - Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong
6. Make Plans For That Once In A Lifetime Trip to Hong Kong
Believe me when I tell you that shortly after you set foot in Hong Kong you’ll be wondering what took you so long to come here. Thankfully my first visit was early in my career, making multiple return trips to this incredible city very possible. The energy that this city exudes, much like New York, Tokyo, London, Rio de Janeiro, and Barcelona, is palpable. The bustling harbor, view from Victoria Peak, Central financial district, SoHo’s dining and creative scene, the endless nightlife in Lan Kwai Fong (LKF), Mong Kok’s food stalls and urban energy, and the shopping and harbor views of Kowloon’s Tsim Sha Tsui, are each in their own way fascinating and energetic neighborhoods that shouldn’t be missed.
Part of the reason to come here is for the diverse culinary opportunities that you may never experience again. All eight cuisines of China are well represented here, from the local Hong Kong/Cantonese (Guangdong) offerings to Sichuan, Hunan, Shandong and beyond. And whether you’re eating on a limited budget or want to explore the fine dining scene, you are assured of out-of-this-world flavors that will simply astound you.
