5 Best Restaurants in Hong Kong, China

Hidden inside the famous Stanley Market, this warm, intimate eatery is rarely discovered by tourists. You may feel like you’ve walked into someone’s house when you enter the dining room, but Lucy’s is a professionally run restaurant offering excellent home-cooked dishes made from the freshest ingredients. The menu has a Mediterranean slant and often features light salads and grilled meats or fish. Desserts, especially the pecan pudding, are not to be missed. More upscale than most of the beachside restaurants in Stanley, and with lots more character, Lucy’s is a perfect end to a relaxed day browsing in the market, and easily your best bet in Stanley.

The seaside village of Shek O, past Stanley, is worth a trip for the large sandy beach and fresh local seafood, and this casual Asian restaurant is an all-time favorite for the quality and variety of food. Come here for simple seaside dining at its best—the menu is extensive, and everything’s good and fresh—but prepare for plastic tables and toilets that are best approached with caution.

Inside a luxury residential complex, Spices is a staunch favorite among well-heeled locals in search of relaxed dining. The menu has favorites from throughout Asia, and service is friendly and professional. The prawn-and-green-mango salad and the deep-fried prawn cakes are excellent. Other choices include curries, satays, and stir-fried noodles, but everything here is a good. The indoor dining room, with high ceilings and wooden tables and floors, can get noisy. If the weather permits, reserve a table in the colonial courtyard for the full tropical experience.

In a gorgeous three-story building, the cozy Boathouse has a lovely view of the waterfront, making it the perfect spot to hang out with friends and family. The menu has a heavy focus on fish, and the bucket of fresh seafood (steamed mussels, prawns, clams, or a combination), served with nicely toasted garlic bread, goes down well with a glass of chilled white wine. Pastas and simple salads are also good bets for casual dining.

From the well-spaced tables overlooking the bay to the unobtrusive service to the menu of delicious classics (think French onion soup, Dover sole meunière, and tournedos Rossini), this is an unabashedly regal experience that delivers with finesse at every turn. The beautiful colonial setting is also the perfect place to enjoy a traditional English afternoon tea.