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Causeway Bay is one of Hong Kong's busiest shopping districts and has some of the trendiest restaurants in town. It's popular with the younger crowd and is often compared with Tokyo’s Shibuya district—and this is also where you’ll find some of Hong Kong's best Japanese food, as well as many midprice eateries. The area behind the giant Sogo department store has some great street snacking options. If you fancy a cup of milk tea dotted with black tapioca pearls, this is the place to go, though Causeway also has its fair share of high-end eateries, which are concentrated in the area surrounding Lee Gardens Two, home to many luxury fashion stores.
Some of the most exciting dining options in the area are the upstairs eateries. Hidden away from street view, these venues rely mainly on foodies in the know, but house some of the best eats in the neighborhood.
This café is a great spot to rest your heels after a day of shopping, and enjoy a cup of tea and a slice of cake. Some of the cakes are marked with the brand's iconic “b.” logo to reel in the fashionista-foodies. The cheesecake and the zesty lemon tart are excellent, and those looking for a light lunch can also order one of the salads or sandwiches.
Chocoholics should make a beeline to Awfully Chocolate. The chocolate cake is near perfection—dark, dense, and divine, it’s cocoa at its best. The cakes are available in several flavors, including original chocolate fudge, chocolate banana, or choco with rum and cherry. The dark-chocolate ice cream also deserves special mention, especially since it contains less sugar than your average ice cream but remains as sinfully rich.
Dining in Hong Kong doesn't get more local than having a meal at this open-air stall, where you'll be wedged among taxi drivers and office workers slurping up their food. The menu is full of café favorites like pork chop sandwiches and beef brisket noodles, but the most popular items by far are the thick milk tea and cloyingly sweet Hong Kong–style French toast. It's worth a visit to experience an old-school side of Hong Kong that is fast disappearing.
You may be familiar with mainstream Japanese sushi and sashimi, but Okinawan cooking is something completely different. Dishes from the Ryukyu Islands carry Chinese and American influences, and you’ll find plenty of chanpuru (stir-fry) dishes, as well as obscure delicacies like salt and cookie ice cream. The islands are also credited for their bountiful fresh produce; be sure to try the umi budo “green caviar” sea kelp and the bitter gourd melon. Carnivores, don't fret—Okinawa’s Motobu Wagyu beef and Aguu pork are delicious, well-marbled versions that work well in everything from grills to shabu shabu.
The decor, staff uniforms, and—of course—the food all capture the retro vibe of the 1960s Hong Kong cha chaan teng (local café). Cantonese pop songs from that era play over the sound system while diners relish bowls of elbow macaroni served in soup and topped with ham and eggs. Other staples include spaghetti served in chicken broth with cha siu pork and green peas. But the sweets here are what really stand out. The egg tarts are rich and custardy, and the French toast is served with a giant slab of butter. Surely the best items, though, are the hotcakes topped with bananas, buttered walnuts, and soft-serve ice cream.
This quaint cha chaan teng has been a local favorite since it opened in 1951. You can't go wrong with one of their famous, crispy-on-the-outside, fluffy-inside pineapple buns stuffed with a slab of butter alongside a cup of creamy milk tea. The retro kitchen also turns out savory cha chaan teng classics like fried noodles.
At this hip noodle shop in the quietly cool Tai Hang neighborhood next to Causeway Bay, you can mix and match your order according to the soup base, noodle type, spice level, and toppings that you want. The braised beef sweet potato noodles that marry light, chewy noodles with a bold, beefy broth are recommended. The retro facade and neon-lit interiors make for a fun dining environment that's reminiscent of a Wong Kar-wai movie.
The dim sum menu here goes beyond common Cantonese morsels like har gau (steamed shrimp dumplings), embracing dishes more popular in the north, including chili prawn dumplings, Beijing onion cakes, and various steamed buns. Decadent dim sum options, such as abalone pastries, are particularly popular, but also extremely pricey. Lunch reservations are not taken, so there’s always a long line, especially on weekends. Arrive early, or admire the antique Chinese decor while you wait.
Travel back to the romantic 1960s at this retro restaurant. Both the decor and the food have remained largely unchanged since the restaurant’s heyday, and you’ll find local interpretations of borscht, gravy-covered steaks, and other western dishes.
Run by a former private chef to one of Hong Kong's richest tycoons, this contemporary Chinese restaurant serves elevated classics with a twist, like chicken wings stuffed with braised boneless duck web (deboned duck feet), and steamed egg white and crabmeat pudding served in an eggshell. A wine sommelier is on hand to recommend pairings from the in-house cellar.
Expert in the art of yakiniku (grilled meats), Iroha stocks top-quality ingredients for its tabletop grills. Many go for the premium Wagyu beef selection, but the seafood choices are also worth trying. The thick-sliced salted beef tongue is legendary.
British celebrity-chef Jamie Oliver’s first Hong Kong venture may have had a slow start, but its heart is in the right place. The restaurant offers casual, unpretentious Italian cuisine with a heavy emphasis on sustainable, responsibly sourced ingredients. The menu follows the blueprint set out by other Jamie’s Italian outlets around the world. House favorites include hearty sharing planks loaded with cured meats, cheeses, pickles, and greens. Other familiar dishes include the famous prawn linguine.
You can identify Lab Made by the large crowd that’s usually gathered in front of the store. They come for the super-smooth, house-spun ice cream, which is made using liquid nitrogen. The freezing process takes only a minute, which is why everything can be made to order using the freshest ingredients. There are usually only a handful of flavors to choose from, and the menu changes on a weekly basis. If available, go for one of the Hong Kong–inspired flavors, such as bean-curd pudding or sweet red-bean soup.
Foodies were understandably excited when this iconic French patisserie set up shop in Hong Kong. Its pastel-colored macarons come in a rainbow of flavors, such as classic rose and sea-salt caramel. You can enjoy these delectable confections in the sit-down tearoom, or take them to go in one of the gorgeous pastry boxes.
Hong Kong’s top foodies swear by the steamed meat cake from this cheap and cheerful roadside eatery—the trademark dish consists of a towering mound of minced fatty pork that’s been drizzled in soy sauce and topped with a golden orb of salted egg yolk. But the meat cake is not the only thing that makes this place a worthwhile visit; also try the spicy “saliva” chicken (a classic Sichuan poultry dish named after its complex, mouthwatering flavors), spice-tossed lamb rack, and silken steamed egg with fresh crab. Come early though because it gets extremely packed at peak mealtimes.
With a Hong Konger who trained in pizza-making in Canada at the helm, a piano in the middle of the dining room, and a chunky cocktail list, this isn't your usual pizza parlor. The pies are made with top-grade Italian flour that's fermented for 48 hours and come in imaginative flavors like the Summer of Love 1967 piled with San Marzano tomatoes, Italian sausage, fresh sliced pineapples, and chili-infused honey. If you can't decide what to get from the overwhelming number of choices, head to the open kitchen at the front of the shop for inspiration.
This izakaya offers plate upon plate of yakitori and kushiyaki (Japanese-style skewered and grilled items) in a relaxed atmosphere. The ox tongue is exceptional—succulent, soft, and flavored with just the right amount of salt. Kushiyaki staples, such as chicken wings and shiitake mushrooms, are also excellent. Nightly specials are displayed on a chalkboard. And in true izakaya fashion, Nan Tei offers a well-ranging sake list to accompany the bite-sized noshes. It closes late, at 2 am most days, so it's the perfect place for a late-night meal.
From croissants to caneles, Plumcot makes all manner of pastries—and very well. This is one of Hong Kong's most popular patisseries and sells out nearly every day, so go early if you want a bite. The artisanal ice creams in experimental flavors like blue cheese are worth a try, too. On weekends, look out for seasonal bakes like bear claws filled with vanilla custard, and brioche smeared with homemade jam.
Chef and cofounder Olivier Elzer cut his teeth at Pierre Gagnaire and Joël Robuchon’s kitchens before opening his solo venture. The idea is to serve modern French cuisine that pays tribute to seasonal ingredients. Grab one of the bar seats at the chef’s table if you want an unobstructed view of the action in the open kitchen. The menu is designed to be flexible, with dishes available in full or half portions. Standouts include the grilled tuna with five spices and the langoustine risotto venere with masala butter. The restaurant offers a set dinner, but you can also create your own four- to eight-course tasting menu.
\n Uni (sea urchin), ikura (salmon roe), o-toro (the fattiest of fatty tuna) . . . if these dishes make you drool, then make a beeline for Sushi Hiro, hidden in an office building but quite possibly the best place in town for raw fish. Dinner can be pricey, but lunch sees some fantastic deals.
This restaurant specializes in tonkatsu—pork cutlets that are dipped in panko and deep-fried. When it’s done right, as it is here, the pork is crispy on the outside but remains tender and juicy on the inside. The fillet is sliced up and served with an appetizing, tangy sauce, and goes perfectly with a bowl of steamed rice.
This Anthony Bourdain--approved restaurant doles out typhoon shelter cuisine, and its specialty is sweet, fleshy crabs showered in crispy fried garlic. It started decades ago as a street stall but has become so successful, it now occupies three different units along the same street. Perhaps not surprisingly since this is great hangover food, it opens late—until 1 am daily.
A hidden gem in this always-bustling neighborhood, Xenri D’zen follows a strict philosophy of seasonal eating that’s inspired by Japan’s traditional kaiseki formal dining. The experience is interpreted in a modern manner without detracting from the quality of the food. The multicourse menu usually includes the season’s freshest sashimi and sushi, followed by various cooked dishes. The prices aren’t necessarily cheap, but a meal here will cost less than most other Japanese restaurants of a similar caliber.
This is one of Hong Kong’s most popular Sichaun restaurants, and the chefs are generous with the spices in dishes like the signature crispy chicken with red chilies and peppercorns. Sliced Mandarin fish with crispy soybean crumbs is another classic. For something with a little less heat but still equally delicious, go for the house-smoked duckling or hand-cut noodles served in a flavorful broth. To end your meal, choose from traditional sweets or newfangled creations like chocolate-and-chili ice cream.
