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We've compiled the best of the best in Hong Kong - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
The food at Jaspas Bar & Grill is delicious and filling, a fitting end to a day of hiking in the hills or enjoying the beach. The international menu is wide-ranging enough to satisfy all tastes. The chicken and Peking duck fajitas arrive on your table sizzling hot; grilled snapper with Asian herbs and Parmesan-crusted rack of lamb are also delicious. Enjoy your meal indoors, or opt for a convivial table outside.
Anyone seeking an authentic hot pot experience need look no farther than Ko Lau Wan. Locals flock here for the tender beef and seafood that you cook at your table in a piping-hot pot of broth. The soup selection is quite extensive, but the satay broth and the fish stock with crab are particularly tasty. The owner comes from a fishing village in the New Territories, so there’s no wonder the cuttlefish, shrimp balls, sea urchin, amberjack, and abalone are all so tantalizingly fresh. The adventurous should try the geoduck, a giant clam popular among Hong Kongers, which can be eaten raw as sashimi with soy sauce and wasabi or slightly cooked in soup.
Health-conscious diners will appreciate the simple Shanghainese vegetarian food served at this popular restaurant in the One Peking Road tower. The menu revels in its vegetarianism, rather than trying to emulate meat; highlights include the Golden Treasure Cold Platter, which includes delicious sweet gluten with mushrooms; the Shanghai-style cold noodles with seven different sauces; and bean-curd dumplings. Good, too, are the sweet pan-fried cakes.
Named after Barcelona's most bustling boulevard, the Catalan-inspired recipes are the brainchild of Netflix celebrity chef Rafa Gil. Highlights from the tapas menu include the bombas (deep-fried smoked potato and meat balls covered in bread crumbs and spicy sauce) and the famous ham, cheese, and truffle “bikini” sandwiches. Another must-try is the Segovian-style roasted suckling pig, which is large enough to feed four. The elegant velvet-and-rattan main dining room is beautiful, but the place to be is on the outdoor terrace, which boasts spectacular views of Victoria Harbour. This is, without a doubt, one of the finest Spanish restaurants in the city.
In homage to the iconic Relais de Venise restaurant in Paris, this intimate neighborhood brasserie offers only one entrée: steak frites. A meal here includes a green salad, a perfectly grilled entrecôte steak, and unlimited refills of crispy, stick-thin fries. You can also pick up something from the dessert trolley, which features traditional confections such as éclairs and mille-feuilles.
Popular with corporate types for its Exchange Square location, this two-level restaurant and bar serves modern American food with a Pan-Asian twist. Steaks, burgers, and stone-oven pizzas share the menu with miso black cod, zingy Asian-inspired salads, and char sui pork belly.
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.
Among Hong Kong's hundreds of hot pot restaurants, Megan's Kitchen stands out for its innovative soup bases that include tom yum cappuccino and Japanese miso tofu broths, as well as its handmade treats like kimchi dumplings and rainbow-hued cuttlefish balls. The corporate-looking decor is nothing to shout about, but the excellent service and lively vibe keep fans coming back. If you don't fancy cooking your own food, a range of tasty Cantonese dishes is also available. Wash it all down with the restaurant's impressive selection of tipples that includes Old and New World wines, Japanese spirits, and Chinese liquor.
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.
One of Hong Kong's most successful high-end restaurant exports, Mott 32 has locations in cities worldwide. But this is the original, serving its trademark refined take on Chinese cuisine since 2014. The menu offers classic Cantonese, Beijing, and Sichuan recipes prepared with modern inflections: think applewood-roasted Peking duck and mapo tofu, a Sichuan classic, leveled up with lobster.
It’s hard to say what’s more impressive at the Grand Hyatt’s Cantonese showpiece—the interior design (two terraced levels boasting an incredible sense of space and motion), or the view over the harbor from the floor-to-ceiling windows. Unlike many harborside establishments, though, you don’t need a window seat to catch the view. The cuisine is traditional but excellent—order one of the signature barbecued meats and don’t be afraid to splurge on seafood. Or go for the Signature Menu to sample the restaurant's vast breadth and depth of Cantonese cooking techniques. Wine-pairing menus are available and there’s also a knowledgeable sommelier on hand to provide pairing suggestions—such as unique Chinese spirits—for specific dishes.
Against the romantic backdrop of Hong Kong’s twinkling harbor, this is the top spot in town for oyster lovers. More than 20 varieties are flown in daily and displayed around the horseshoe oyster bar, ready for shucking. The staff cheerfully explains the characteristics of the available mollusks and guides you to ones to suit your taste. Also on the menu is an excellent lobster bisque, as well as clams, mussels, crab, and fish in various preparations. The Dungeness crab cake is another standout, made with sweet and succulently delicious crabmeat. Wine aficionados are also spoiled for choice here, with the extensive wine selection that lines the walls.
Behind an unmarked door is this ultraslick izakaya-style restaurant, where diners perch along the counter ordering mouthwatering sharing dishes like grilled seafood and meat skewers, seasonal sashimi, and artfully assembled salads. With only 14 seats lining the bar, it's a hip, sociable hangout. Walk-ins are accepted; reservations are taken up to 14 days in advance.
If you’re exploring Sha Tin and aren't opposed to dining at a hotel, consider visiting Sha Tin 18 for a pan-Chinese feast. The restaurant is equipped with several open kitchens, each with its own culinary specialty. Northern Chinese dishes are best, and you’ll find a range of homespun noodles and dumplings, but the traditional Peking duck, which is roasted in-house and served as three separate courses, is also excellent. If you’re dropping by for lunch, the extensive dim sum menu should keep you well sated. Save room for dessert, though, because the selection—which includes preserved beancurd cheesecake and plum sherbet—is definitely more innovative than just about any other in the New Territories.
One for adventurous eaters, this casual restaurant is known for its snake soup, which is believed to boost immunity and improve joint health. But there are tamer, equally tasty dishes, too, if you chicken out while ordering. The shelves are lined with jars of Chinese herbs and reptile parts that showcase what you're eating.
Inside a luxury residential complex, Spices is a staunch favorite among well-heeled locals in search of relaxed dining. The menu leans toward Thai, Malaysian, and Vietnamese, with a good choice of curries, satays, salads, and stir-fried noodles. If the weather permits, reserve a table in the colonial courtyard.
Tucked away on a quiet street across from the famed Blue House, Stone Nullah Tavern serves new American cuisine that revolves around locally sourced ingredients. The menu changes regularly, but you’ll always find unabashedly hearty offerings such as cheddar mac and cheese and the notorious "fat kid cake" (essentially four desserts mixed into one). Adventurous diners will enjoy the wide selection of offal-centric dishes, including crispy pig’s head, tripe “fries,” and chicken liver dip served with homemade potato chips.
Lobsters, clams, abalone, crabs, prawns, fish, and everything else from the deep blue sea is here for the tasting on Sai Kung’s picturesque harbor. Crustaceans and fish are quickly cooked by steaming and wok frying, but are first presented whole, leaving no doubt as to the freshness of your food. A quick look inside the tank is like a lesson in marine biology. Pick your favorites, and leave the rest to the chef.
\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.
If you’ve made your way out to Tai O, this gorgeous glass-roofed restaurant is a great place to enjoy a leisurely afternoon tea or dinner. Formerly the Tai O Police Station, the historic building has been lovingly refurbished, and the restored colonial decor includes authentic wooden furnishings. The menu is short, sweet, and eclectic, offering a mix of Cantonese, pan-Asian, and Western dishes.
Inside the posh 1880 members' club within a slick corporate building, Té Bo offers a rare fine-dining experience in the Eastern District. It's helmed by French-trained, Swiss-Filipino chef Sebastian Lorenz, and as you might expect, the elevated dishes here draw inspiration from different regions. Think lobster with avocado and caviar brightened by a touch of yuzu, and toothfish masala with vermouth and fennel. The food is good enough for a visit even if you're staying in a more central location.
Stuck high up the clouds on the 102nd floor of the towering International Commerce Centre, Tosca di Angelo is a fine-dining restaurant helmed by a Sicilian chef who expertly dishes out Southern Italian fare. The views can be hit-or-miss, depending on how clear the skies are on the day you visit; regardless, you’ll be preoccupied with the stunning interiors (complete with pretty fountains) and plates bursting with flavor. There’s also a degustation menu for those who want a taste of Tosca’s finest.
Run by a chef from Naples, this casual, slightly cramped space has earned a reputation for authentic, well-priced Italian fare. Think honest, hearty plates of pasta and tender stews. The only catch is, you have to book well ahead for a table.
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.
At the Mira Hotel’s flagship restaurant, seasonal ingredients are turned into creative European dishes designed to impress. The half roasted yellow chicken---a mainstay in the rotating menu---is a must-try. Aside from à la carte options, the restaurant offers a 4- to 10-course degustation menu inspired by global flavors and ingredients. Another bonus is the extensive wine list, which features some of the world’s finest vintages at incredibly reasonable prices.
A laid-back beachfront dining terrace and an extensive international menu make this one of the best outdoor restaurants in Hong Kong. Perched on the Discovery Bay promenade a 25-minute ferry ride from Central, the sea and beach views alone are easily worth the trip. Signature dishes include deep-fried calamari and grilled baby back ribs. Pizzas and pastas also share the spotlight with Asian and Mexican favorites. Come early to enjoy the great beach, and stay to catch a free view of nearby Disneyland’s nightly fireworks display. If you spend more than HK$100, you get a free ferry ticket back to Central.
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