164 Best Restaurants in Hong Kong, China

This Mid-Levels eatery is known for the high quality of its spicy Sichuan cuisine. The famous Chongqing spicy chicken is heaped with dried red chili peppers for a sensational tingling, mouth-numbing effect. Another unique creation is the homemade silken tofu, which is bathed in a bright-red spicy broth speckled with chunks of whitefish, chopped scallions, and crunchy roasted peanuts. Those in town during the cold winter months should go for the yinyang hot pot—the fiery-hot side dish is perfect for dunking with thin slices of fat-marbled beef and the local favorite, deep-fried fish skin.

This Hokkaido-imported chain offers authentic Japanese ramen. The noodles are thick, glossy, and al dente, but it’s the savory broths that set Santouka apart. The signature shio (salt) broth is delicious, as are the soy sauce- and miso-flavored options. Each bowl is served with slices of fatty chasiu (Japanese roast pork) and kelp, but we recommend adding a Japanese-style poached egg to your order.

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.

If you’re exploring the Sha Tin neighborhood, 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 candied pomelo crème brûlée and pink peppercorn ice cream—is definitely more innovative than your average Chinese eatery.

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.

Fold-up tables and stools are scattered around this small stall, which specializes in cow offal served with noodles in broth. Tender beef brisket and deep-fried wontons are also popular options.

One of the pioneers of American fast-food-style dining in Hong Kong, Si Sun still looks and feels like an eatery from the swinging '60s. The plastic fixtures have stayed the same over the past few decades, and the menu doesn’t seem to have changed much either. Burgers are geared toward local tastes, and the freshly grilled beef patties are sandwiched between two soft buns and topped with ketchup and mayo. Add cheese or a fried egg and your meal will still be a steal. Si Sun also offers pork and fish fillet burgers, as well as a few rice and noodles dishes.

This outdoor stall has been in operation for well over 30 years and the canopied tables are pretty much always packed from 8 am to 5:30 pm. The iconic dishes here are the instant ramen noodles or beef and macaroni served in a sweet tomato broth, as well as the toasted, crispy buns drizzled with condensed milk.

This is one of the rare dai pai dong food stalls in the area that stays open late into the evening. The menu is pretty extensive, and the home-style stir-fries are particularly good. Chewy calamari in spicy salt is a classic favorite. The adventurous should try the soy-sauce goose intestines.

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.

The floral interior makes this place look like something out of 1950s Beijing. The Peking duck, however, is a showstopper (it might be the best in town), and you'll see an old-school crowd enjoying it as well as noodles and stir-fried wok meat dishes.

Having found great success in the United Kingdom, restaurateur Alan Yau has returned to his home city with this retro-inspired restaurant concept headed by Australian chef Shane Osborn. The menu combines Osborn’s classical culinary training with seasonal Asian ingredients such as soy dressing and fresh wasabi leaves. Meats are done especially well, and diners tend to wax lyrical about the Sagabuta pork loin, as well as the dry-aged rib eye prepared on the Josper grill. Aside from lunch and dinner, St Betty offers a fantastic weekend brunch and Sunday roast menu.

Hullett House—the former marine police headquarters turned into a boutique hotel—was designed with maxed-out luxury in mind, so it’s to be expected that its signature fine-dining French restaurant would be a no-expenses-spared venture. The restaurant is decked out in colonial era–inspired duds, complete with chandeliers and comfy leather sofas. But while the decor pays homage to days gone by, the cuisine is modern, creative, and totally inspired. Guests can look forward to dishes such as tomatoes served eight ways with black garlic, basil, and olive-oil “caviar.” Two tasting menus (four or six courses) are available for those who want the full St. George experience.

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.

This little café might not be the easiest of places to locate, being tucked away in an old complex filled mainly with secondhand camera and wristwatch stores, but it has a cult following, with photos of local celebrity patrons adorning almost every inch of wall space. Most customers come for one thing—the instant noodles blanketed in a rich and creamy melted cheese sauce. These coiled noodles go best with tender slices of grilled pork-neck meat on top of the sauce. It’s not exactly healthy eating, but it's definitely satisfying.

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.

Helmed by veteran chef Satoshi Sase (who hails from the much-lauded Sushi Zen in Hokkaido, Japan), this high-caliber Japanese restaurant offers some of the freshest fish in town set against a tranquil and sophisticated setting. Omakase is the way to go here, which means you leave your meal in the hands of the chefs, allowing them to dictate the menu according to the best ingredients of the day. The omakase menu is designed according to the seasons and usually consists of sashimi, appetizers, and a wide array of nigiri sushi.

This place started out as a one-table private kitchen in a quiet Wan Chai neighborhood. Due to popular demand, chef-owner Esther Sham moved to a much larger location. Decked out like a chic Parisian apartment, the newer space accommodates 48 guests. There are seven different menus from which to choose, ranging from the Japanese-inspired meal to the Shanghai-style dinner. The latter includes the famous not-so-Shanghainese foie gras dumplings. Wine connoisseurs can also take advantage of the extensive selection at Hip Cellar next door.

This popular bakery was supposed to shut down for good, but there was such an outcry that not only did it remain open, it expanded to include outlets all across the city. It sells all sorts of packaged and oven-fresh baked goods. The egg tarts, with their buttery crust and custardy-rich centers, are the main scene stealers, but the thin and crunchy egg biscuit rolls are also popular. Other local delicacies include sugar-dusted Chinese doughnuts.

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 Asian and western dishes. Be sure to try the Tai O–inspired items, such as the fried rice and crispy pork-chop bun with shrimp paste.

This is one of the oldest restaurants in Hong Kong, and also one of the first places to serve “soy sauce” Hong Kong–style western cuisine. The decor, staff, and menu seem to have remained unchanged since day one, adding to the nostalgic charm of the place. Steaks are served to dramatic effect on sizzling iron plates and brought to the table by waiters clad in waistcoats. Other menu highlights include the baked Portuguese chicken, the near-perfect stir-fried rice noodles with beef (a classic Hong Kong dish), chicken wings doused in "Swiss sauce" (which has no real Swiss associations), and the enormous baked soufflé that takes 20 minutes to prepare and at least three people to devour.

Chinese herbal teas are served by the bowlful at this Temple Street institution. Some of the bittersweet beverages may not be to everyone’s taste, but most of them—such as the five-flower tea—are said to have beneficial medicinal properties and are especially refreshing on a hot day.

This popular tapas bar is bigger than the original in SoHo, and has a fabulous harborside location, which adds to the laid-back vibe. Authentic Spanish dishes, including ham croquettes and sautéed mushrooms with sherry, are perfect for sharing over glasses of wine. The crispy pork belly is particularly delicious. Tapeo also offers hearty paellas studded with meat and seafood.

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.

This restaurant, with its lively, informal atmosphere and gleaming harbor views, serves the best steak in the city. You can choose from among 10 steak knives and more than a dozen mustards and rock salts—gimmicky, but fun—but the main event is the perfectly cooked, char-grilled meats. The selection is extensive, including wagyu from Japan, herb-crusted tenderloin from Argentina, the restaurant's own dry-aged beef, and other delicious cuts flown in from the United States—and all of it is lovingly seared on the grill. There isn’t a jacket-and-tie policy, but note that shorts, sleeveless shirts, and open shoes are not allowed for gentlemen.

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.

For a perfect warm-weather treat, drop by Tong Pak Fu for the Taiwanese-style shaved snow ice. Blocks of flavored ice (chocolate, milk, fruit, and many others) are put into a special machine that shaves them into thin, ribbonlike sheets that fold up into a mountainous heap. The texture is richer and denser than regular shaved ice. This store also offers other Chinese desserts, including red-bean soup and sesame-filled dumplings.

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.

Stuck high up the clouds on the 102nd floor of the towering International Commerce Center, the views at Tosca can be hit-or-miss, depending on how clear the skies are on the day you visit. Fortunately, you’ll be preoccupied with the stunning interiors (complete with pretty fountains) and incredible culinary creations. The menu boasts creative Italian fare like sea tiramisu with red-prawn carpaccio, roasted scallops, caviar, and parsley pasta. There’s also a degustation menu for those who want a taste of Tosca’s finest. Note that sandals, sleeveless shirts, and shorts are not allowed for men.

If you have a delicate constitution, take a pass on this home-style Cantonese restaurant. Tso Choi (which literally translates as “rough dishes”) is not everyone’s cup of tea. Offal lovers, however, might be interested in trying some of the house favorites: fried pig tripe, fried pig brain (served as an omelet), double-boiled pig brain—you get the idea. The older Hong Kong generation still likes this stuff; younger folks may demur. The wary can opt for creamy congee, fried chicken, or simple stir-fries.