With an ever-changing restaurant scene and a gastronomic blend of east and west, it’s no surprise that Hong Kong is often touted as the culinary capital of Asia.
A visit to Hong Kong will very quickly reveal that food is easily the primary love language of the locals. It’s not uncommon to see large groups of co-workers heading out for dim sum together, or hungry customers queuing around the block for the best noodles in town.
Here Gina Jackson – who has visited every year since childhood, and has family who call the city home – shares ten of the best places to eat and drink in Hong Kong right now, rounding up the best places to dine and drink across the city, from coffee shops and bakeries to the swishest restaurants and cocktail bars.
Leela
Leela is the latest brainchild from chef Manav Tuli, formerly of Michelin-starred Chaat at Rosewood Hong Kong, and JIA hospitality group, which has helmed some of the most popular restaurants in the city. Expect warming Indian dishes plated with plenty of flair: flavourful curries are mopped up with flakey naan breads, followed by the restaurant’s signature bone marrow biryani and smoked butter chicken. With luxurious furnishings inspired by the historic palaces of Johdpur, and designed by award-winning Hong Kong hotshot André Fu, the interiors at Leela are just as tasteful as the dishes you’ll dine on.
China Tang
A firm favourite among Hong Kong locals, the smart interiors at China Tang are a melange of velvet fabrics and sauve Art Deco accents, with diners feasting on modern Cantonese fare while surrounded by embroidered tapestries and hand-painted artworks. Visit at lunchtime, when you can sample the restaurant’s famous dim sum menu, and try a bit of everything.
NOC
NOC, an acronym for ‘Not Only Coffee’, is a micro-chain of specialty coffee shops loved by coffee snobs across the city. Each of their six cafes are minimal in style, offering perfectly-poured flat whites using a blend of beans roasted at their Sai Ying Pun flagship. A handful of their larger outposts offer a simple, healthy brunch menu too: expect dishes such as avocado toast and dragon fruit smoothie bowls on the menu.
Bar Leone
A slick cocktail bar located in Central, Bar Leone has quickly amassed a loyal clientele since bursting onto Hong Kong’s culinary scene last summer. Designed as a tribute to Trastevere, the Roman neighbourhood where owner and mixologist Lorenzo Antinori was raised, this Italian-inspired watering hole is a cocktail of glossy mahogany surfaces, mosaic tiles, and vintage movie posters. Enjoy an espresso and one of the legendary mortadella sandwiches during the day; as evening sets in, the bar quickly fills up with locals hankering after one of Bar Leone’s signature martinis.
Bakehouse
One of the best bakeries in town for European-style pastries, you’ll often find a line winding out the door and around the block at any of Bakehouse’s locations across Hong Kong. Thankfully the queue moves quickly, and you’ll soon discover that it was well worth the wait: at each of Swiss pastry chef Grégoire Michaud’s eateries, you’ll find the counter groaning with flakey viennoiserie, custard-filled doughnuts, and moreish pastries with a flavourful twist – think beef rendang hand pies, sourdough egg tarts, and cinnamon pecan rolls.
Duddell's
Somewhat of a Hong Kong institution blending art and dining in one destination, Duddell’s encompasses a famed, Michelin-starred restaurant alongside a dim sum salon, leafy garden terrace, and even a library for private members. At the restaurant, tuck into a tasting menu of Cantonese specialities reimagined with global flavours, with each dish plated exquisitely and served within a stylish, art-filled space.
Halfway Coffee
There are plenty of cafes located in happening Sheung Wan, but Halfway Coffee seems to be a favourite among those in the know: navigate your way along bustling Upper Lascar Row, and you’ll find it sandwiched between the bric-a-brac market stalls and antique shops. Best known for serving coffee and matcha lattes in vintage porcelain crockery, a visit here makes for perfect Instagram fodder.
Ping Pong
This hidden bar on a non-descript street in Sai Ying Pun is easily one of Hong Kong’s best kept secrets. Slip past the scarlet-red entrance and head downstairs, where you’ll discover an industrial, underground bar lit up in neon lighting. A self-described ‘gintonería’, Ping Pong naturally specialises in gin-based cocktails, all served in a moody space which once functioned as a ping-pong parlour.
Yardbird
Despite its Michelin star, this modern Japanese izakaya, co-founded by Lindsay Jang, has a relaxed atmosphere, and tends to draw a younger crowd. Expect over 20 types of skewered chicken utilising every single part of the animal (from thigh and breast to thyroid, gizzard, and tendon – yes, really) along with plenty of sharing plates for meat-averse diners: Korean-fried cauliflower, katsu sandos, and mushroom udon noodles are some of the finger-licking flavourbombs on offer.
Mott 32
One of the city’s snazziest destinations for modern Chinese cooking, this award-winning restaurant brand was first birthed in Hong Kong over a decade ago, and now boasts a legion of restaurants around the world serving elevated Cantonese classics. Its original Hong Kong outpost is still one of the most popular spots in town; if you’re lucky enough to bag a table, you’ll discover a glossy network of spaces furnished with a heady mix of lacquered tables, mirrored walls, and plush fabrics – make sure to order plenty of delicious dim sum, char siu and roast duck.
Lead Image: Leela, Hong Kong
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