Top 5 Places to Eat Hong Kong’s Local Food | The V Group

Dining out in Hong Kong is a great deal of fun, largely because there is such a wide variety of cuisines available. From Local Chinese to Western, traditional to fusion, fast food to fine dining. As such, it is almost impossible not to narrow it down to one field at a time when discussing the best places to eat in Hong Kong, and so this time we will turn our gaze to comfort food – Chinese style. Great Chinese comfort food can be found all around the city, from Hong Kong’s street food vendors to teahouses with large roundtables, there are plenty of restaurants to indulge in local dishes. These are our favourite places to eat in Causeway Bay, Wan Chai, Central and Jordan.

 

 

This old favorite serves a classic Hong Kong dish – traditional wonton (dumpling) noodles – and has been awarded one Michelin star in 2017, making it undoubtedly one of the best places to eat in Hong Kong. The plain looking bowl is not to be underestimated; everything from the springy noodles, the thickness of the dumpling spoon and the fragrant soup base has been perfected over decades of trial and error. For those who are feeling more adventurous, this little noodle shop is also famous for their stewed pork trotter. Located at Parkes Street, Mak Man Kee is only 5 minutes from The Lodge via Jordan Road and Nanking Street.

 

G/F, 51 Parkes Street, Jordan.

 

 

Sing Heung Yuen is one of the last Dai Pai Dongs in the city. This colloquial phrase from Cantonese that literally means “big license stall” refers to a type of open air food stall in Hong Kong. There are approximately 25 of these in the city, and they continue to represent a huge part of the city’s culinary history. These food stalls in the heart of the city serve real comfort food familiar to any local, such as noodles in condensed tomato broth, with tender beef slices and scrambled eggs. An Eastern response to Mac & Cheese, it is a perfect combination of tangy and refreshing, hearty and flavorful. Another specialty at this stall is the crispy bun with lemon honey, sliced in four pieces, making it easy to handle. Eating at a Dai Pai Dong is the ultimate Hong Kong street food experience and is definitely recommended to get a true taste of local life in the city. Sing Heung Yuen is 10-minutes from Castle One via Aberdeen Street, but be warned- long queues are typical during lunchtime!

 

2 Mei Lun Street, Central.

 

 

One of the city’s most popular dim sum restaurants, this institution has been around with its original interiors since 1926. Experience the traditional way of eating dim sum, with restaurant staff pushing trolleys with steaming hot dim sum for you to pick and choose. The highlight for us is the lotus paste bun, a must as this restaurant uses real lotus seed paste: a rare find in Hong Kong. Lin Heung is located at Wellington Street in Central, also a 10-minute walk from Castle One.

 

160-164 Wellington Street, Central.

 

 

Dessert makes the well-rounded meal you are looking for. Such is the philosophy behind Cong Sao, which serves new and old styles of Hong Kong desserts side by side. As one of the best places to eat in Causeway Bay for dessert, we recommend trying the classic Tang Yuan (sweet glutinous dumplings in soup). Filled with black sesame paste, these glutinous rice balls are cooked in a hot sweet ginger soup to create a sweet and spicy delicacy. Other signature desserts include the Lychee Sago Sorbet, which balances the sweetness of the lychee with the starchy texture of the sago. Located on Yiu Wa Street behind Times Square, Cong Sao is only a 10-minute walk from V Causeway Bay via Hennessy Road.

 

G/F, 11 Yiu Wa Street, Causeway Bay

 

 

Food in Wan Chai is unlike anywhere else. There is a whole world of street food and local delicacies to explore in this characteristic old district of Hong Kong. One of our top picks is Kam Fung Cafè: this local establishment offers delicious pineapple buns and milk tea. Their pineapple bun tastes best served with a slab of iced butter. The long queues outside this traditional small restaurant might dampen your mood, but when you take a bite out of this bun you will find it worth lining up for. The egg tarts here are also very popular, filled with a creamy and rich egg mixture and baked inside a crumby pastry. As one of the city's favourite street food dishes, these golden-colored egg tarts will certainly light up your appetite! 

 

G/F, Spring Garden Lane, Wan Chai

 

For further instructions on reaching the restaurants listed in this article, feel free to contact the concierge at The V. To dive deeper into the areas that are home to the restaurants mentioned in this article, check out our guides on Causeway Bay, Happy Valley and Wan Chai and find out what else these neighborhoods have to offer.