12 Hong Kong restaurants for your next visit, from affordable eats to Michelin-starred

I followed the advice of a chef ranked among the world’s best, and landed in dining rooms that show Hong Kong leaves no room for mediocrity.

Published Apr 19, 2025

Last updated Apr 21, 2025

8 minute read

The bar of Yardbird, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Hong Kong that specialized in yakitori.Article content

If you want to know why the food in Hong Kong is so good, you couldn’t ask a better authority than chef Vicky Cheng, whose Hong Kong restaurant Wing is ranked 20th on the 2024 World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.

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“The No. 1 reason is that people are very picky… We are spoiled with the surrounding restaurants, the amount of restaurants that are available,” says Cheng, a Hong Kong native who grew up in Toronto and went to George Brown College for his education before achieving culinary stardom in Asia.

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Chef Vicky Cheng of Wing restaurant in Hong Kong is ranked 20th on the 2024 World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.Article content

As I discovered when I visited Hong Kong last fall, swoon-worthy food comes in many forms at different price points. Cheap eats such as noodle dishes and simple but perfectly roasted meats abound. Fans of fine dining will find recondite, impeccably plated dishes at, for starters, Hong Kong’s 79 Michelin-starred restaurants.

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Of the 17,000 or so restaurants in this special administrative region of China, I made it to about a dozen in a little over four days. Based in Hong Kong’s Central district, I even walked to most of my destinations, where I ate everything from top-tier dumplings to sublime roast pork to cutting-edge Chinese-inspired dishes — they were at Wing, of course.

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Here is a recap of eateries and meals, from no-frills to super-fancy, sure to make any trip to Hong Kong delicious and memorable.

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BaseHall 02

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Jardine House, 1 Connaught Pl., Central, basehall.hk/hk/en

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Vendors at BaseHall 02, a high-end food hall in Hong Kong. Photo by Jason Michael LangArticle content

At this deluxe food hall, a short walk from Hong Kong Island’s Central Pier, 13 smartly chosen vendors represent some of Hong Kong’s leading culinary brands. Among the tempting choices are Kamcentre Roast Goose and On Lee Noodle Shop, as well as worthy Asian rivals for your lunch money such as Mash no Mashi, where wagyu ramen rules, the Korean eatery Moyo, and Porker, which specializes in the Japanese fried pork cutlets known as tonkotsu. I could not resist the fabled, roasted-on-site goose and pork from Kamcentre Roast Goose before I moved on to an epic and frothy bowl of rich chicken ramen from Zagin Soba, an offshoot of a revered purveyor in Osaka, Japan.

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Chicken ramen from Zagin Soba at BaseHall 02, a high-end food hall in Hong Kong. Photo by Nicholas Wong /Nicholas Wong Sixteen PhotographArticle content

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Tim Ho Wan

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Six locations across Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, timhowan.com

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Dumplings at Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong, a modest but Michelin-lauded brand for dim sum. Photo by Peter Hum /POSTMEDIAArticle content

Every food-loving Hong Kong-bound traveler must confront the question: “Where should I go for dim sum?” A reliable answer is one of the six locations of Tim Ho Wan, a brand that originated 15 years ago in Hong Kong and has expanded to include 80 franchise locations in 12 countries. Known for being “the world’s cheapest Michelin-star restaurant,” Tim Ho Wan served me shrimp har gow that were as plump, savoury, and thin-skinned as they needed to be, plus equally impressive siu mai dumplings. I wish that I could have gone there with a crowd, as well as a bottomless pit of a stomach to take the menu for a real spin.

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Lee Laksa

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302 Queen’s Rd. Central, Sheung Wan, facebook.com/LeeLaksa/

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Hainanese chicken and rice, and laksa at Lee Laksa on Queen’s Road Central in Hong Kong. Photo by Peter Hum /POSTMEDIAArticle content

It turned out that across the street from my hotel on Queen’s Road Central was a very enjoyable restaurant serving Singaporean specialties such as Hainanese chicken rice, the comfort-food soup laksa and satay. After a 26-hour voyage from my doorstep in Ottawa to my hotel, a combo of Hainanese chicken rice and laksa was just what this jetlagged traveler needed.

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Shine Island Cafe

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Hsh Kowloon Centre, 192-194 Nathan Rd., Yau Ma Tei

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Shine Island Cafe in Hong Kong Photo by Peter Hum /POSTMEDIAArticle content

In Hong Kong, humble eateries called cha chaan teng are the local equivalents of greasy spoon diners, but in the best possible way. They serve quintessentially Hong Kong fare, including venerated and nostalgic spins on Western fare that you would expect in a former British colony. In Kowloon’s working-class district, Jordan, we started our day at the Shine Island Cafe, where pineapple buns and Hong Kong-style, peanut butter-stuffed French toast were must-orders.

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Hong Kong-style peanut-butter-stuffed French toast and a yuenyeung coffee-tea blend at Shine Island Cafe in Hong Kong. Photo by Peter Hum /POSTMEDIAArticle content

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Ho Lee Fook

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5 Elgin St., SoHo, holeefook.com.hk

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The dining room at Ho Lee Fook in Hong Kong.Article content

Ho Lee Fook is more than a saucy pun that translates as “good fortune for your mouth” in Cantonese. The 10-year-old, super-popular restaurant in Central district’s lively SoHo (south of Hollywood Road) area celebrates Hong Kong and Cantonese cuisine with dishes that are as vibrant as the downstairs dining room’s plush, red-velvet, mirrored ambience. Chef ArChan Chan blew me away, dish after dish, from a truly superior dim sum sampler to honey-glazed, char-grilled Kurobota pork char siu to a stir-fry of Sichuan sausage, garlic chives, peanut sprouts and abalone, topped with crisply fried anchovies. For dessert, don’t miss the milk tea gelato with coffee granita, hazelnut feuilletine and caramelised chocolate mousse, which riffs on the “yuenyeung,” the beloved local beverage that mixes coffee and tea.

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A spread of food at at Ho Lee Fook in Hong Kong.Article content

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Yardbird

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154-158 Wing Lok St., Sheung Wan, yardbirdrestaurant.com

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The bar of Yardbird, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Hong Kong that specialized in yakitori.Article content

The first of two Hong Kong restaurants opened and operated by Alberta expats Lindsay Jang and Matt Abergel, Yardbird specializes in Japanese Izakaya-influenced fare and especially yakitori (skewered chicken) grilled over binchotan charcoal. Despite its fun, boisterous ambience, Yardbird has a Michelin star to its name and its 2019 cookbook Chicken and Charcoal won a James Beard Award. I was able to sit at the buzzy bar as a walk-in, order a whisky lemonade, followed by perfect chicken-thigh and chicken-meatball skewers with impeccable condiments. I really, really want to go back.

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Assorted chicken yakitori at Yardbird in Hong Kong.Article content

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Ronin

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8 On Wo Lane, Sheung Wan, roninhk.com

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The interior of Ronin, a Japanese-themed snack bar in Hong Kong.Article content

The follow-up restaurant to Yardbird, Ronin also takes its cues from Japanese cuisine, but is billed as a snack bar and heads in a more seafood-y and seasonal direction. An impromptu visit to this hip, narrow space certainly was fun. I sat at the bar, ordered a highball, and following the counsel of Ottawa expat chef Eddie Alvarez, who now works at Ronin, I had the dry-aged threadfin sea bream special with a chili daikon dip. It was a delicious must-order, and big enough that I happily shared it with two food-lovers from Shanghai who sat next to me at the bar. Next time, I’ll hope for such delicacies as snow crab spring roll with lily bulb and parmesan or shrimp and scallop aburage tempura.

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Seasonal sashimi at Ronin in Hong Kong.Article content

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Mora

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40 Upper Lascar Row, Sheung Wan, mora.com.hk

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The interior of Mora, a Hong Kong restaurant with one Michelin star.Article content

At this small but oh-so-refined Michelin-starred restaurant tucked away among the evocative antique stalls of Upper Lascar Row, Chef Vicky Lau celebrates soy products in a serene, rarefied experience. Her hyper-seasonal six-course tasting menus offer feats of creativity and texture, relying upon house-made soy products from milks to tofu matched with astutely chosen, meaningful ingredients such as abalone, lobster and roasted pigeon. No wonder Lau, who is also the founder and head chef of the two-Michelin-starred Hong Kong restaurant Tate Dining Room, was named Asia’s best female chef by Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2015.

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Deep Fried Tofu, Squid, Sesame Sauce, Pine Nuts and Radish at Mora, a restaurant with one Michelin star in Hong Kong.Article content

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Hansik Goo

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198 Wellington St., Sheung Wan, hansikgoo.hk

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Seasonal seafood, poached egg and Korean pear in a pine nut sauce was one of 10 courses on the tasting menu at Hansik Goo, a Michelin-starred modern Korean restaurant in Hong Kong. Photo by Peter HumArticle content

Modern Korean fine dining is the toast of New York. But it can be found elsewhere too, as in at the Michelin-starred restaurant Hansik Goo in Hong Kong’s Sheung Wan neighbourhood. The tasting menu here consisted of 10 captivating courses, from abalone and prawn starters to abalone mandu dumplings to stuffed butterfish with a kimchi sauce to a breathtaking chicken roulade with ginseng sauce. Naturally, Hansik Goo serves Hanwoo beef, which you might call Korea’s answer to Wagyu. A Hanwoo beef duo of grilled tenderloin and ribeye was sublime.

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Hanwoo beef duo at Hansik Goo in Hong Kong Photo by Peter Hum /POSTMEDIAArticle content

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Grand Majestic Sichuan

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Alexandra House, Shop 301, 18 Chater Rd., Central, grandmajesticsichuan.com

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The luxurious dining room of Grand Majestic Sichuan in Hong Kong.Article content

Tucked away in the prestigious Alexandra House office building in Central district, Grand Majestic Sichuan is a posh, glamorous getaway for complex, highly spiced Sichuanese dishes prepared and presented with finesse and elevation by chef Theign Phan. Highlights at a marvelous lunch were wafers of crisp, spicy-sweet beef, bamboo shoots with a hint of Sichuan-pepper tingle, bang bang chicken and Chonqing chicken better than any I’ve had elsewhere, super-succulent kung pao prawns, Mapo tofu made with beef and stunningly light silken tofu, and dandan noodles prepared with a flourish tableside. The meal’s final revelation was that champagne pairs very well with spicy Sichuanese fare.

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Dan dan noodles at Grand Majestic Sichuan in Hong Kong.Article content

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Ying Jee Club

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107-108 Nexxus Building, 41 Connaught Rd. Central, Central, yingjeeclub.hk

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Deluxe dim sum sampler at Ying Jee Club, a two-Michelin-star restaurant in Hong Kong Photo by Peter HumArticle content

In the buzzy heart of Central district, two-Michelin-starred Ying Jee Club is a restaurant whose name symbolizes prosperity, success and business in Chinese. Fittingly, I went there for the eight-course executive lunch special. While service was a little perfunctory and brisk, the food was flawlessly prepared, raising the bar for my Cantonese dining experiences going forward. Hits included a starter of chilled abalone with marinated pigeon, an array of faultless dim sum staples, an elevated and luxurious fish maw soup, sautéed prawns with vegetables, wok-fried Wagyu beef, and poached Chinese lettuce with shrimp wonton and vermicelli in fish broth.

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Sauteed prawns at Ying Jee Club in Hong Kong Photo by Peter Hum /POSTMEDIAArticle content

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Wing

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29th floor, The Wellington, 198 Wellington St., Sheung Wan, wingrestaurant.hk

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The dining room of Wing restaurant in Hong Kong, which is ranked 20th on the 2024 World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.Article content

I could not have had a better dinner on my last night in Hong Kong than the seasonal tasting menu at Wing.

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Chew-owner Vicky Cheng’s restaurant, which looks down on Central from the 29th floor of the Wellington Building in Sheung Wan, is an ideal destination for culinary thrill-seekers interested in a highly personal and sophisticated deep dive into Chinese cuisine.

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But before Cheng opened Wing in 2021, he had to go to the other side of the world to better appreciate his culinary roots. Hong Kong-born but raised in Toronto, Cheng went to George Brown College and then cooked at Canoe in Toronto and later at New York at Daniel. But as Cheng told me, “I was always cooking very European, French food, but I was never at home. I was always craving Asian food.”

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That craving led him to return to Hong Kong in 2009, when he was in his mid-20s. In 2016, he opened VEA, which has a Michelin star for its French-meets-Chinese hybrid cuisine. Five years later, Wing opened one floor below VEA. At Wing, it’s as if Cheng has subtracted the French techniques and truffles and caviar that abound at VEA for a wholly Chinese concept of fine dining.

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My dinner last fall was completely captivating, provocative, eye-catching and delicious.

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Four snacks began dinner with a bang. Hua Diao wine-marinated “drunken” South African abalone exalted that much sought-after luxury ingredient. Petals of razor clam matched with Yunnan chili and bull kelp were a toothsome delight, and the residual sauce was used to dress noodles. Lengths of eggplant were beautifully braided and smoked over applewood. A Japanese oyster was paired with the gelatinousness and oozing funky yolk of a preserved “golden crystal” egg.

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Almond soup, which is usually served as Chinese dessert, was reconceived as a savoury and even esoteric offering, poured tableside over milt. Threadfin, a prized fish in Hong Kong, swam in a puddle of fermented black bean sauce. Alaskan king crab, served with crispy rice rolls, was as tasty as it was photogenic.

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Alaskan king crab leg with crab roe, garlic and crispy cheung fun at Wing restaurant in Hong Kong. Photo by DAVID HARTUNGArticle content

Smoked, dry-aged and glazed baby pigeon was a rarefied and juicy offering, meant to be eaten by hand. Then came a sea cucumber spring roll, which was a feat of technique and contrasting texture that starred a large, rehydrated sea cucumber cooked for 10 days and then encased in spring roll pastry.

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The meal’s savoury parade wound down with stir-fried Chinese kale with shrimp paste-cured pork, and then rice that once more celebrated dried, reconstituted seafood, namely fish maw and abalone. For dessert, there was snow gum coconut sorbet with osmanthus, plus mignardises.

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I left Wing utterly wowed by Cheng’s imagination, by gracious but unstuffy service in sumptuous surroundings, and by memorable dishes that were as daring and stimulating as they were rooted in tradition.

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