The how, when and where to eat in Hong Kong guide for travelers (1)
An often celebrated attribute of Hong Kong is that it is a place where East meets West. The repository of cuisines in the city is the best exemplification to that. That said, you really need to know how and where to look for good food. Many of them can also be very pricey.
But fear not travelers! You definitely do not have to munch on McDonald's or KFC every day to fill save money on food. If you know where to look and is open to local food, you can certainly find food even cheaper than McDonalds and KFC. We have put together a guide that show you how to eat strategically in Hong Kong so you can enjoy the best food for the buck.
TYPES OF FOOD
Dim sum
With the exception of some dim sum-only eatery, remember that dim sum is mostly only available in the daytime so don't ask where the dim sums are when you hit a Chinese restaurant for dinner. -The exception to this rule is the dim sum-only restaurants. Tim Ho Wan is one example of these relatively new types of establish that serve dim sum only all day long. Their dim sums are coveted by everyone, including my own pickiest-of-them-all grandma (literally, my jaws dropped when she said the food at that dim sum place was good). The top three most "traveler-friendly"(aka taste safe and easy to be liked by everyone) dim sum dishes include shrimp dumplings, pork dumplings and pork bun. Personally I also like the radish cake and the beef ball. Try the (in)famous chicken feet if you are adventurous.
Hotpot
If you happen to visit during the winter months, hotpot is a great thing to try.
Street food
Hong Kong street food is relatively traveler-friendly compared to those in some other Asian countries. By that, it means in Hong Kong, you won't find tarantula, worms, etc. The snack we like most is the egg waffle. Fish balls are also nice.
Cha chan teng
Not our personal favorite but it's a local tradition so why not give it a try? We would not necessarily recommend going to cha chan teng for lunch or dinner as their dishes are similar in quality to your local Chinese restaurant back home. A good idea is to go there for an affordable afternoon tea. Perfect for when
Japanese
Hong Kong people LOVE Japanese food, going to Japan and anything Japanese! The level of Japanese food in Hong Kong is quite high. I think Hong Kong and maybe Taipei serve the best Japanese food outside of Japan. Whether you are looking for sushi, ramen or Japanese BBQ, Hong Kong has it all.
Korean
Korean food has really shot up in popularity in Hong Kong in recent years thanks to the successful export of its pop culture. Compared to the great Korean food we had in Korea, we thought not all Korean restaurants in Hong Kong compare. That said, many of them are still better than those available in the US, and in Europe we barely found Korean restaurants so unless your next stop is Korea, give K-food a try here!
Southeast Asian
We find Thai restaurants in Hong Kong generally to be quite good. Vietnamese food is quite popular here but I wasn't too impressed with many of them. Good phos are not a given here and for me, you cannot not do pho well as a Vietnamese restaurant...The phos in the US are actually often better than in Hong Kong.
Western/ International
In most cases, good Western/international food (Italian, French, etc.) are hard to come by in Hong Kong without breaking your wallet. But when they are good, the food can literally send you to heaven and back. The affordable Western food are mostly "local" interpretation of Western food and very often they ended up neither local nor Western. If you want nice Western food and don't mind paying more, just go for the ones in Central (Soho and Lan Kwai Fong area). This area is more catered to business people and the expat crowd.
Timing
Time when to eat what strategically when you are in Hong Kong so you can have the best food for the buck. As mentioned above, good Western food are usually the more expensive ones BUT here is a more affordable way to enjoy them: go to the expensive restaurants during lunch hours (usually 12pm - 2/3pm) to take advantage of the lunch sets. Whereas a dinner per person would cost north of HK$500 (~US$50) in the evening, you can expect to pay around HK$150-200 (~US$20-30) for lunch. The menu is arguably more limited for lunch but you get to taste the best for quite a bit cheaper.
Here is a recommended timetable of what kind of food to eat during the day:
Breakfast: Cha chan teng or a fast food restaurant like Cafe de Coral
Lunch: Expensive restaurants
Afternoon break: Cha chan teng (budget) or high tea (splurge); or some simple street food
Dinner: Affordable options such as Chinese restaurants, ramen place, fast food restaurant, etc.
Locations
The below is meant as a general guidance on which kinds of food tend to be good in major areas of Hong Kong.
Causeway Bay
The crowd is generally young and local. This area is great for Japanese, Korean, local food and street food.
Wanchai
Mix of local and expat crowd. There are a number of good Thai places. Western food in this area are generally good but again tend to be on the pricey end. Plenty of cheap local food is also on offer.
Central
The business and main expat area of Hong Kong. Lan Kwai Fong and the Soho area offers a plethora of high quality but usually pricey Western/ international food. Foodies should really give those a try but you may want to stay away from the expensive Chinese and Japanese restaurants in Soho, because those are usually
Tsim Sha Tsui
More local than expat. This area is good for local, Korean and Japanese food.
Mongkok
Expats are rarely seen in this area. Plan for some good and inexpensive local food in this area.
Other tips
- As mentioned in my other post on things to know about Hong Kong before visiting, Hong Kong is still quite a cash-based society, meaning that credit cards are not accepted in 100% of the places. This is usually the case for affordable food places like cha chan tengs, dim sum places and ramen shops.
- For cha chan tengs and small local places like dim sum, ramen shops, usually only walk-ins are allowed. For proper restaurants, you generally should call to book at least the same day.
- Hong Kong's property price is the most expensive in the world so in many ways, the cost is reflected in the rental cost and this often makes restaurants unable to sustain themselves for long. The restaurant scene is fast-changing and you should always consult Google and Openrice on the latest update on whether the restaurant you are interested is still opened.
- Customer service in the food and catering industry is a hit and miss in Hong Kong. The level is heaps better than China but if you use the typical Western standard, you might be disappointed sometimes so don't take it too seriously.
See my other post on things to know about Hong Kong before visiting for other helpful tips
