Today I want to bring you my Hong Kong food guide. This part of China has some of the best food markets, street food, and restaurants in the world. It’s a great place to indulge your inner foodie.
Hong Kong Food
Hong Kong’s food scene is hot right now. The local markets and restaurants are buzzing, and there are endless options for dim sum and afternoon tea.
Famous British chefs—Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, and Jason Atherton to name a few—have all opened restaurants here, and New York staples like Carbone have sister locations in Central.
Given I’m willing to travel to eat, I’m here to find the best of the Hong Kong food scene.
Hong Kong Street Food
I start with the city’s markets and street food. Hong Kong is famous for its outdoor food scene, which ranges from the narrow wet market on Graham Street in Central to the street vendors bordering the Ladies’ Market in Kowloon.
The Graham Street wet market is similar to the farmers’ markets we have in London, with the main difference being the types of produce sold.
As Koko, my guide from the tourism board—which has invited me here on a press trip—takes me through it on my first afternoon in Hong Kong, I discover everything from bright pink dragon fruit to fresh ginger and mangosteens.
Over in Kowloon, Koko and I walk down Dundas Street and the smell of fried fish balls—a popular Hong Kong street food—fills the air.
Around the corner on Fauyen Street is one of the most famous vendors of chicken feet, and there’s a line down the street as we pass by. It’s a Hong Kong food that’s popular with locals and adventurous visitors.
Just over on Yin Chong Street is another market selling all kinds of fresh greens in flat woven baskets.
Not far from there, Koko takes me to Shia Wong Hip, a shop on Apliu Street specializing in snake soup.
As we look at the row of wooden boxes lining the wall—they’re padlocked to keep the live snakes from escaping—he tells me that snake soup is traditionally eaten in the winter to give people energy during the colder months.
It’s sweltering outside today, and I’m secretly glad I don’t have to stop for a bowl of the rather gelatinous-looking specialty.
Other shops we stop in sell herbs used to cure ailments and dried seafood rich in collagen.
I’m surprised to learn that some large pieces of the latter sell for thousands of US dollars, but I suppose that—East or West—many people are willing to pay up for effective anti-aging supplements.
Hong Kong Restaurants
Away from the markets, we eat at some of the best restaurants in Hong Kong. They serve classic Hong Kong food and global cuisine.
Dim sum is a tradition here, especially at breakfast and lunch, and every morning I have my fill at the buffet at the luxurious Mandarin Oriental, where I’m staying while I’m in town.
But when it comes to dim sum, once a day is never enough. As such, Koko takes me to lunch at Din Tai Fung, a Michelin-starred dim sum restaurant in Kowloon.
During the meal I fall in love with the crab roe xao long bao and pan fried shrimp dumplings. They’re some of my favorite Hong Kong food.
Another day we experience Asian-inspired Mediterranean food at Ammo, a restaurant in the sleek Asia Society building in Central.
The ambiance is all contemporary, with cool copper lighting and floor-to-ceiling windows that offer views of the forested area outside—a rarity in skyscraper-packed Hong Kong.
The food is divine, particularly the slow cooked egg, which is perfectly soft and runny.
That evening we head over to the vast Harbour City mall for dinner at M&C Duck, a restaurant that specializes in—you guessed it—duck.
The meat, which is soft and juicy on the inside and has crispy skin on the outside, is delicious. The only downside is that the menu has a full page of shark fin soups, a controversial Hong Kong food.
Hong Kong Food Tour
My food tour of Hong Kong continues with just that: a Hong Kong food tour.
Hong Kong Foodie Tours takes me on a 4-hour walking tour of Central and Sheung Wan, stopping at restaurants along the way to sample everything from mouth-watering barbecue pork to plump shrimp won tons and homemade sugar cane juice.
Between stops, I learn about the history of Hong Kong and explore a few trendy streets and neighborhoods.
Hong Kong Afternoon Tea
When my feet need a rest, I take inspiration from London and seek out one of my favorite things: afternoon tea. Given the city’s British heritage, there are a lot of places that serve afternoon tea in Hong Kong.
One of them is C’est la B, a little shop in the Pacific Place mall that has a stylish afternoon tea with sandwiches and cakes. It’s the perfect venue for a girly afternoon, what with the striped chairs and colorful plates and cups.
Another is the Peninsula. Afternoon tea at the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong is a tradition, and on my last day in the city I get a chance to go.
I sit under the dramatic gilded ceiling of the lobby, enjoying my sandwiches, scones, and pastries to the sound of live music. It feels so much like London that I almost imagine I’m back home.
Hong Kong Food: The Verdict
I’m glad to be in Hong Kong for a bit longer, though. There are so many great restaurants and vibrant markets, hole-in-the-wall street food stalls and decadent sweet treats to be tried that I could spend a lot more time here enjoying all the good Hong Kong food.
But London has enough new openings and great foodie finds to beckon me home, and eventually I tear myself away.
And as soon as I land at Heathrow, I miss the excitement of the Hong Kong food scene. I’m tempted to go back just to eat more. Who wants to join me?
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Hong Kong has some of the best food I have ever eaten! Not just local cuisine, but also international food. Sushi and sashimi are particularly excellent: almost on par of Japan! And of course, all the asian deserts you can eat round almost every corner in the city! yum
Yeah, it’s amazing how much good food there is in Hong Kong!
I’ve been in Hong Kong three years ago and took almost the same looking photo as you did. That’s so awesome that your first photo looks almost exactly the same as mine. Very good post!
That’s great!
The food in Hong Kong looks impressive. I loved the tea platter. I recently had a high tea in London, but I think I much prefer the look of the tea you had in Hong Kong, very innovative, colorful and modern. This looks like a great city to visit, maybe I can get over there soon!
Yeah, the afternoon teas were great!
Looks amazing! What a great experience. I don’t think my son would adapt well to Hong Kong, so that will have to be a trip after he grows up!
Yeah, it’s a really amazing place to visit!
I love, love, love Hong Kong and especially the food. I find it interesting so many western restaurants are opening there. I would go for the street and traditional food. That dim sum looks amazing.
Yeah, it’s a really exciting scene there! The dim sum is amazing!
Colorful, fresh, decadent! What a great menu in Hong Kong!
Yeah!
The street markets are so interesting looking! And all that dim sum sounds delicious (minus the place with shark fin soup!). Please enter and take me with you next time!! 🙂
Yeah, all the markets and food were amazing! I would love to go back with you!
I love dim sum and this is one of the reasons why Hong Kong is on my wishlist. It must be such a culinary delight
Yeah! The dim sum there is amazing!
I really like the hong kong kitchen! Next year i am going to visit it again. I can hardly wait.
That’s great! Have fun!
You certainly got taken around to some great spots! When I was living in Shanghai, I always looked forward to my trips to Hong Kong and all the amazing food I knew I’d eat there. Though, my Shanghai apartment building did have a Din Tai Fung attached so I certainly never went hungry 🙂
Wow, that’s amazing! I would gain a lot of weight if I had a Din Tai Fung attached to my building!
So looking forward to returning to hong kong! sounds like a fab trip you had =) hong kong is always a crowd fave.
Yeah!