Food & Drink
Hong Kong has more restaurants per capita than any other city in the world — and Cantonese cuisine is among the most sophisticated and diverse cuisines on the planet. Here, you can eat your way around the world without leaving the city.
Cha Chaan Teng — Hong Kong's Soul
The Cha Chaan Tengs (茶餐廳) are Hong Kong's everyday cafés — loud, hectic, packed places with neon lights and laminate tables where the real magic happens. Here, taxi drivers have breakfast next to lawyers, and the food is fabulous:
- Hong Kong Milk Tea (港式奶茶): Black tea filtered through a silk net with condensed milk — creamy, strong, sweet. The national drink. Hot or over ice.
- French Toast (西多士): Two slices of toast filled with peanut butter, dipped in egg, fried, topped with butter and condensed milk. No health consciousness, but a taste sensation.
- Macaroni in Broth: Noodles in a light broth with ham and corn — sounds strange, tastes like childhood (for every Hong Konger).
- Bolo Bao (菠蘿包): Pineapple bun (without pineapple — the name comes from the crust's texture). Warm from the oven with a piece of cold butter in between: heavenly.
Other Must-Eats
- Wonton Noodle Soup: Thin egg noodles in crystal-clear broth with shrimp wontons — the perfect comfort food. Mak's Noodle (Central) and Tsim Chai Kee are institutions (from 35 HKD).
- Roast Goose: Crispy, lacquered goose — Hong Kong's answer to Peking duck. Yat Lok (Central, Michelin-starred) serves the best (from 60 HKD for a portion on rice).
- Pineapple Bun with Butter: Crispy sugar crust on the outside, soft bun inside, with a piece of cold butter melting in the warm dough. Kam Wah Café (Mong Kok) is the pilgrimage site.
- Curry Fishballs: Fishballs on a skewer in spicy curry sauce — Hong Kong's most popular street snack. Available at any street stall for 15 HKD.