Hong Kong Food Guide

Hong Kong is known as the "World's Food Fair", and dining out is one of the most popular things to do as a tourist. From roadside stalls to world-class restaurants, Hong Kong offers a wide variety of choices when it comes to dining out.

Many of the restaurants in Hong Kong have been influenced by both Eastern and Western cultures. In just this one city, food enthusiasts can indulge in all kinds of authentic cuisines from Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, India, Europe, and America. With such a wide variety of food, Hong Kong has truly become a gourmet eating paradise.

Typical Meals
At least 98% of the residents in Hong Kong are Chinese, either Cantonese, Teochew, Hakka, or Shanghainese.

Many enjoy a traditional breakfast that includes congee (rice porridge) and yau cha kwai (oil fried bread sticks). However, western breakfasts that include bread, sausage, pancakes, and eggs are becoming more popular.

For mid-day and evening meals, most people serve Chinese food with rice in their homes. Some of the most common ingredients used in Cantonese cuisines include shiitake mushrooms, Chinese cabbage, salted duck eggs, kai-lan, red beans, dried shrimp, hoisin sauce, dried scallops, jujube, and lotus seeds.

Read more about Dim Sum and Yum Cha in Hong Kong

Famous Dishes
Pineapple Bread

Pineapple Bread is a sweet bread originating in Hong Kong, very popular, and found in nearly every bakery.

The surface of the bread looks a pineapple, hence the name, but the traditional variety doesn't actually contain pineapple. A mixture of sugar, eggs, flour, and lard form a crisp surface with soft bread underneath, and it's best eaten when hot.

Roast Goose

Roast Goose is a traditional specialty of Cantonese cuisine: It is a whole goose roasted with secret ingredients, cut into small pieces, each piece with skin, meat and soft bone, and eaten with plum sauce.

For making authentic Guangdong-style Roast Goose you need a special goose variety from that region. These geese can be raised in a short time and have a lot of meat and small bones. Eating it has become a tourist attraction in itself in the New Territories.

Yung Kee, situated in Central, with a history of over several decades, is famous for Roast Goose.
Yue Kee,with over 40 years history, is the most notable restaurant in Hong Kong serving this delicacy. The former U.S. Consul General in Hong Kong was a regular customer.

Fake Shark Fin Soup

In the past, a lot of hawkers used shark meat leftovers from restaurants as principle material of this snack. Nowadays, shark fin has been replaced by vermicelli as the main ingredient of this snack, hence the ‘Fake' added in front of the name.

Mushrooms, black fungus, pork, and some other ingredients are added as the soup boils. Several seasonings are provided to accompany the meat, typically pepper, Zhejiang vinegar and sesame oil.

Fake Shark Fin Soup was widespread at Mosque Street in the 1980s. As one of the street snacks, Fake Shark Fin Soup used to be served in small bowls and sold by vendors along the streets; hence it obtained another name “Shark's Fin in Bowls".

Lvzaiji Restaurant, A121 Shau Kei Wan Main East Street.

Rickshaw Noodles

The so-called Rickshaw Noodles are a kind of fast food, really good value for money, and popular with the Hong Kong people since the 1960's.

They are instant noodles with a variety of other ingredients such as hogskin, fish balls, sirloin, and carrots, with soup and sauces. Due to the variety of ingredients, they come in many flavors and the price range is wide.

In the past, vendors always sold this food in street corners from wooden carts, which is where Rickshaw Noodles obtained its name. Even today, Rickshaw Noodles is still very popular in Hong Kong, even though selling in street corners has become a thing of the past and modern shops have taken over.

Sago Mix

Sago Mix is a traditional dessert popular in Hong Kong. Its main ingredients are Sago (similar to tapioca) and a variety of seasonal fruits. The sweet and sour taste of fruits, combined with milky fragrance and chewiness of sago, makes Sago Mix a top choice in the summer.

Many places sell Sago Mix, but Xuliushan (a sweet shop), with a history over 40 years, is the best of all.

Fish Balls

Fish balls are a typical Hong Kong snack, made of fish meat and can be divided into two varieties.

One is the well-known cooked food sold by street venders. Its history can be tracked back to the 1950s. This type of Fish Balls are made of fried fish meat. Food stalls often sell them with spicy or sweet sauces.

The other kind is sold uncooked and usually served as an important ingredient of hot pot, or cooked with noodles in hot soup. The price is higher and taste different from the first type. These are available in traditional markets and super markets.

According to a statistic in 2002, the daily average consumption of fish balls in Hong Kong is 55 metric tons (about 3.75 million fish balls).

Hong Kong-Style Milk Tea

Hong Kong-style milk tea is a popular part of many Hong Kong people's daily life, typically served as part of afternoon tea.

Hong Kong-style milk tea consists of Ceylon black tea, evaporated milk and sugar, the tea at the bottom and evaporated milk on top. Hong Kongers like to say that in a cup of superior milk tea the taste of milk should be stronger than the tea. Different ingredients and cooking methods produce various flavors.

By and large, milk tea is standard fare in Hong Kong-style Western restaurants and Cha Chaan Teng, as well as Hong Kong's historic Dai Pai Dong (a Hong Kong-style outside restaurant). Nowadays, Hong Kong-style milk tea has become a symbol of Hong Kong culture. In Hong Kong films actors frequently mention it in dialogues.

Lan Fong Yuen (a Hong Kong-style Cha Chaan Teng), situated in Central, is famous for its original Hong Kong-style milk tea and has a history of over 50 years.Continue to read about Chinese tea.

Wontons

Wontons are known as chāo shǒu (literally means "crossed hands"), added to a clear soup along with other ingredients, sometimes deep-fried. Several shapes are common, depending on the region and cooking methods.

The most famous are called Sichuan-style wontons, a celebrated snack in Chengdu. They are famous for their thin skin and rich meat filling as well as their soup, made of chicken, duck, and pork simmered for a long time.

Explore Hong Kong

About Hong Kong
Hong Kong History, Language and Culture
Hong Kong Weather, climate and geography
Hong Kong Cultural Kaleidoscope
Hong Kong Shopping Paradise
Hong Kong Food and Drink
Hong Kong International Cuisine
Hong Kong Colorful Nightlife
Hong Kong Perfect Family Destination
Hong Kong Numerous Festivals and Fairs
Hong Kong Convenient Transportation
Hong Kong Gateway for Exploring the Rest of Asia
Hong Kong Top Things to Do in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Travel Tips
Getting around Hong Kong
Money & duty free for Hong Kong
Hong Kong Visa and Passport Requirements

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