54 Best Restaurants in Hong Kong, China

This place is good—really, really good. Tucked away in a nondescript building in a hidden alley off Lan Kwai Fong, this reservations-only private kitchen plates up inventive, French-inspired Shanghainese dishes that are prepped in a polished open kitchen.

It’s easy to see why Hutong is a hot spot: it has some of the most imaginative northern Chinese cuisine in town. What's more, the beautifully decorated dining room sits atop One Peking Road Tower overlooking the entire festival of lights that is the Hong Kong island skyline.

Often regarded as one of the best Shanghainese restaurants in town, Liu Yuan’s cooking style stays loyal to tradition with a no-fuss mentality that has worked in their favor for years. Easy favorites include sweet strips of crunchy eel, panfried meat buns, and steamed xiao long bao dumplings plumped up with minced pork and broth.

This place has made a serious case for being the best Cantonese restaurant in Hong Kong, especially after winning and retaining three Michelin stars every year since 2009. Where other contenders tend to get too caught up in prestige dishes and name-brand chefs, Lung King Heen focuses completely on taste.

The restaurant celebrates a return to authentic Cantonese fare. Using only the freshest possible ingredients—from locally reared free-range chicken to wild-caught seafood—this unique eatery focuses on the intrinsic flavors of each ingredient. Appetizers are creative: shredded pig’s ear and tripe salad is given an extra crunchy edge with the addition of freshly sliced guava, and razor clams are steamed with pickled lemon and garlic. And it gets even better with the mains. A particular favorite is the signature soy-sauce chicken, perfumed with 18 different fragrant Chinese herbs. Also recommended is the steamed fresh crab, which is steeped in aged ShaoXing wine.

This award-winning eatery serves some of the city’s best dim sum. Opened by a former Four Seasons Hotel chef, this humble spot makes all of its shrimp dumplings, rice rolls, and baked cha siu buns fresh to order. It’s top-quality food at dirt-cheap prices. It's as popular as ever, so go in midafternoon if you want to beat the crowds.

It might look like any other tiny, storefront noodle joint, but its humble appearance belies its culinary prowess. The restaurant serves authentic Shaanxi snacks, which can be best described as some of the heartiest and delicious chow that China has to offer.

Despite its unassuming location in an alley, this dai pai dong (outdoor food stall) remains immensely popular due to its delicious stir-fried dishes. The wok-cooked noodle dishes are especially good—thin noodles are cooked until crispy and topped with strips of pork and bean sprouts.

The mastermind behind this three-Michelin-starred restaurant is Alvin Leung, who dubs himself the “demon chef” and has the moniker tattooed on his arm. Bo Innovation serves what he calls “X-treme Chinese” cuisine, applying contemporary twists to traditional Cantonese dishes.

The decor, staff uniforms, and—of course—the food all capture the retro vibe of the 1960s Hong Kong cha chaan teng (local café). Cantonese pop songs from that era play over the sound system while diners relish bowls of elbow macaroni served in soup and topped with ham and eggs. Other staples include spaghetti served in chicken broth with cha siu pork and green peas. But the sweets here are what really stand out. The egg tarts are rich and custardy, and the French toast is served with a giant slab of butter. Surely the best items, though, are the hotcakes topped with bananas, buttered walnuts, and soft-serve ice cream.

It’s a blast from the past at this retro Hong Kong café, done up in period '80s and '90s decor, complete with autographed Cantopop idol posters from that era. The food is old-school as well, and you’ll find hearty local specialties like elbow macaroni with barbecued pork, milk tea, and toasted sandwiches filled with fluffy scrambled eggs. If you come after 3 pm, try the “principal's toast”—it’s black truffle paste and cheese smothered on thick pieces of bread. It’s delicious indulgence done the cheap and cheerful way.

Smartly dressed locals in the know head for this casually elegant dim sum specialist, which is in the middle of the downtown bustle yet well concealed on the fourth floor of an office building. From the elevator, you’ll step into a classy Cantonese world. It’s hard to find a single better dim sum dish than Che’s crispy pork buns, whose sugary baked pastry conceals the brilliant saltiness of barbecued pork within. Other dim sum to try include pan-fried turnip cake and a refreshing dessert of cold pomelo and sago with mango juice for a calming end to an exciting meal.

This place fires up the grill with skewered items that draw flavor inspiration from Sichuan. The menu is extensive, capping in at more than 100 different choices on any given day (including daily and seasonal specials). Grilled fish is perfect with beer, as are the tsukune chicken meatballs. When in season, order grilled oysters, clams, and other seafood items. The folks at Chuan Shao also serve grilled banana and pineapple for dessert. The restaurant is open until late, and there’s plenty of beer, so anyone staying at a hotel in the area might just want to keep this place in mind.

The first thing you’ll notice here is the most Disney-ish touch: a computer-animated koi pond, where electronic fish dart out of the way as you walk by. Once inside the crystal-studded space, your focus will turn to the food: the pan-Chinese menu includes favorites like Sichuan dan dan noodles, honey-glazed barbecued pork, and double-boiled pear topped with mandarin peel. Kids will get a kick out of the “character dim sum,” which includes pork and vegetable buns shaped like Toy Story’s little green men, and seafood pancakes bearing the likeness of Mickey Mouse. Make sure to order these in advance. If you wind up in Disneyland, this is by far the best way to dine (unless the kids demand a character meal at the Enchanted Garden in the hotel’s lower level).

One of the best in the city, this Cantonese restaurant is known for its traditional menu embellished with nouvelle liberties. The restaurant is also loved for its elegant harborside location, which has recently been refurbished into an even sleeker space. In this gorgeous setting, enjoy signature dishes such as sautéed crystal king prawns and fried rice with minced beef and greens.

The street stalls of Hong Kong are filled with interesting snacks of all shapes and sorts. The intrepid should trek over to Delicious Food for the infamous stinky tofu.

The dim sum menu here goes beyond common Cantonese morsels like har gau (steamed shrimp dumplings), embracing dishes more popular in the north, including chili prawn dumplings, Beijing onion cakes, and various steamed buns. Decadent dim sum options, such as abalone pastries, are particularly popular, but also extremely pricey. Lunch reservations are not taken, so there’s always a long line, especially on weekends. Arrive early, or admire the antique Chinese decor while you wait.

Hidden away near the old Jordan pier, this little sit-down restaurant has excellent dim sum without the insane queues that plague its more famous competitors. That’s not to say that it doesn’t get packed during mealtimes; thankfully, the venue stays open until 1 am, so you can sneak in for a late-night dinner when the crowds have dissipated. While it does all the classics, it’s the newfangled house creations that are really worth trying. We love the crispy shrimp rice-flour rolls drizzled with soy sauce. The chefs also do black-truffle crab dumplings and golden pastries filled with a combination of apples and cha siu pork.

Originally from Taiwan, this global restaurant chain is most famous for its expertly made dumplings. The place is serious about its craft—each dumpling is made from a specified amount of dough and kneaded to a uniform thinness to ensure maximum quality control. The signature steamed xiao long bao dumplings arrive piping hot at the table, filled with delectable fatty pork and slurpfuls of flavorful broth. Anyone with a sweet tooth should try the taro-paste dumpling. The excellent food is paired with VIP treatment from the friendly staff, making Din Tai Fung completely worthy of its immense popularity.

This buzzing Chinese restaurant specializes in Beijing and Huaiyang cuisine and draws a following for its upscale atmosphere and its stellar appetizers (try the smoked eggs and crispy eel), hand-cut noodles, traditional Peking duck, and award-winning combo dishes such as wok-fried crabmeat, rock lobster, and salted egg yolk served on rice crackers.

Art and food come together in this beautiful two-story establishment, which encompasses a bar, garden terrace, and dining room. The interiors are sophisticated yet inviting, making the perfect backdrop for the year-round art exhibitions hosted at the restaurant. But Duddell’s isn’t just a feast for the eyes—the Cantonese cuisine here is solid and satisfying and has garnered plenty of praise from locals and visitors alike. Signature items include crispy salted chicken and fried lobster with scallions and shallots. The dim sum lunch here is also quite popular and includes creative dishes like egg-white dumplings with shrimp and caviar.

Dining on haute Cantonese cuisine at this stunning restaurant with panoramic views over Victoria Harbour is a memorable experience. The chefs here are famed for adapting family-style recipes into elegant dishes, and the service is impeccable yet friendly. The menu changes with the seasons and leans heavily toward fresh seafood, though the barbecued pork is also a must-try. With its high ceilings, old-world charm, and laid-back tempo, Dynasty is one of the rare top-notch restaurants where you can comfortably linger over a meal.

Dundas Street in Mong Kok is filled with street vendors. The Fei Jie Snacks Stall is one of the best, with its dizzying selection of skewered choices ranging from chewy squid to duck gizzard to pig intestine (best eaten with a squirt of mustard).

Located on a boisterous stretch of Temple Street, this crowded, open-air eatery is the perfect spot to soak in the local atmosphere. The food isn’t amazing, but it’s cheap and offers a wide range of choices. Stick to the wok-tossed stir-fries laced with pungent black-bean sauce or spicy chili salt. Hing Kee is also known for its clay-pot dishes, which are especially comforting during the colder winter months.

Just beyond the northern boundary of Tsim Sha Tsui, on a side street off Nathan Road near the Jordan MTR station, this humble place is popular among locals seeking a quick bowl of noodles or a simple, tasty Shanghainese dish. Try a dish of Shanghainese rice with vegetables, topped with your choice of meat, or the fried noodles, soup noodles, and sweet spareribs.

Opened by award-winning Sydney-based chef Jowett Yu, this funky eatery is nothing like your average Chinese restaurant. As the tongue-in-cheek name suggests, the food here is bold and playful, inspired by old-school Chinatown classics but with a decidedly modern twist. Standout creations include the Yunnan-style steak tartare with hot-and-sour sauce, as well as the roast wagyu short ribs with a jalapeño puree. The cocktail list is just as inspired—try the Cooler, which is made with vodka infused with oolong tea.

If you’re looking for stellar Cantonese cuisine, this is the place for you. The chefs serve a range of modern classics made from the freshest ingredients and influenced by their reverence for natural flavors. There are excellent—and expensive—dishes on the menu like double-boiled bird’s nest and braised abalone, but the humbler dishes like smoked vegetarian goose and braised beef brisket with pear really steal the show. Hoi King Heen is a great dinner destination, and the lunchtime dim sum menu is also worth checking out.

Though it’s expanded across Asia, Honeymoon Dessert’s first-ever store in Sai Kung still draws droves of loyal and new fans alike. The store sells homemade traditional Chinese desserts such as black-sesame sweet soup and the refreshing mango-pomelo sweet soup. It also does newfangled items, including durian pancakes and glutinous rice dumplings dusted with desiccated coconut and filled with fresh mango. In the summer, don’t miss out on the wide selection of cooling grass jelly creations.

Hotpot cooking is immensely popular in Hong Kong, and places like Hotpot Instinct are packed even during the steamy summer months. The large menu offers thinly sliced beef, pork, seafood, and a range of house-made fish balls and meatballs, which diners then dip into a boiling vat of broth at their table.

This might not be the prettiest restaurant you’ve ever seen, but its panfried beef patties (translated as “veal goulash” on the menu) are incredibly delicious. The browned pastry packets arrive at the table piping hot and bursting with tender minced beef—good luck stopping after just one.