Hong Kong Cuisine

About Hong Kong Cuisine

By the ULTIMATE Hong Kong Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Hong Kong’s food is a blend of deep-rooted Cantonese tradition and the influences of a great trading port and former British colony, from refined banquets to fast, unpretentious street snacks. This is our guide to its four pillars: dim sum, siu mei, the cha chaan teng and the noodle shop.

Hong Kong cuisine

Hong Kong’s culinary scene is a blend of deep-rooted Cantonese tradition and the many influences of a global trading port and former British colony. Its flavours run from refined, many-course banquets to the fast, unpretentious food of the street. To understand it, you need its four pillars: dim sum, siu mei, the cha chaan teng and the noodle shop.

Dim sum: the art of yum cha

Dim sum is less a meal than a ritual, known as yum cha, literally “drinking tea”. Good Hong Kong dim sum balances delicate textures with clean, fresh flavours. Order har gow, steamed shrimp dumplings in translucent pleated skins; siu mai, open dumplings of pork and shrimp; and char siu bao, soft buns filled with sweet barbecued pork. Tim Ho Wan in Sham Shui Po, in this guide, is the classic place to start.

Tea and small bites, glazed roast meats, milk tea strained through cloth: a city of rituals.

Siu mei: the roast masters

You can spot a siu mei shop by the rows of glazed, roasted meats hanging in the window. The art lies in succulent meat beneath crisp, fragrant skin. Try roast goose, marinated with five-spice and roasted until the skin shatters, and char siu, pork glazed with maltose and honey. At Yat Lok, in this guide, the roast goose is served over thin rice noodles.

The cha chaan teng

Born in the mid-20th century, these brisk, retro cafés serve Western comfort food adapted to Cantonese tastes, and they are the truest reflection of everyday Hong Kong. Order Hong Kong milk tea, strong black tea strained through a fine cloth and mixed with evaporated milk; a pineapple bun, named for its crackled sugar crust, with a thick slab of cold butter; and scallion oil noodles. Lan Fong Yuen, in this guide, is credited with the “silk stocking” milk tea, named for the cloth strainer.

Wonton noodles and congee

Hong Kong’s comfort food is found in small, narrow noodle shops: springy egg noodles in a clear broth flavoured with dried flounder, with plump wontons of prawn and pork. Mak Man Kee in Jordan, in this guide, is one of the most celebrated. Congee, silky rice porridge, is the breakfast and late-night dish of choice.

Where to taste it

Go for dim sum in the morning, siu mei at lunch, a cha chaan teng in the afternoon and wonton noodles late at night; that is a Hong Kong day. For the city’s great restaurants, from dim sum houses to three-MICHELIN-star dining rooms, see our story of the Hong Kong table and our restaurant list.

Our advice: pour tea for your neighbours before yourself, tap two fingers on the table to say thank you when someone pours for you, and share everything.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Hong Kong Cuisine before you go.