If you’re visiting Hong Kong for a short trip and want to try as many iconic foods in one neighborhood as possible, then look no further than this list! After 7 years of eating and walking through Central on a daily basis, I’ve compiled this ultimate guide to the best local foods and dishes you can only find in Hong Kong with the best times to go to avoid lines.
I’ve structured this list as a food crawl in chronological order, so you could even eat every single item on this list in a single day if you’re ambitious enough. Especially helpful if you have a long layover at Hong Kong Airport as you can easily take the Airport Express train to Central and try as many foods as possible!
I can also personally guide you and help you eat and photograph all of the food on this list (plus some bonus items not on this list!) through a private or small group tour. If you’re interested in a food tour, email me with the dates you’re in Hong Kong, your group size, and food preferences.
Tag @IndulgentEats on Instagram if you visit any of the spots I recommended and let me know what you think!
One Dim Sum
What better way to start your Hong Kong food tour than with a dim sum breakfast? To be honest, I would only recommend visiting the Central location if you’re short on time, as their more spacious Prince Edward location is a much better dining experience with a full menu and proper seating. But if you just want a quick bite or you’re traveling solo or in a pair, then this tiny corner location of the Michelin Bib Gourmand favorite is worth trying since you can order their signature siu mai and other dim sum in smaller portions of 2 pieces per menu item. It opens at 8AM, which is a great time to go as lines usually start to form around 10AM.
Bakehouse
The most famous bakery in Hong Kong opens at 8AM, but as long as you can get there before 9:30AM you should be able to pick up their iconic sourdough egg tarts with little to no line. If you need a morning coffee, you can also pick one up here, or you can save your caffeine intake for the next stop on this list.
Lan Fong Yuen
Hong Kong’s most famous milk tea comes from the historic cha chaan teng (Hong Kong style diner) that originated the silk stocking method of making milk tea in 1952. I would skip sitting down inside as I find the food very mid, and opt to instead order an iced milk tea for takeaway from the original outdoor street stall. Don’t forget to snap a photo sitting on the tiny stools outside the stall as pictured at the top of this post.
Guzzle
This tiny shop on Wellington St. serves traditional Hong Kong-style breakfast sandwiches. My top pick is their tender satay beef with creamy scrambled eggs on toasted white bread. Instead of staring at a wall in their cramped dining area, order the food takeaway and walk half a block to Cochrane St. where there are steps to sit and people watch while you enjoy your sandwich.
Central Market & Tai Kwun
After a morning of eating, it’s time to go for a long walk to peruse some of the sights around Central. As a bonus, you will also avoid the busy Central lunch hour that goes from 12-2PM when there will be long lines at pretty much every restaurant. Central Market is a great starting point as it’s filled with local artisans to buy souvenirs, and it connects to the Central-Mid-Levels Escalator which you can take up to Tai Kwun, a cultural center that used to be a prison but is now filled with restaurants, cafes and museums. You can spend a few hours midday exploring and walking off breakfast, taking photos, shopping, and sitting in the courtyard before grabbing a late lunch at the next stops on this list. You can also grab a cheeky daytime drink at one of my favorite bars in the area. Make your way from Tai Kwun down the cobblestone Pottinger Street (another great photo spot) to the next stop on this list.
Yat Lok
To be totally honest, I kind of hate dining at this restaurant, as the seating is cramped with shared tables with strangers, the service is straight up rude and the prices are jacked up thanks to their long-running Michelin Bib Gourmand award. But if you want a true Hong Kong experience for a traditional Hong Kong roast goose leg with juicy meat and crispy skin and don’t have time to make it to my preferred spot in Causeway Bay, than this is the spot to go to 😅 Order the goose leg with noodle soup with lai fun noodles, but ask for the soup and plum sauce on the side so the skin stays crispy.
Vission Bakery
If you love pistachio, then you must try the crispy, flaky pistachio custard danish from this innovative local bakery. It’s only available from 1PM, but they usually don’t sell out until 3-4PM when the lines are also usually more manageable. I personally prefer it over their viral matcha mochi danish, but if you love matcha then that is also worth a try. If you’re a big sweet tooth, you should also check out their cake shop Vission Nine next door for their incredible salted caramel banana cake, pistachio log or chocolate peanut butter cake which you can view from their stunning cake display case.
🎥 Watch my taste test at Vission Bakery
Tsim Chai Kee Noodle or Mak’s Noodle
You can’t visit Hong Kong without eating wonton noodles. You’ll find longer lines at Michelin Bib Gourmand Tsim Chai Kee Noodle thanks to their cheaper price, though the higher quality bowls across the street at Mak’s Noodle are my pick if you can only have one wonton noodle in Central. The smaller size of the bowls means you’ll have more stomach space for enjoying everything else on this list.
Cheung Hing Kee Shanghai Pan Fried Buns
Pick up 2 of these pan fried pork buns that are like soup dumplings but with a soft chewy top and crispy bottom, bursting with a flavorful, piping hot soup and juicy pork. You can also get them with both pork & shrimp, and even with truffle, though the classic pork are my personal favorite.
You can pick up Chinese-style egg tarts with a crispy cookie-like crust from Tai Cheong Bakery right across the street if you aren’t sick of tarts yet.
Central Harbourfront, Star Ferry & Victoria Peak
As it’s approaching sunset, it’s a great time to take in the views of Hong Kong. You can walk to the Central Harbourfront and catch a ride on the Star Ferry to see the view from Avenue of the Stars and the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade. Or if you prefer a view from the top, take the Peak Tram up to Victoria Peak. Either of these activities are also great to do at night after dinner – just be sure to get to your desired viewpoint before 10PM as a lot of the skyscrapers turn off their lights at this time.
Barkada
After a day of walking to various street stalls and squeezing into crammed local eateries, it’s time to sit down for a proper dine-in experience and take a small break from all the Chinese food. My modern Filipino restaurant and bar is located in the heart of Central under the escalator, so you can people watch from the semi-outdoor terrace in a plush velvet seat. Dig into our acclaimed Spicy Funky Coconut Noodles, sip on refreshing tropical cocktails and mocktails, and groove to my own personal playlist of hip hop and R&B classics. If you have the stomach space, I recommend sharing our Barkada Bilao, which serves up a sampler of signature items in an Instagram-friendly platter.
Ho Lee Fook
A trip to Hong Kong simply isn’t complete without enjoying fresh seafood, and while the best way to experience this is to take a boat to a fishing village, you can enjoy it without leaving Central in the opulent dining room of this acclaimed SoHo restaurant. I recommend making a reservation for an 8PM or 9:30PM seating depending on how the rest of your itinerary goes (or grabbing a seat at the bar) and ordering the steamed razor clams with glass noodles and garlic, which is the best version of this dish out of anywhere I’ve had it in Hong Kong. Ho Lee Fook also serves a delicious roast goose so you can enjoy it here instead of the aforementioned Yat Lok, as well as BBQ pork or char siu made with rich Kurobuta pork.
