Beyond its fame as a "shopping paradise," Hong Kong's culinary scene is a signature attraction for visitors from around the world. Many classic Hong Kong snacks are tucked away in streets and alleys, requiring a bit of effort to find, but they are well worth the search! Friends who have immigrated to Hong Kong should definitely give them a try; it is one of the best ways to integrate into local life.
Shrimp Wonton Noodles
Hong Kong's shrimp wonton noodles are a culinary masterpiece that must be tasted, much like Shanghai's xiaolongbao. Each wonton is the size of an infant's fist, filled entirely with whole, large fresh shrimp. The noodles are made with egg, providing a firm and chewy texture. The broth is also meticulously prepared, simmered with pork bones, dried flatfish, and shrimp roe. Only with this level of craftsmanship can it be called authentic Hong Kong-style wonton noodles.
Recommended Shop: Mak's Noodle (Chi Kee Wonton)
Address: 51 Russell Street, Causeway Bay
Transportation: MTR Causeway Bay Station, Exit A
Reason for Recommendation: A famous classic Hong Kong snack that has been honored with the "Hong Kong Food Award." The noodles and wonton fillings are strictly prepared according to precise ratios, and the broth is fresh, fragrant, and rich, leaving a lingering aftertaste.
Mock Shark Fin Soup (Wun Zai Chi)
Mock shark fin soup is one of Hong Kong's most common street snacks. It was traditionally sold by street vendors and named for being served in small bowls. In the past, many vendors would collect leftover shark fin scraps from restaurants and cook them with shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, shredded pork, broth, MSG, and tapioca starch. It is typically seasoned with white pepper, Zhejiang vinegar, and sesame oil, and can also be served with fish paste or shredded lettuce. Modern versions use vermicelli as the main ingredient and contain no actual shark fin, but the flavor remains unmissable.
Recommended Shop: Lui Jai Kee
Address: 121A Shau Kei Wan Main Street East
Transportation: MTR Shau Kei Wan Station, Exit C
Reason for Recommendation: The mock shark fin soup at Lui Jai Kee is made by simmering various ingredients for three hours, and the fish paste is meticulously prepared using fresh fish. The most classic way to eat at Lui Jai Kee is the "three-mix," combining the mock shark fin soup, fish paste, and lettuce for a delicious and savory flavor.
Fish Ball Noodles
Fish balls are delicate and flavorful. Fish ball noodles feature smooth, thin rice noodles as the main ingredient, served in a broth made from dried flatfish and pork bones, topped with fish balls, beef balls, fried meat rolls, and fish slices. The rice noodles are smooth and fragrant, and each topping offers a unique flavor.
Recommended Shop: Tak Cheong Noodle
Address: 75 Electric Road, Tin Hau, Causeway Bay
Transportation: MTR Tin Hau Station, Exit A2
Reason for Recommendation: A famous fish ball noodle shop in Hong Kong, once awarded the top honor in the snack category at the Hong Kong Food Awards. Their fish balls are made entirely of pure meat without starch, resulting in large, round, and delicate-textured balls.
Beef Balls
Hong Kong beef balls are famous for their firm, juicy texture and satisfying chewiness; in Stephen Chow's film "The God of Cookery," they were humorously depicted as being bouncy enough to be used as ping-pong balls. Legend has it that during the Qing Dynasty, the Wang family in Jiangnan developed these signature beef balls, and later, descendants brought them to Hong Kong, where they became a famous local snack, even earning the favor of the Queen of England, and are sometimes called "tribute balls." Beef balls are typically served with rice noodles, or can be stir-fried with shrimp and cashews, or deep-fried with quail eggs and shrimp balls for a crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside, sweet, and savory treat.
Recommended Shop: Tak Fat Beef Ball
Address: Temporary Market, Haiphong Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Transportation: MTR Tsim Sha Tsui Station, Exit A1
Reason for Recommendation: Tak Fat is a long-standing Hong Kong beef ball shop. The beef balls are crispy, bouncy, and flavorful, served in a rich, aromatic broth that attracts crowds of customers.
Guilinggao (Tortoise Jelly)
Guilinggao is a traditional Chinese herbal dessert made from tortoise shell, Poria cocos, Rehmannia, dandelion, and honeysuckle. Because of its bitter taste, many shops add sweet red bean paste, giving this herbal medicine the flavor of a dessert. With Hong Kong's hot weather, eating Guilinggao to clear heat and detoxify is a very popular practice.
Recommended Shop: Kung Wo Tong
Address: 87 Percival Street, Causeway Bay
Transportation: MTR Causeway Bay Station, Exit A
Reason for Recommendation: A century-old shop famous for its authentic Guilinggao. The taste is pure and it is known for its appetite-stimulating, digestive, and laxative benefits. If the taste is too bitter, the shop provides honey to accompany it.
Herbal Tea
Herbal tea is a beverage made in the Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau regions by decocting compound or single local medicinal herbs. There is a folk saying: "Drink a cup of herbal tea, and you won't need to see a doctor." The culture of drinking herbal tea is prevalent in Hong Kong, and herbal tea shops of all sizes have become one of the city's landmarks. Herbal tea has a long history and a wide variety, including brands like Wong Lo Kat, Sam Fu Tong, Wong Chun Loong, Tai Seng Kung, and Twenty-Four Flavor Tea, each with different flavors and health benefits.
Recommended Shop: Chun Fook Tong
Address: G/F, 8 Cochrane Street, Central
Transportation: MTR Central Station, Exit D2
Reason for Recommendation: A long-established herbal tea shop. The teas are divided into two types: herbal tea (bitter tea) and five-flower tea (sweet tea), which have the effects of clearing heat, reducing fire, calming the mind, and refreshing the brain.
Cart Noodles
Cart noodles are an affordable noodle dish in Hong Kong. Small food stalls crowd the streets, and the wooden carts selling cart noodles feature metal "cooking compartments" containing noodles and various toppings, typically including affordable items like fish balls, beef balls, pork skin, pig blood, and radish. Customers can freely choose their toppings, and a full meal usually costs only a dozen dollars or so.
Recommended Shop: Hing Lung Cart Noodle
Address: G/F, 21 Tung Choi Street, Mong Kok
Transportation: MTR Mong Kok Station, Exit D3, walk straight and turn right to arrive.
Reason for Recommendation: Although it is a small shop hidden on the streets of Mong Kok, there is a huge variety of noodles and toppings to choose from. The pork skin is excellent, the sauces come in different flavors, and the noodle broth is unique, with options like radish clear chicken soup, shark bone soup, pork bone soup, and more.
Beef Brisket
Beef brisket is the belly part of the cow, surrounded by fascia, and is considered a classic Cantonese ingredient and signature snack known for its beauty-enhancing benefits. In Hong Kong, beef brisket is generally served as curry beef brisket or clear broth beef brisket, and has evolved into beef brisket noodles and beef brisket rice noodles. Authentic beef brisket must be simmered with beef bones for several hours to make the meat tender and flavorful, while infusing the essence into the broth. Clear broth beef brisket is often served with white radish, making it even more delicious and refreshing.
Recommended Shop: Kau Kee Restaurant
Address: 21 Gough Street, Central
Transportation: MTR Sheung Wan Station, Exit A2
Reason for Recommendation: The most famous beef brisket shop in Hong Kong, renowned for pioneering clear broth beef brisket. Their beef brisket e-fu noodles and curry beef brisket are also excellent.
Egg Waffles (Gai Daan Zai)
Egg waffles are one of Hong Kong's authentic street snacks. A batter made of eggs, sugar, flour, and evaporated milk is poured between two specially made honeycomb-shaped iron molds and baked over a fire. The resulting egg waffles are golden yellow, have a cake-like aroma, and are hollow in the middle, giving them a unique texture when bitten. Nowadays, some shops add different flavors like chocolate, coconut, or black sesame to the traditional egg waffles.
Recommended Shop: Lee Keung Kee North Point Egg Waffles
Address: 178 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Transportation: MTR Jordan Station, Exit D
Reason for Recommendation: The egg waffles here are made with fresh eggs, resulting in a soft, fluffy texture and rich egg aroma. The hot egg waffles are snapped up as soon as they come out of the oven.
Mango Pomelo Sago (Yeung Chi Gam Luk)
Mango pomelo sago is a Hong Kong-style dessert, first created by Lei Garden Restaurant in Hong Kong in 1984. Pomelo is broken into pulp, and mango is diced, mixed with sago, coconut milk, and sugar water, then chilled before serving. Some dessert shops even add mixed fruits or bird's nest to the mango pomelo sago. The flavor of mango pomelo sago has also been adapted into other foods, such as mango pomelo sago cake, pudding, and popsicles.
Recommended Shop: Lei Garden Restaurant.
Address: Shop L5-8, 5/F, APM, 418 Kwun Tong Road, Kowloon
Transportation: MTR Kwun Tong Station has an air-conditioned footbridge directly to APM shopping mall.
Reason for Recommendation: Currently with 8 branches in Hong Kong, the new store in APM mall was designed by a Chilean designer, showcasing the stylish flair of a modern Cantonese restaurant.