Hong Kong is essentially a place with a civilian spirit, and the thriving tea restaurants and Dai Pai Dong are proof of this. When it comes to tea restaurants and Dai Pai Dong, they are indeed entirely invented in Hong Kong and represent the most popular dining venues for locals. Especially tea restaurants, which embody the values of Hong Kong people: fast service, diverse options, and affordable prices. During British rule, as Hong Kong residents could not enjoy the high-priced English High Tea, mid-range tea restaurants sprang up like mushrooms after rain. After successfully investing in immigration to Hong Kong, you can find Hong Kong-style silk stocking milk tea, Cantonese dim sum, Sichuan dan dan noodles, Portuguese chicken rice, American steak, French toast, Japanese eel rice, etc., on the menu of tea restaurants. Tables are set up on sidewalks or in alleys, allowing diners to enjoy delicious dishes that rival those of high-end restaurants in a noisy outdoor or semi-outdoor environment, which is a hallmark of Hong Kong's Dai Pai Dong.
NO.1 Dong Bao Restaurant: A popular spot, perfect for enjoying drinks from a combat bowl.
Dong Bao Restaurant is an extremely popular Dai Pai Dong. Many of its dishes are well-known, such as golden shrimp, sand chicken, and fermented bean curd fried pork knuckles, all incredibly delicious; there are also many innovative dishes, such as fried durian and squid cooked in ink, offering a diverse menu. The frozen combat bowl beer is their signature. Diners must try the garlic steamed scallops, which are tender and sweet, paired with the frozen combat bowl for beer, cheers! Celebrating unexpected encounters brings many surprises.
Address: 2nd Floor, Zha Wah Municipal Building, 99 Java Road, North Point
NO.2 Qiang Ji Dai Pai Dong: Eating street food in a noble and cool manner.
Meeting in Sham Shui Po, the remaining few Dai Pai Dong styles in Hong Kong are on display: the Dai Pai Dong is the domain of the head chef, with two Chinese stoves known for their fierce flames, constantly spitting fire to cook large iron pots. Tables and chairs are lined up along the sidewalk, and the air is filled with the aroma of smoke and fire, making one’s blood race. Qiang Ji Old Style Dai Pai Dong focuses on small stir-fried dishes, authentic and flavorful. The most popular dishes include baked fish intestines with eggs, playful squid paste, and clay pot vegetables.
Address: 4 Yiu Tung Street, Sham Shui Po
NO.3 Lan Fang Yuan: The origin of silk stocking milk tea.
Lan Fang Yuan, established in 1952, was the first to create the Hong Kong-style drink "Yuan Yang": a wonderful combination of milk tea and coffee; it was also the first to brew silk stocking milk tea using tea bags, which is fragrant and smooth; and the first to introduce "Lao Ding", cooking "out front" instant noodles, draining them, and pairing them with various five-spice meat cubes, chicken wings, and fried eggs. Seeing so many innovations, don’t you want to pay homage to this great establishment? New branches have opened in Tsim Sha Tsui and Sheung Wan, but the tin-roofed shop in Central has the most authentic feel.
Central Main Store: 2 and 4A-6 Gough Street, Central (next to the Central Escalator)
NO.4 Jiu Ji Beef Brisket: Long lines just for a bowl of clear soup brisket noodles.
If you ask where to find the unique taste of beef brisket, it’s at Jiu Ji Beef Brisket in Central. The clear soup beef brisket noodles have a delicious broth, reportedly made from one or two hundred pounds of beef bones simmered with a dozen types of Chinese herbs, appearing light but rich and sweet in flavor. The beef brisket is tender and flavorful, paired with the noodles that absorb the delicious broth, creating a soul-satisfying experience. The noodles are called "Yi Mian" because they are fried egg noodles, smooth and delicious, and are the ancestors of instant noodles, a must-try.
Address: 21 Gough Street, Central
NO.5 Sheng Xiang Yuan: "Tomato Beef Macaroni" in a tin-roofed shop.
Sheng Xiang Yuan is one of the few remaining tin-roofed Dai Pai Dong in Hong Kong. Under a plastic sheet roof, a few tables and stools are set up, specializing in various noodle soups with a tomato base. The tomato beef macaroni, abbreviated as "Tomato Beef Macaroni", is their signature dish with a sweet broth. The must-try lemon honey crispy bread is served in four pieces, with each bite infused with butter and lemon honey flavor, transforming ordinary bread into such a delicacy, which is one of the reasons we line up. Lemon cola with ginger is a drink that even those without illness or cold feel tempted to enjoy at Sheng Xiang Yuan, loved by both office workers and students alike.
Address: Dai Pai Dong, 2 Mei Lun Street, Central (opposite Jiu Ji Beef Brisket)
NO.6 Yong Ji Restaurant: "Flying Roast Goose" with a fragrance lasting sixty years.
Hong Kong has a unique souvenir (specialty) that is "Flying" roast goose, many people seek this flavor after returning, even packing it for the plane. This refers to Yong Ji Restaurant, which started as a Dai Pai Dong, with its gold medal charcoal-roasted goose being the treasure of the restaurant, using Guangdong Qingyuan and Conghua black feather geese, known for their rich meat and thick fat. The goose is marinated with a secret recipe and then roasted over charcoal, resulting in crispy skin and tender meat, with a fragrant aroma. Yong Ji not only has strict requirements for the goose itself but also selects charcoal meticulously—Southeast Asian charcoal, which produces no black smoke and has a residual fragrance, enhancing the flavor of the roast goose. It is this meticulous attention to materials and processes that has made Yong Ji's roast goose renowned both domestically and internationally for decades. When Hong Kong people think of roast goose, Yong Ji Restaurant is the first that comes to mind.
Address: 32 Wellington Street, Central
