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First a reminder – Chinese food in Hong Kong will taste different from your local Chinese restaurant at home. Sounds obvious, but this comes as a disappointment to some visitors. Once you get past this hurdle, Hong Kong’s food is likely to be one of your happiest memories of time spent here.



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The majority of Hong Kong’s residents hail from the Guangdong (Canton) region of southern China, so naturally Cantonese food is the most widely available. Dim sum (also called yum cha) is a popular style of Cantonese eating you should make sure to try during your stay. Dim sum are served in small portions, either in small bamboo baskets if steamed, or on plates if fried or baked. It’s available from early morning through to early afternoon. For many older residents, dim sum with friends is a part of their daily ritual, usually after a visit to the market, or finishing their morning exercises.

Smaller ‘hole-in-the-wall’ restaurants serve other Cantonese food such as roast meat with rice, or steamed/stewed food such as beef brisket, or prawn dumplings, served with noodles. These small shops are found all over Hong Kong, and are well worth a visit. There may be queues around 13:00 to 14:00, but outside these times you won’t have any trouble finding a seat. As usual, space is at a premium, so expect to share a table if the restaurant is at all busy.

Near the bottom of the eatery food chain come the outside stalls, specialising in just a couple of dishes such as beef balls with noodles. The surroundings are very basic, but the stalls with the best reputations attract people from all over the city.

At the bottom you have the street vendors, selling a variety of deep fried foods from their push carts. Many Hong Kong people swear by this snack food, but you’ll have to work out just how strong a stomach you have before deciding whether to take the plunge – marinated pig’s ear, anyone?



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Seafood deserves a special mention, given Hong Kong’s coastal location. Seafood restaurants in the city have large fish tanks installed, so you can point out your chosen fish as it swims past. It’ll be whisked away for a rendezvous with a sharp knife and a hot wok, then return a few minutes later cooked in your favourite style. If you have time, skip the city restaurants and take a ferry to one of the restaurants on Cheung Chau or Lamma Island instead. The surroundings are more basic, but the outdoor setting, combined with fresh seafood and cold beer, make for an excellent meal.



XXX L 4 XXX Chinese Food

Of course ‘Chinese food’ covers a huge region and ran...