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Bucket list experience:

Last updated: 06 November, 2022
Expert travel writer: Lee Cobaj

To quote the late Anthony Bourdain, ‘in Hong Kong you don’t take the tour bus to find good food. . . just press start’. This is one of the world’s greatest foodie cities, packed with over 15,000 restaurants offering mind-boggling variety and a galaxy of Michelin stars.

And while you’ll find every kind of food imaginable – from Nepalese dumplings to French fine dining – it’s with home-grown, Cantonese dishes that Hong Kong really excels. Seasonal vegetables and super-fresh seafood are key ingredients, and dim sum is not to be missed – the city starts its day with steaming baskets of har gao (shrimp dumplings) and char sui bao (barbecue pork buns).

Price: Free
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 13+
When: All year around
Duration: -

Getting there & doing it

Hongkongers have ridiculously high standards when it comes to eating, which means it’s easy to find fabulous food at prices that won’t break the bank. Dim sum is the first meal of the day, and where you should start your foodie adventure – visit before 12 or after 2pm to avoid having to queue.

Other great spots for authentic local cuisine are the unglamorously-titled Cooked Food Centres. There’s one in almost every district, usually attached to a food market. They are ear-splittingly noisy, but the food is fabulous – think zingy sweet and sour pork, silky beef with crispy noodles and garlic-drenched scallops.

A food tour is highly recommended to get a real flavour of the city.

Iron wok with whole prawns being cooked inside
Experience

Lamma Rainbow

Hong Kong, China

This family-run seafood restaurant on Lamma Island runs free ferries from Hong Kong and Kowloon – so you get a harbour cruise and fabulous garlic prawns.

Best for ages: 13+ | Free

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Exterior of a Chinese tea house
Experience

Luk Yu Tea House

Hong Kong, China

This traditional Cantonese restaurant has been around since 1933 and has art deco interiors, septuagenarian waiters in white tunics and wonderful dim sum. Try the British-Hong Kong hybrid roast duck pie.

Best for ages: 13+ | £20

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Lung King Heen
Experience

Lung King Heen

Hong Kong, China

Lung King Heen at the Four Seasons was the world’s first Chinese restaurant to be awarded three Michelin stars for its spectacular takes on local dishes, including barbecue suckling pig, scallops with pear dumplings.

Best for ages: 18+ | £30

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Exterior of the world's cheapest Michelin starred restaurant
Experience

Tim Ho Wan

Hong Kong, China

Looking for a Michelin-star spread for less than £10 a head? Head to one of five branches of Tim Ho Wan. Don’t miss the sweet and crumbly barbecue pork buns.

Best for ages: 13+ | £10

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Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity

A Taste of Hong Kong: Private Tour

A Taste of Hong Kong: Private Tour

Hong Kong SAR

Food and culture go hand in hand in Hong Kong, and there's a food tradition in particular that makes the city even more flavorful. Ready to ...

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Kowloon Street Food Tour with a Local: 100% Personalized & Private

Kowloon Street Food Tour with a Local: 100% Personalized & Private

Hong Kong SAR

You’ll join one of our food loving hosts to explore Hong Kong's food culture in the heart of the colourful Kowloon neighborhood. Game change...

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The 10 Tastings of Hong Kong With Locals: Private Street Food Tour

The 10 Tastings of Hong Kong With Locals: Private Street Food Tour

Hong Kong SAR

Eat your way through Hong Kong's culinary scene on a private food tour. Go on a delicious journey as you try 10 of the best food items belov...

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Organic Chinese Dumplings Class with Market Walk

Organic Chinese Dumplings Class with Market Walk

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Hi ! Everyone, I am local from Hong Kong. Cooking has been one of my biggest interests since I was a kid as my Mom taught me how to make d...

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Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first

Four Seasons Hong Kong

Hong Kong, China

Experience the harbour high life at Hong Kong’s swankiest five-star favourite with exceptional dining and a spectacular infinity pool that appears to flow directly into the harbour.

Official star rating:

Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong

Hong Kong, China

A regular on list of the world’s best hotels, the Mandarin Oriental sits at the heart of Hong Kong, both socially and geographically, and is the place to come for everything from afternoon tea to pre-dinner cocktails.

Official star rating:

The Peninsula Hong Kong

Hong Kong, China

Hong Kong’s oldest and grandest hotel offers palatial surrounds, superlative service and some of the most enviable harbour views in the city.

Official star rating:

Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong

Hong Kong, China

One of the tallest hotels in the world, oozing opulence and luxury. This is the place to come for jaw-dropping views at every turn – and some of the city’s best cooking.

Official star rating:

Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Hong Kong

China

One of the world’s most extraordinary cities, where rippling mountains, a kaleidoscopic waterfront and futuristic architecture merge with fabulous food, sizzling nightlife and top shopping.

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