The Foodie’s Guide To Causeway Bay, Hong Kong’s Most Fashionable Neighborhood
Published May 10, 2019
Greetings, friends! Welcome to Caffeinated Excursions’ second food guide. The first one I wrote was for Mexico City, a place I lived for almost a year before moving to Vietnam. I recently spent about five days in Hong Kong, undoubtedly one of the most interesting cities on the planet. This wasn’t my first trip, though; I had been to HK once before in 2014, so I had an idea of what the city was like and how to get around.
Originally, I was going to write a general post about how to spend a few days in Hong Kong. However, I decided against it and instead wanted to focus on all the amazing food options in the neighborhood I stayed in this trip: Causeway Bay.
If you’re curious why I’m focusing on restaurants in one particular part of Hong Kong instead of writing a more general post, there are a few reasons. The first is that I’m sure the internet is already inundated with blog posts explaining how to do a few days in Hong Kong. And you probably don’t even need to read those; Hong Kong is easy to navigate, it’s very safe, and it’s incredibly international, so English will almost always be understood. You honestly don’t need to do a ton of research before visiting this incredible metropolis!
In addition, it ended up raining for all five days of my visit, so I didn’t really get to explore as much as I would’ve liked. I originally wanted to check out some of Hong Kong’s less developed areas and many, many parks and nature reserves, but I’ll have to wait until my next trip to do that when hopefully it’s sunny.
Despite the fact that Hong Kong is very visitor-friendly, the one thing that is probably overwhelming to most travelers upon arrival is food. The choices are endless, and it’s hard to know where to begin. In this post, I want to give readers an idea of what the city’s culinary scene is like. If you happen to find yourself in Causeway Bay, try one of the restaurants, bars, or cafes mentioned below and let me know what you think in the comments section!
Sections of this post:
1. Eat
a. Dim Sum
b. Options for a budget
c. In case you want to splurge
2. Causeway Bay’s best bar street
3. Where to find the best cafes
Eat
Hong Kong’s culinary scene is arguably one of the world’s best. Since the city is incredibly international, the variety is honestly unlike anywhere else I’ve been to in Asia. Withdraw a thick stack of Hong Kong Dollars (HKD), prepare to be seated with strangers because most dining rooms are tiny, and let’s dive right in!
Dim Sum
點心
I don’t know about you, but I love me some dim sum! If you happen to live in a city with good dim sum restaurants (New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Vancouver, etc), give it a try before coming to Hong Kong. Figure out which plates you like the most, and if you’re really ambitious, learn how to read or say them in Cantonese. This could potentially come in handy in Hong Kong.
I ended up trying four different dim sum restaurants around Causeway Bay, which basically means I ate dim sum for lunch every day I was in Hong Kong. I can’t say I was able to pick a favorite, but it was a lot of fun to compare the places I tried!
I have a couple of items I really like, including xiaolongbao (小籠包), shumai (燒賣), har gow (蝦餃), chicken feet (鳳爪), and tripe (牛柏葉). Now, I understand that not all foodies may be dying to try everything on that list. It’s important to note that none of those things are vegan or vegetarian, either. However, if you don’t have dietary restrictions, be a little adventurous! You might find that the more interesting dim sum dishes grow on you! It could definitely be an acquired taste for some people. In any case, here’s the list of places I tried in Causeway Bay!
Option 1. Dim Dim Sum
點點心
This is supposed to be a famous chain with branches around Hong Kong. What I liked most were their truffle xiaolongbao and tripe that was cooked in a unique spicy sauce. Their Causeway Bay location is here.
Option 2. Dragon Prince
籠太子點心專門店
This was the first place I tried, so my experience at Prince Dragon (located here) was more of an introduction to real Hong Kong dim sum than anything else. Everything I ordered was similar to good dim sum I’ve had in New York, Seattle, and elsewhere.
Note that the menu at Prince Dragon is only in Chinese. You could ask if they have an English version or try to ask someone to help you translate, but if you don’t want to risk it, head to one of the other places on the list.
Option 3. Dim Sum Heritage
一哥點故
This shop appears to be the second location of a shop whose “flagship store” is here. Everything was good at Heritage, although nothing necessarily stood out to me as amazing.
Option 4. King's Dim Sum
優點 點心專門店
What I liked about this place was that the service was lightning fast. It also had the most local vibe of the four I tried. On top of that, their chicken feet were so tender!
Dim sum is not necessarily the cheapest meal in Hong Kong, but it also wasn’t the most expensive. Depending on how much you order, expect to spend about 100 to 150 HKD per meal. Most “long” (籠, the name of the little wooden steamer most dishes are served in) go for about 30 to 40 HKD, and three to four “long” per person would be pretty filling. Below, I list some other options for visitors on a budget.
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Cheaper options
This guide doesn’t focus a ton on prices, but you should know that food (like almost everything else in Hong Kong) is expensive. It’s honestly more similar to New York than anywhere else I’ve been in Asia. The best advice I can give if you’re trying to save some cash is to avoid restaurants in malls, which tend to be upscale.
Even then, prepare to spend at least 10 to 15 USD per meal. The area near the intersection of Cannon Street and Jaffe Road (pictured above) has quite a few options, some of which looked like they were on the cheaper end of the price spectrum.
Restaurants so local that there's no English menu, such as "Snake King 2"
蛇王二
One way to avoid exorbitant meal prices is to avoid the places frequented by tourists. This may be a bit of a challenge if you don’t speak or read a bit of Chinese, but it’s often worth the extra effort.
One such place I tried was called 蛇王二, which translates directly to “Snake King 2.” I ordered a simple plate of rice with duck which cost around 9 USD. This is one place without an English menu, as you can see if you zoom in on the wall in the picture above.
Since I’m semi-literate in Chinese, I had a general idea of what I was ordering. I’m not sure to what extent staff in places like this would be able to help translate what they offer into English. If you’re feeling up to it, you could look around at what other customers are eating and point to something that looks good. However, according to Michelin, their most famous dish is snake soup, so you may unknowingly end up with an adventurous dinner if you decide to take that approach…
Nom Nom Dumplings
餃掂手工餃子雲吞專門店
A slightly more tourist-friendly place was Nom Nom Dumplings. Not only is the menu bilingual, but there are also clear pictures of every item. The dumplings I ordered were good, and every table has a large topping and sauce rack so you can decide exactly how spicy you want them to be.
BBQ Meat Skewers
These may not end up being a proper meal, but they are a good snack. You order by the stick, and my favorite was the hot dog wrapped in bacon. Why isn’t that a thing in the US??
Mak's Noodle
麥奀雲吞面世家
Mak’s Noodle is a chain with other locations outside of Causeway Bay, but I decided to check out the one here. I went with their standard dumpling noodles in soup. You can’t see it in the picture below, but there are a couple of pork and shrimp dumplings hiding under all those noodles. The serving is small, but it only costs about 40 HKD, which is probably the cheapest meal I came across in Hong Kong.
If you're down to splurge
In case you’re looking for a nicer meal, higher-end restaurants are everywhere in Hong Kong. Although mall food in the States is usually average at best, many of the more expensive restaurants in Hong Kong are located in the city’s massive malls. Two I tried were both located in a shopping center called Lee Theatre Plaza, and both ended up being around 45 USD for dinner (although I did order a lot of food at both).
Paradise Dynasty
樂天皇朝
This restaurant on the sixth floor of the mall was such an experience! They’re famous for xiaolongbao, an item typically found on dim sum menus. What’s interesting about Paradise Dynasty though is the fact that they offer a ton of unique flavors, including cheese and black truffle. They even offer a “sampler” that will allow you to try one of each flavor. Not only is it the most Instagrammable meal I had in Hong Kong, but it also was so much fun to try each one!
Paradise Dynasty has a bunch of other stuff on the menu, and when it all came to the table, I realized I had ordered way too much food for just myself. Their other side dishes were fine, but I sort of wish I had just ordered two servings of their sampler. It would’ve been cheaper and probably a more manageable amount of food.
Putien
莆田
Putien, a Fujian-style seafood restaurant on the seventh floor of Lee Theatre Plaza, was recommended by an article online. I ordered a fish platter, a plate of oval-shaped mussels or shellfish that seemed to be their specialty, and a seaweed salad. I left feeling quite full, but none of those dishes were spectacular. The shellfish especially were cooked in a way that didn’t have any sauce or seasoning, leaving them with only a generic “seafoody” taste.
Meals in Causeway Bay run the gamut from staples like fried rice to exotic dishes like snake soup. Prices range from about 70 HKD to upwards of 300 or 400 HKD per meal. Good restaurants are spread out throughout the neighborhood, but if you’re craving a drink or looking for happy hour deals, there’s one small street you should head to right away, which I’ll share with you in the section below!
Drink
At the Yiu Wa Street Bars
Look no further than Yiu Wa Street (耀華街) for all your adult beverage needs! Despite being very short, this street is packed with bars and cafes (including two I recommend below), all of which look unique and worth a visit. I tried two and would recommend both.
B & W Lounge
This chic little bar was the perfect place to stop in for a glass of wine. The vibe was cool but relaxed, and I assume the name is a reference to the collection of Polaroid cameras displayed along the wall on one side.
Ruggers
Only a few doors down from B & W, Ruggers was a little sports bar boasting a ton of local beers on tap.
Although I only made it to these two places, most if not all the bars on Yiu Wa Street had similar setups (i.e., they were small) but each seemed to have its own personality and character. I can’t think of a better street for bar hopping, especially if it’s raining out!
Coffee
Since the weather was rainy and cloudy the entire time I was in Hong Kong, I spent a fair amount of time in cafes working on my Sa Pa blog post (and also wasting time online).
Why the Standard Coffee Chains Were a Disappointment
Hong Kong has all the international coffee chains you might expect (such as Starbucks) as well as some local chains including Pacific Coffee. The problem with all of them is that one beverage purchase only comes with a measly 30 minutes of WiFi access. You need to enter a unique password that comes on the receipt, a timer does count down from the moment you login, and you will be disconnected after half an hour.
With all that in mind, finding a place to actually chill and login was harder than I thought it would be. The two places I found that I really liked were both on Yiu Wa Street, the road with all the bars mentioned above. Coffee, alcohol… Yiu Wa really does have everything!
The Coffee Academics
This cafe is located on the corner of Yiu Wa Street and Canal Road East. It’s the flagship store of a chain with locations across Asia. What I liked about it: the unique drinks, the atmosphere, and the ability to actually sit and use WiFi for multiple hours without feeling like I was being pressured to leave. What I didn’t like were the really high prices.
Drinks at The Coffee Academics were genuinely delicious and original. They had one latte with black pepper sprinkled on top, which may sound weird but ended up being so good! The atmosphere was also a major plus. Although most of the tables were set up more like a dining room than a coffee shop, there were a couple of seats at a windowside counter as well as two large communal tables for people to sit and work. Since it was a welcoming space and the drinks were good, I returned to The Coffee Academics a couple of times and stayed for a few hours each time I did.
Despite all that it has going for it, every item on the menu at The Coffee Academics is really overpriced. Sure, the lattes are smooth and the ambiance is comfortable. But at 60 HKD (approx. 7.50 USD) for some of their cheaper options, they make Starbucks’ 45 HKD lattes look like a bargain (which they are not!). The meals on the menu were even more expensive, which is the main reason I never bothered to try any of their breakfast or brunch items.
Caffe Kenon
This small-ish diner is literally right across the street from The Coffee Academics. It’s even visible from their large, almost floor-to-ceiling windows, beckoning patrons to come and give them a try.
Caffe Kenon has everything that The Coffee Academics does, except the coffee is slightly cheaper. Their menu may be a little more traditional, but I still really liked every latte and mocha I tried here. Caffe Kenon also feels slightly more like a restaurant, but with much more counter seating and an open and fast WiFi network, it’s clear that they don’t mind if you stay for a while to work.
What I really liked about Caffe Kenon though was their breakfast, which only cost about 50 HKD. The fact that all the food pictured below cost less than a single drink at The Coffee Academics is saying something!
In any case, both The Coffee Academics and Caffe Kenon are both great places to sit and work or relax. In general, coffee is expensive in Hong Kong so prepare to pay a pretty penny for a cup no matter where you go. To read more about coffee shops in Hong Kong, click here.
The Tip of the Iceberg for Hong Kong’s Foodie Scene
Well, that’s all I have! Keep in mind, this was only a small fraction of the options in one of the city’s many neighborhoods. Hong Kong may be a center of international business and finance, but it’s also an amazing place for anyone who loves food. If you happen to be in Causeway Bay, I hope this post gives you a couple of ideas!
Have any questions about the places listed here? Do you have an all-time favorite restaurant in Hong Kong? Let me know in the comments section below! Thanks for reading!
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This post was published on May 10, 2019
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I love that you wrote a foodie guide for Hong Kong. My first time there was in 2014 as well. I’m dying to go back! I also thoroughly enjoyed Dim Sum in HK. But I would have to try Nom Nom Dumplings and Paradise Dynasty. Holy cow not only is the food beautiful and colorful but the interior of that place is gorgeous too!
Oh my! All of the food looks delicious!! I’ve only ever had dim sum once but would love to try it in Hong Kong. Paradise Dynasty would be amazing to try. I never think of Hong Kong as having a coffee culture but would absolutely love to try the different flavours!
That’s a lot of Asian food! I remember my trip to Hong Kong as a wonderful food experience, I must have tasted food from all over the world in less than a week! Thank you for sharing these addresses, I’ll remember that for my next trip!
I haven’t been to Hong Kong in years. Your article makes me want to go back now. I love the colourful dumplings, haven’t seen those before. OMG what is with the coffee timed wi-fi? Haven’t come across that before either!
Two things I would like to point out
1- the pictures look delicious
2 – you really created a mental map while writing this blog
I think I will be visiting Hong Kong soon. This blog will prove really helpful as I am really interested in food scene of new places.
Oh my, I am getting hungry just by looking at those. While in Hong Kong I was absolutely in love with dim sum and I would go there again to eat more and more.
Its such a pity that it rained all of the five days you were there but you made the most of it by exploring all the food options! I am not surprised that Hong Kong has some of the world’s best food options, considering that it is such a melting pot of cultures, just like the city I live in (Dubai). I can also relate to the fact that its expensive to eat out, its the same here in Dubai although you do have some cheap/ budget options too! I’d love to have the dim sums in a place like Dragon Prince but I’d also love to go somewhere very local, like Snake King 2! I am a total foodie and experimenting with varieties of food is something I love doing!
I live in Seattle, so we have some great dim sum (and dumplings – yum) options, but HK looks fantastic and is probably better. The prices on coffee, though – wow – that’s surprising. I can’t make it through a day without coffee (in Seattle and all…hahahaha) – guess I’d have to bring along the Starbucks Via when I visit. Thank you for the comprehensive post on food options in HK – those little bars on Yiu Wa look SUPER cool.
I live in India, where Dimsums have become quite the rage in the last couple of years or so. Looking at all the pictures of the HongKong Dimsums makes me feel so hungry!! And such colors too. I especially liked the budget eat section. And Coffee Academics look beautiful. Thank You for sharing 🙂
I haven’t yet been to Hong Kong but Asian cuisine is by far my favorite international option. The pictures all look so delectable!
Dim sum and dumplings oh yes! No surprise the food scene in Hong Kong is so vibrant (though pricey) as it is such a major trading center for the world, and hence a congolmoration of world cultures. Perfect for foodies to delight.
This is great! I’ll be in Hong Kong this weekend and will make sure to try some of the spots in Causeway bay. I love the food in Hong Kong especially the French toast. So yummy
!
I thought Dim Sum in San Francisco’s Chinatown was the bomb, until I saw this feast. Yum! ~ Sage Scott, the Everyday Wanderer
I’ve never been to Hong Kong, but I know it would be the perfect place to do a food tour…or two! It looks like you guys hit some really good spots.
Wow, there are so many types of eating out in Hong Kong and that too in most fashionable neighborhoods. I loved the colorful dumplings of Paradise dynasty. They really are Instagrammable and for the first time I am seeing colorful dumplings. Nice idea. Thanks for sharing all locations.
The food looks absolutely amazing, and I love your thorough descriptions. Not a bug fan of the fish, though. However, I’m in love with your drink from The Coffee Academics!
We had visited Hong Kong a few years ago and it was in the midst of the rainy season. Being vegetarians we had lesser food options, but did not find it too difficult though. Hong Kong is indeed a melting pot of cultures and cuisines. Your foodie guide is invaluable for people visiting Hong Kong. I like the look of Caffe Kenon, looks really nice and quirky.
I’m a foodie as well, and by saying that – having a gastronomic adventure is my first priority whenever I visit in big City like Hong Kong. This reminds me of my trip in Hong Kong way back 2015, and I must say they have an interesting culinary aside from their arts and culture. Actually, I haven’t tasted some food in your list, and will surely get to taste them once I have a chance to visit HK again. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.