The 15 best Southeast Asian restaurants in Hong Kong

Indonesian Restaurant 1968 has recently reopened in a brand-new location on Cochrane Street, and presents classic home-style Indonesian fare in a no-frills environment. Guests can dig into a wide range of Indonesian classics, but if you’re not familiar with the cuisine, there are several dishes marked with a star that are house recommendations. Be sure to try out the chicken skewers served with chunky satay, gado gado (a light salad tossed in peanut sauce), hearty beef rendang, and nasi goreng.

Banh Mi Nem is an all-new bánh mí takeaway store in Wan Chai that's run by Vietnam-native store owner, Kiki Phung. Each day, the store imports ingredients like pâté, cold cuts, marinated pork skewers, as well as pork floss from Vietnam daily; and pairs them with Vietnamese-style baguettes to make authentic bánh mí. Kiki learnt to create bánh mí from Ho Chi Minh's most popular baguette store, and brought the recipe back to a local factory Hong Kong to whip up fresh baguettes each day. Currently, Banh Mi Nem offers bánh mí with five kinds of fillings – assorted cold cuts with pork floss and pâté ($78), stewed pork belly ($68), minced pork skewers ($68), grilled chicken thigh with chicken floss and chicken liver pâté, as well as braised tofu ($68). Aside from their scrumptious bánh mí, this takeaway joint also offers cold vermicelli bowls topped with ingredients like fried spring rolls or pork jowl,as well as Vietnamese-style coffee. 

Groundswell is Hong Kong’s first in-mall surfing destination that is both an indoor surfing facility, and a restaurant that specialises in Southeast Asian cuisine. Led by chef Heri Raharjo – former head chef of Indonesian venue Potato Head Hong Kong – this restaurant churns out flavourful dishes like fresh razor clams ($310), Singapore style soft shell chilli crab ($168), beef rendang ($188), pad thai noodles ($128), and more. The Southeast Asian flavours also extend to Groundswell’s dessert offerings, which include mango sticky rice ($78), iced pandan jelly parfait ($88), and coconut pandan crepe roll ($88).

If you’ve ever been on Peel Street, chances are you’ve most likely passed by Chôm Chôm. This resto-bar has been an integral part of Soho’s bustling neighbourhood since 2013, and has been providing an authentic bia hoi experience to host diners and drinkers alike. What that means is a no-frills, down-to-earth drinking experience, which certainly fits the bill at Chôm Chôm. 

The restaurant offers a small selection of dishes inspired by Vietnamese street food. Highlights on the menu include the la lot tartare – made with Wagyu beef combined with peanuts, pineapple and jicama, served on betel leaves; hamachi and pomelo salad drizzled with Vietnamese sate oil (made with chilli, garlic, lemongrass, and aromatics) and nuoc cham; as well as the seasoned beef tenderloin grilled over banana leaves and raw onions, served with a chilli lime sauce. 

Singaporean-Malaysian Shiok Restaurant by Atum Group is a casual dining spot located in The Forest, one of Mong Kok’s hottest shopping malls.The restaurant’s retro-inspired interior is inviting and features eye-catching decor, which includes colourful posters, decorative displays, as well as bright neon signs. Shiok’s menu provides a decent selection of Southeast Asian dishes at affordable prices, such as fried chicken skin rolls ($82), Singaporean chilli crab meat ($168), Katong laksa ($118), and char kuay teo with tiger prawns ($118). Don’t forget to order some of their desserts such as kaya toast ($58), or sip on a refreshing drink like iced cendol ($46).

An Choi in Sheung Wan offers a dining experience that is as close to eating along the streets of Vietnam as it gets. This Vietnamese eatery has a bright yellow exterior and a down-to-earth atmosphere with steel tables and plastic chairs – and most importantly, authentic dishes that’ll keep you coming back for more. Menu highlights here include their daily special noodles like bún bò Huế, crusty bánh mí baked in-house, snails baked in butter, and gỏi cuốn summer rolls stuffed with your choice of fillings.

While Indonesian Sate House doesn’t offer any seats for customers to dine in, we promise that the food offered at this hole-in-the-wall joint will be worth it. They specialise in serving skewers which range from chicken wings, fish balls, and various proteins – all of which get slathered in a satay sauce chock-full of peanuts. Aside from their skewers, this eatery also serves up Indonesian classics like beef rendang rice and nasi goreng that should not be overlooked.

Meaning ‘eat rice’ in Thai, Kin Kao is a rustic-style restaurant that offers authentic Thai cuisine in Wan Chai. From one-plate rice dishes to soup noodles, spicy som tam papaya salads, fried noodles, curries and more, you can count on Kin Kao to be an affordable spot for lunch or dinner. Be sure to leave room at the end of your meal for some mango sticky rice.

Cô Thành consistently serves up excellent Vietnamese food and brings a little slice of Ho Chi Minh City to Hong Kong with every dish. On their menu, you’ll find starters like grilled beef wrapped in betel leaf or fried pork and taro spring rolls; perfectly crisp bánh mí stuffed with ingredients like pate, crispy pork belly, pickles, and lemongrass roasted chicken; and noodle options like tossed bún in nuóc chám dressing or classic phở with stomach-warming soups.

Hollywood Road is home to Thai restaurant Chachawan which specialises in the Northeastern regional cuisine of Isaan. This casual eatery offers crowd-pleasing dishes, including gai yang, juicy grilled chicken thighs; pla phao glua, a whole salt-crusted sea bass; and goong golae, tiger prawns in dry red coconut curry. When it comes to desserts, choose from traditional sweets like coconut rice dumplings in salted coconut cream, or a Thai milk tea flavoured shaved ice piled high with tapioca pearls, which makes for a very refreshing way to end your meal.

Singaporean-Malaysian restaurant Jom offers a menu made up of modernised traditional dishes that’ll transport your taste buds to the bustling hawker centres of both countries. Come here with an empty stomach so you can stuff your face with dishes like prawn rolls, poached Hainanese chicken, chilli crab, nasi lemak, and sambal water spinach. The restaurant also has almost 30 homemade sambals on the side to complement the dishes, so whether you like your food mildly spicy or hot enough to knock your socks off, Jom’s got you covered

Like their name states, Le Garçon Saigon is a Vietnamese restaurant that highlights Saigonese cuisine. This casual bistro has a laid-back atmosphere, with ceiling fans and wicker chairs decor that are reminiscent of French colonial styling. When it comes to their menu, Le Garçon Saigon spotlights Saigon-style grilled items like ember-grilled octopus, 48 hours dry-aged yellow chicken in chilli dressing, and banana leaf-grilled barramundi.

If you’re looking for authentic Malaysian dishes with incredibly low prices, look no further. Semua Semua is a narrow little eatery in Sham Shui Po that serves up everything from noodle dishes like thick Penang-style asam laksa or rendang beef lo mee, rice plates like nasi lemak with various protein choices, and herbaceous bak kut teh, to Malaysian snacks such as buttery kaya toast and drinks like teh tarik.

If you’re a fan of Thai food, Samsen is most certainly a name you’ll be familiar with. With locations in Sheung Wan and Wan Chai, this restaurant offers solid street food classics and hearty noodle dishes that always has people queuing up by the dozens. The crowd favourite dish at Samsen has got to be their Wagyu beef soup noodles, which sees thin rice noodles drenched in a rich beef broth, garnished with Thai watercress, beef balls, as well as crispy pork rinds. 

Located in Hotel Jen, Café Malacca has made quite a name for itself as one of the most authentic Malaysian and Singaporean kitchens in town, with refined yet homely comfort dishes that never fail to impress. Highlights from the menu include the aromatic Penang char koay teow, satay, and the standout beef rendang. They also have a cake version of the traditional ondeh ondeh sweet snack which will change your mind about Asian desserts altogether.