Where to find the most satisfying cheap eats in Hong Kong

This neighbourhood store in Tai Kok Tsui regularly boasts a long queue. Banh Mi Chung sells only one kind of classic banh mi ($30 for half portion, $50 for full portion), which are made to order. Each banh mi is filled with the store’s homemade Vietnamese sausage, roasted meat, liver pâté, pork floss, pickled radish, scallions, and coriander. If there’s any ingredients you want more of, the store allows you to customise your banh mi to your liking. 

This halal-friendly restaurant has been operating in Kowloon City since 1950, and has kept its charm as a homely family-style restaurant. Their menu offers a wide variety of dishes like cold cuts, curries, noodles, and even dim sum items. But if we have to recommend only one item you need to try here, it would be their pan-fried beef buns ($48 for two) – a crowd favourite for their crisp exterior and irresistibly juicy filling.

A historic noodle joint and a neighbourhood institution, Chi Kee has remained unchanged for the past fifty years and is the definition of old-school. Don’t let its run-down exterior – and interior – fool you, the folks here at Chi Kee cook up some excellent noodles. The customer favourite is by far the beef brisket noodles in ground bean sauce. Its fantastic beef flavours and the chewy noodles make a heavenly combo. The wontons and fish balls are worth ordering too. 

Kuen Kee is a wonton noodle establishment with several locations around Hong Kong Island. Within minutes of ordering, your food will be presented piping hot in front of you. Kuen Kee makes their wontons in-house, as well as other toppings like fish balls, cuttlefish balls, and minced dace fish balls. A bowl of soup noodles with a topping of your choice begins at only $27. What’s more, it costs the same amount to enjoy two toppings.

Cheung Hing Kee has several locations across Hong Kong and churns out countless trays of Shanghai pan-fried buns on a daily basis. Grab a portion of their signature crispy-bottomed soup filled buns ($40 for four pieces) and pair them with chilli sauce or vinegar – but beware of the hot broth inside when you bite in! Additionally, Cheung Hing Kee offers set menus which allows you to pair their crispy buns with a drink of choice, and main dishes like Shanghainese noodles tossed in scallion oil ($65) or dan dan noodles ($67) – all for under $100.

As one of Kwai Chung Plaza’s hottest vendors, Wai Sik Mau is known for their made-to-order Taiwanese pancakes that come generously stuffed with delightful savoury ingredients. We recommend you try the assorted pancake that comes with crab sticks, bacon, sausage, and more. But, be prepared to wait if you want to try one of these loaded pancakes, as the store is only manned by one owner. Nonetheless, you’re bound to see customers who are happy to queue and wait for Wai Sik Mau’s flaky pancakes.

This venue whips up soft pillowy mochi that are generously filled at affordable prices. Available in two batches every day – the first at noon and the second at 1pm – the mochi balls come in traditional flavours like sesame, peanut, and red bean paste ($6 each), as well as fun and creative flavours such as pistachio and hazelnut ($12 each), both of which are sold during the second round only. Apart from mochi balls, be sure to also check out their other affordable and delicious snacks, including their fresh dumplings, noodles, and an assortment of Hong Kong classics like the pan-fried pork and chive bun ($15). 

Twins Liangpi specializes in serving Sichuan spicy noodles. It provides a wide range of options, including the iconic Chongqing liangpi, sour and spicy noodles as well as other authentic Sichuan dishes like saliva chicken. Twins has been listed in Michelin's Bib Gourmand list for the past two years, and there is definitely a good reason for that. The kick of heat from the spicy broth with the al dente bites of cool liangpi should complete a meal that powers up your day.

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Head to Jordan to find Mrs. Fong Chinese Desserts, a stall that specialises in traditional Chinese desserts. The store sells 18 kinds of homemade treats, and it has been run for almost 20 years by the Fong family and Mrs. Fong, the store’s matriarch who has been passing down her dessert-making skills to the next generation. The signature item at Mrs. Fong’s are their black sesame rolls ($35 for one roll), which are also affectionately known as ‘film rolls’. Be sure to try out some of their other desserts such as put chai ko ($8) (red bean bowl pudding) available in flavours like brown sugar or coconut, osmanthus flower pudding, thousand-layer pudding, split pea pudding (all $21 for three pieces), and many more.

So the name sounds a bit dodgy, but rest assured, there’s no dog meat involved in any Block 18’s noodles. The name doggie’s noodle actually refers to their specialty glutinous rice noodles. Here at this street food joint, tuck in a hearty bowl of noodles ($30) served in rich broth with liberal helpings of mushrooms and minced meat; but don't miss out on their fake shark fin soup with duck too. 

Head to Sham Shui Po to find this popular shop that specialises in potstickers called guo tie. Here, you can order dumplings with fillings such as pork with cabbage, pork with watercress, or pork with leek in fish soup (each $32), or try them pan-fried ($20 for three pieces) to crisp perfection. They also sell uncooked dumplings by the dozen ($30), so you can enjoy Yuen Fong’s tasty morsels in the comfort of your own home.

Sham Shui Po is home to Hop Yick Tai, who are best known for their crowd-pleasing cheung fun (rolled rice noodle sheets). Their plates of steamed cheung fun (from $10 and up) are made fresh daily, and pair wonderfully with generous slatherings of sweet sauce, peanut sauce, and soy sauce.

If you’ve got a sweet tooth, be sure to visit Kai Kai. This Chinese dessert shop has consistently been on the Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand list ever since 2016, and they churns out a selection of quintessential classics like red bean soup with lotus seeds ($26), black sesame soup ($27), mango and pomelo sago ($39), as well as sweet almond soup ($29).

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Local bakery Kadorar Bakery offers a myriad of classic Chinese-style baked goods, like sausage buns and pineapple buns. But what's made their popularity sky-rocket amongst Hong Kong's sweet tooths are their pudding buns and choux puffs, which have taken Hong Kong by storm. If you want to get your hands on these sweet treats, be prepared for a long wait, but we promise it's worth it!

Street food stall Fei Jie in Mong Kok offers some of your more usual options like cuttlefish balls and soy-braised snacks, but they’ve gained fame for their unusual yet immensely delicious turkey kidney, squid, and pig intestine skewers (all three for $40). While it might not sound the most appetising, throw on some sweet sauce and mustard and you’ll know why there’s always a queue by their storefront.

Tai O is one of the most popular destinations for city dwellers to visit on the weekend for a quick getaway and its array of cheap eats offerings. The fishing village offers a ton of delicious street bites that will keep you fuelled throughout the day. Eat your way around the area and indulge in streetside treats from streetside grilled dried seafood, fish balls, tofu fa, eggettes, rice cakes, and much more. 

When it comes to tofu pudding, one of Hong Kong’s beloved classic desserts, Kung Wo is king. Their silky tofu pudding (from $11 and up) comes in two sizes, and can be enjoyed hot or cold. Don’t forget to try out their other soybean treats, such as tofu puffs ($14 for five) and homemade soy milk (from $7 and up).

This little eatery will transport you into the bustling hawker centres of Malaysia with just one bite. Two Greens, a name inspired by the old Cantonese slang for ‘$20’, prides itself on offering authentic dishes at affordable prices. Must-tries include their peppery bak kuh teh (from $38 and up), crispy kaya toast ($24), and cha chaan teng favourites like the crispy meat patty with egg on rice ($42). Other Cantonese dishes include poached egg mixed rice with fried lard ($38) which is excellent to pair with the egg-fried cheung fun ($27).

Kwan Hong Bakery is a family-run bakery with over 40 years of history. The shop temporarily closed in August 2021 due to rent problems, but on May 8, the owners took over the venue next door and reopened the shop with a brand new look. Apart from western-style baked goods, you can also get your hands on traditional cakes and pastries such as walnut cookies, Chinese shortbread, wife cakes, red bean cakes, and much more. The fan favourite here is the ‘chicken biscuit’, which the owner insists on using traditional methods and ingredients like fatback, five-spice powder, and fermented bean curd. It may not sound too appetising but trust us, you’ll be missing out if you don’t try it.

Well-loved by hikers who refuel after hiking in the Eastern District, this Shau Kei Wan street food store has been serving delicious egg puffs and egg waffles for over a decade. Along with the original flavours of their waffles and egg puffs ($21),  must-tries include their chocolate flavoured treats (starts at $32) and their signature Golden Waffle, which puts a spin on the traditional snack filled with a lavish explosion of salted egg yolk, condensed milk, and brown sugar. 

Note: Prices shown on the video have been updated since the video was taken. 

With a bunch of different and unique gelato flavours to choose from, Gelato Messina is well-loved by many in the city, as evidenced by the long queues on weekends. They even have exclusive Hong Kong flavours, with flavours such as black sesame tong yuen (glutinous rice balls) ($85 for 2 scoops) made with roasted black sesame and chewy pieces of glutinous rice balls in the middle.

Ding Ba earned a spot on the list of Michelin Bib Gourmand venues in 2022 and serves up some legit Taiwanese-style street food. The crispy oyster omelette ($45), egg pancake wraps ($28), and braised pork rice ($25) are all worth trying and if you’re into the mouth stink, make sure you get some of the fried stinky tofu ($50).

Keung Kee in Wan Chai has over 70 years of history in making one of the best bowls of glutinous rice with preserved sausages in Hong Kong ($64), but you also don't want to miss their flavourful supreme soy sauce fried noodles with cabbage ($25) or pan-fried cheung fun with dried shrimp ($26).