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Another day, another closure – it looks like Hong Kong’s competitive F&B landscape and challenging market conditions will claim another victim in just a matter of weeks.
Iconic cha chaan teng Honolulu Coffee Shop – one of few remaining first-generation examples of classic ‘tea restaurants’ in the city – is set to serve its last on Sunday, March 1, at its Wan Chai location, following more than eight long decades of being in business.
Honolulu Coffee Shop has been a fixture of Hong Kong’s dining scene since the 1940s, celebrated as a cornerstone of heritage and a symbol of the city’s idiosyncratic local cuisine. Its old-school interiors, packed with squeaky vinyl booths and glass-topped tables, also served as a filming location for the 2010 Hong Kong romantic comedy Crossing Hennessy, starring Cantopop singer and actor Jacky Cheung and Tang Wei, for whom the movie represented a comeback after her role in Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution.
News of Honolulu Coffee Shop’s imminent closure was shared online last week, causing customers to flock to the long-standing shop on busy Hennessy Road for one final sip of the cha chaan teng’s signature Honolulu coffee and Hong Kong-style ‘silk stocking’ milk tea, and to enjoy a final bite of its fragrant egg tart. Boasting 192 delicate layers of crust, these buttery, crispy baked goods are Honolulu’s claim to fame, and the shop takes pride in the fact that its recipes have remained unchanged for more than 50 years.
If you simply cannot do without Honolulu’s famous flaky egg tarts, there is still one remaining branch of this beloved cha chaan teng over at Maritime Bay in Hang Hau. For some of us, that’s a long way to go for a taste of nostalgia, but hey, it will be worth the trek, even if it won’t have the same sentimental feeling as the legendary Wan Chai shop.
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