Best new restaurants and bars to try in Hong Kong this month

Fill up at this casual izakaya without emptying out your wallet. Taking its name from the fact that all its dinner menu items are priced at $20, $40 or $60, 246 Shokudo offers a wide assortment of Japanese dishes, from sushi and sashimi to tempura and kushiyaki. Most dishes are made with high-quality ingredients sourced directly from Japan, meaning that you’re really getting bang for your buck. The restaurant also offers an extremely affordable selection of drinks, including sakes and highballs that are just $20 a pop. There’s a minimum spend of $100 per person, but that’s a small price to pay considering what you get in return.

After spending three years in Lan Kwai Fong, Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen has moved into a prime real-estate space atop The Peak. In its lofty new surrounds (boasting stunning views of course), BSK does what it does best – casual British comfort fare mixed with a few international favourites. Order the fish and chips, shepherd’s pie or Ramsay’s signature beef wellington.

Led by chef and owner, Vivi Cheung, the concept at Dandy is all about catering to different dietary needs. Whether it is vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free or even low glycaemic, the team here can take care of you without a hitch. Inside the cosy, 30-seater eatery, diners are served Western and Eastern comfort foods that use organic and unprocessed produces from farms in Greece, New Zealand and Australia. 

The sophomore venue from the brains behind Ping Pong 129 Gintonería, Dai Bing is a hipster-approved watering hole that doubles as an art space. With a name that means ‘big ice’ in Cantonese, Dai Bing takes its water-freezing process extremely seriously. It’s the first bar in the city to boast a specialised ice suite, used to craft the crystal-clear ice cubes that chill its cocktails. You can really taste the difference it makes to Dai Bing’s long drinks – the speciality here – accompanied a menu of globally influenced Portuguese petiscos. It doesn’t get cooler than this.

Enjoy retro vibes at this hotpot restaurant. Decked out in furnishings inspired by ’60s and ’70s Hong Kong, Happy Together is a fun and photogenic setting to enjoy a steaming hot meal. The restaurant offers vats of homespun broth, which you can use to cook everything from hand-wrapped dumplings to Japanese beef. You’ll also find cool and creative dishes, such as the six-flavour Shake Shake deep-fried fish skins (no doubt inspired by McDonald’s) and old-school shrimp toast.

This bi-level venue combines a restaurant and club under one roof. While that might not sound like a recipe for success, the kitchen side of things is helmed by Mark Sin, who cut his teeth at Bo Innovation, among other award-winning restaurants. Guests can enjoy Sin’s innovative European cooking upstairs before heading down to the lounge and club later in the night to enjoy DJ sets and dancing.

Located in the new Harbour North shopping mall in North Point, Kichiji is a polished izakaya that focuses on teppanyaki and seafood dishes. The menu is comprehensive, offering everything from fresh sashimi and sushi to fried, grilled and simmered goods. Try the signature wagyu and uni roll or the impressive, seafood-laden baked rice with whole rock fish.

This small Cantonese eatery comes from the same team behind neighbouring Lee Lo Mei. Dishes are snackish and inspired by street-food favourites. The homemade curry bowl, for example, includes things like fishballs, pig skin and squid in a flavourful sauce made with more than 10 spices. You’ll also find items such as deep-fried wontons and chicken nuggets coated in salted egg yolk. If you’re looking for a cheap and cheerful option for lunch, try the flat noodles with XO sauce and 63-degree egg.

A spin-off of the popular Mango Tree restaurants, this new food concept at Yuen Long’s massive Yoho shopping mall offers traditional Thai cuisine in a hip but decidedly unfussy manner. The menu is simple and straightforward, listing well-loved items such as green mango salad, tom yum goong and, of course, mango sticky rice.  

This one’s for the carnivores out there – Maruju Aburi Farm is a ranch-to-table restaurant that’s dedicated to all things wagyu. The venue showcases beef from all around the globe, such as full-blood, grade M9 wagyu from Australia. Spanning from tongue to shin, these meaty cuts can be seared on a yakiniku grill, or served slow-cooked over rice or ramen.

This dream-team collaboration comes from the folks responsible for Wagyumafia, La Rambla, Morty’s and Elephant Grounds. Ramen – particularly the tsukemen variety – is the star of the show here, served with a palm-sized piece of wagyu with bamboo shoots, nori and a runny egg. If, for whatever reason, you’re not into noodles, Mashi No Mashi also offers gyudon rice bowls and homemade wagyu beef dumplings.

Now you can easily catch dinner and a Chinese opera show at Xiqu Centre, thanks to the opening of Moon Lok. Much like the structure it’s housed in, the restaurant pays tribute to both tradition and innovation by serving timeless Chinese dishes in a sleek and modern environment. With several industry veterans at the helm, the restaurant offers solid renditions of classic crowd-pleasers, from Cantonese roast meats to baked prawns with peppercorns.