The 11 best new restaurants to try in Hong Kong this July

Japanese solo shabu shabu restaurant Le-Ta-Su opens its first Hong Kong outpost in New Town Plaza in Sha Tin. Just like its Japanese counterparts, the Hong Kong branch focuses on providing seasonal vegetables sourced from local farmers, as well as offering a plentiful variety of premium meats. Take your pick from 10 hotpot sets that come with an appetiser, veggies, your choice of meat, and carb; before dipping and dunking your ingredients into gourmet broths such as kombu dashi, Chinese medicinal cuisine mala soup, or sesame tantan. 

Citrino da Yoshinaga Jinbo is a newly-opened Japanese-Italian fine dining restaurant on Central’s On Lan Street. Created by Japanese chef Yonshinaga Jinbo of Tokyo’s Jinbo Minami Aoyama in partnership with the group behind one-Michelin-starred Ryota Kappou Modern, and private gallery and supper club, Amass Supper Labo, this fine-dining restaurant specialises in reinterpreting dishes from Italy’s rich culinary heritage with Japanese touches. Guests can delight in exquisite creations such as chef Jinbo’s signature bagna cauda, green asparagus and sea urchin aglio e olio spaghetti, morchella chanterelle risotto, and Citrono’s chicken alla Dirty.

After debuting in Hong Kong during the summer of 2023, Roman-style pizza specialist Alice Pizza has expanded and opened a second location in Central. Customers can order their desired teglia (tray-baked) pizzas from the pizzeria’s ground floor, and head to the second floor to enjoy their baked creations or take their pizzas to go. The new branch also features a large colourful mural painted by local artist Pei Chung, which features iconography from Italy and Hong Kong such as the Colosseum, neon signs, a junk boat, and a teglia tray with slices of pizza. 

Just like its Wan Chai branch, the Central location sells pizzas by size and weight, so you can order according to your appetite. Aside from providing customers with two dozen pizza varieties, there are also five location-exclusive pizzas – salsiccia and porcini mushrooms, potato salsiccia, a crostino sandwich filled with ham and cheese, eggplant parmesan, and Chef’s Choice (topped with speck, porcini mushrooms, ricotta, mozzarella, and parsley). 

Led by the team behind venues such as Uncle Miguel, Honey Hot, and West Coast Cafe; RightSideUp is the latest addition to SoHo’s collection of hip and happening restobars on Peel Street. This intimate venue is decked out in retro decor with vinyl record covers, disco balls, and cosy booth seats. Stuff your belly with old-school American comfort food, ranging from light snacks like buffalo wings with blue cheese dip or fried pickle slices, entrees such as spicy baked ziti and baby back ribs slathered in barbeque sauce, and filling sandwiches like The Colonel’s Sandwich which contains buttermilk-fried chicken dressed in sriracha mayo and pickled red cabbage. Sip on wine, beers, and spirits and inventive signature cocktails to wash it all down. Try creations like Disco Julep with peach and ginger, the Retro Sour topped with creamy yoghurt foam, or even the Philly Martini – a cocktail that takes inspiration from the beloved Philly cheesesteak sandwich.

Wan Chai’s Ship Street welcomes Wakaran, a global dining venue that blends Japanese, Chinese, and Western influences. Kick back with your gang as you feast on a wide array of tempting plates at their dining room or enjoy your meal at the kitchen counter and watch the chefs at work. Begin with light appetisers such as truffle sesame doughnuts or crispy potato crab mille feuille, before moving onto entrees such as baby squid lap cheong fried rice or salt-cured whole roasted dry ma yau (threadfin). As for desserts, Wakaran offers creative takes on Hong Kong desserts such as spicy ginger soup encased in transparent dumpling skins, or a creamy mango pomelo sago cocktail topped with airy coconut foam. Don’t forget to try the restaurant’s refreshing cocktails like the sake-based Kyuri Cooler, or the Calamansi Hi made with barley shochu.

Since opening its first Hong Kong location in early 2024, Seoul Noodles has been a hotspot for authentic Korean bites. The restaurant chain has just opened a new location in Mong Kok, and continues to serve traditional fare made using Korean ingredients to ensure high-quality dishes. To make their signature hand-cut noodles, Seoul Noodles’ chefs use dough that’s been fermented at a low temperature for 24 hours, before kneading it until the dough reaches a bouncy, al-dente texture. Be sure to try the restaurant’s noodles served in an umami-rich broth with toppings like clams or chicken. Alternatively, try their rice soup and side dishes like bossam – slices of boiled pork topped with green onions – and hand-wrapped dumplings with fillings like kimchi and pork.

Check out our reel for Seoul Noodles by clicking this link.

It isn’t hard to miss 208 Italian’s bright orange facade on Hollywood Road. This casual Italian eatery takes over 208 Duecento Otto and Ramato’s former space on Hollywood Road, and provides diners with an extensive range of regional Italian flavours. Expect antipasti like veal tonnato, fritto misto, and gnocco fritto; or get stuck into pasta dishes such as ravioli del plin in veal juz, as well as risotto alla Milanese e Midollo with roasted bone marrow. For main courses, there’s classic hand-tossed oven-fired pizzas, featuring signature creations like Pizza 208, topped with red and yellow cherry tomatoes and burrata cheese.

Brand new healthy dining concept Meet Met Met debuts at Wong Chuk Hang’s The Southside. Featuring a sleek, minimalist design with a touch of greenery, the bright and airy space is perfect for everything from morning coffees to a refreshing lunch break and casual gatherings. Sourcing premium ingredients from around the world, Meet Met Met focuses on plating up health-conscious dishes like cauliflower ‘risotto’ with pan-seared Japanese scallops and lobster sauce, as well as Power Bowls, the eatery’s own spin on poke bowls which diners can customise with an array of housemade sauces. Beyond the food, Meet Met Met also has a range of beverages that are hard to pass up, such as the tiger nut with tea jelly and strawberry black tea.

Another new opening on ever-evolving Ship Street is the new izakaya Nadagogo that provides three distinct Japanese cooking styles under one roof. Customers can dig into a selection of Hakata-style yakitori and other skewers like pork rolls and thickly sliced beef tongue that are grilled to perfection. The Japanese restaurant also offers a wide array of robatayaki-fired dishes prepared by Okinawan-born chef Shimoji Atsushi, such as M7 grilled Australian wagyu harami steak, Saikyo miso marinated Hokkaido pork belly, or seafood plates like salt grilled kinki fish and Aichi salt-grilled Japanese eel with wasabi and eel sauce. Nadagogo also serves washoku, or traditional Japanese cuisine, for diners to delight in. Sink your teeth into daily sashimi offerings, and don’t skip out on flavourful noodles like Nadagogo’s chicken ramen in salt-flavoured supreme soup or mentaiko cream udon. Pair your meal with the restaurant’s range of draught beers, thirst-quenching shochu highballs, and an extensive selection of sake.

Wong Chuk Hang’s newest shopping mall, The Southside, is officially open for business and set to provide customers with a wide array of food and dining options. Joining the mall’s roster of eateries is Duan Chun Zhen, an authentic Taiwanese family-style restaurant with several locations in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the United States. The restaurant chain is best known for crafting its signature beef noodles in a rich broth that’s painstakingly cooked for 18 hours and consists of up to 23 different spices and herbs. What’s more, this new Southside branch will also provide diners with a selection of location-exclusive lo-sui, also known as marinated meat dishes. Try individual plates such as pork belly, pork trotters, beef shank, and more; or opt for vegetarian-friendly options like king oyster mushrooms, tofu, or baby cabbage.