The 50 best restaurants in Hong Kong you have to try

Since opening in 2018, Arbor has remained one of the most exciting restaurants at H Queen’s. A fine-dining restaurant with chef Eric Räty at the helm, the restaurant serves innovative dishes in forest-themed surroundings and makes for a perfect tranquil getaway in the heart of Central. Arbor consistently delivers exceptional cuisine inspired by the seasons that are made with premium ingredients sourced from around the world, with special attention put on Japanese produce. Most recently, a roasted Brittany pigeon dish had us all stunned. Wonderfully flavourful, the pigeon breast came to the table encrusted in Okinawan sugar, Sichuan peppercorns, and dress in jus.

Lauded as one of the best restaurants in Asia, The Chairman has been popular ever since it opened over a decade ago. The restaurant uses the best seasonal produce, mostly organic, and no MSG. If there’s one thing you must try it’s the steamed whole flower crab in aged Shaoxing rice wine and chicken oil, served on top of flat rice noodles which soak up all the aromatics and flavours. 

Much like the original in London, renowned British chef Simon Rogan brings his celebrated sustainable cuisine to Hong Kong in the form of Roganic. A farm-to-table destination and restaurant in its own right, Roganic is made for urban-dwellers who are in need of a more refreshing, and less stiff, approach to dining. It offers an array of dishes made with the freshest ingredients, along with natural wines in a contemporary space. The tasting menus always knock it out of the park with dishes such as three yellow chicken with sweetcorn, garlic and chilli, and the soda bread with whipped cultured brown butter is a stunner too.

Incredible dim sum up in the clouds. That’s what you get at this two Michelin-starred eatery 102 floors up the ICC in Kowloon. Welcome to the highest Chinese restaurant in the city, which is helmed by chef Paul Lau, who knocks up incredible dim sum creations here like the pan-fried turnip cake with XO chilli sauce, baked oyster tart with black pepper and onions, and the baked abalone puff with roasted goose and dried bonito. Expect to dine like an emperor here. 

Hong Kong's first three-Michelin-starred sushi restaurant has relocated to the seventh floor of The Landmark Mandarin Oriental. The team at Sushi Shikon performs culinary magic with fresh, high-end ingredients procured from Japan. But this isn't only a stellar dining experience; it's a one-of-a-kind cultural experience as well: two-hour meals at an eight-seat Hinoki counter, putting sushi chef and guests at exceptionally close proximity to one another.

This Chinese restaurant was the first in the world to be awarded three Michelin stars and it’s not hard to see why. Chef Chan Yan-tak and his team create the most delicate pieces of dim sum, as well as perfectly steamed seafood dishes, nourishing double-boiled soups and delicious seasonal ingredients. Award-winning food combined with a stunning view of Victoria Harbour doesn’t get better than this.

This restaurant has stood the test of time, and its classic style interior has remained too. Though in more recent times the cuisine showcases some really rather innovative contemporary French fare, thanks to chef Uwe Opocensky. Sample dishes such as the grilled Spanish red prawn served with flavourful garum, and the Japanese rice, donabe, king crab and kohlrabi. Pair this with excellent wine – hence the name Petrus – impeccable service and a romantic atmosphere, and you have yourself a quintessential spot for popping the question.

Chef Guillaume Galliot whisks guests into the world of French gastronomy using the finest ingredients to create the most sensuous flavours on a plate. On the menu are dishes like signature Racan pigeon from Maison Bellorr, which is cooked in a cocoa pod, and served with salsify and puffed potatoes dressed in a cocoa jus. The restaurant has a fantastic French artisanal cheese collection, and of course, an extensive wine list focusing mostly on Bordeaux and Burgundy.

Perfect for business lunches, intimate dinners and special occasions, Amber is the restaurant to be and be seen. Thanks to chef Richard Ekkebus' vision to bring a more progressive cuisine to the forefront, Amber now benefits from an innovative menu that is not confined to labels of cuisine and instead celebrates fresh produce in flavourful and masterful execution. A menu full of exemplary dishes such as the cold-pressed sweet Okinawan corn with Taiyouran egg yolk, seawater foam and caviar, topped with a corn tuile is simply sublime.

Dubbed the ‘king of truffles’, chef Umberto Bombana whips up rustic, truffle laden Italian dishes while embodying the essence of Italian hospitality through his venues’ exceptional service. Expect signature dishes such as the homemade Cavatelli shellfish ragout and sea urchin, Tajima short rib and beef tenderloin with red wine, plum sauce and whipped potato, and more.

Argentinian chef Augustin Ferrando Balbi, formerly of Japanese restaurant Haku, set up shop on Wellington Street with a concept that fuses the renowned chef's Spanish ancestral roots while looking east to Japan – the land that shaped his skills in the kitchen. The restaurant, opened in collaboration with the team behind some of Hong Kong's most loved restaurants including Duddell's and Louise on this list, takes diners on a journey through dishes that evokes a sense of nostalgia and strange familiarity. Menu highlights include the sashimi course (Depatir), which represents his departure from home to Japan, and the fragrant and smoky Caldoso rice with abalone and chorizo (Sin Lola) which means without Lola, a tribute to Balbi’s late grandmother.

Upscale yet relaxing, the food at Tate is an avant-garde take on Chinese cuisine with a French twist. Located in the heart of Sheung Wan, on Hollywood Road, Tate’s comfortable and intimate atmosphere appeals as much to the sophisticated as it does to the adventurous eater. The eight-course pairing menu of 'Edible Stories' is designed by chef and owner Vicky Lau. Her 'Odes' to a pinpointed ingredient create some of the most impressive menus and dishes in Hong Kong, one of which is the lavender-perfumed pigeon with Chinese cabbage roll and Sichuan pigeon jus.

World-renowned chef Ricardo Chaneton has had a fair bit of success in his career, not least in working previously at the three Michelin-starred Mirazur in southern France. The chef's latest Hong Kong venture is Mono, a 30-seater restaurant which delivers delectable contemporary French cuisine in sleek, modern surroundings. The signature dishes are all experimental fusions of fresh ingredients and spices, all of which can be washed down with an impressive selection of wines from France's Burgundy and Bordeaux regions. The tasting menu changes regularly, but highlights have been a Miéral pigeon with a complex and layered mole, and a refreshing and zingy ocean crudo.

Vicky Cheng, the visionary chef that puts Chinese-French cuisine to work, is the V in VEA (while celebrated Hong Kong bartender Antonio Lai is the A). The restaurant offers a distinct cuisine that aims to shine a light on Chinese cuisine created with French technique and execution. Food-wise, there are tasting menus with six-courses or eight-courses that change regularly with the seasons. Signatures that do stay on the menu include a sea cucumber with kuruma prawn and fish maw with caviar and quinoa. What seems like odd pairings, is actually well thought out. All the flavours are fine-tuned with finesse, and there's a sense of Hong Kong cuisine in every offering.

Écriture is a French fine-dining venue with two Michelin stars under its belt and is named after renowned Korean artist Park Seo-Bo’s groundbreaking abstract expressionist series. The restaurant attempts to emulate Park through bold colours and designs that rely heavily on shapes and lines. With the restaurant’s open kitchen in the centre and floor-to-ceiling windows, diners can experience stunning views to go with the French culinary art. The menu, or Library of Flavours, change with the seasons but signature highlights include the likes of a showstopping caviar and uni tart, and akamutsu, wrapped in kombu from Brittany with verbena and fresh lemon that is steamed with sake over a hot stone.

The Landmark MO's revamped food and beverage programme includes Somm, a casual restaurant and wine bar with a huge selection of over 1,600 Champagnes, wines, and sakes. The restaurant is filled out with walnut wood which evokes a wine barrel in its design and is laid out so that the team of sommeliers – including a sake somm – can easily give you the attention you deserve. The seasonal menus are made to enhance the wine you're drinking, too. Highlights include a rather sumptuous Aka Uni French Toast and a rich and satisfying dish of Japanese pork belly with BBQ sauce and Hakata cabbage.

Louise, a restaurant headed by acclaimed chef Julien Royer of Odette in Singapore, is a tribute to his upbringing, championing heritage recipes born out of his nostalgia for family meals on the farm in Cantal, France. And it is indeed all that and more. The food is hearty and approachable, the wine list is long and exceptional, and the design, devised by André Fu, is subtropical, opulent and playful all at once. The ground-floor lounge serves drinks and light bites all day, while the second-floor dining room offers lunch or dinner with highlights that include roasted Hong Kong yellow chicken atop Niigata rice 'en cocotte, and a stunning dessert of Tahiti vanilla mille-feuille with pear and salted caramel ice cream.

A mix of fine art exhibitions and fine dining, this expansive venue – which also boasts a spacious terrace and elegant interiors – in Central also offers one of the best modern takes on classic Cantonese cuisine in town. Using traditional cooking techniques and premium ingredients, chef Li Man-Lung and dim sum master Lau Chi-Man put their innovative touches on Chinese delicacies that don't disappoint. The menu consists of comforting staples across dim sum and larger dishes such as honey-glazed barbecued pork and a double-boiled fish maw, coquito nuts, coconut, and chicken soup.

Chef Mingoo Kang, the chef behind two Michelin-starred Mingles in Seoul, opened his first venture outside of his native Korea, with a restaurant that brings the essence of refined Korean cuisine to Hong Kong. Food-wise, Hansik Goo offers a well-designed tasting menu that includes traditional Korean dishes like bugak – a temple cuisine favourite with deep-fried seaweed, fish, chilli, and perilla leaf – dubu wanja Korean meatballs, Korean-style Australian wagyu beef tartare, and a rather special samgye risotto, which combines samgyetang or ginseng chicken soup with fried chicken.

What the food menu at this restaurant and lounge offers is in the name, and there is indeed a fine seafood menu with top grill items to try. The quality of food is consistent due to the excellent execution from chefs Kenny Chan and Cary Docherty who bring their collective experience across Hong Kong and London to the forefront. In particular, the Sunday roast brunch is fantastic, but be prepared to book in advance as it's popular, to say the least.

Besides the delectable dim sum, this elegant restaurant in bustling Mong Kok is known for its twist on a perennial classic: yeung chow fried rice with sea cucumber, which apparently was the way Chinese emperors preferred it. The restaurant holds a consistent quality for all their Cantonese dishes, some of which they have become known to pair some great wines with too, thanks to their Ming Cellar, which carries over 400 wines from over 100 regions.

Helmed by seasoned British chef Nathan Green, meat-centric fare Henry located in Rosewood Hong Kong is every meat lover’s dream come true as the restaurant draws heavy influences from Chef Green’s countryside upbringing and American traditions to bring the best of Texas barbecue to the table. With woodfire ovens, charcoal grills, dry-aged heritage meats, and even an in-house butcher shop on display, the restaurant transparently showcases the amount of care and attention detail they invest in elevating the diner’s experience to another level. Meat enthusiasts, don’t miss out!

Helmed by chef Andrea Zamboni, formerly from 8 ½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana, Aria is one of Hong Kong's latest Italian restaurant openings this year. Perched atop California Tower in Lan Kwai Fong, the restaurant enjoys a bright space with views in the heart of the city. The menu here celebrates the best of Italian produce too, with dishes such as the impressive blue lobster and Bagna-cauda fondue, Italian milk-fed veal cutlet Milanese style with tomatoes, celery relish and Sicilian lemon, and roasted cherry tomatoes, Apulian burrata, and basil.

After a couple of months of renovation, popular Wan Chai tapas bar 22 Ships reopened and unveiled a revamped restaurant featuring a range of traditional yet modern multi-regional tapas dishes by chef Antonio Oviedo. Their u-shaped bar set against the buzzing atmosphere is perfect for devouring their light bites, with our favourites being the marinated heirloom tomatoes ($98) and the rusa and sea urchin on toast ($180). They also have a dynamic drink menu focusing on Spanish wines, sangrias, and cocktails, making this spot perfect for casual meals to remember.

With a name like Bȃtard, which stems from the old French word for bastard, you’re not wrong in assuming that this restaurant is more easy-going than other formal wine-focused establishments in Hong Kong. Thanks to standout dishes of cold angel hair in kombu and topped with Kristal caviar, and roast local chicken with rice pilaf, which is superb, Bȃtard is a triumphant trifecta of great wine, good food, and impeccable service – friendly and attentive, but not overly so – so it's no wonder we returned, and now, you probably will too.

Modern European restaurant Arcane, with the owner and chef Shane Osborn behind it, is a cosy place, where friends, family, and business associates can be wined and dined. The offerings on the menu are solid, and Osborn does create some fab dishes that are worthy of praise. It's a space for those who understand the chef’s approach – and love it.

As the first branch of Osaka's two-Michelin starred Sushiyoshi outside Japan, Sushiyoshi in Hong Kong has a lot to live up to. Thankfully, it does. Chef-owner Nakanoue Hiroki is known for bringing Western ingredients and techniques to his Japanese cooking, as evidenced by dishes such as waffle with scallop tartare and caviar d'Aquitaine uni rice. For a full taste of what Sushiyoshi has to offer, go for the omakase, which includes 17 to 21 courses. Staying true to its roots, Sushiyoshi has proven a hit in Hong Kong, continually offering diners a playful and exciting sushi experience.

Even after almost a decade in the business, Yardbird attracts diners by the hordes, thanks to being the kind of super hip izakaya/yakitori venue that not even Tokyo denizens would roll their eyes at. The restaurant may have moved to a bigger space, but the food remains just as good as it was. The chicken here is treated no differently than the finest piece of toro, that is, with love and care. And it returns the favour by donating literally every part of its body including the thigh, wing, neck, liver, tail or skin.

Happy Paradise is the brainchild of Asia's Best Female Chef 2017, May Chow, who also brought us Little Bao and Second Draft in Hong Kong. In this funky, neon-punctuated space, sip on Chinese-influenced cocktails, while dining on modern takes on Canto classics, such as sourdough egg waffle with bottarga whip, Australian wagyu skirt steak on thick-cut rice noodles, and a delightful mochi apple pie. The restaurant opens for dinner only.

Neighborhood is a French-and-Italian restaurant located in a discreet Man Hing Lane off Peel Street. The weekly menu, by chef and owner David Lai – of Michelin-starred Bistronomique – changes regularly, but favourites have been the salt-baked chicken cooked in yellow wine with rice and morels, along with the moreish poached pigeon eggs topped with horseradish and caviar.

Hong Kong's well-known food writing father-son duo Lau Kin-Wai and Lau Chun are the ones behind Kin's Kitchen, a family-style restaurant in Wan Chai, popular for their classic Cantonese dishes. The restaurant strikes a fine balance between price, quality, and consistency in their cuisine, with many seemingly simple dishes that actually carry layers of complexity and attention to detail. Must-orders include the soy sauce smoked chicken and fried milk. There are even three different kinds of white rice, which possess different texture and flavour profiles, available. As a bonus, their corkage policy is very reasonable for a mid-end Chinese restaurant.

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. Plus they have a cake version of the traditional ondeh ondeh sweet snack which will change your mind about Asian desserts altogether.

Frantzén’s Kitchen is celebrated Swedish chef and restaurateur Björn Frantzén's first venture outside of his native land. The restaurant sits on Upper Station Street in a sleepy nook of Sheung Wan and triumphantly melds Nordic and Asian cuisines into a niche Scando concept. A simple and sleek interior has all the benefits of Scandinavian-chic without any DIY furniture. Menu highlights include French toast with truffles, balsamic vinegar and aged cheese, as well as a fresh green asparagus dish made with split pea purée and fermented white asparagus sauce, morels and pistachio.

After garnering plenty of praise for her catering concept, banker-turned-chef Stephanie Wong opened a brick-and-mortar incarnation of Roots Eatery. Inspired by her late grandmother, Wong plates up home-style Cantonese dishes, which are informed by her French culinary training at institutions such as Alain Ducasse’s Hostellerie De Plaisance in France and Amber in Hong Kong. Highlights include her take on the classic shrimp (or prawn) toast, served with house-pickled onions and pops of salmon roe, and the signature roasted French spring chicken stuffed with glutinous rice that's soaked up all the flavour.

Carbone brings the 'bada bing' of New York-style Italian food to the city. As an extension of Mario Carbone's New York restaurant, Hong Kong's own outlet is run by the chef's cousin, Louie Carbone. The interior is decked out like a retro dining room straight out of a The Godfather's set, with waiters decked out in pressed tuxedos. Highlights include a perfectly tossed Caesar salad, the crowd-pleasing spicy rigatoni vodka, and the Italian-style desserts which are huge and come out on a trolley for you to choose. Go for ample-sized tiramisu or carrot cake, and you're in for a great night filled with the vibes and nostalgia of Italiano Americana.

This izakaya is helmed by chef Shun Sato, a Sendai native who has worked in Tokyo’s famous Tsukiji Market, Sydney restaurants BlancHaru and Yoshii and, more recently here in Hong Kong, Belon and Ho Lee Fook. Signature dishes include the likes of crispy caramel butter corn, yaki udon topped with sweet crab meat, and A4 wagyu sukiyaki. In typical izakaya fashion, quality whisky highballs are the tipple of choice.

This stylish number is a great place to eat and be seen. Israeli chef Asher Goldstein serves sharing plates inspired by the flavours of the Middle East. So expect vibrant mezes, such as hummus with tender lamb neck ragu, and baked halloumi with pomegranate molasses. To go with the food, the restaurant also features a carefully curated wine list, courtesy of sommelier Simone Sammuri.

Hailed as one of the oldest and greatest Cantonese restaurants in the city (by some), Ser Wong Fun not only impresses food lovers with its exquisite selection of traditional cuisine and snake soup, but its clay pot rice is equally delicious. The pig liver sausage and chicken clay pot rice is definitely a must-try during the cold winter months.

A yakiniku barbecue concept from the wagyu specialists at Wagyumafia, this Sheung Wan restaurant offers a slightly more affordable way to indulge in Japan's famous beef and allows customers to grill the meat themselves on smokeless grills at every booth and table. The restaurant is open to those who aren't members of Wagyumafia, but reservations are required. First-timers can try the combo set which includes a selection of wagyu with all the sauce and trimmings, though they do also have an omakase menu if you're in the mood for a wider variety of wagyu cuts.

Nestled behind the flower stalls of Wan Chai's Gresson Street is Jean May, a modern but cosy bistro helmed by chef Tiff Lo, who named the restaurant as an ode to her grandmother. Lo trained under preeminent chefs such as Pierre Koffman and serves up a selection of down-to-earth dishes with a French sensibility, including oyster and pickled cucumber, steak tartare, and a sumptuous duck breast in a spiced honey glaze with carrots.

The team behind Brazilian-Japanese restaurant Uma Nota launched this Middle Eastern concept inspired by the nomadic Bedouin tribes of the Middle Eastern deserts. The menu features plenty of spice-centric sharing plates as well as cocktails and mocktails crafted from seasonal produce and botanicals. The rack of lamb in za'atar oil and garlic labneh topped with pomegranate is a must-try.

A Vietnamese eatery on the border of Central and Sheung Wan, Cô Thành dishes up authentic dishes that challenge the palate and send the senses to Saigon. The restaurant feels like a sleeker version of a hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese eatery – all bare concrete, hand-painted signs, plastic stools and fold-out tables. There's much more to Vietnamese food than pho, and Cô Thành delivers with golden brown pork spring rolls with a wonderfully garlic-laden nuoc cham sauce for dipping, banh mi packed with homemade pâté, cold cuts, pickles, coriander, spring onions and Vietnamese chilli peppers and much more.

Chef Adam Cliff's take on Thai street food is a step above other such restaurants in Wan Chai, but without hurting the bank balance. On the whole, food remains true to its origins but with a few tweaks. The generous bowl of wagyu beef boat noodles with crunchy topping is a must-try, and the desserts are also impressive, using lots of fresh fruit and homemade ice creams. There are no reservations here though, so get there early or be prepared to wait, though they'll provide drinks as you do.

Helmed by Vietnamese chef John Nguyen, formerly of Chôm Chôm, Xuân takes its name from the famous female Vietnamese poet who, like the restaurant itself, was innovative. The restaurant's menu offers many tempting dishes, including light bites like 12-hour braised beef tongue salad and crispy fresh grouper spring rolls, along with larger plates such as Cơm Gà Hoi An chicken rice. Pho is done the northern Vietnamese way here, with pickled garlic as opposed to fresh herbs, and a Chinese doughnut. The signature beef pho is ideal for meat-lovers and is made with Angus prime rib, braised beef tongue and oxtail served with a flavourful homemade 24-hour beef broth.

The place goes back several generations, and they're all still here every day for dim sum with their morning papers. The doorman is leftover from the colonial days, as are their recipes. It is nearly impossible to get a reservation on the first floor as it is unofficially reserved for the regulars. Don't despair, the other floors are just as lovely and humming with nostalgia. 

This Wan Chai restaurant focuses on a highly edited offering of roast goose and char siu, a variety of soy-marinated ‘lo shui’ meats and offal. The goose here has a wonderful aroma that comes from the fatty, roasted skin with a unique savoury taste and meaty texture. The roast suckling pig rice plate also fares well, with a balanced combination of fat, meat and crispy skin. Another highlight is the preserved egg with pickled ginger, which cuts through all the richness perfectly.

The don of claypot rice in Sai Ying Pun, Kwan Kee is famous for its signature charcoal-cooked claypot rice and the quality is equally good whether at this SYP branch or its flagship branch on Kwai Heung Street. Reservations are a must to get a seat during dinner and be warned; you have to wait an hour for your rice once you've placed your order. But trust us, it's well worth it as the dish is seriously well-cooked and the rice is evenly crisp across the entire bottom of the pot. We recommend going for the beef and egg with Chinese sausage where the flavour of the beef works well with the top quality sausage and the sweetness of the soy sauce. A guaranteed winning formula.

Offering a straightforward dining experience that is free of pretension and relatable to many city dwellers, The Pizza Project offers great pies in a casual atmosphere. A simple a la carte menu offers great Italian comfort food, but a tasting menu offers parties in multiples of two a great deal with one starter, one Gnocco Fritto, two pizzas and a dessert for $180 per person. Highlights include a ‘Nduja pizza with spicy salami and smoked scamorza, which has a nice kick, and the satisfying carbonara pizza, topped with pancetta and quail eggs.

It's more than 60 years old, and that's down to one simple thing: the pantyhose (or tights, depending on where you're from). The secret to Lan Fong Yuen's signature milk tea has been straining the brew through, you guessed it, a pair of pantyhose for an extra smooth taste. It's also one of the most well-known pork chop bun hotspots in the city. The signature chop is marinated and packed full of flavour, and the meat retains its tenderness within the crispy, fried exterior. A must-visit for ju paa bao enthusiasts. They also have a Tsim Sha Tsui branch.

Here's our roundup of the best bars you need to visit in Hong Kong.