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Mrs Fong
Photograph: Joshua Lin

The best Michelin-recommended street food in Hong Kong

If you're going to eat cheap, you've got to do it right

Cherry Chan
Written by
Time Out Hong Kong
&
Cherry Chan
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While Hong Kong has several opulent fine dining restaurants that have been awarded stars by the Michelin Guide, our city also has plenty of street food venues that have made the cut and are recommended by the institution. From old-school classics to popular dessert spots, here are some of our favourites from the list.

RECOMMENDED: Looking for more affordable dining options? Browse through our top picks of the best food court and halls in Hong Kong!

Michelin Guide-recommended street food

  • Restaurants
  • Sham Shui Po
As with most Sham Shui Po dai pai dongs, Keung Kee is as authentic as they come, with local workers and neighbourhood families making up most of the clientele. Just off bustling Apliu Market, the stall takes up half the pavement with its six tables and roaring wok. And since the tables face the kitchen, you get a clear view of the restaurant’s two middle-aged, short-shorts-wearing chefs. If that doesn’t put you off, go for the Hainan chicken, chicken’s feet, and tasty seafood dishes. 
  • Restaurants
  • Tsim Sha Tsui

Founded by two best friends from South America, Twist & Buckle uses premium ingredients and have even imported a top-of-the-line José Luis Blanco churro-making machine all the way from Spain to create their churros. Aside from traditional cinnamon sugar-dusted churros that most of us are familiar with, Twist & Buckle also offers glazed churros as well as delectable sundaes.

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  • Restaurants
  • Street food
  • Fortress Hill

In case you can’t tell from the name, Fisholic has a menu that heavily features fish as the main ingredient. From noodles and dumplings to fish skin nachos and minced fish shaped like rice grains, this restaurant uses fish as an alternative to create a large variety of Western and local street snacks that taste just like the real thing.

  • Shopping
  • Specialist food and drink
  • Jordan

Head to Jordan to find Mrs. Fong Chinese Desserts, a dessert shop that specialises in 18 kinds of homemade treats. The store has been operating 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 here are their sesame rolls, which are made from rolled up steamed sheets of black sesame paste. Be sure to try out some of their other desserts such as put chai ko (red bean bowl pudding) available in flavours like brown sugar or coconut. 

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  • Restaurants
  • Chinese
  • Sham Shui Po

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 served in rich broth with liberal helpings of mushrooms and minced meat. Their fake shark fin soup with duck is popular, too. Block 18’s noodles make for a perfect meal to refuel after a day of shopping around Sham Shui Po.

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  • Restaurants
  • Chinese
  • Mong Kok

Twins Liangpi Limited 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. After relocating to Mong Kok, Twins' venue has grown and now features a dine-in space for guests to dig into their irresistably spicy fare.

  • Restaurants
  • Street food
  • Jordan

If you need a quick bite to eat, takeout shop Sai Kwan Lo Jo in Jordan dishes up a variety of bites from Guangdong’s Xiguan region. Highlights on Sai Kwan Lo Jo’s menu include stir-fried turnip cakes in X.O sauce, sticky rice dumplings filled with Iberico pork, and hand-made lai fun noodles served with pork lardons.

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  • Restaurants
  • Chinese
  • Whampoa

Hung Hom’s Moon Lok Tong has been offering authentic dishes from Shanghai and Beijing for over 20 years. The store’s signature sticky rice rolls are made to order and stuffed to the brim with pork floss and dough fritters. Other crowd favourites include items like hot and sour soup, savoury soy milk soup, and handmade dumplings with fillings like cabbage or chives.

  • Restaurants
  • Mong Kok

A visit to Joyful Dessert House is a must for all foodies with a sweet tooth. Every dish on the menu here is as decadent as it is delicious. Crowd favourites include the mango Napoleon, green tea lava cake with ice cream, and the parfait with Oreos and Okinawa black sugar.

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  • Restaurants
  • Jordan

You may remember this 40-year-old shop as the Hong Kong torchbearer for the ‘Michelin curse’. After it was recognised by the guide, its rent was hiked and the shop moved to a new location around the corner. Politics aside, this dessert shop really packs them in, all eaters looking for a taste of classic Chiuchow desserts, like red bean soup with lotus seeds and black sesame soup.

Kung Wo Tofu Factory
  • Restaurants
  • Chinese
  • Sham Shui Po
When it comes to tofu pudding, one of Hong Kong’s beloved classic dessert, Kung Wo is king. The tofu is smooth like silk and brings out that rich soy bean flavour that old timers reminiscing about. Soy is obviously their expertise. This authentic retro restaurant is famous for their tofu puffs, deep fried tofu dishes and homemade sugar-free soy milk. What’s more, most of the tofu dishes don’t cost more than $10.
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  • Restaurants
  • Snack bars
  • Whampoa

Mammy Pancake has more than 10 branches spread out across the city. Thanks to an interview with a Japanese TV programme, the store has been attracting a good number of Japanese tourists. Variety is the name of the game here with more than 15 flavours to pick from, as well as special seasonal flavours. 

So Kee (蘇記茶檔)
  • Restaurants
  • Sham Shui Po

The Hong Kong tradition of serving yuen yeung (a mixture of coffee and Hong Kong-style milk tea) probably originated in joints like this one. And while tea and coffee drinks can be found across the city, stalls like So Kee are still some of the best “cafés” around. Patrons of the café/noodle shop mostly order the pork ramen with an egg on top – a dai pai dong staple. For a real treat, order the French toast and a glass of yuen yeung. 

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Hop Yik Tai
  • Restaurants
  • Chinese
  • Sham Shui Po

Sham Shui Po has no shortage of mouth-watering street food but Hop Yik Tai’s cheong fun, or rice noodle rolls, are worth crossing the harbour for. Made fresh every day, their cheong fun is incredibly smooth and paired perfectly with sweet sauce, sesame sauce and soy sauce. It’s no wonder why there are queues all the time. The popular local eatery was also recommended in the Michelin Guide last year.

  • Restaurants
  • Mong Kok

The Hong Kong style tarts, buns, and puffs at this bakery are worth pushing through the crowds in Mong Kok to get to. Their moon cakes are particularly good, while the egg centers are like full moons in velvety lotus paste skies.

All things Michelin

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