13 Secluded dining spots to visit in Hong Kong

Neighbourhood eatery Chan Hon Kee in Tai Po has amassed quite a following for its traditional dishes, including claypot rice, congee, and freshly steamed rice rolls, or cheung fun, which reveals the ingredients inside thanks to its silky smooth and translucent skin. The rolls feature various items such as fried dough, beef, prawn, and crowd-pleasing char siu.

Before you head up Tai Mo Shan, or foggy mountain – Hong Kong’s highest and often cloud-covered peak – you’ll need all the fuel you can get. So why not stop by at old-school style tea house Choi Lung. Their traditional take on Cantonese dim sum serves items such as dumplings, rolls, buns, and more as well as vegetables from a local farm including a standout stir-fried watercress with garlic – simple but satisfying.

Considered one of the best Thai eateries in the New Territories and Hong Kong, Chung Shing Thai Restaurant is situated near Plover Cove reservoir. It is a little out of town, but the food here continues to draw crowds. Expect excellent Thai cuisine with dishes including tom yum soup, prawn cakes, pad thai, Thai curries, and more on the menu. If you love seafood, the must-order is the spicy crab curry which showcases fresh crab in a beautifully aromatic curry.

Despite being situated on Tai Mo Shan – Hong Kong’s highest peak – Duen Kee Tea House is definitely worth a visit if you want to experience a truly traditional dim sum meal. Everything here is self-service, from picking up and washing utensils or choosing and pouring your tea to fighting off other patrons to grab your favourite dish. The restaurant only opens from 6am to 2pm, however, so make sure you’re there early.

Terracotta Lamma is a hidden oasis located on Lamma Island that’s just a short ferry ride away from the city. Located along the waterfront of Yung Shue Wan’s waterfront, this dining venue serves up Mediterranean classics as well as charcoal-grill cooked dishes. Start out with light appetisers such as hummus ($65) and labneh ($55), before moving onto delightful mains such as grilled octopus with tomato fennel broth ($195) or roasted chicken with smoked labneh and salsa verde ($180 for half portion, $320 for full). Don’t forget to order drinks from Terracotta’s cocktail program, which consists of refreshing tipples like blood orange spritz ($80), riptide daiquiri ($80), Terracotta’s signature gin & tonic ($80), as well as an icy spiked slushie ($70) to cool you down.

Cantonese comfort food comes in many forms, but two of these are what Fat Kee does best: congee and cheung fun. Unsurprisingly, there is sometimes a queue for this eatery, but it’s worth it if you can wait. The rice in the generous portion of congee is cooked very well and simmers in a flavourful broth with proteins such as chicken, minced beef, pork liver, fish, and more. Their freshly made cheung fun is also favoured with prawn, char siu, and fried dough. 

As one of the oldest restaurants in Yuen Long, Ho To Tai Noodle Shop has been in business for more than 70 years. The combination of high quality food made from scratch and accessible prices have earned the shop loyal customers who come for their traditional Hong Kong-style soup noodles. Highlights on the menu include wonton noodles, fish skin dumplings, and tossed noodles with shrimp roe.

Built in 1938, Lung Wah was made into a hotel property and restaurant in 1951. The Sha Tin hotel was popular with Hong Kong celebs, socialites and government officials before closing its doors in 1985. Thankfully, the restaurant remained and even after a devastating fire in 2020, continued to serve nostalgic Cantonese food including their famed roast pigeon, Sha Tin chicken congee, and tofu fa.

Just off the coast of Stanley, the island of Po Toi is gorgeous in its own right, but for those looking for another reason to visit this pristine piece of nature, the place is also home to Ming Kee Seafood Restaurant. The seafront restaurant has been operating for more than 30 years and still serves massive crowds of hikers and beachgoers every weekend. You can’t go wrong by ordering their seafood and a few beers, but one of the must-try dishes is their seaweed soup with egg and dried shrimp, a staple of Po Toi itself.

Located just off Hebe Haven, Padstow Restaurant & Bar is a popular joint among sailing enthusiasts. The three-floor establishment serves modern British cuisine, offering steaks, sausages, black pudding, and signature pies made with IPA or stout beer barley pastry. On weekends, you can also try their traditional prime ribeye roast along with a pint of St Mungo Lager, served exclusively in Padstow (and Shoreditch, the restaurant’s sister location).

With a name like this, it’s easy to mistake it for some sort of institute or research centre, but Sai Kung’s Sea Urchin Breeding Centre is actually a humble dai pai dong offering some of the freshest sea urchins you’ll find in Hong Kong. Because these creatures are so seasonal, the restaurant only serves them between March and May every year with limited daily supplies, so make sure to call ahead and make your reservations soon.

Another iconic eatery located in Sha Tin. Shing Kee sits in an old public housing estate and is not your ordinary dai pai dong. Inside, the design is eclectic with artsy photos and memorabilia dotted around the restaurant. The restaurant offers Hong Kong dishes and noodles during the day, and hotpot at night as well as poon choi. 

It’s not exactly easy to get to Yau Ley, a family-run seafood restaurant established in 1999, but the freshest catches of the day from local fishermen make it all worthwhile. You can call and reserve a ride on a speedboat or you can hike through Sai Kung Country Park to get there. There are plenty of made-to-order seafood dishes on the menu, such as deep-fried calamari, crab curry, steamed prawns, clams, lobsters, and much more, which you can choose from their water tanks.