The best restaurants in Shau Kei Wan

This local eatery is known for its spicy pork Yunnan-style noodle soup, which is eagerly slurped up by its many fans. Currently A One doesn’t have an English menu, so if your Chinese isn’t on point, bring a helpful friend or simply ask the friendly staff for their recommendations.  

If you’re seeking a break from local fare, Indonesian Sate House serves up a range of favourites from, where else, Indonesia, like beef curry and goreng noodles. The tiny shop has a fantastic recipe for nutty satay – essential for any Indonesian restaurant worth its salt.

This eatery specialises in the traditional cuisine of the indigenous Tan Ka people. These Chinese used to lived out on their junks in the safe haven of nearby Aldrich Bay but were eventually forced to move onto land in the 1980s. With its large round tables, Kam Tung Kitchen is a great spot for a family gathering. There’s plenty of seafood on offer here, both in the form of dim sum – the shrimp dumplings are excellent – and larger plates of whole baked fish and grilled shellfish.

Starting out as a street cart before setting up shop here on Main Street East, Liu Jai Kee is split into a savoury and sweet section. The former serves traditional street food favourites while the latter is dedicated to puddings, especially its classic Cantonese dessert soups. Just make sure to arrive early before the crowds gather.

One of the small number of non-Asian restaurants in Shau Kei Wan’s dining district, Merci Minnie serves Western cuisine with Chinese twists, as well as cakes and pastries for afternoon tea. One of the must-have dishes is the ‘full English’ fry-up turned on its head with the addition of barbecue pork ribs and rice. There’s also spag bol with no local twists. You don’t twist spag bol unless it’s with a fork.

With several outlets across Hong Kong, Northern Dumpling Yuan is certainly doing something right. This is a top spot for tasty dumplings delivered fast at very reasonable prices. There are also noodle and rice dishes available but the clue’s in the name – try the dumplings!

This local eatery is probably best described as an authentic Hong Kong experience. Traditional Canto classics – like beef brisket noodles, fish balls and cha chaan tengs staples like buttery toast with condensed milk – are served with minimum fuss as diners gratefully chow down sitting shoulder to shoulder with strangers.

A great pick for authentic tea and snacks, Shanghai Dim Sum offers stalwarts like rice flour cakes, bean curd buns and of course, an array of dumplings, all served up in the traditional bamboo steamers. For non-Canto speakers, there are English menus with special indicators to warn you about the varying spice levels, so you’re not caught out.

This unpretentious eatery inside Aldrich Bay Cooked Food Centre is known for its excellent claypot rice, complete with those sticky bits that everyone tries to grab first. Order your rice with everything from goose liver or mushrooms to beef or fish with a mandatory egg on top. There are no English menus but, in this era of smartphones, it should be easy enough to get across what you want.