Cheung Chau: Ultimate guide

If you’re looking for cheap eats, then you’re in luck. You can snack your way through Cheung Chau’s streets and not break your budget. From down-to-earth street stalls to cosy cafes, Cheung Chau offers plenty of casual eateries to fill you with energy as you explore the island.

Photograph: Jack Wong | Si Dan 

With a cheeky name that sounds similar to the Cantonese phrase for ‘whatever’, Si Dan is a quaint restaurant specialising in egg dishes. You’ll find rich egg-infused items on their menu, like deep-fried Scotch eggs, creamy mashed potatoes topped with black truffle and an onsen egg, or desserts like creme brulee.

Photograph: Cherry Chan | Ding Ding 

Want to stretch your legs? Visit Ding Ding, a Japanese-inspired cafe that has a cosy and homely atmosphere. Aside from offering a range of Western and Japanese meal sets, this adorable cafe has an affinity for cats, which can be seen in their decor, furniture, and tableware.

Photograph:Jack Wong | Locomo 

Noodle restaurant Locomo provides a large selection of broths, noodles, and toppings. You can create your perfect bowl of noodles by picking your broth from flavours like clam and seaweed or tomato, then choose your desired type of noodles and mix and match with their toppings, such as cuttlefish roll, chicken wings, or dried shrimp.

Photograph: Iris Lo | Cheung Chau Tough Guy 

Tung Yuen Street Snack offers one of the island’s signature snacks, giant fish balls that come in flavours such as plum sauce, satay, and black pepper. Alternatively, Cheung Chau Tough Guy dishes up various ‘Cheung Chau fusion food’, jazzing up the island’s local delicacies into tantalising new dishes, such as deep-fried mini lucky buns filled with salted egg yolk custard. As for desserts, Cheung Chau Ping Kee offers glutinous rice cakes stuffed with mango for a sinfully sweet treat.

Aside from restaurants, Cheung Chau has a few cafes that provide light bites and quality brewed coffee and tea. Despite its distant location from Cheung Chau Ferry Pier, Nordic-style cafe Heima Heima is best known for its cute desserts like roll cakes, tarts, and brownies. But if you just want something quick and easy, La Luz is a casual Aussie-style cafe that's tucked away from the bustling main streets of the island, and offers a range of coffees.

Photograph: Cara Hung | Cheung Chau Corner 

Not a fan of coffee? Nutshell is a cafe that serves a large variety of tea, like hot and cold brews and sparkling teas. Cheung Chau Corner is a popular pitstop for visitors on the island because of its Instagrammable MTR-inspired decor and refreshing offerings of fruity drinks made with sodas, tea, and their signature homemade yoghurt. 

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While most people visit Cheung Chau to do outdoor activities or try out food from the local restaurants, this island also has a few shops worth checking out if you’re in the mood for some retail therapy.

Photograph: Nicholas Wong | Island Origin 

Head to Island Workbench to find original bags created by two designers who grew up on the island and a selection of products made by other artists from across Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan. Island Origin uses aspects of Cheung Chau’s traditional culture, such as the island’s iconic dried and preserved fish or the mythological kirin, to create unique designs in their Japanese-style graphic T-shirts, baseball caps, and socks.

Handicraft store Myarts is a popular spot that sources knick-knacks from local and international artists. You can find everything from postcards or stationery to handmade ceramics and pins here.

Photograph: Jack Wong | Little Island Little Taste 

If you’re in Cheung Chau during the Bun Festival and want to purchase a souvenir to commemorate the event, Little Island Little Taste sells a range of lucky bun-themed items like keychains and badges. Aside from offering 925 sterling silver accessories, this shop also creates unique accessories for customers who want something personalised.

Photograph: Cherry Chan | Maa Maa 

Want to pick up something sweet? Maa Maa is a tuck shop with a groovy interior with retro hanging lightbulbs covered in red light shades; vintage posters; colourful signs – and stocks a large selection of Hong Kong's nostalgic sweets and candies.

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Known for its lush scenery and natural phenomena, Cheung Chau is one of the best spots in the city if you’re looking to get stuck into the great outdoors.

Named after one of Hong Kong’s most famous pirates, Cheung Po Tsai Cave is one of the island’s most well-known attractions. While there isn’t any treasure to be found inside, the cave’s dark and narrow underground passages provide a thrilling experience for anyone who dares to enter.

Photograph: Shutterstock | Mini Great Wall 

You can also take a short hike from the pier to reach Cheung Chau’s highest point at North Lookout Pavilion so you can enjoy a sweeping view of the island and its surrounding waters. Another popular attraction is the Mini Great Wall, an endless row of granite railings that stretch along the Cheung Chau Family Trail.

Photograph: AFP/Anthony Wallace | Buns stamped with Chinese characters which read 'Peace Safe' 

As one of Hong Kong’s most famous festivals, the Cheung Chau Bun Festival is a fun-filled celebration of the city’s cultural heritage and draws in plenty of visitors from around the city. In addition to holding fun activities like stall games, and handicraft workshops, the festival is best known for the Bun Scrambling Competition, where participants climb giant bamboo towers covered with buns as they try to grab as many buns as possible.

Another popular tourist attraction is the Love Lock Wall, a mini maze of chain metal walls where friends or couples can hang up locks and heart-shaped wooden plaques to commemorate their visit to the island.

Photograph: Iris Lo | Love Lock Wall 

Cheung Chau Cinema is one of the island's latest attractions. Previously operating as Hong Kong's longest-preserved, pre-war cinema until closing its doors in 1997, the venue has undergone a huge revamp and transformed into a multi-experience space that allows visitors to learn about the building's history. 

Photograph: Courtesy Cheung Chau Cinema | 1931 Studios in Cheung Chau Cinema 

Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach and Kwun Yam Wan are two beaches a short distance from the island’s pier for those looking to chill out and enjoy some downtime. Both areas have small cafes and stores that allow beachgoers to rent items like parasols, lifejackets, and canoeing and windsurfing equipment.

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Don’t be fooled by the island’s size; Cheung Chau has plenty of accommodations for visitors to choose from. Aside from being a fun-filled destination that stretches over 11 acres of land and provides plenty of outdoor activities for the whole family to get involved in, Saiyuen Camping & Adventure Park also offers glamping experiences in Native American teepees, Mongolian gers, safari tents, and dome-shaped tents with clear view windows that allow you to admire your surroundings.

Photograph: Courtesy Warwick Hotel Cheung Chau | Warwick Hotel Cheung Chau 

Prefer the comfort of a hotel instead? Warwick Hotel offers an extensive range of rooms that can accommodate any traveller, from couples who want to spend the night in an ocean-view suite for a romantic getaway to families who need a large room to fit all their little ones.

Photograph: Courtesy Ibnb | One of Ibnb's locations on Cheung Chau Island  

With 36 rooms of various sizes, iBnb has several accommodations scattered across the island. Upon arriving at Cheung Chau, iBnb’s guests will need to check in at their reception, which is only a short three-minute walk from Cheung Chau Ferry Pier.

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