Chicken feet, thousand-year-old eggs, dim sum, barbeque pork and more – here’s what you need to know about eating like a local in Hong Kong – and what dishes you should absolutely not miss in this world food capital.
How to eat like a local in Hong Kong
Dim Sum is the best way to start each morning when you’re in Hong Kong. From “cha siu boughs” (bbq pork puns), to “har gow” and “siu mae” (shrimp and pork dumplings), chicken feet, and other delicious treats steamed in bamboo containers, this is where everyone meets. Many restaurants serve dim sum from the morning until mid-afternoon.
Chinese Buns and Pastries are a great on-the-go meal or snack. You’ll find tons of Chinese bakeries in the MTR subway stations, not to mention on the street. Pineapple-topped buns, custard-filled buns, egg tarts, and the like. During the moon festival, be sure to try a mooncake or a “wife cake” – a dense flaky cookie filled with red bean, sweet lotus paste, and more. Surprisingly, you’ll find some of the best Portuguese Tarts in Hong Kong at the KFC’s.
BBQ Meat can be found hanging in the window at many restaurant storefronts. Bright neon orange squid, bbq pork, soya sauce chicken, roasted pork, and bbq are the most popular choices, usually served over a bowl of rice or in a bowl of noodles.
Street Food in Hong Kong is as much of an experience as it is in Bangkok. Here, the stinky tofu alone may deter you, but is worth a try. Curry fish balls are another popular option, along with roasted chestnuts, cuttlefish tentacles, dumplings on a stick, beef jerky, or egg-puff cakes.
Noodles & Congee represent comfort food at its best in Hong Kong. A bowl of wonton noodles is always served steaming and delicious with your choice of egg or rice noodles. Congee, a savoury rice stew, is served dozens of ways – with chicken, with duck, with seafood, with fish – but my favourite: with thousand-year-old-egg and preserved pork – served with fried dough fritters.
Strange Soups. Shark fin soup is a delicacy around the world, albeit, a controversial dish to many outsiders. Another fun strange delicacy is snake soup, usually served during winter with Chinese-style dried black and red sausages. Last but not least, bird’s nest soup is created using the nests of swiftlet birds which are mainly made up of saliva.
Afternoon Tea may originate in England, but this British tradition holds fast in Hong Kong. Top honours in Hong Kong tea culture goes to the Peninsula but for a fun, modern spin, don’t miss tea at the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong’s famous Cake Shop or at Joel Robuchon’s Tea Room at the Landmark Mall.
Dessert Houses are a popular hangout post-dinner. Some serve up specialty teas; cold flavoured tea with tapioca; fruit drinks or slushes; fruit on ice, and the like. Other more traditional dessert places serve the classic desserts like dessert soups: almond, sesame, peanut, red bean, coconut with tapioca; steamed egg or milk pudding; sweet tofu; mango pudding; and milk tea, soy milk, coffee, or mixed “ying yeung” – a mix of coffee and tea.
Hong Kong Fast Food Eateries offer a taste of east-meets-west dishes and are great any time of the tea and especially at 2am. Here you’ll find items like toast topped with condensed milk, pork cutlets served with rice, macaroni in soup with ham and egg, or my ultimate favourite: baked pork chop rice or spaghetti.
Want to book a trip to Hong Kong? Check out the tripatlas.com/new Trip Builder where you can request a quote local travel agents who are waiting to offer you custom prices on your trip.