Where to Eat and Drink in Central, the Most Delicious District in Hong Kong
I couldn’t really call myself a Hong Kong resident until I knew Central like the back of my hand. The harborfront neighborhood, once a key location for the British when they arrived in the 1840s, bridges old-world and new-wave Hong Kong. But after being handed back to China by the Brits 22 years ago, Central is still, well, central. It’s the pulsating heart of this mile-a-minute metropolis. There are trailblazing neon-hued restaurants pushing the boundaries of Cantonese cuisine alongside iconic noodle shops and barbecue joints going strong after decades in the business. So whether you’re a tourist passing by or those who know the district like the back of their hand, Central’s still got it.
Photo by Jason Michael Lang1/10Beet
Farm to table isn’t really a thing in Hong Kong; farming waned as the old port city’s overseas commerce flourished. But now a small movement is bubbling up, thanks in part to chef Barry Quek of Beet. Quek relies on nearby farms for seasonal produce like gai lan shoots and marigolds and gives them a Nordic spin (think gai lan drizzled with a whey sauce and strawberry-swirled marigold ice cream). In step with the farm-to-table ethos, the menu changes constantly, but I always order a snack, like a spring pea tartlet topped with frozen goat cheese, and any of the excellent natural wines.
Photo by Jason Michael Lang2/10The Chairman
Although it’s barely a decade old, The Chairman is already a classic thanks to its insistence on reviving traditional Cantonese recipes. Reading through the menu is like perusing a history book. Long-forgotten dishes make an appearance, like the labor-intensive gold-coin chicken, a platter of tiny open-face sandwiches layered with barbecued chicken liver, barbecued pork, and pork fat. For mains, don’t miss the fragrant native flower crab, steamed with chicken fat and Huadiao rice wine.
Photo by Jason Michael Lang3/10The Chinnery
It feels like the kind of old-world pub that past fancy-pants Brits may have frequented, complete with classic cocktails shaken by barmen clad in ivory jackets.
Photo by Jason Michael Lang4/10Happy Paradise
Chef May Chow is best known for Little Bao, a Chinese burger bar. But her new venture, Happy Paradise, takes even bolder steps into expanding contemporary Cantonese cooking. Dishes like sweet-sour pork chop and barbecued pork over rice give Hong Kong staples a little refresh, while others, like sourdough egg waffles with whipped bottarga, take a classic street snack to a whole new level. She does it all without taking herself too seriously—and I can’t either, with cheesy ’90s Cantopop blasting and neon signs reminiscent of a massage parlor hanging in the space.
Photo by Jason Michael Lang5/10Ho Lee Fook
Every inch of this restaurant is tongue in cheek, from the entryway wall lined with Japanese lucky cats (which are mistakenly attributed to Chinese culture), to the name, which roughly translates to mouth and good fortune (and sounds like something else in English). But that’s part of the charm of Hong Kong’s most popular modern Chinese restaurant. Here, executive chef Jowett Yu riffs on iconic dishes: He swaps crab for corn in stir-fried typhoon shelter crab with heaps of fried shallots, garlic, and chiles. The only thing he doesn’t mess with is his mom’s “mostly cabbage, a little bit of pork” dumplings. They’re already outstanding.
Photo by Jason Michael Lang6/10Mak's Noodle
Legend has it that the Mak family invented shrimp wonton noodle soup back in the 1920s as a late-night snack for the social elite (prawns were pricey then!). These days the family is making wontons for the people, packing in locals and tourists in this no-frills spot. Served in an umami-rich pork and dried flounder broth with thin bouncy noodles, these wontons are textbook perfect. Residents judge wontons by the wrapper’s thinness and its goldfish qualities, the loose ends of the wonton that float in the soup like tails. Mak’s hits all the marks.
Photo by Jason Michael Lang7/10The Old Man
This subterranean den of cocktail wizardry stirs up innovative cocktails (banana peel tinctures! Smoked pandan-infused vermouth!) that are actually delicious.
Photo by Jason Michael Lang8/10Shui Kee
Dai pai dong, or street food stalls, used to be all over the city, but they’re an increasingly rare sight. Thankfully I still have Shui Kee. Chef-owner Kin-wing Lam’s family has been operating the stand for almost 80 years, serving its signature beef brisket stew, which is fortified with tendon, offal, and either thin egg noodles or wide rice noodles (I like both). Unlike most beef brisket noodle shops in Hong Kong, Lam relies on fresh beef instead of frozen, perhaps the secret to his flavor-packed soup.
Photo by Jason Michael Lang9/10Vea
Tucked away in an office block, this tasting-menu-only restaurant weaves Chinese and French cooking. A Daniel Boulud protégé, executive chef Vicky Cheng relies on French technique to make the food he grew up with in Hong Kong, like whole goose glazed with Chinese preserved-apricot candy and served with a classic French truffle sauce.
Photo by Jason Michael Lang10/10Yat Lok
Siu laap, the Cantonese style of barbecue, is an essential part of any local’s diet, and the most prized of all that meaty goodness is goose, with its gamey flavors and beautifully rendered fat. Few renditions are better than Yat Lok’s crispy-skinned, toffee-hued goose rubbed with a secret blend of spices and roasted in barrel-shaped ovens. Be warned: The lunchtime queues can stretch half a block. Instead, I go off-peak, between 3 and 6 p.m., for those juicy goose legs over rice noodles.
