The 27 best uniquely Hong Kong dishes you need to try at least once

From melt-in-your-mouth honey-glazed char siu pork and crispy suckling pig to fatty pork belly and succulent goose or duck, nothing beats some good ol’ Canto-style barbecued meats, aka ‘siu mei’. Joy Hing in Wan Chai offers a solid selection of roasted meats, with its pork being particularly popular thanks to its perfect ratio of meat to fat. Alternatively, head to West Villa Restaurant for their famous char siu rice dish or visit Mott 32 for some Iberico char siu.

If you’ve ever wanted to build the perfect bowl of noodles, this is the way to do it. Cart noodles are mix-and-match affairs that allow diners to choose from a bunch of different ingredients, including soup bases, noodle types and toppings. The list of ingredients varies from restaurant to restaurant, but common favourites include beef brisket, daikon, fishballs and dumplings. A local favourite is Man Kee Cart Noodle in Sham Shui Po, which has been serving customers for over a decade. 

Available during the colder months of the year, this hearty, warming dish is made up of rice and various toppings in a clay bowl that is traditionally slow-cooked over charcoal stoves. This process toasts the rice, giving the bowl a crunchy, carby crust. Our city has plenty of restaurants specialising in this dish, and we've compiled them into one handy list here. 

Curry fishballs are probably Hong Kong’s most iconic street snack. Though they’re mostly made from flour these days and contain almost no fish meat, this has had little effect on the snack’s popularity. Springy in texture, the bite-sized spheres bob about in a strong curry sauce before they’re skewered on a bamboo stick or ladled into a takeaway bowl. Head to Fishball Gor, located near Mong Kok’s Langham Place, and try their fishballs in original or spicy flavour cooked using a secret recipe of herbs and spices. 

No Hong Kong experience is complete without a dim sum meal. Traditionally served in bamboo steamers, these small plates are designed to be shared, allowing you to taste a bit of everything. Must-orders include steamed siu mai (pork dumplings), har gow (prawn dumplings) and the fluffy barbecued pork-filled buns known as char siu bao. Click here and peruse our recommended dim sum restaurants in Hong Kong.

Egg tarts are a Hong Kong sweet staple. Creamy custard nestles in a golden crust that’s either butter-cookie in style or made from crumbly, flaky pastry. There’s fierce debate over which style of crust is better, but either way, these tarts are best eaten fresh and warm straight out of the oven. Sun Wah Cafe, located on Cheung Sha Wan's Castle Peak Road, has served patrons for over half a century. They serve perfectly baked, crisp, yet flaky egg tarts filled with a delightfully smooth egg custard that never fails to satisfy. Click here to see the best places in Hong Kong to find irresistible egg tarts.

Egg waffles, eggettes, ‘gai daan jai’, or whatever you want to call it, this eggy snack is a quintessential part of our city’s street-food culture. Warm and fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside, these bubble-shaped waffles are the perfect grab-and-go snack. There are plenty of street vendors that offer egg waffles, often with a wide variety of fangled creations – topped with ice cream, different colours, shapes, and flavours, some even have molten centres! 

The humble scrambled egg sandwich occupies a special place in the hearts of Hongkongers. A good egg sarnie should contain a fluffy, creamy centre between two slices of butter-smeared white bread – it’s simple, yes, but also incredibly satisfying, whether it’s enjoyed during breakfast or as an afternoon snack. There are also other renditions where you can add fillings such as ham, cheese, and our favourite, corned beef.

French toast might not be of Hong Kong origin but the local rendition of this dish is an indulgence like no other. Instead of being merely browned in a pan, the bread is drenched in an eggy mixture and then deep-fried until crisp and golden. It’s then served with a fat pat of butter and a healthy dose of syrup. Oh, we forgot to mention that French toasts à la Hong Kong are almost always plumped with some sort of sinful filling. The mainstay is peanut butter but you can find more creative ingredients such as kaya, cheese, or molten salted egg yolk. We've got a soft spot for Lok Yuen's irresistible version of the calorific treat, they stuff the bread with chunky beef satay before throwing it in the fryer and topping it with butter and condensed milk. Got your mouth watering yet?

While most of us might associate mooncakes as one of the key things to eat during autumn, another crowd favourite has to be hairy crabs. Typically in season from September to late November, these crabs are an autumn delicacy that can be enjoyed anywhere from the comfort of your own home to some of Hong Kong’s most luxurious restaurants. Known for their sweet flesh and buttery golden roe, the value of these crabs can easily go over triple digits, but they’re definitely worth their hefty price tags.

Nicknamed 'Soy Sauce Western Restaurants' due to our city's very own adaptation to Western cuisine, Hong Kong steakhouses are best known for their sizzling hot plates and unbeatable prices. While the quality of meats at Chinese steakhouses is most likely going to be on the cheap-and-cheerful side of things, the affordable set meals and the bustling environments make it a one-of-a-kind experience. Check out old-school steakhouse Boston Restaurant in Wan Chai to find a myriad of cuts and meats served on sizzling hot plates.

Instant noodles are a staple in Hong Kong-style fast food. Although cooking the noodles in soup is a tried and true method, draining the noodles and tossing them in a sauce – be it soy, cheese, or curry sauce – is another way to spice up what are essentially bland noodles. You can even dress up the noodles with extra toppings such as pork chops and veggies.

If Hong Kong was a drink, it’d be milk tea, seeing as how we drink 900 million cups of it a year. This combo of black tea served strong with condensed milk is a brilliant bevvie hot or cold. If you're a fan of milk tea, try Hong Kong's very own ‘silk stocking milk tea’ – a version of the popular drink that gets its signature smoothness from being strained through a fine, pantyhose-like mesh. Drop by Lan Fong Yuen – one of the city's best cha chaan tengs– to sip their crowd-pleasing milk tea or grab one to go. 

When it comes to Hong Kong street food classics, many people might easily miss doggie's noodles. Popularised during the 50s and 60s, this noodle dish made from glutinous rice gets its name from its similarity to a dog’s tail. Served with a rich gravy-like broth and topped with mushroom, minced meat, and fried lard, this dish is full of flavour and textures. You can find this retro snack at Block 18 Doggie's Noodles and they're open 24/7, so if you can dig into these noodles at any hour of the day. 

Like the saying goes, less is more. This humble snack is made with just two ingredients – maltose syrup and saltine crackers. Particularly popular with kids (or those with a sweet tooth), this nostalgic sweet treat can be easily made at home. While you might not find it on every street corner, you can find it at mom-and-pop shops on the streets of sleepy towns like Tai O.

Despite its name, a pineapple bun contains none of its namesake ingredient (although some chefs now add pineapple to the bun for novelty’s sake). Instead, it’s named because it resembles the spikey, tropical fruit. The sweet streusel-like crust on top is made from sugar, eggs, flour and lard, baked until golden-brown and crumbly. This delicious treat is best eaten right out of the oven with a thick slab of cold butter stuffed in the centre – it’s not healthy by any means, but that’s what makes it so good.

Wonton noodles can be found in many other parts of the world, but in our opinion, the Hong Kong variety ranks the best. Served in a light and delicate soup, this dish features thin and springy egg noodles topped with delicious prawn-filled wonton dumplings in smooth wrappers (some restaurants may add a bit of pork to their wontons) and garlic chives for a fresh and aromatic punch. For heart-warming wonton noodles, head to Mak's Noodle, a family-run eatery serving Hongkongers for the past five generations. Click here to find our favourite spots around town to enjoy these flavourful bowls of noodles.

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These deep fried ‘treasures’ are a street food classic. Consisting of green pepper, eggplant, and tofu, they all get a generous stuffing of dace fish paste. However, each store has its own variation of ingredients, such as Chinese red sausage, jalapeno, or bitter gourd. You can normally buy them in pick-and-mix style, but we recommend sticking to the classics before trying other variations.

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Who would have thought that there would be a type of sushi that was invented in Hong Kong? With its name literally meaning ‘flower of love’, this type of sushi was invented in the 90s by a local sushi chef who wanted to cheer his wife up after an argument. Using salmon sashimi to wrap around a portion of rice and topping it off with fish roe and mayonnaise, the final product looks like a blooming flower. 

Macaroni soup is a cha chaan teng staple typically served alongside egg sandwiches. Served in a light chicken broth, this dish can be topped with ham, luncheon meat, or char siu. This main dish is a great option for any time of the day, but most choose to eat it as a breakfast or brunch option. It’s also great for recovering from a raging hangover. Enjoy this comforting dish at Australia Dairy Company with a side of fluffy and moist scrambled eggs served with rich buttery thick toast. 

Hongkongers know how to bring out the best in beancurd. Take these puddings, for example. Also known as ‘dau fu faa’ in Cantonese, these are essentially servings of silken tofu sweetened with syrup or brown sugar (or both!). A lot of dessert shops also offer other add-ons, such as coconut milk, osmanthus syrup and even hunks of durian. Kung Wo Tofu Factory in Sham Shui Po whip up countless bowls of this silky pudding every day, along with a multitude of soy-based dishes like tofu puffs, deep fried tofu dishes and homemade sugar-free soy milk.

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Topped rice is one of the simplest yet diverse dishes typically served in low-cost establishments frequented by blue-collar workers. In essence, it consists of a rice dish topped with two or multiple side dishes. Ranging from simple stir-fries to roasted siu mei – the possibilities with topped rice are endless. Some classic rice toppings include char siu omelette or tofu with roast pork. Despite not being glamorous, it typically comes in hearty portions that leave you full and getting the job done.

Typhoon shelter-style cooking found its origins on fishing boats within Hong Kong's protective typhoon shelters.  Resourceful fishermen-turned-cooks would stir fry their fresh catches of the day, generously combining ingredients like chilli, garlic, and scallion. Typhoon shelter-style dishes have evolved into a culinary tradition known for combining deep-fried seafood, meats, or vegetables complemented by a medley of crispy fried garlic, spring onion, fermented black beans, and chilli. Among the dishes, the beloved typhoon shelter crab reigns supreme, offering a unique and intense flavour experience thanks to the blend of spices and a whole crab. Book a unique sampan dining experience at Shun Kee Typhoon Shelter, where you can enjoy a delightful meal on the water and relish the experience of cracking open some delectable Typhoon Shelter crab claws.

This delightful pudding is an oldie but a goodie. Put chai ko is a humble dessert that’s mainly sold in two flavours – brown sugar or coconut milk – and can be found with or without red beans. They’re typically steamed inside small porcelain bowls, and pried out of their containers using bamboo skewers. Visit Michelin-recommended dessert shop, Mrs. Fong’s Chinese Desserts, in Jordan to try her put chai ko amongst other traditional Chinese sweets. 

Despite their name, Swiss chicken wings don't originate from Switzerland. Legend has it that these chicken wings were created by local time-honoured eatery Tai Ping Koon Restaurant in the 1930s. The story behind these soy-glazed wings is rumoured to originate from an interaction between a Western customer and a staff member. The customer repeatedly described the wings as sweet, but due to a language barrier, the staff misheard the customer and thought they said Swiss instead. Since then, the name stuck and this dish has become a staple entree enjoyed in many Cantonese households.

Yes, we know this dish can be daunting, and its name can put some people off, but we reckon it's worth a try. Snake soup is typically enjoyed during winter, and it has health benefits such as relieving dampness, being beneficial to the skin, and promoting blood circulation. If there's one place you should slurp up this slithery broth, Ser Wong Fun is the place to go. This century-old Cantonese restaurant has perfected its snake soup recipe by adding abalone and fish maw to create a rich broth packed with tender snake and shredded chicken. 

There’s nothing like enjoying an icy dessert when the weather gets unbearably hot. A popular chilled dessert option among many Hongkongers without a shadow of a doubt has got to be mango with pomelo and sago. This dessert is packed with ingredients like mango cubes, pomelo chunks, and tiny sago pearls – all nestled in a bed of cool, creamy puree. You’ll find this dessert in most Chinese dessert shops, but we’ve got a soft spot for Honeymoon Desserts’ iteration of the classic sweet treat.

Click here to find our ultimate guide for traditional Chinese desserts and where to find them in Hong Kong.