The best new restaurants in Hong Kong 2025

Modern Filipino restaurant Barkada has relocated and reopened at a brand-new location in Central. While the restaurant’s new home may be smaller than its former location at Foco, Barkada 2.0’s menu takes on a new direction of ‘Filipino heart, New York edge’ to pay homage to its founder Jen Balisi’s heritage. Barkada’s contemporary Pinoy plates like spicy funky coconut noodles, sizzling sisig, and tuna kinilaw are still on the menu, but keep your eyes peeled for fresh creations like siomai, a Filipino take on Hong Kong’s beloved siu mai, Filipino-inspired pizzas, and plenty more once the restaurant is fully up and running by mid-July. 

Visit Foco in Central to find Solsot, the first Hong Kong branch of South Korea’s iron pot rice specialist restaurant. Here, you can enjoy fluffy steamed rice served in individual iron pots, topped with all sorts of ingredients. Whether you prefer steak cubes, sea bream with scallops, green onions with beef brisket or want something indulgent like cheese and dalkgalbi, Solsot’s dishes each come with assorted banchan, salad, seaweed, and a portion of broth to make nurungji or scorched rice soup once you’ve cleared your pot.

Savour regional Chinese noodles at Moodle by the Grand in Wan Chai’s Hopewell Centre. Led by chef Yao Li, this artisanal noodle eatery offers signature noodle dishes from all across China. Flick through the menu to find dishes like Beijing’s savoury zha zhang mian (black bean sauce noodles), Shaanxi’s youpo biangbiang noodles tossed in oil, or hand-pulled noodles served with chicken and Jinhua ham soup as well as rich fish maw broth. Pair your comforting noodles with the restaurant’s curated tea set inspired by the five elements or opt for delectable Chinese desserts like osmanthus jelly cake with bird’s nest.

Pineapple buns are one of the city’s most beloved staple baked goods, and Pineapple Bakery in Sheung Wan just so happens to specialise in them. However, this bakery uses premium ingredients such as free-range Ping Yuen chicken eggs and French AOP butter to create fluffy sourdough brioche, topped with a vanilla-lemon crumble, covered in a honey butter glaze. Aside from their namesake bun, Pineapple Bakery also sells modern takes on baked goods like classic and pandan-flavoured cocktail buns, pork floss bun filled with bacon and scallion cream cheese, and sticky raisin cinnamon buns. Plus, they also offer a jazzed-up version of silk stocking milk tea, infused with nitrogen gas to create an extra silky smooth texture, and very cutely served with a mini pineapple bun on top – because why not?

If only tongue-numbing dishes come to mind when you think of Sichuanese food, then be sure to pop over to Sichuan Rouge in Causeway Bay. Led by Sichuanese chef Hu Taiqing and local veteran Kenny Chan, this sleek restaurant aims to showcase fine Sichuan cuisine that’s not only limited to mala spice. Order appetisers like razor clams with Sichuan peppercorns or chilled South African abalone with Hangzhou chillies, before moving onto mains like smoked eel wrapped with fried pork intestines, mapo tofu with lobster, or twice-cooked pork with black bean and soybean paste.

Korean restaurant Um Yong Baek has brought its Busan-style dwaeji gukbap, or pork rice soup, to Hong Kong. This casual restaurant serves two variations of its signature dish, which comes as a clear thin broth made with fresh pork or a milky broth simmered with pork bones and trotters. Both variations of gukbap come unsalted, so you can season your broth to perfection before digging in. Be sure to pair your soups with Um Yong Baek’s ogyeopsal suyuk, which is thinly sliced boiled pork belly served with tofu, chives, and garlic, for a hearty meal that’ll warm your belly.

Aer, short for aesthetic radio, is a laid-back restobar in Central that offers food, music, and all-around fun vibes. The venue’s cocktail programme, led by Nikita Matveev – the mixologist behind bars like The Old Man and Dead Poets – offers tipples like pandan-infused Midori sours, cocktails on tap, as well as creative mocktails. As for Aer’s food offerings, diners can look forward to finger-licking plates like smoky chicken wings, chicken sandwiches, beef tartare, and even vegetarian options like roasted squash. Most importantly, Aer prides itself on its music experience, powered by its state-of-the-art quadraphonic sound system. Chill out to a wide range of cross-genre music and follow Aer’s Instagram to stay up to date with their weekend guest DJ sets.

Since opening its doors in September 2024, Thai Pai Dong has been a hotspot for Hongkongers who want authentic Thai dishes, and the restaurant has even snagged a Michelin Bib Gourmand within a year of opening. If you can’t fathom hopping on the MTR over to Jordan, you can now enjoy Thai Pai Dong’s scrumptious dishes at their Central branch perched on Staunton Street. Like their flagship location, this down-to-earth Thai joint whips up beloved plates like Wagyu beef boat noodles, pad kee mao (drunken noodles), crab meat omelette, and more. However, once the clock hits 9.30pm, their Central branch starts to offer all sorts of Thai-inspired cocktails, so don’t miss the chance to pop by for a drink with some late-night bites.

Head down Kimberly Street in Tsim Sha Tsui to find Gamtai, Hong Kong’s first Hanwoo gopchang (beef offal) specialist restaurant. On their menu, you’ll find cuts like gochang (small intestines), daechang (large intestine), makchang (abomasum), and heart. For those who can’t stomach a whole meal of offal, Gamtai also offers thinly sliced beef brisket and marinated beef rib fingers, as well as side dishes like fried rice or steamed eggs.

Sichuan’s fiery hotpot chain has opened its first Hong Kong branch in Lee Theatre Plaza, adding to its impressive collection of over 800 global outlets. They’re best known for their signature Tianfu yeast preserved soup base – a blend of nine spices and natural lactic acid bacteria that’s fermented for 160 days, which offers a flavourful, umami-packed broth. But if you prefer to work up a sweat during your meal, Shoo Loong Kan’s supreme beef tallow spicy broth made with blended chillies and spices will tantalise your taste buds. As for hot pot add-ins, the restaurant offers a wide selection of premium beef cuts, including hand-sliced short ribs, freshly sliced beef brisket, ribeye, and volcanic spiced beef loaded with dried chilli flakes. Don’t forget to add fresh seafood items like fish heads and prawns, or pick your favourite veggies to complete your fiery feast.

As an ode to Hong Kong’s beloved dai pai dongs, chef Archan Chan and teammate Johnathan Leung of Ho Lee Fook have teamed up to launch Peng Leng Jeng, a pop-up restaurant in the heart of Soho that churns out DPD staples. Order wok hei-loaded plates like salt and pepper squid, black bean and chilli clams, stir-fried king, and typhoon shelter corn – be sure to pair them all with an ice-cold bottle of Blue Girl. Peng Leng Jeng will only be around until August 31, so you’d better book your tables fast if you want to try this modern dai pai dong experience.