The best new restaurants to try in Hong Kong this January

Hospitality group Lai Sun Dining has opened Akatsuki Izakaya, a new Japanese eatery on Duddell Street, located just underneath upscale restaurant Plaisance by Mauro Colagreco. This casual dining venue offers a relaxed atmosphere paired with traditional izakaya classics. Guests can expect to enjoy bites such as amadai or shrimp kushikatsu (fried skewers) fried to crispy perfection, Hida beef sando made with indulgently juicy A5 Wagyu, as well as seasonal creations like razor clam served in a kale and pine nut sauce. 

During the day, Akatsuki Izakaya puts together hearty bento sets that make for a great lunch option in the area. Each set includes a variety of dishes such as potato salad, miso soup, homemade pickles, and steamed chawanmushi (steamed egg custard). Diners can select two appetisers from options like chilled tofu, stewed ox tongue, crispy chicken karaage, and stewed oden. Entrée choices include grilled Miyazaki beef don, creamy mentaiko spaghetti, and assorted diced high-quality sashimi negitoro don.

Michelin Bib Gourmand-recognised pizzeria Little Napoli has left its former location in Happy Valley and moved to an all-new, larger space in Wan Chai. Just as before, head chef Gavino Pilo and his team churn out authentic handcrafted Neapolitan-style pizzas that are baked to perfection with a crisp and lightly charred crust. Aside from offering classic pizza flavours like Margherita and Vesuviana, Little Napoli’s pizzas also feature unique ingredients such as a San Marzano yellow tomato sauce in Montana, or Mediterranean octopus in Luciana. If you want to try something new, check out Little Napoli’s pizza portafoglia, or wallet pizzas. These crusty creations are generously stuffed with goodies like parma ham and arugula, or mortadella with burrata, and make for great on-the-go snacks.

Rosewood Hong Kong welcomes French eatery Marmo Bistro as its newest dining venue. Helmed by the hotel’s chef de cuisine, Giovanni Galeota, the eatery captures the inviting atmosphere of Parisian bistros and offers guests a wide variety of classic French fare. Begin with appetisers such home-cured foie gras torchon or a hearty bowl of gratineé à l’oignon topped with broiled gruyère and comté, before diving into mains like seared Dover sole meunière, authentic Marseille-style bouillabaisse, or côte de boeuf à la Bordelaise. As for their beverage options, Marmo Bistro presents an assortment of French fine wines and timeless cocktails like the Sidecar, Boulevardier, and Liaison – all of which enhance the flavours of the bistro's French dishes.

Chef Vicky Cheng has unveiled his new restaurant, Medora, on Wellington Street. Unlike his fine-dining venues, Vea Restaurant and Wing, the latter of which is currently ranked at 20 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024, Medora focuses on offering a casual dining experience with European and American influences. Be sure to try the restaurant’s signature barbeque chicken – made with locally-raised three yellow chicken and other entrée options such as langoustine rolls, grilled Boston lobster, and roasted Dover soles with razor clams. What’s more, Medora also offers an innovative beverage menu created by award-winning mixologist, Antonio Lai. Diners can sip on refreshing gin and tonics, highball-style cocktails, or pick from the restaurant’s extensive wine list. Chef Cheng’s new opening also encompasses Liz & Tori, an artisanal gelato shop named after his two daughters. Here, customers can savour 10 gelato flavours that include nostalgic favourites and innovative creations like hazelnut crunch and strawberry cream swirl. 

Oh! My Bread is one of the latest additions to Hong Kong’s collection of bakeries. Helmed by young pastry chef Cyrus Yan, this bakery-slash-cafe located in Wan Chai churns out various pastries and breads on a daily basis. Sink your teeth into delightful creations like sesame pain au Suisse, almond croissants, or indulgent desserts such as dark chocolate tart with caramelised nuts or yuzu curd tarts. Additionally, chef Yan offers exclusive time-limited treats like flaky egg puff pastry, which is puff pastry shaped to look like egg waffles. These flaky treats are then piled high with toppings like caramelised nuts and hazelnut sauce, or mixed berries and vanilla custard. As for savoury options, Oh! My Bread also whips up freshly made sandwiches like smoked salmon ciabatta and smoked chicken focaccia, as well as a small selection of Taiwanese-style noodles and side dishes.

Korean celebrity chef and judge on Netflix’s hit K-cookery series Culinary Class Wars, Baek Jong-won, is set to bring his Korean barbecue chain, Saemaeul Sikdang, to Hong Kong in early December. Located in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui, this brand-spanking-new Korean eatery will be serving all sorts of premium cuts of meats, as well as their signature items like charcoal-grilled thinly sliced pork, pork belly, and chilbun dwaeji kimchi – a hearty kimchi pork stew that’ll go great with soju.

Head to Quarry Bay to find Té Bo, an elevated eatery that’s one of the latest additions to Taikoo Place’s newly opened social club, 1880. This modern restaurant gets its name from playfully twisting ‘t’es beau’, meaning ‘you’re beautiful’ in French. Helmed by chef Sebastian Lorenz, who fuses his French culinary training with flavours from his Swiss-Filipino heritage, Té Bo offers plates like three yellow chicken cromesquis, lobster with avocado and Oscietra caviar, and beef cheek raviolo with foie gras and Jerusalem artichoke.

Tozzo is an all-day dining venue located in Central’s historic Tai Kwun. The cafe gets its name after maritozzo, which refers to an Italian cream-filled bun and is an endearing term for ‘chubby’, epitomised by its adorable pudgy mascot. Helmed by chef-founder Fabio Bardi, the cafe whips up casual all-day dining plates like fluffy buttermilk pancakes with butter and syrup, mixed salad with burrata and tomatoes, as well as Italian-Japanese savoury plates like fried chicken with shiso pesto or butter soy sauce mushroom pasta designed by chef-consultant Agustin Balbi from one-Michelin-starred restaurant Andō. Customers can delight in Tozzo’s signature maritozzo sandwiches loaded with original cream, matcha, and chocolate-flavoured alternatives, or opt for savoury fillings like scrambled eggs with guanciale or avocado with katsuobushi. Additionally, sweet tooths can delight in the cafe’s selection of freshly churned gelato available in locally inspired creations like black sesame, Hong Kong-style yuen yeung, and mandarin sorbet.