The best restaurants for dining alone in Hong Kong

Whether you're in need of a satisfying breakfast or quick mid-day snack, sometimes, only the fluffy scrambled eggs on decadent buttery thick toast at the Australian Dairy Company will do. Thankfully, they offer it around the clock with other popular egg and milk-based dishes on the menu. Eating alone at this fast-paced cha chaan teng doesn't even feel like you are, thanks to the swift-moving staff and their tendency to not bat an eyelid, so naturally, neither will you.

Head to this dynamic destination in Jardine House's basement to find an array of independent food and beverage concepts under one roof. Hungry customers can find venues like sandwich joint Cuít, Hong Kong-style fast food kiosk CCT by Shop B, casual Japanese vendor Don Bowls & Rolls by Sushi Fujimoto, and many more. Feeling thirsty? Grab a beverage from drink vendors such as Potion House which serves artisanal handmade bubble teas; Draft Land which offers libations and cocktails on tap; and Artifact, a hidden speakeasy-style concept with a futuristic interior. 

Unlike most hotpot restaurants where you share a communal pot with your table, Boat Boat Steam offers a unique steam-slash-hot pot experience catered for solo diners. Start your meal off by steaming your desired protein or veggies in the pot built into your table. Once you’re ready to move on, you can ask the restaurant’s staff to remove the steaming rack, so you can enjoy a selection of congees and hotpot broths that’s already inside the pot.

The American-style burger joint is located in the heart of Wan Chai and serves up a range of burgers and fried foods that always hit the spot. Grab a double cheeseburger, wash it down with one of their milkshakes, and you'll have yourself a great meal for one. You don't even need to share any of your fries!

Ever get self-conscious about being seen by other people when you're dining alone in public? Drop by Cosmos@RedMr in Causeway Bay, a karaoke venue that also serves up some delectable bites. Get comfortable in your private room and order light bites like assorted spicy skewers and mouth-watering fried chicken skin; or opt for filling entrees like grilled pork neck-topped rice with curry sauce. Once you've had your fill, make the most of your meal by belting out a few tunes without any embarrassment from anyone else watching. Don't feel like singing your heart out? Cosmos also allows customers to watch Netflix from their TVs, and they also provide headphones, so you can dine without any distractions. 

Unsurprisingly, Iciran is on this list as it's well known for offering an individual ramen experience, whereby you swap your office cubicle for a dinner cubicle. The wooden booths here offer privacy at its finest, allowing you to slurp your ramen in peace. There’s everything you need, from a self-serve green tea dispenser to a magic call button for placing your orders. All you have to do is fill out your order sheet, hand it to a faceless-waiter behind the bamboo curtain, and wait for your ramen to appear. A recluse’s dream.

Maks Noodles is one of the best places to go for fuss-free, delicious Cantonese comfort fare. Try the classic wonton shrimp noodles in soup, which is likely to be one of the best meal deals you can get in Hong Kong. Located on Wellington Street, Maks Noodles is the kind of no-frills dining experience that you can easily enjoy, even without a dining companion.

Tucked away in a quiet commercial building in Causeway Bay, Nagomiya offers traditional Japanese oden in an intimate, izakaya setting. Choose from a wide variety of oden ingredients such as beef tendons, fishcakes, and daikon radish; or opt for grilled skewers like chicken heart, cartilage, or pork belly. This restaurant is open until 5am from Mondays to Saturdays, making it the perfect place to grab a bite to eat when no one else is awake to join you.

With several branches around the city, Nom Nom Dumpling is a down-to-earth eatery that dishes up a variety of boiled, steamed, and pan-fried dumplings. Aside from the classic combinations that you know and love, this joint offers some unique fillings, like cheese, sukiyaki beef dumplings, and spicy Chongqing-inspired wontons. The food here is unpretentious, but the dishes come out quickly and are always satisfying. 

A chain restaurant originally from Japan, On-Yasai specialises in Japanese style hotpot or shabu-shabu. Their menu features a wide range of premium protein and fresh ingredients such as A5 Saga Wagyu beef, Kumamoto pork, Japanese vegetables, and much more that you can dip into their signature yuzu soup with collagen, among other broths.

Not that we need another reason to love the popular pasta bar, but Pici’s soul-satisfying hand-rolled pasta is always served in a fuss-free and casual style restaurant where you are not required to make a reservation. Service is quick and some branches have large windows to open up for a semi-alfresco experience that you can enjoy all on your own, so you can slurp up dishes of beef cheek pappardelle or cacio e pepe in peace.

Despite Sushi Tachi's small space, its wooden bar tables, cherry blossom decoration, and soft lighting give the restaurant a decent Japanese flair. All of its seafood offerings are selected directly from Japan’s Tsukiji Market every day, and the sushi is made exclusively using rice from Fukui Prefecture. Signatures include the mini urchin bowl rice, grilled olive flounder sushi, and jumbo pink prawn sushi. The restaurant also updates its menu every month, featuring seasonal and rare fish species. 

With 30 locations in the city, Sushiro offers plates of quality sushi and sashimi at affordable prices. Unlike other conveyor belt sushi restaurants, Sushiro offers partitioned seats that separate you from other diners, so you can grab as many plates of sushi as you like without being disturbed. You can also order any item from their touchscreen menus, and have them delivered to your table via conveyor belt. 

Airside in Kai Tak welcomes the first overseas branch of Edomae sushi specialist Uogashi Nihonichi. The standing sushi restaurant houses up to 15 diners at once and provides an authentic dining experience just like Uogashi Nihonichi’s locations across Japan. Customers can enjoy sushi a la carte or order from sets, which come with side dishes like salad, soup, and chawanmushi.

Head to the basement of Causeway Bay's Hysan Place to find #Urbanhood, a new multi-purpose space that houses approximately 40 lifestyle, entertainment, and retail outlets from 120 local and international brands. This venue houses several popular Asian vendors such as Taiwanese dessert brand Pa-Shih Mesona, modern Chinese restaurant The Pot Spot, Korean cuisine specialist 2 Kim’s Kitchen, as well as dessert house Kanmidokoro Kamakura – which is the brand’s first outpost in Hong Kong. 

Yakiniku Like is a popular hitori yakiniku (one-person barbecue) restaurant from Tokyo that has opened a few venues in Hong Kong including Sheung Wan, Causeway Bay, Kowloon Bay, Sha Tin, Kwai Fong, Mongkok and Sheung Shui. The Japanese barbecue joint offers a range of set menus as well as a la carte items at incredibly affordable prices so you can do your worst at the solo grills. Plus, orders are taken via QR code which makes it a quick and (mostly) contactless experience too.

Even after so many years in the business, Yardbird attracts diners by the hordes, thanks to being the kind of super hip izakaya/yakitori venue that not even Tokyo denizens would roll their eyes at. The chicken here is treated no differently than the finest piece of toro, that is, with love and care. And it returns the favour by donating literally every part of its body including the thigh, wing, neck, liver, tail or skin.