The Wai: A guide to Hong Kong's newest shopping mall

A joint effort between cinema chain giants Emperor Cinemas and MCL Cinemas, The Wai's Emperor Cinemas Plus+ boasts six theatres and a total of 912 seats. It's also the first cinema in town to be equipped with Dolby System131 Screen Channel Speaker throughout, including the 185-seater Dolby Atoms theatre. As for movie snacks, don't miss their exclusive crab meat hot dog, fried chicken, or Tsit Wing Hong Kong-style milk tea for the complete movie experience.

To celebrate its grand opening, the cinema will be offering special deals – including $65 cinema tickets, complimentary tickets, annual privileges, and more – for the first 5,000 moviegoers who register for an Emperor Cinemas VIP membership using the promotion code 'TAIWAI'.

The largest Market Place in Hong Kong has landed at The Wai! Occupying over 20,000sq ft of space, the store is divided into dedicated sections with more than 13,000 products from around the world, including fresh produce, bread, seafood, meat, light snacks, coffee, alcoholic beverages, and flowers. The new store also offers the largest selection of coffee and alcoholic beverages among all Market Place stores in Hong Kong; rare top-grade Korean beef exported in limited quantities; rose coral mushrooms, and the must-try King of Croissant from Urban Bakery.

In celebration of the grand opening, Market Place has teamed up with Tai Wai's popular Cozy Coffee to introduce six refreshing summer drinks from now until August 10. Be sure to try exclusive creations such as the Blood Orange Espresso Tonic and the Yellow Submarine (Lemon Carbonate).

Muji's new location at The Wai covers over 11,000sq ft and offers a wide range of products, including clothing for men, women, and children; household items, Muji to Go travel accessories, and food. The store also has a self-service coffee machine and a water station where customers can refill their own water bottles for free.

Japanese drugstore Tokyo Lifestyle arrives at The Wai with a diverse selection of popular Japanese brands such as Canmake, Cezanne, Ettusais, and Fasio. Beauty queens will thoroughly enjoy browsing through the store's collection of products that range from beauty and skincare products to nail care, body care, and more.

Uniqlo's The Wai store is the Japanese fashion retailer's first branch in Tai Wai. Setting itself apart from its other locations in the city, the store focuses on the theme of quality living, combining elements of local culture, community projects, and a special Tai Wai map 'exhibition' section that introduces shoppers to local food and drink culture, leisure activities in the area, as well as community-themed products.

Renowned fashion brand Agnès b. opens at The Wai to offer customers all their latest fashion and accessory items. Additionally, the brand has launched the Agnès b. Café in Kiosk 11 with limited edition coffee and desserts on the menu. From now to August 22, customers who spend at the new Agnès b. store can enjoy a 20 percent discount at the cafe by presenting their receipts on the same day. A special value set, which includes one beverage and one mini cake, is also available for $88 (original price $109) at the cafe from now to July 31.

Bringing its signature Hainan chicken rice and Bak Kut Teh to the New Territories, Chatterbox Café's new location at The Wai marks the restaurant's second branch in Hong Kong. Apart from the food, diners will get to experience the charms of the Lion City as the restaurant incorporates Singaporean art – including an impressive mural by Singaporean art team Ripple Root – into its sleek and spacious venue. 

Be sure to try the exclusive coconut shake drink series, as well as the new summer seafood menu 'Chatterbox Summer Trinity Feast - Sea, Land, Home' with exclusive dishes like stir-fried ocean prawns with crispy oatmeal and Singapore Assam sea bass.

A new arrival to The Wai, Korean BBQ restaurant Galbi Gung specialises in top-grade beef short ribs and marinated beef short ribs. Other items on the menu include Korean-style sukiyaki, Wagyu sirloin, scallion and garlic beef tongue, pear-marinated boneless chicken wings, and more.

Thai restaurant Khao San boasts a spacious 2,000sq ft venue with seating for up to 100 guests. Designed to evoke a Thai-style villa ambience, the restaurant plates up authentic Thai dishes like Thai satay skewers, spicy papaya salad, and mango sticky rice. For dessert, indulge in delectable treats such as Oreo durian French toast paired with vanilla ice cream and Thai milk tea caramel pudding. 

Japanese shabu-shabu restaurant Nabe Urawa opens its 10th branch in Hong Kong at The Wai. The new location offers 90-minute and 120-minute all-you-can-eat meal sets, as well as a 60-minute lunch set. Compared to its other branches in the city, this Tai Wai location has an extended self-service hot plate area and offers bites such as cheese butter corn, sake-cooked clams, grilled asparagus beef rolls, Japanese-style stir-fried udon, and more. Visit the restaurant from now to August 18 to enjoy a complimentary Malaysian durian treat!

Popular local coffee shop chain NOC Coffee Co. opens NOC The Wai on the fourth floor of the new shopping mall. Blending elements of coffee brewing with NOC's signature minimalist aesthetics, the store's centrepiece sits as a 5.7-meter-wide vortex-shaped pillar adorned with metallic rings to represent a coffee dripper and the movements of pouring hot water over coffee. Take a seat on the low benches by the floor-to-ceiling windows to enjoy views of the surrounding landscape, or try the store-exclusive Iced Pandan Cocoffee crafted with coconut water, NOC's classic nutty House Blend No.18 espresso, pandan extract, and a rich layer of milk foam and pandan leaf on top.

Nagoya's hundred-year-old udon shop Yamamotoya sets foot in Hong Kong for the first time at The Wai. Established in 1925, Yamamotoya is best known for its miso udon, made with traditionally handmade noodles using wheat flour and water sourced from Japan. Meanwhile, the miso soup is crafted by blending Yamamotoya's own Okazaki Hatcho miso, which has been fermented for over three years, with Shinshu miso, resulting in rich umami flavours that are sure to delight any udon enthusiast.

In addition to its impressive shopping and dining options, The Wai is home to Hong Kong's largest indoor bicycle parking lot with 330 parking spaces for bicycles.

The Wai is located atop Tai Wai MTR Station, so the mall is easily accessible via the Tuen Ma or East Rail line. If you're driving, The Wai also has 390 parking spaces, including 18 EV charging stations.

Visitors to The Wai can discover a variety of large-scale art installations created by local artists throughout its indoor and outdoor spaces. The mall has also partnered up with the Hong Kong Design Institute and local designers to develop themed MTR trains which showcase Tai Wai's cultural history and stories through art on Tuen Ma and East Rail lines.