Pearls of the Orient: The best restaurants in Hong Kong
From the world's first three-Michelin-star Cantonese restaurant to the best new eatery in the hipster district of Sai Ying Pun
Hong Kong is one of the most diverse cities on Earth, with upscale restaurants to match every nationality that calls this tiny territory in the South China Sea home.
Here are five of the city's best restaurants serving five different types of cuisine.
Cantonese
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The world’s first three-Michelin-star Cantonese restaurant is found in the Hong Kong Four Seasons. Lung King Heen is a chic dining room serving luxury versions of local dishes, all with the iconic Victoria Harbour backdrop. The Daily Telegraph notes the intricacy of the menu with the “12 different Bird’s Nest dishes”, praising the “delicate and accessible” flavours of the seafood. “This is a fantastic place to experience two of the region’s great glories: barbecue and dim sum,” says Forbes Travel Guide, which rated it a rare five stars.
French
The first and last word in upscale French food in Hong Kong is Amber at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental hotel, which jumped to number 20 in this year’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Head chef Richard Ekkebus’s menu includes Korean abalone, “paired intriguingly with black pepper and vinegar-seasoned tomato compote” with “braised and then crisped cubes of oxtail”, reports Hong Kong Tatler. If you can’t make it for dinner, says Fodor’s, “check out the fantastic wine-paired lunch available every weekend”. The elegant caramel decor, with a vast bronze chandelier as its centerpiece, is every bit as landmark as the food.
British
British chef Nate Green is behind Rhoda, which is being named by many as this year’s hottest new restaurant in Hong Kong. In the hipster district of Sai Ying Pun, Rhoda is named after Green’s grandmother and puts modern British cuisine at the heart of its menu. WOM Guide says the food is as emotional as the concept: “The flavours take us right back to those happy evenings spent sharing good food and conversation in the back garden”, evoking “emotions rarely experienced in restaurants”. Highlights of the menu include Mangalica pork chop – sourced from Hungary – and vanilla cheesecake with fresh rhubarb.
Japanese
“Come to Zuma hungry,” says Hong Kong Tatler. Zuma’s high-ceilinged cosmopolitan restaurant, on the sixth floor of Hong Kong’s elegant Landmark building, is renowned for its sushi and Japanese robata. (Try the “miso-marinated black cod” and the extensive range of sakes, says the mag.) While Zuma is popular for dinner and cocktails, it’s the weekend champagne brunch that it’s famous for – impress your friends by pairing sushi platters with bottomless Veuve Cliquot champagne.
European
With one Michelin star to its name and a location inside one of Hong Kong’s most iconic hotels, the Mandarin Grill is a “perennial winner” on the city’s dining scene, says 10Best. The Mandarin Grill dining room, an elegant, upscale space designed by Terence Conran, putting seafood and grilled meats centre stage – but with fun twists. “The actual dishes appear like works of art, with plenty of playful flourishes,” says Fodor’s.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The history of Donald Trump's election conspiracy theories
The Explainer How the 2024 Republican nominee has consistently stoked baseless fears of a stolen election
By David Faris Published
-
Two ancient cities have been discovered along the Silk Road
Under the radar The discovery changed what was known about the old trade route
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
'People shouldn't have to share the road with impaired drivers'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
How Hong Kong’s Jumbo Floating Restaurant capsized at sea
feature Three-storey vessel was being moved to an ‘undisclosed shipyard’ for ‘maintenance’
By The Week Staff Published
-
The world’s ten most expensive cities - and the cheapest
Speed Read Three places tie for top spot in annual ranking of cost of living for first time ever
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
This week’s dream: hiking in Hong Kong
Speed Read City escape
By The Week Staff Published