In most places, Michelin-approved food comes with a rather ‘fancy’ dress code. Mainly, a booking made three months ahead, and a bill you’d rather forget. But in Hong Kong, it’s a little different.
Here, you might find the Bib Gourmand sticker on the window of a noodle shop, a roast meat counter or a tiny dim sum place, often on the ground floor of an ordinary apartment block (about 70 places in the city have one). It just means Michelin’s inspectors ate there and thought the food was REALLY good for the money.
Now, cooking here is mostly Cantonese, but this is also a former British colony and a port that has fed traders for ages. So Chinese, Western and Southeast Asian ideas are all mixed up in every kitchen here. That's how you end up with dim sum for breakfast, macaroni soup in a tea shop and French toast fried in butter, all on the same street. With that much going on, it's hard to tell which food to try in Hong Kong and what's just a tourist trap. So I've done the narrowing for you. Here are some of my picks of the must try food in Hong Kong, and where to find it.
1. Dim Sum
If you only pick one food to try in Hong Kong, make it this. Dim sum is a spread of small plates (what’s in it looks a little like the momos we have in India), usually steamed in bamboo baskets and eaten with tea (the Cantonese call it yum cha, which literally means "drink tea"). To start, I’d recommend ordering har gow (shrimp dumplings), siu mai (pork and prawn parcels) and char siu bao (fluffy buns stuffed with barbecued pork).
One tiny rule of the table: pour tea for everyone else before yourself, and tap two fingers on the table when someone pours yours. It's a thank you. You'll find plenty of dim sum places across Central and Sheung Wan.
2. Wonton Noodles
Thin egg noodles, a clear broth and a few plump shrimp wontons. That's the whole dish, and I think that’s why it's so so easy to love. Also, the bowls are small on purpose, so locals often eat one as a snack and then order a second (I think that’s the strategy). If you want to try it, Mak An Kee Noodle Restaurant in Central is a good place to start.
3. Roast Goose and Char Siu
Walk past any roast meat shop in Hong Kong and you'll see glossy ducks, geese and strips of pork hanging in the window. Roast goose is the star here, and Yat Lok in Central is the famous name for it. The family has run it since 1957, and the goose is chargrilled and usually served by the quarter over noodles in clear broth. I can sense a bunch of watery mouths already…
Char siu, the sticky Cantonese barbecued pork, is the other one to order, either on rice or just on its own. Sun Kwai Heung in Chai Wan is a good place to try it.
Planning your journey? Explore our Hong Kong tour packages from India and discover a holiday where city sights and local food go hand in hand.
4. Cheung Fun
Cheung fun are silky rice noodle rolls, folded up and drenched in sweet soy sauce, hoisin and peanut sauce, then topped with sesame seeds. It's a street snack, a breakfast and a dim sum order all at once. Hop Yik Tai in Sham Shui Po is one of the better-known spots.
5. Egg Waffles
The egg waffle (gai daan zai) looks like a sheet of bubble wrap that was turned into a snack. It's crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, and you can eat it straight off the paper cone. Head to the street stalls around Mong Kok and Yau Ma Tei, or try the Master Low-Key Food Shop in Causeway Bay. Many stalls now sell flavoured ones too, but I think the plain ones are hard to beat.
Want to build your Hong Kong holiday around the food as well? Our tailor-made tours let you take your time over the places, flavours and experiences you're most curious about.
6. Pineapple Bun With Butter
If you didn't know already, the famous pineapple bun has no pineapple… Bummer right? I know. What it does have is a sweet, crackly top, a soft inside and, if you order it the right way, a thick slab of cold butter tucked in while the bun is still warm. It’s easily a must try food in Hong Kong if you’re looking for an affordable and quick breakfast. I’d say Kam Wah Cafe in Prince Edward is the classic place for it.
7. Milk Tea and the Cha Chaan Teng
A cha chaan teng is a Hong Kong tea restaurant, and it's where Chinese and Western food come together over a laminated menu. Order the Hong Kong-style milk tea, which is strong black tea mixed with evaporated milk (it's sometimes called "silk stocking" tea, for the cloth strainer it's pulled through). Then pick a plate: macaroni soup with ham, pork chop rice or Hong Kong-style French toast. Luen Wah in Sai Ying Pun is a good, old-school choice, and you'll find the others along Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui.
8. Egg Tarts
Hong Kong's answer to the British custard tart is silkier and far more addictive for many. They come with either a flaky pastry crust or a crumbly shortcrust one, so you'll need to try both and pick a side.
Honolulu Coffee Shop in Wan Chai is a well-known stop, and the bakeries near Times Square in Causeway Bay sell them warm.
Looking for experiences beyond the food? Explore our guide to the best things to do in Hong Kong.
9. Claypot Rice and Curry Fish Balls
These are two street snacks that belong on any must try food in Hong Kong list, and they both can be found in the same area. Claypot rice is cooked in a clay pot over a flame, which gives it a crispy golden layer at the bottom that everyone fights over. Find it around the Ladies' Market and Temple Street Night Market in Mong Kok and Yau Ma Tei. Curry fish balls come on skewers in a spicy curry sauce, and you'll spot them at street stalls across the same neighbourhoods.
10. Tofu Fa
If you've had enough meat and spice by now, here's your reset. Tofu fa is a warm, wobbly tofu pudding, served with a light sugar syrup. It's soft, simple and a good way to end a long day of eating. Kung Wo Dou Bun Chong in Sham Shui Po has been making it for years.
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Best Restaurants in Hong Kong
You don't need a fancy dinner to eat well here. The 2026 Michelin Guide lists around 70 Bib Gourmand restaurants in Hong Kong, which is Michelin's label for good food at a fair price. A few of the new ones this year include Ho Ho Chak in Tsim Sha Tsui and Dragons' Den, a hidden retro Cantonese restaurant that brings back old recipes.
The best restaurants in Hong Kong are rarely the fanciest ones. A local will most probably point at a street corner if you ask them where to find the best food in Hong Kong. They're the small places with a queue outside and a menu that hasn't changed in years, like Yat Lok and the ones above.
New Restaurants in Hong Kong to Try
The restaurant scene here moves fast, and there are always new restaurants in Hong Kong opening every month. A few that opened in recent months are:
Canton Library (Tsim Sha Tsui): Lingnan cuisine, opened in September, Hokkien House (Central): Fujian-style cooking, opened in September, Canto Jade (Taikoo): Cantonese, opened in August, Food Atlas (Tsim Sha Tsui): a food court with 12 venues, opened in August, Lazy Suzy (Central): a Canto-American diner, opened in June and Manteigaria (Central): Portuguese egg tarts, opened in June (a good warm-up if you're also visiting Macau)
Will Vegetarian Food Be Available in Hong Kong?
Yes, though you'll have to be a little picky. Local Cantonese cooking leans heavily on pork, seafood and meat-based stock, even in some vegetable dishes, so it's worth asking before you order.
The easier route for Indian vegetarians is Tsim Sha Tsui, where you'll find pure-veg Indian restaurants such as Woodlands, Branto and Saravanaa Bhavan, plus Smrat in Hung Hom. Sangeetha, in Tsim Sha Tsui East, says it caters to Jain diets too. Most of Hong Kong’s must try food list lean non-veg, but tofu fa, egg waffles and pineapple buns work for most, though it's still worth asking.
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