Essential Hong Kong Dining Experience - Here's a list of the Best and most of the Rest
Cooked Food Centres are one of Hong Kong's hidden gems that receive very little attention in guidebooks. Behind the nondescript, parking garage-like, exteriors is a buzzing activity of food stalls. In the 1960s, the Hong Kong government moved the traditional "Dai Pai Dong" / street food vendors inside in an effort to improve sanitation and reduce street congestion.
The Cooked Food Centres operate no differently than the historical markets in the U.S. or Europe. The ground floor is typically dedicated to meat and fish, the first floor is fruits and vegetables, the second floor is the cooked food centre. Most of tend to be located near MTR stations. Depending upon the size, CFCs may contain upwards of thirty food stalls each specializing in a few dishes, although typically only a few stay open for dinner at which point a fuller menu is available.
Here's a link to all of Hong Kong's Cooked Food Centres and Markets (all of which I will eventually visit): Hong Kong Markets. Below is a summary of my experiences from my favorite Cooked Food Centres and the rest. There's not too much distinction between my favorites and the rest - a lot of the decision on where to eat is mainly driven by where I am in the city and the other activities planned for that day.
The Cooked Food Centres operate no differently than the historical markets in the U.S. or Europe. The ground floor is typically dedicated to meat and fish, the first floor is fruits and vegetables, the second floor is the cooked food centre. Most of tend to be located near MTR stations. Depending upon the size, CFCs may contain upwards of thirty food stalls each specializing in a few dishes, although typically only a few stay open for dinner at which point a fuller menu is available.
Here's a link to all of Hong Kong's Cooked Food Centres and Markets (all of which I will eventually visit): Hong Kong Markets. Below is a summary of my experiences from my favorite Cooked Food Centres and the rest. There's not too much distinction between my favorites and the rest - a lot of the decision on where to eat is mainly driven by where I am in the city and the other activities planned for that day.
BOWRINGTON ROAD
21 BOWRINGTON ROAD, WAN CHAI, NEAR THE CAUSEWAY BAY MTR
This is the standard bearer of all cooked food centers for two reasons: it's in an easy to find location near a major metro stop and they have an English menu. That it's a raucous crowd, with the best food, and easy to get a Tsingtao only enhances the experience to the point that you leave feeling I love Hong Kong. Bowrington Road serves the Chinese food you'd expect, but couldn't, find in China. If you play it safe they have the best sweet and sour Chicken you'll ever have - although quality varies with each visit.
21 BOWRINGTON ROAD, WAN CHAI, NEAR THE CAUSEWAY BAY MTR
This is the standard bearer of all cooked food centers for two reasons: it's in an easy to find location near a major metro stop and they have an English menu. That it's a raucous crowd, with the best food, and easy to get a Tsingtao only enhances the experience to the point that you leave feeling I love Hong Kong. Bowrington Road serves the Chinese food you'd expect, but couldn't, find in China. If you play it safe they have the best sweet and sour Chicken you'll ever have - although quality varies with each visit.
The Nondescript Entrance
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A Boisterous Atmosphere
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Value Food Options
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MUI WO
100 METERS FROM MUI WO PIER This is the best Cooked Food Centre to date - however, it involves a thirty minute ferry ride to reach so unless you are already on Lantau Island you may want to consider another option. There's no market attached...although this allows dining right on the bay, so no complaints. All the restaurants looked similar - I went with Wah Kee which is in the center. |
Waterfront Seating
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Salt and Pepper Crab
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SHEUNG WAN
345 QUEEN'S ROAD CENTRAL It's bright. It's clean. It's convenient. It's menu has all the standard favorites. The deep fried squid had me wishing I had visited this place much sooner - perfect batter to squid crispness ratio; the squid tasted well cooked but retained all it's flavor. Quite a few restaurants operate at night, I went with the one near the escalators which had quite a crowd. In the morning the #2 Rated Dai Pai Dong on Open Rice operates at stall 17C. They have a limited breakfast sandwich menu and a list of hot and cold drinks. The centre is much quieter earlier in the morning, however, you can catch a glimpse of the stalls preparing food for the mid-day rush. ***The popular ABC Kitchen is the Queen's Road CFC, two blocks away.** |
Dinner Crowd
Breakfast Sandwich
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Deep Fried Squid
Empty in the Morning
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WONG NAI CHUNG
2 YUK SAU STREET - HAPPY VALLEY It's best to take the tram from Times Square. This place feels more like a fancy restaurant relative to the other cooked food centers - the atmosphere is a little quieter, the waiters seem a little calmer, and the food is definitely a slight tick above the common CFC fare - it's a little pricier too but still a good value. |
Fine Dining at the CFC
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Fried Chicken - One of the Signature Dishes
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CHAU KUN KEE
BURIED IN WO CHE ESTATES; SHA TIN BUT CLOSER TO THE FO TAN MTR Not a CFC but it sure feels like one. Alfresco dining with several restaurants located in a common area in the middle of the Wo Che Estates. Seafood seams to be the nightly specialty. The outdoor dining and public housing estate creates a distinct and enjoyable experience. |
Restaurant Surrounded by Public Housing
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Salt and Pepper Shrimp
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TAI PO HUI MARKET
8 HEUNG SZE WUI STREET This CFC was featuree on Anthony Bourdain No Reservations. I came specifically for the home/handmade noodle meal at Shop 12C - you'll recognize the owner from the show. The noodles are worth trying, however, there's a few other stalls with more clientele so come hungry. The variety and options at this CFC is what makes it stand out. Your best option is to head out here for a weekend lunch and try as much food as possible - four stalls are rated in the Top 20 Dai Pai Dong's on Open Rice, not including the homemade noodle guy. There's dim sum, pork cutlets, and many other dining options. The CFC is a ten minute walk from the Tai Po MTR Station. |
Homemade Noodle Guy
Jam Packed on the Weekends
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Homemade Noodles - Lo Mein
Dim Sum
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SMITHFIELD MARKET
SMITHFIELD MUNICIPAL SERVICES BUILDING, 100 METERS LEFT FROM EXIT B OF KENNEDY TOWN MTR STATION
At night a few restaurants operate here all seeming to offer some form of a hot pot dish (chicken, lamb, etc.) and there's also a Thai / Vietnamese restaurant. The hot pot at Stall CF3 comes as either a half or full chicken - the best part is, that after you've eaten the chicken, the wait staff dumps water into the chicken hot pot turning the dish into a traditional Sichuan hot pot (the pictures below may explain it better...it's pretty ingenious). The spices from the chicken are used to flavor the broth. Once the broth is boiling you can add all the secondary food items you've ordered: dumplings, mushrooms, tofu, etc. It's a different option from the standard CFC Chinese fare.
SMITHFIELD MUNICIPAL SERVICES BUILDING, 100 METERS LEFT FROM EXIT B OF KENNEDY TOWN MTR STATION
At night a few restaurants operate here all seeming to offer some form of a hot pot dish (chicken, lamb, etc.) and there's also a Thai / Vietnamese restaurant. The hot pot at Stall CF3 comes as either a half or full chicken - the best part is, that after you've eaten the chicken, the wait staff dumps water into the chicken hot pot turning the dish into a traditional Sichuan hot pot (the pictures below may explain it better...it's pretty ingenious). The spices from the chicken are used to flavor the broth. Once the broth is boiling you can add all the secondary food items you've ordered: dumplings, mushrooms, tofu, etc. It's a different option from the standard CFC Chinese fare.
Smithfield Market CFC
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Chicken Hot Pot becomes...
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...Sichuan Hot Pot
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TUNG PO - JAVA ROAD CFC
99 JAVA ROAD - NORTH POINT The most "famous" CFC that Anthony Bourdain visited on No Reservations. The head chef / maitre d previously worked at a fancy restaurant and the quality here is noticeable better...the prices are also noticeable higher - beer's twice the average price. This is a good place to go with a crowd - a few of the signature dishes, like the "sand chicken" is a lot of food for a single diner. |
Always a Crowd at Tung Po
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The Signature Squid Ink Pasta
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MONG KOK
557 SHANGHAI STREET This CFC is tucked into the second floor of the Langham Hotel and Mall complex and feel more like a mall food court with more options and stalls specializing in a few dishes than other CFCs. The pork cutlet sandwich, from the first stall on the left, receives high marks on OpenRice, and even if it originates in Macau, it's still one of the best sandwiches in Hong Kong. |
Cafeteria Feel Dining
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Pork Cutlet Sandwich
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KOWLOON CITY
100 NGA TSIN WAI ROAD
This cooked food center is located in the heart of Kowloon City which unfortunately is not serviced via an MTR Station. At night, the primary restaurant is Amporn Thai and another stall offers a hot pot. It's a relatively small dining area in an otherwise enormous public market and building - there's a library and sports complex on the same floor. The Thai food is good except for the Pad Thai, surprisingly enough. Given the difficult in reaching the CFC it's worthwhile to visit the Kowloon City Wall and even Wong Tai Sin and Chi Lin Nunnery as part of a broader afternoon trip.
100 NGA TSIN WAI ROAD
This cooked food center is located in the heart of Kowloon City which unfortunately is not serviced via an MTR Station. At night, the primary restaurant is Amporn Thai and another stall offers a hot pot. It's a relatively small dining area in an otherwise enormous public market and building - there's a library and sports complex on the same floor. The Thai food is good except for the Pad Thai, surprisingly enough. Given the difficult in reaching the CFC it's worthwhile to visit the Kowloon City Wall and even Wong Tai Sin and Chi Lin Nunnery as part of a broader afternoon trip.
Popular Thai Food
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A Few Items From the Menu
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Thai Worship Wall
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PEI HO - SHAM SHUI PO
333 KI LUNG STREET Sham Shui Po is a lively neighborhood and the excitement on the streets seems to carry itself into the CFC. By far the most boisterous, largest, and loudest CFC makes this place have the best atmosphere. Unfortunately the food did not match the atmosphere on my first visit, but I am looking forward to a return. |
Large and Rowdy Dining Hall
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Sweet and Sour Pork
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ALDRICH BAY - SHAU KEI WAN
15 ALDRICH BAY ROAD Shop CF3 was featured in the South China Morning Post as having one of the best claypot rice dishes in Hong Kong. The small dining area is located in the Aldrich Bay Market, which is different than it's Google Maps location. Shau Kei Wan has a few lively market streets south of the MTR Station. |
Intimate Dining Area
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Scallop and Geoduck Claypot Rice
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AND THE REST
Unless I state otherwise, these places are all good and worth trying. The "Best" reflects places I'd take out of town guests and have a convenience factor or are near an attraction or I've eaten at multiple times and can attest that the quality or experience doesn't vary...too much. Most of the places below I return to whenever I'm in the area. Some are at their best during lunch making it difficult to reach unless it's part of a day trip.
CENTRAL AND WESTERN
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QUEEN STREET
38 DES VOEUX ROAD WEST ABC Kitchen is the most renowned / reviewed place, however, at lunch time all the stalls seemed to be doing pretty brisk business. ABC Kitchen is Italian and also known for their suckling pig. Turned off by higher dinners prices go during lunch where reasonable $50HKD pasta and drink combos are available. |
Queen Street CFC
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Pasta and Meat Sauce
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EASTERN
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ELECTRIC ROAD - FORTRESS HILL
229 ELECTRIC ROAD A quiet place, at least on a Monday, the deep fried squid was almost as good as Sheung Wan. There's also a Thai Restaurant tucked away in the far corner. It's a small, somewhat intimate, dining experience. Very good place that could easily be in the Top CFCs of Hong Kong depending upon the meal ordered. |
Quiet CFC
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Deep Fried Squid
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YUE WAN MARKET - CHAI WAN
33 YEE FUNG STREET This seemed to be the place for students to dine during lunch in Chai Wan. Quite a few stalls had large crowds so I went with Stall 15 (?) and ordered the Chinese / Italian-American fusion dish of breaded porkchop, tomato sauce, cheese, and rice. Stall 11 has decent reviews as well. This is definitely a lunch place as it was practically shut down when I arrived one night for dinner. |
Stall 15 (?) - Southeast Corner
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Chinese / Italian-American Fusion
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KUT SHING - CHAI WAN
10 KUT SHING STREET
A great set-up from the traditional ground floor meat, first floor vegetables, second floor cooked food centre setup at other dining locations. Kut Shing truly feels like the food stalls have just been pulled off the street and every chef seems to be cooking from a makeshift operation. The noodles from Stall 7 were the most "delicate" I've had in Hong Kong. To order you simply point at the noodle options and can then add toppings in the nearby pots. The open air kitchen is an entertaining setup to watch while you eat. This stall closes after lunch.
10 KUT SHING STREET
A great set-up from the traditional ground floor meat, first floor vegetables, second floor cooked food centre setup at other dining locations. Kut Shing truly feels like the food stalls have just been pulled off the street and every chef seems to be cooking from a makeshift operation. The noodles from Stall 7 were the most "delicate" I've had in Hong Kong. To order you simply point at the noodle options and can then add toppings in the nearby pots. The open air kitchen is an entertaining setup to watch while you eat. This stall closes after lunch.
Outdoor and Sheltered CFC
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Open Kitchen at Stall 7
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High Quality Noodles - Flavorful and Delicate
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CHAI WAN MARKET
338 CHAI WAN ROAD Bad meal, would not return. Very similar experience to Sai Wan Ho - seafood restaurants, where I played it safe and ordered the sweet and sour chicken...the dish was pretty bad...to the point I'm not sure it was chicken...but it couldn't have been anything else. |
Small Dining Area
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Sweet and Sour Chicken
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LOCKHART ROAD
225 LOCKHART ROAD, WAN CHAI Around four - five restaurants were operating when I arrived so I went with the busiest one - the lemon chicken wasn't bad and the price was a little lower than Bowrington, Sheung Wan, etc., but I'd be hard pressed to choose this CFC over my favorite options. |
Quiet Tuesday Night
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Lemon Chicken
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SAI WAN HO
Ugh...I'll go back for seafood their sweet and sour chicken wasn't too good.
Ugh...I'll go back for seafood their sweet and sour chicken wasn't too good.
SOUTHERN
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TIN WAN MARKET
11 HING WO STREET Small market, small cooked food center on the western side of Aberdeen. Wai Cafe had a pork chop and tomato sandwich that on my visit was better than the Portuguese place in Mongkok. Unfortunately this CFC / Market is far from everything...even when you are in Abderdeen it's still a ten minute walk from the promenade. |
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NAM LONG SHAN ROAD
1 NAM LONG SHAN ROAD This CFC is Buried within the MTR extension construction zone, at lunch time the stalls are jammed with construction workers and MTR personnel. There are two floors of food stalls - about half are dedicated to Thai food and offer reasonable lunch specials in the $35-40HKD range. |
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YUE KWONG ROAD MARKET
18 ABERDEEN RESERVOIR ROAD The CFC with the best views - it's built on a terrace with an open air space that provides views to Aberdeen high rises. Light and nice chunks of white fish for lunch which includes a drink as a combo meal. Good meal and a view for $33HKD. |
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MONG KOK
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FA YUEN STREET MARKET
123A FA YUEN STREET This CFC is home to Mui Kee Congee (Stall 11-12), considered one of the best congee dishes in Hong Kong. It's alright, adding pepper helped to enhance the flavor, but at the end of the day...it's still congee. It does fill you up without making you feel too heavy so you're able to explore Mong Kok. |
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SHAM SHUI PO
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PO ON ROAD MARKET
325 PO ON ROAD This CFC is in a massive municipal building on the far side of Un Chau Estates from the Cheung Sha Wan MTR Station. I arrived during lunch, found the busiest place, ordered fried squid (which seemed to be the specialty)...and received sweet and sour pork. I think the staff thought they were doing me a favor. |
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NEW TERRITORIES
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KAM TIN MARKET - KAM TIN
This is a small outdoor market with five cooked food stalls on the Kam Tin Road side (Bus 64K passes through on the Yuen Long / Tai Po route). At 5pm the market and food area were quiet. The Market is two blocks away from the Kat Hing Wai Walled Village and around a twenty minute walk from the Kam Shueng Road MTR. |
Kam Tin Market
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Cooked Food Stall Area
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