Plugged-in Hong Kong diners know what comprises a Black Sheep restaurant: spectacle, polished service, and experiential dining. A Pirata Group restaurant has a familiar and family-friendly reputation. The dining clan making up JIA Group is sophisticated and fine-dining-forward.

Numbering 10 Korean brands in 27 locations, Gold Moon Restaurant Group hasn’t exactly operated within the shadows, although they are not particularly a name brand. Yet they have become one of the largest, if not the largest, mover in Hong Kong’s ballooning Korean dining space.

Under their belt they power local adoration for Korean barbecued meats with over 10 locations of Jeonpo Meat Shop and operate noodle-speciality chain Seoul Noodles in eight neighbourhoods. They serve Busan specialities at Busan Night, charcoal-grilled pork ribs at Chorang Garden, and galbitang- and samgyetang-specialitists at Gold Star. 

Elsewhere, they dish out Italian food at Pecorino, Korean-infused baked goods at new Mason Pocket, katsu meals at recently opened Katsu by Tonari, casual Korean dishes at Antidote, and coffee at Kaktus Coffee.  

Simply put, Gold Moon has capitalised on the roaring culinary Hallyu wave erupting in Hong Kong and around the globe.

With diners demanding Korean flavours beyond the typical fare one might expect – banchan, Korean chicken, tteokbokki, and kimchi – the restaurant group has taken risks to open restaurants primed for the trends of today. All of this has happened in just over six years.

Co-founder of Gold Moon Restaurant Group Mujung Kang arrived in Hong Kong as an architect in 2015. Four years later, he accidentally fell into the hospitality business. 

“I was opening the [former] Kactus Hotel in Sham Shui Po in 2019, and we needed to fill the empty space on the ground floor to complete the project,” Mujung tells Foodie in a call.

“In 2019, people were not travelling due to the protests, so I thought opening a coffee shop would be good business for the hotel.” Kactus Koffee opened in a pre-coffee boom for the neighbourhood and preceded Gold Moon’s eventual formation as a Korean food firm.

“I was working as an architect at the same time as running the café, but I saw more potential for the F&B business,” he explains. “With architecture, it is all about scale; for restaurants, you can design small.”

Yet, during the pandemic, Mujung faced the realities of running a dining establishment – notably, battling the high overheads associated with operating a coffee shop. Opening a restaurant, for the food-dabbling architect, was a safe bet to drive profit in the business.

Mujung convinced his partner and Gold Moon co-founder Jung Ho Moon, an expert in the field of Korean barbecue, to immigrate to Hong Kong in the thick of the pandemic to build Gold Moon’s second brand, the ever-present Jeonpo Meat Shop chain. 

Drawing on the familiarity of KBBQ, their first location in Tai Kok Tsui drew crowds. The next seven locations opening over five years incurred a reputation for Jeonpo Meat Shop as a leader in the grilled meat space.

At their Central location on Wellington Street, for example, the restaurant cycles through three seatings during lunch, serving a menu of bibimbap, grilled meat and rice dishes, and noodles. At night, an average bill for a table could run up to four figures, with the spectacle of the chefs cutting and grilling the meat tableside on full show.

The growing popularity of Kpop groups, be that BTS, NJZ, SEVENTEEN, or BLACKPINK, and Kdramas in Hong Kong have fuelled a local introspective look into other facets of Korean culture, including food. No longer is Korean barbecue the sole Korean sub-cuisine explored in the city.

Gold Moon’s opening and rapid expansion of Seoul Noodles from March 2024 onwards introduced handcrafted knife-cut Korean noodles to the mix. Busan Night, launched a year earlier, acquainted diners with the seafaring trade of Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city.

Exploring Korea’s range of flavours is an act of diversification for Mujung, especially in a cut-throat business environment like Hong Kong. “It is a risk to open any restaurant in Hong Kong. Once you sign the contract, you are [subject] to very high rent. Compared to other cities [in Asia], especially Korea, opening up just one restaurant is not enough,” he says.

“People leave the city on the weekend abroad or to Shenzhen because there is nothing new. It is hard to change people’s minds in Hong Kong. Korea’s dining scene is changing and adapting. We want to be like them here.” 

Saunter into a Jeonpo Meat Shop or Seoul Noodles location, or dine at one of their newer Korean restaurants such as charcoal-grilled eatery Chorang Garden or noodle shop Gold Star, you may notice that nearly every staff member is Korean. Whilst expensive, employing Korean chefs, service staff, and general managers has made every bit of difference.

“If you go to a Korean restaurant with [authentic Korean food] on the menu, Korean staff, and Korean customers, there is no doubt that their food will be good. You don’t need to be convinced by anything else. This is why we spend a lot of money on visas and accommodation to employ staff from Korea.”

Mujung’s restaurants are also distinctively Korean in look. The seating at their noodle restaurants is boundaryless and oaky, replicating the family-sharing style of dining in South Korea.

Their BBQ restaurants are dressed in plain tones with limited interior flair, bringing the attention to the plate and grill, yet assuming a sleek Seoul style.

“Many customers say, oh, it looks like they haven’t finished their renovation, when we open a restaurant. We just like to keep the style basic and reduce the budget,” Mujung quips.

Sharing Korean food in Hong Kong doesn’t just mean Korean dishes must be served. With the opening of Pecorino inside the former HSBC Sheung Wan branch location in 2024, Gold Moon strategised a Western restaurant campaign to attract diners to a familiar space. 

The Italian restaurant, sizing up as one of the largest food establishments in Sheung Wan’s blue collar area, opened as Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars proved that Korean chefs, design, and ingredients can boost the profile of Western cuisine. 

The newly opened Mason Pocket features Korean-inspired brunch plates and Western baked goods. Whilst cognisant to remain centrally Korean in its mission, Gold Moon demonstrates that the cuisine has the potential to affect the way in which diners eat in Hong Kong across the board.

In the bigger picture, Gold Moon and Mujung are seen as trend-chasers, either importing novel Korean concepts to Hong Kong or capitalising on trends bubbling up in the city, hence the need for an Italian restaurant and brunch-focused café in Sheung Wan.

“We have to accept the risks of opening up a lot of restaurants. We just need to try new things and make the trends ourselves.”   

Mujung predicts a quiet 2026 following the opening of a number of outlets and brands in Hong Kong last year. He notes the way forward for Korean dining is to laser-in on specialty restaurants, “just noodles, just soup, or just barbecue,” for example. 

And the formula has worked, not only locally but across Asia and the world as a whole. Gold Moon now operates multiple branches of Jeonpo Meat Shop and Seoul Noodles in Singapore, along with six Korean-adjacent F&B outlets. The group inaugurated a new Jeonpo Meat Shop in Saigon at the end of last year too.

Revisit or try a new Gold Moon Restaurant Group venue today for a slice of Korea.

The post How Mujung Kang, co-founder of Jeonpo, Seoul Noodles, and Busan Night, has fed Hong Kong every type of Korean food appeared first on Foodie.

This guide features 8 exceptional restaurants accredited by the Quality Tourism Services (QTS) Scheme of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), detailing high standards of food quality and service. 

These are top restaurants in Hong Kong featuring both unique cuisine offerings and dishes.

01 | Canton Bistro

The menu at Canton Bistro is partly inspired by traditional Cantonese cooking methods, and using the best seasonal ingredients, and the home recipes cooked by the wife of chef Chow Fu Yap. Championing simplicity in the kitchen, the chef’s signature pan-fried fish mouth with ginger and spring onions brings a new twist on a classic dish, with savoury additions of bean paste, white wine, and rice flour to amplify the savory flavour of the fish. Amongst the collection of heartwarming dishes on the menu, Yunnan black pepper features heavily to boost the aroma and flavours at the Cantonese restaurant.

Canton Bistro

Location: G/F (Portion B) at Club Wing, Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott Hotel, Ocean Park, 180 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Wong Chuk Hang
Phone number: +852 3555 1910
Opening times: 12pm – 2:30pm, 6pm – 10pm, Monday – Friday, 11:30am – 2:30pm, 6pm – 10pm, Saturday – Sunday & Public Holidays

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02 | Chuan

Chuan brings the fire and potency of Sichuan’s cuisine to Hong Kong. Led by two chef masters in their field, boasting over 40 years of culinary experience, the menu is authentically crafted with bullet chillies, ghost peppers, cumin powder, and peppercorns all imported from the spicy Chinese province. The beef offal hotpot, a daily limited-quality special at the restaurant, aptly presents the best of Shicuan food, combining beef tongue, tripe, intestine, lung, and burdock into a beef dish that truly tastes like beef. 

Chuan 

Location: Shop 1102, 11/F, Times Square, 1 Matheson Street, Causeway Bay
Phone number: +852 2838 8313
Opening times: 11:30am – 4:30pm, 5:30pm – 11pm, Monday – Sunday

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03 | Omakase Iki

A Tsim Sha Tsui omakase specialist that dares to innovate, Omakase Iki constantly put themselves at the forefront of using the best seasonal Japanese ingredients to treat their guests to the best of Japanese cuisine. Their freshly caught snow crab and sea urchin both carry sea salt and creamy flavours, whilst the shirako Japanese delicacy, using cod milt, introduces a unique creamy texture to diners. Omakase Iki provides a variety of savoury dipping sauces, including light soy sauce and uni sauce. Flown directly from Japan every day, you can taste the sea with each bite of their seafood! 

Omakase Iki

Location: 4/F, Yi Serviced Apartments, 10-12 Chatham Court, Tsim Sha Tsui
Phone number: +852 9215 8511
Opening times: 12pm – 3pm, 6pm – 11pm, Monday – Sunday

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04 | ONA

On the shore of Discovery Bay, ONA brings Mediterranean flavours with a focus on the best seasonal ingredients imported from the Middle East and food made simply. Two dishes exemplifying this natural cooking philosophy are the slow-cooked Greek style lamb shank and the prawn saganaki, prepared with tomato sauce, feta and herbs, both rich in flavour and history. The lamb dish is the restaurant’s signature dish, combining Athens family gatherings with a Hong Kong touch. ONA’s dish sharing format is perfect for exploring this gastronomical region. 

ONA

Location: Shop G09, DB Plaza, 1 Discovery Bay Road, Discovery Bay
Phone number: +852 3619 0937 / +852 3619 0936
Opening times: 11:30am – 11pm, Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 11pm, Saturday – Sunday

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05 | Saffron

Saffron is a rare gateway portal to Persian cuisine in Hong Kong, bringing centuries of tradition and aromatic spices to the city and celebrating truly authentic flavours. Using Halal ingredients, the lamb koobideh kebab is a must try signature, classic, comforting Persian soul food done right. Another standout is the saffron joojeh kebab, where tender chicken is marinated with saffron, lemon, and onion to showcase the depth of the world’s most prized spice. Carefully crafted to enhance the natural richness of the seasonings, Saffron’s menu lets diners experience these dishes exactly as they are meant to taste. 

Saffron

Location: Shop E, Garley Building, 53 Graham Street, Central
Phone number: +852 2595 9900
Opening times: 12pm – 10pm, Monday – Sunday

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06 | Surf & Turf Grill and Bar

Located in Stanley, Hong Kong Island’s beachy seaside community, Surf & Turf Grill and Bar presents a fusion menu complete with grilled meat, seafood, and large sharing plates. Their surf and turf platter, featuring grilled steak and lobster, is their signature dish, prepared with a herb mixture to retain the freshness of the products and a perfect taste. Their tandoori chicken is also recommended for its bold and spicy flavour profile, made using fresh chicken for a moist texture.

Surf & Turf Grill and Bar

Location: Shop 302, 3/F, Stanley Plaza, 23 Carmel Road, Stanley
Phone number: +852 4679 9850
Opening times: 8am – 12am, Monday – Sunday

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07 | With Your Mind

Singapore specialty restaurant With Your Mind, excels in serving one of Hong Kong’s favourite Southeast Asia dishes: Hainanese chicken rice. A staple in the city-state, their version features free-range chickens, braised in a secret sauce until the meat is exceptionally soft and tender. The restaurant has elevated the traditional recipe by hand-debonding the chicken, which helps retain all its moisture and freshness. The dish is served with a side portion of fragrant chicken rice and a comforting bowl of chicken soup, completing a truly satisfying meal. 

With Your Mind

Location: G/F, 12 Hoi Kwong Street, Quarry Bay
Phone number: +852 2117 3588
Opening times: 11am – 10pm, Monday – Sunday

08 | Woodlands

First-time visitors to Woodlands are encouraged to begin their culinary journey with its iconic masala dosa – a crisp, fermented rice crepe wrapped around delicately spiced potatoes, celebrated for its comforting flavours and authentic South Indian character. Since opening in 1981, Woodlands has remained a pioneering Halal South Indian vegetarian restaurant in Hong Kong, serving diners who follow vegetarian, vegan, Halal, and Jain dietary traditions – including the ultra-pure Jain cuisine that excludes root vegetables. This rare level of dedication is what makes Woodlands a distinctive and accessible place for genuine Indian flavours.

Woodlands

Location: 1/F, Dennies House, 20 Luard Road, Wan Chai
Phone number: +852 2129 2188
Opening times: 11:30am – 3pm, 6pm – 10:30pm, Monday – Sunday

Location: UG 16-17, Wing On Plaza, 62 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Phone number: +852 2369 3718
Opening times: 11:30am – 3:30pm, 6pm – 10:30pm, Monday – Sunday

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This feature is brought to Foodie in partnership with the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

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With much fanfare growing about the Italian restaurant prior to its inauguration in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong was gripped from the off. An already tested and tried cuisine in the local restaurant scene, opening a pasta bar was the key to becoming viral, serving warm, simple plates of fresh pasta.

For co-founders of La Volta, serial restaurateur Jeffrey Mui and chef Roland Schuler, the story of La Volta’s birth began 16 years ago, when the pair first came together to open The Drawing Room, a former one-Michelin-starred Italian restaurant in Causeway Bay.

“We made history [at The Drawing Room] to become the first Italian restaurant to get a Michelin star within seven months of opening,” Jeffrey shares. “We were also the first restaurant in Hong Kong that had a four-month-long reservation list,” he contends.

Dishing out tasting menus presenting contemporary Italian gastronomy, “this restaurant became very important to my relationship with Roland.” Prior to and following the restaurant’s closure in 2012, Jeffrey had been involved in opening many restaurants from casual mass market to fine-dining, but nothing felt as emotional as his partnership with Roland at The Drawing Room. He was seeking a reunion.

“We wanted to return to Causeway Bay to open La Volta, in the neighbourhood where The Drawing Room first opened. Here, the focus is on pasta dishes with a mix of handmade fresh pasta and dried pasta.”

La Volta’s dinner menu is kept concise for quality control, whilst their lunch menu rotates every two weeks, keeping flavours fresh. More than 20 types of fresh and dried pasta are found on rotation on the menu.

“What we offer is tremendous food at great value. This is no-frills food, kept simple and affordable. Our average check is HKD350 to HKD400 per person for food.  There’s no point in me charging a high price for our food, I would rather people come back regularly.”

As soon as doors opened and word spread online, Jeffrey and Roland faced daily queues with up to 70 people waiting for tables outside. “We are fully booked daily with two seatings for lunch and two seatings for dinner,” Jeffrey states. 

To ensure all guests had an equal chance to dine at La Volta began accepting online reservations, partnering with restaurant operations platform inline to deliver a seamless guest experience.

“We can only seat 35 customers at a time at La Volta, so working with inline has allowed us to ensure seats we reserve for walk-ins and guests with reservations can be handled effectively.”

For walk-in guests, La Volta began using inline’s platform to queuing system via a self-service kiosk to allow guests to manage their time and the restaurant team to manage the queue in real time using inline’s host app and notify guests via WhatsApp automated confirmation. This has effectively eliminated queues wrapping around the block.

“Everyone in Hong Kong uses WhatsApp, so this streamlines the entire reservation process. Reserving a table [at La Volta] is a part of the whole dining experience, so the focus can now be placed on the food.” 

Arguably the most important feature benefiting La Volta has been inline’s credit-card guarantee allowing guests to book table up to 14 days in advance through their online reservations portal. 

“This prevents no shows and lets us know who will confirm to dine here. We want to allow everyone to have an equal opportunity to eat at La Volta.” 

Within the partnership between La Volta and inline, facilitating online bookings, waitlists, credit-card guarantees, and WhatsApp confirmation has allowed the restaurant to increase show-up rates and bring happier and more seamless dining experiences to guests.

As La Volta continues to bathe in their 2025 success joining the MICHELIN Guide, Jeffrey is pleased with the acknowledgement.

“[Our entry] is a recognition of our team’s hard work, even more so for the people who have supported the restaurant from day one. None of this would have been possible without our guests.”

“La Volta is something I am extremely proud of because this is my passion project to reconnect with chef Roland and build a space together where we can serve honest, tasty, and unpretentious food.”

Book a table at La Volta today through inline’s online reservations platform.

This feature was brought to Foodie in partnership with inline.

The post How La Volta delivers a seamless, modern guest experience with inline appeared first on Foodie.

Born in 1924, the Hong Kong company has enjoyed a century legacy producing traditional cured meats, including preserved meat sausage, preserved duck liver sausage, and cured duck.

Joining the buffet’s favoured seafood counter, Cantonese barbeque and Japanese teppanyaki sections, Indian curries, and Western plates, steamed glutinous rice with assorted Chinese cured meat, steamed turnip cake with Chinese cured meat, and steamed glutinous rice roll with Chinese sausage are introduced to the menu this winter.

For dessert, taste a clashing of flavours with egg puff with Chinese cured meat and Portuguese egg tarts with Chinese sausage.

The winter buffet special is available till Feb. 28, 2026. For the lunch buffet, prices start at HKD488 and HKD338 for adults and children respectively. The dinner buffet is priced at HKD868 and HKD498 respectively.
The Grand Buffet, 62/F, Hopewell Centre, 183 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai, 2506 0888, book here

The post The Grand Buffet unveils winter buffet with 101 year old cured meats from Kam Kook Yuen appeared first on Foodie.

When Alia Amer and her husband arrived in Hong Kong in 2000, immigration authorities told her that they were one of the first Palestinian-Jordanians to have ever passed through the city borders. Today, they are the only Jordanians currently living here.

The couple moved to the city for work in the logistics industry, leaving Jordan for the first time in their life. 

Later moving to China in 2009, Alia faced reality that the Levantian flavours she grew up with would be near impossible to find east of her homeland. “I wanted to cook for my children and connect them to their culture,” Alia tells Foodie. “Food in Arabic culture is a way of expressing love.”

Middle Eastern spices, if they could be found on the mainland, were prohibitively expensive to purchase. In 2014, upon a return to Hong Kong, she rediscovered the spices she could not access before, and made the recipes she was aching for in China.

Friends, family, friends of friends, her children, and chefs began tasting her Middle Eastern food at dinner parties she hosted. “They all said you have to do something with your cooking.”

Soon after Karam was born in late 2020, her space to bring Middle Eastern cuisine to Hong Kong, centered within her Palestinian-Jordanian roots. Named after her late mother, a source of inspiration to launch a project like this, Alia began hosting cooking classes teaching how to make her family recipes.

At a Kennedy Town-based private kitchen, Alia invites groups to learn how to make one mezze, one main, and a dessert. Her mezze selection includes babaganoush, zaatar halloumi pie, tabouleh, and hummus with pine nuts. 

With mains, attendees have a choice of shishtawouk grilled chicken skewers, pistachio lamb kebab, beef shawarma, falafel, and more. Desserts include baklava rolls, dates cake, and um ali bread pudding. “We all learn and dine together,” she says. 

Where flavours and recipes have roots in a large swath of the Levant area, with minor tweaks applied, Alia serves what is most representative of the Middle East itself. “My mother has Syrian heritage with our family having roots in Palestine, so I have learned a lot [in my cooking] from her.”

Her cooking classes also incorporate vegetarian dishes, a strength of the spices used to power the recipes, but she “doesn’t believe in fusion, especially in the Middle East. It has too lovely ingredients to mix around.”

“I was and still am surprised that Middle Eastern food is accepted by Hong Kong.” She recounts that the history, culture, or cuisine of Jordan is largely unknown in Hong Kong. “Most people think I was born in Kowloon when I tell them I come from Jordan!”

As Alia’s cooking classes grew since 2021, she has expanded her business to incorporate new elements. Her catering arm prepares Middle Eastern desserts and mezze platters for events, with her Dubai chocolate creations a dish that brought her local fame.

Alia markets her business to people who do not have much knowledge in the Middle East in order to ingratiate them with a region that deserves culinary attention. 

Whilst the attention in Hong Kong has been placed on growing business ties with the Gulf Countries, Alia wants Hong Kong’s focus on culture and cuisine in the north and centre of the region.

Book Alia for her Middle Eastern cooking class to learn the recipes of her homeland.

The post Alia Amer brings the spices and recipes of the Middle East to Hong Kong cooking classes appeared first on Foodie.

Trends have come and gone this year, but we want to point out the trends that we can happily bid a farewell to in 2025, and predict a few trends that we expect to bubble to the surface next year.

Five dining trends we can leave behind in 2025

Small plates

In Asia, and especially in Hong Kong, we are accustomed to sharing our meals with others at the table. The small plates phenomenon probably began States-side, germinated in the West, and came to Hong Kong this year. It is a trend that is not bad per se, but ensures that the table cannot properly enjoy a plate of food with tiny forkfulls and nothing left after a few bites.

Artisanal desserts

So, you have waded through the meal and completed the challenge at the restaurant. What is the best way to end the experience? A simple dessert that signals the end, for now. It is understandable for restaurants to explore complexity in a sweet form for the final bite of a meal, but a little bit of gelato, a cheesecake, some chocolate, petit fours, or something icy and fruity is the best to clear the palate and complete the package.

Dining time limits

Two hours is plenty of time to enjoy the full breadth of a meal, from the bubbling small talk upon arrival and greeting your friends through to starters, mains, and the dessert. But the one and a half dining limit to even the occasional one hour limit prevents diners from truly enjoying every facet of the dining experience. Most people won’t be stretching their legs for two hours, but the limit is enough to make people feel rushed.

Pistachio everything 

It all began from the Dubai pistachio chocolate craze, which then followed with the use of pistachio with nearly every dessert or sweet treat you can find here. The taste is not the issue, the application is. It sometimes comes off as lazy to default to pistachio as the format for your next dessert treat. Sometimes vanilla or chocolate or even matcha can have a go!

Loud music in restaurants

The vibe in a restaurant can no longer be curated or substituted by the sole introduction of music. Oftentimes, the music becomes too loud and you cannot hear yourself enjoying the food on our plate. In the future, we predict the return of restaurants’ hosting live bands or just letting the customers feel out the natural vibes.

Five dining trends we predict for 2026

Short but fancy tasting menus

Fine-dining in Hong Kong has enjoyed a quiet resurgence in 2025. As the economy improves following a post-pandemic shock, Hong Kongers and tourists still have the fine-dining bug, but are still searching for value-for-money experiences. No one wants to be chained to the table for three hours however. Now, tasting menus below HKD1,000 with a handful of courses reign supreme.

Niche Korean concepts 

The Hallyu wave has not stopped coming our way this year, and it will ramp up even more in 2026. A tranche of Korean restaurant chains have opened up shop in Central, Sheung Wan, Wan Chai, and within Tsim Sha Tsui’s Korea Town, recognising the city’s undying love for truly authentic flavours of the cuisine that can only be found in the East Asian country.

Casual Italian restaurants and pasta bars 

Beyond Asian cuisine, Italian restaurants number the highest in the Western restaurant category in Hong Kong. Accessible with a use of simple ingredients, Italian cuisine has long been the staple of Hong Kongers diets. This year, we enjoyed the openings of many casual pasta bars that brought us simple recipes packed with love and tomatoey goodness. Simple home cooking means affordable prices and big smiles on our faces.

Social media-first dishes

Many restaurateurs in Hong Kong are waking up to the need to curate food for the Instagram and Xiaohongshu feed, not just the palate. This has always been a thing in Hong Kong, but now more than ever, as tourists pile into our city manned with pictures of restaurants they have found online, we see social media dictating what we eat more than ever.

Immersive dining experiences

With The Magic Table, 7 Paintings, and Dining in the Dark all opening in Hong Kong this year, it is evident that the trend of customers seeking new experiences, flushed with lights (or the absence of), entertainment, and thrills will not wane. The restaurant model will not falter, but for some, a meal teasing not just your taste, but sight, sound, and smell power diners’ enthusiasm in Hong Kong’s restaurant scene.

The post Five dining trends we predict for 2026 & five trends we can leave behind in 2025 in Hong Kong appeared first on Foodie.

A quiet summer this year encouraged two of the group’s leading figures, namely operations manager Jonathan Leung and Ho Lee Fook chef ArChan Chan, to look within and create a project inspired by Hong Kong culture. Beyond the decade-old Ho Lee Fook, the group have rarely sought inspiration locally to build a concept.

Peng Leng Jeng opened in mid-June 2025, an ode to the childhood’s of Jonathan and ArChan in Hong Kong, dining with the family in Hong Kong’s open-air dai pai dongs. Alas, the wok hei and format of dining is a dying art.

The new pop-up restaurant, extended to Dec. 31, is not a dai pai dong, but a modern dai pai dong. This follows a trend of dai pai dong-style restaurants opening indoors as a way to treasure the heritage whilst shunning a government requirement to have the dai pai dong licences pass only through family lineage. 

“ We are seeing fewer and fewer dai pai dongs operating in Hong Kong currently,” Jonathan bemoans. In a chat with Foodie, opening Peng Leng Jeng was a “why not” answer.

“When I came back to Hong Kong at 16 from Canada, I felt sadness walking around Yau Ma tei where I had grown up and seeing dai pai dongs empty and closed. This location in Central came along and [myself and ArChan] wanted to create something here.”

Where Hong Kong’s age-old dai pai dongs have cured a vibe through existing in a gritty street environment, Peng Leng Peng modernises the dai pai dong format with new dishes, Black Sheep-quality service, and more drinking options.

The menu consists of the classics, think beef & potato, stir fry king, typhoon shelter corn, salted fish fragrant eggplant, pork patty, and sweet & sour pork, but with a slight polish and top ingredients.

Italian, French, American, and Kiwi wines are shared on the drinks menu, alongside sake, soju, bottled beer for sharing, and five cocktails. It is typical for dai pai dongs to only stock a small collection of Hong Kong and international beers, including Blue Girl, Harbin Ice, San Miguel, and Heineken.

“There is a Black Sheep DNA in what we do at Peng Leng Jeng,” thus customers have expected a service standard above the more rushed version found in the classic joints. “If we can go above what the other places offer, I think we’ll win,” Jonathan states. 

Equally, the location of Peng Leng Jeng in Central, once flush with dai pai dongs in the 20th century, but now only counting three, was essential for the storytelling of the pop-up restaurant. 

“The younger generation can come to a more comfortable setting to experience this culture. Because if we do not sustain this culture, it will be lost. We are not reinventing the wheel, I just want to bring a part of me and my story to this dialogue.”

Running now for seven years across two locations in Hong Kong, Chorland was a catalyst in the modern dai pai dong movement that ultimately inspired Peng Leng Jeng’s birth this year.

Chorland currentyl operates in To Kwa Wan and Tsuen Wan, with their Shek Tong Tsui location closing earlier this year. Namely inspired by the frenetic and large Sha Tin-based Chan Kun Kee dai pai dong, the restaurant chain reminisces on the golden days of dai pai dongs on every Hong Kong street corner.

The interior design of the two restaurants is washed in green, a colour familiar with the painted dai pai dongs in the 1900s, and lit with neon lighting. Old-school Cantopop fills the air and speakers at night.

“As times change, customers have different demands for their dining experiences. We aim to pass down the culture of dai pai dong’s and believe that appropriate updates will help the new generation embrace and enjoy this culture,” explains Chorland marketing manager Eva Liu. To them, dai pai dong requires updating and modernising to constantly adapt to the ever-changing Hong Kong palate.

Such changes have come in the form of the dining environment, polished with good, speedy service, and the menu.

The classic sweet and sour pork dish is innovated with a caramelised typhoon-spiral candy topping and red and yellow pepper and fruit. “Our squid cakes are a classic dish, but by infusing them with black truffle flavor, we introduce a touch of innovation. Black truffle is rarely used in Chinese cuisine, and this innovative flavor can pleasantly surprise our customers,” Eva shares. 

Over seven years operating Chorland, and as more indoor dai pai dong restaurants open to modernise yet cherish the traditions, Chorland’s operators speak of a balancing act between presenting what was and is loveable about the subcuisine, and how dai pai dongs can take shape in the future.

Co-founder Kay Chan notes that the restaurant’s locations in residential areas has allowed the chain to stay true to the traditions, where dai pai dong food was made by local people to local people. 

And as service standards have constantly come into question in recent years, the chain has focussed on using queue and reservation systems, powered by restaurant operations platform inline, to run smooth operations.

“I find that customers generally have a high acceptance of the new style of dai pai dongs and are very willing to try new changes. Their support encourages us as we strive to strike a balance between experiencing Hong Kong’s traditional culture and embracing comfortable innovations.”

Another new dai pai dong restaurant supported by inline and modernising the subcuisine is Lai’s Kitchen, the latest creation of Nansen Lai, founder of Flower Drum, Fat J Cha Siu, and the former Jing Alley.

Opening in October, Lai’s Kitchen has already enjoyed grand success, seeing online queues stretch to one and a half hours on occasion. Diners are evidently hungry for Nansen’s modern and elevated rendition of a dai pai dong.

“I would like people to enjoy the style of dai pai dongs, but not the classic food of dai pai dongs,” Nansen shares. For the restaurateur, all 80 dishes on the menu have a grounding in the traditions, but use premium ingredients and recipes to entice diners.

Lai’s Kitchen uses fresh Hong Kong pork and beef, Ningxia lamb, and yellow chicken from Japan for its protein-heavy dishes, as opposed to other lesser tasty meats. Within their bo zai faan claypot rice section, dishes like the golden garlic crab, rose wine 55 sausage and foie gras, and abalone and preserved meat & chicken bring the concept into a luxury space, as opposed to your standard selection at a dai pai dong.

Nansen’s motive for bringing Lai’s Kitchen to the Hong Kong restaurant scene is two part: “ I want to use my skills and better ingredients to cook dai pai dong food, and bring healthier food for people to come and eat.”

As a modern dai pai dong, Nansen has also sought modern solutions for facilitating a better, modern guest experience. “I have worked with inline before with Flower Drum, so it made sense to use their systems [with Lai’s Kitchen].”

The restaurant uses inline’s kiosk queuing and online booking features to accept bookings and credit-card guarantees for groups, as well as assisting walk-in customers. “My staff only work nine hours a day, but inline works 24 hours a day so this makes organising the bookings easier for me.” 

Walk-in and booked customers at Lai’s Kitchen receive their booking details and dining assistance through Lai’s Kitchen’s WhatsApp, seamlessly integrated via inline.

Whether inline, increased service standards, premium ingredients sourced at home and globally, and nostalgic and posh interiors, Hong Kong’s newest trend of the modern dai pai dongs is just getting started.

With government restrictions making it near impossible for new entrants into the field to open up a real street-side dai pai dong, the subcuisine is moving indoors and reestablishing a new style for the future.

The post How modern dai pai dongs are reinvigorating an age-old custom in Hong Kong appeared first on Foodie.

Starting at HKD368 per person, the mega five-course menu is designed to savour the restaurant’s signature dishes, plus new items coming to the table. Available on weekends and public holidays, this is all about comfort food served at an affordable price!

The menu begins with a choice of three starters, including the new zucchini soup and sweet & sour Manchego salad, and patatas bravas, Ibérico ham with tomato bread (+HKD30), and gambas al ajilo (+HKD50).

The main dish selection comes with grand flavours and presentation. Pick one from a crowd of spring chicken, octopus (+HKD20), Alaska halibut, and the new boisterous beef cheek paella rice. For those looking to share a main between two, the USDA rib-eye (+HK80 per person) and carabinero (+HK80 per person) are made for brunching.

To wash down all the tapas and meaty mains, make a pick between the ice cream sandwich and berries with coconut foam for dessert!

For those looking to celebrate or whet the palate, the new brunch menu includes a two-hour free-flow deal for HKD198, featuring top Spanish red and white wine, Cava, homemade sangria, Negroni cocktails, and bottled beer.

Non-alcoholic drinks, including lime soda, mango soda, hot yuzu tea, and an assortment of soft drinks, are available for HKD38 per glass. 

With the weather now cooling off and the sun still shining bright, this is your reason to head to Chueca for a day off diving deep into the vibrancy of Spanish cuisine.

Chueca, G/F, 8–10 Gough Street, Central, 2703 0810, WhatsApp 5506 1122, book online

This feature is brought to Foodie in partnership with Chueca.

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With a decadent Christmas market planned and vendors hosting special Christmas-themed bites and gifts, there may not be a better way to enjoy the festival than at Central Market. 

The lights have gone up and Santa is coming our way, now it’s your turn to head down to Central! Read below for the best Christmas things to do at Central Market for the month of December.

Golden Christmas Market at Central Market

Spanning Dec. 13 to Jan. 1, 2026, Central Market teams up with Old But Gold HK to host one of the city’s largest vintage and sustainable Christmas markets for all merry and festive celebrations. The ground floor Oasis will be adorned with seasonal decorations, featuring market stalls selling Christmas cookies, artisanal treats, and gifts. Guests can also explore unique goods at the 24-hour passageway on the second floor. Especially from Dec. 24 to 26, a collective of vendors from Taiwan will be bringing their handmade crafts and treats across the ocean to Central Market.

From Dec. 18 – 28, the Christmas Urban Flea will showcase vintage fashion, collectibles, and accessories in the first-floor Event Space. Don’t miss the curated Swap Party from Dec. 15 to 17, where participants can exchange their pre-loved fashion items from new-to-them pieces from others.

G/F, 1/F, 2/F, Central Market, 93 Queen’s Road Central, Central

Christmas food specials with Chef’s Cuts

From Dec. 23 – 31, Chef’s Cuts is unveiling a new Christmas menu to order á-la-carte to enjoy the festive delights in the heart of Central. Their menu includes the scrumptious butternut squash cream soup (HKD88) and burrata and pickled beets (HKD148). For meaty mains, order for your table the half Boston lobster fettuccine (HKD288), festive turkey ballotine (HKD268), and grilled hanger steak (HKD388). 

To wash it all down, their Xmas Fantasy (HKD76) mocktail is sweet to taste, with raspberry purée, green grapes, lemon juice, jasmine tea, and soda mixed into a creative concoction. Their skillet apple-pear crumble (HKD75) is a treat to taste! The Christmas menu can be ordered from 5PM everyday during the Christmas week. Party bookings are available for pre-orders before Dec. 23.

Chef’s Cuts, Shop G01-G03, G/F, Central Market, 93 Queen’s Road Central, Central, 9574 4254

Christmas cakes from The Mochiffon Cake

At Central Market, The Mochiffon Cake is introducing three Christmas-themed cakes. Made fresh everyday with low sugar and oil, these guilt-free cakes are Hong Kong’s number one mochi-infused cakes. With the 6-inch pistachio strawberry tree (HKD950), 4-inch or 6-inch Japan strawberry greek yogurt (HKD520/HKD720), and 4-inch or 6-inch chocolate oolong (HKD460/HKD650) stocked at the Central Market shop, every cake is rich with creamy flavours, perfect for gifting at your Christmas party this December.

The Mochiffon Cake, Shop 118, 1/F, Central Market, 93 Queen’s Road Central, Central, 6739 8550

Festive drinks with Chart Coffee

Co-created by their Head of Barista and multi-title champion Wilson Chung, Chart Coffee is ensuring their new winter menu – available from mid-December – hits all the warm Christmassy notes this month. Beginning with the dessert-inspired flavours, the masala chai latte (HKD40) is the perfect drink for those seeking a cup of joe that is made to hug. For snappier flavours, the ginger latte (HKD50) and peppermint mocha (HKD50) bring a kick with a natural ginger flavour and chocolatey peppermint touch. You will not want to miss the crème brûlée cappuccino (HKD50), the most indulgent drink of them all packed with caramel goodness. 

Chart Coffee, Shop 218, 2/F, Central Market, 93 Queen’s Road Central, Central, 9531 3379

Advent calendars from Lantao

Specialising in local nibbles made on Lantau Island, Lantao operates a snack store in Central Market, perfect for that special thing to give to your loved ones. Their Lantao Christmas Advent Calendar (HKD168) features 24 grids with 16 pieces of handmade cookies made with nougat, dried fruits, and nuts. The calendar also features Christmas wooden ornaments to hang on your tree, and other surprises including stickers, keychains, and stickers. The cookies flavours include mango n’ nuts, matcha n’ nuts, and peach n’ oolong.

Lantao, Kiosk 6, Shop 122-123, 1/F, Central Market, 93 Queen’s Road Central, Central

This feature was brought to Foodie in partnership with Central Market.

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This guide features 8 must-visit restaurants accredited by the Quality Tourism Services (QTS) Scheme of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), detailing high standards of food quality and service. These are the best restaurants in Hong Kong to dine at for your first visit to Hong Kong.

01 | Beef Bang Taiwanese Hot Pot

A trip to Hong Kong cannot be complete without a dunking head first into a pool of hotpot broth. At Beef Bang Taiwanese Hot Pot, Taiwan’s rich beefy flavours come to the forefront. Located in the center of Tsim Sha Tsui for easy access to the restaurant’s traditional and authentic Taiwanese flavours, including spicy duck blood, bubble milk tea, and taro balls, the hotpot restaurant aces value-for-money with their Ultra all-you-can-eat hot pot set for dinner. The set features unlimited refills of eight types of beef including Australian M9 Wagyu, plus a DIY Taiwanese dessert station with ice cream. All the staff at Beef Bang Taiwanese Hot Pot speak English and English menus are provided. 

Beef Bang Taiwanese Hot Pot 

Location: 1/F, 32-34 Lock Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Phone number: +852 2701 8928
Opening times: 12pm – 10:30pm, Sunday – Thursday, 12pm – 11pm Friday – Saturday

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02 | Black Lamb Company

Specialising in black lamb rice noodles, Black Lamb Company professes the power of Yunnan cuisine in areas easily accessible by public transportation. For visitors intent on exploring China’s central provincial cuisines, such as the spicy and starchy Yunnan-style noodles, this is the restaurant to visit. If lamb is not your preference, they also sell beef brisket, pork, and chicken noodles, and plump dumplings packed with juicy meat.

Black Lamb Company

Location: Shop 1A, G/F, 24 Shanghai Street, Jordan
Phone number: +852 3480 2382
Opening times: 11:30am – 10pm, Monday – Sunday

Location: 1/F, 90 Hung To Road, Kwun Tong
Phone number: +852 3482 3328
Opening times: 10:30am – 9pm, Monday – Sunday

Location: Shop 10-12, G/F, Hong Ning Court, 55 Hon Ning Road, Kwun Tong
Phone number: +852 9422 2539
Opening times: 11am – 10pm, Monday – Sunday

03 | Café de Coral

There may be no dish more representative of Hong Kong food than Café de Coral’s Baked Pork Chop Rice, a dish first introduced to the market in 1968 and enjoying grand fanfare since. Prepared with a bone-in pork chop, pan-fried and baked to perfection, it is a must-order for first time visitors to Hong Kong, plus their Hong Kong-style beef tendon & brisket curry. With bilingual menus and self-service kiosks featuring various language options, a meal at Café de Coral is convenient with locations across major transport hubs and tourist districts such as Tsim Sha Tsui, Central, and Mong Kok.

Café de Coral 

Location: https://bit.ly/cafe-de-coral_locations 

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04 | Ginger Grill (Ocean Park)

At Ocean Park’s Aqua City, the theme park’s aquarium complex, Ginger Grill invites visitors to savour Thai cuisine prepared over their open flame-powered sizzling charcoal grills. With top dishes like the Charcoal Grilled Sea Bream in Thai special sauce and Thai-style Roasted Kamei Chicken, all dishes adhere to traditional Thai culinary and strict sustainability practices. The staff speak various languages to assist with customers arriving from all over the world. 

Ginger Grill

Location: Aqua City, Waterfront, Ocean Park, 180 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Aberdeen
Phone number: +852 3923 2161
Opening times: 11am – 9pm, Monday – Sunday

05 | Men Wah Bing Teng

Originally a standalone “bing sutt” opening five decades ago, Men Wah Bing Teng now boasts dozens of locations in Hong Kong sharing the classic 1970s Hong Kong taste and feel. Most popular for their nostalgic Men Wah BBQ Pork with Egg and Rice and Chiu Chau Style Sa Cha Beef Noodles, great care goes into every dish to provide a taste of Hong Kong to residents and visitors alike. English menus are available for customers across the city, including spots on Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories.

Men Wah Bing Teng

Location: https://www.taihing.com/?route=brands-detail&id=5&lang=1

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06 | Tao Heung Tea House

For visitors seeking a real Cantonese dining experience, Tao Heung Tea House is a must-visit establishment on your trip. With locations within major shopping malls in Kowloon and the New Territories, the restaurant chain offers quintessential dim sum bites and their signature roast goose. With bilingual menus with photos and dish descriptions, Tao Heung Tea House is well suited for diners diving deep into the rich techniques, flavours, and traditions of Cantonese cuisine.

Tao Heung Tea House 

Location: https://bit.ly/tao_heung_tea_house_locations 

07 | Very Good Seafood Restaurant

Specialising in Cantonese cuisine, inclusive of dim sum, hot pot dishes, and sea food, Very Good Seafood Restaurant is an English-speaking-friendly restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui perfect for visitors. The restaurant is located opposite the Kowloon Mosque and Islamic Centre, and besides two MTR exits, making for a convenient visit. Their signatures include the Steamed Crab with Taro Paste, Braised Fish Maw with Goose Feet, and Fried Lobster with Garlic. 

Very Good Seafood Restaurant

Location: B1/F, Burlington Arcade, 90-94 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Phone number: +852 2366 5660
Opening times: 8am – 11pm, Monday – Sunday

08 | Yum Cha

Forever enshrined as a must-visit restaurant in Hong Kong, simply for its new way of presenting dim sum, Yum Cha turns the cuisine on its head. Literally meaning to ‘drink tea’, Cantonese cuisine is made modern and playful here, with the hot custard molten buns and BBQ piggy buns a signature on its menu. Alongside enjoying baked pineapple pugs, steamed red bean, and tangerine buns, Yum Cha is easy to visit in Central and easy to order, with English-speaking staff well-equipped to recommend you a menu guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Yum Cha

Location: Shop 1-2, 2/F, Nan Fung Place, 173 Des Voeux Road Central, Central
Phone number: +852 3541 9710
Opening times: 11:30am – 3pm, 6pm – 11pm, Monday – Sunday

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This feature is brought to Foodie in partnership with the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

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