Written by Nicole Štěch

Always Joy
A seasonal izakaya and the latest venture from the co-founders of Yardbird, located just a few metres away. Rather than focusing obsessively on a single ingredient, however, the menu changes constantly according to the season and local availability. A Japanese foundation meets confident Cantonese influences here, giving rise to a cuisine that draws the best from both traditions. Order some sashimi and share as many dishes as your heart desires.

Yardbird
A place that perfectly illustrates one of the most fascinating qualities of contemporary Hong Kong: its ability to take something familiar and place it in an entirely new context. That is precisely what happens at Yardbird. The modern izakaya founded by chef Matt Abergel and Lindsay Jang focuses on yakitori – chicken prepared from beak to tail, skewered and grilled over binchotan charcoal. What began as a neighbourhood restaurant gradually became one of Hong Kong’s internationally renowned dining destinations and, alongside a number of other accolades, has held its first Michelin star since 2021. Yet it has retained something of its original informality, showing how naturally something new can emerge from a tradition that originally belonged to another part of the world.

Luk Yu Tea House
This traditional establishment has been around since 1933 and, more than ninety years on, still centres its offering around hearty Cantonese cuisine and traditional dim sum. It moved from its original location on Wing Kut Street to Stanley Street in 1976, where it remains today. The three-storey restaurant is almost as important as the food itself: it has retained its vintage wooden furniture, stained glass, wooden screens, calligraphy, and other details that evoke colonial Hong Kong. Its menu remains rooted in recipes that are gradually disappearing from modern Hong Kong, and that is precisely where its value lies. This is not a destination for cutting-edge gastronomy; come to Luk Yu Tea House for the atmosphere instead – the kind that is increasingly difficult to find elsewhere.

Ho Lee Fook
Ho Lee Fook opened in 2014 as the first Hong Kong restaurant by Taiwanese-Canadian chef Jowett Yu, who set out to take the Chinese food he had grown up with and place it in a contemporary context. The name, in Cantonese, roughly translates as “good fortune for your mouth.” From the beginning, the restaurant worked with modern interpretations of Cantonese cuisine, drawing inspiration from the quintessentially Hong Kong cha chaan teng as well as from its chef’s Australian experience. Today, the restaurant has a new chef, under whose direction it has moved towards a more sophisticated and distinctly Hong Kong style of cuisine.

Bar Leone
Cocktail popolari for everyone! Behind the bar is Rome-born Lorenzo Antinori, who, after gaining experience at some of the world’s leading bars, turned his attention to something that seems deceptively simple: classic drinks, quality ingredients, and meticulous attention to detail. Rather than flashy techniques and cocktails that require lengthy explanations, you will find perfectly balanced Negronis, Americanos, and the Leone Martini, a pre-mixed blend kept in the freezer and served straight into a chilled glass. Exactly as it should be. Antinori’s philosophy is rooted in the belief that simplicity is not the opposite of sophistication, and the same spirit extends to the kitchen. You can enjoy excellent pasta and antipasti prepared with Italian ingredients. A delicious taste of Italy in Hong Kong...

Montana
Let’s stay with Lorenzo Antinori for a little while longer. The latest Hong Kong venture by bartenders Lorenzo Antinori and Simone Caporale opened on Hollywood Road in 2025, with a concept inspired by the golden age of Cuban cocktail culture, particularly the legacy of the Club de Cantineros, the Cuban bartenders’ association that helped codify cocktail recipes in the 1920s and 1930s. One of its signature drinks, the Montana Daiquiri, is based on a historical recipe from the association’s 1930 manual and comes with its own ritual at the bar. Alongside it, you will find other Cuban classics and various interpretations of beloved cocktails.

Hara Kako
A small café that becomes an especially cosy refuge during periods of persistent rain. Hara Kako is located on Queen’s Road West, surrounded by old tea shops, Chinese herbal medicine stores, and dried seafood shops, while its interior is deliberately understated. Raw concrete surfaces, wood, vinyl records, art, and the iconic Akari paper lamp by Isamu Noguchi, greeting visitors as they enter, are all part of its appeal. Japanese aesthetics come together here with a sense of community, contemporary art, music, and design. At the heart of it all, of course, is coffee. That is what you should come here for. Hara Kako offers a selection of single-origin coffees prepared using methods such as pour-over, and since late 2025 it has also had its own in-house roastery.

Mondrian
We chose it for our first few days in Hong Kong. Its cosy, quiet rooms and gym came in handy while I was dealing with jet lag. Interiors featuring bold colour accents, contemporary furniture, local art, and views over Victoria Harbour make it a wonderful place to begin discovering Hong Kong. The hotel’s upper floors are also home to a restaurant and bar with panoramic views, where the brand actively brings together design, gastronomy, music, and contemporary culture under one roof.

Aki Hotel
The interiors of Hong Kong’s Aki Hotel are built around a minimalist aesthetic, light wood, natural light, and Japanese influences. Its calm, intimate tatami rooms offer a peaceful retreat in the middle of the city, combining the traditional tatami concept with wooden shoji screens in a way that balances aesthetics and functionality. A little piece of Japan in Hong Kong – and one you will fall in love with.

M+ Museum
We visited Hong Kong during the rainy season, which is why museums became places where we spent long hours. M+ brings together visual art, design, architecture, film, and moving image, with a particular focus on Hong Kong itself. The building has become one of the city’s landmarks in its own right: a massive horizontal podium is topped by a vertical tower, while the harbour-facing façade doubles as a giant LED screen for artistic projections. Inside, more than 10,000 objects await, including the extensive M+ Sigg Collection devoted to contemporary Chinese art, as well as a legendary Tokyo sushi bar designed by Shiro Kuramata and an artefact from Nakagin Capsule Tower, one of the residential capsules that made up the Tokyo landmark until the building was demolished in 2022.

Man Mo Temple
The temple was built between 1847 and 1862 and is dedicated to Man Cheong, the god of literature, and Mo Tai, the god of war. It originally served as an important centre of worship for Chinese merchants and local residents. To this day, it retains its traditional architecture, wooden elements, stone and ceramic decorations, murals, and, above all, an atmosphere that stands in striking contrast to the skyscrapers and bustle of the surrounding city. And if you work up an appetite while exploring, you will find yourself in a particularly strategic location – several cool restaurants are just a short walk away.

Mido Cafe
Don’t miss a visit to the well-established Hong Kong institution that is Mido Cafe. The café has operated since the 1950s as a classic cha chaan teng, and its interior, with preserved stained-glass windows, wooden booths, and colourful tiles, feels like a teleportation device to the Hong Kong of another era. The menu features the simple dishes typical of this kind of establishment. Don’t expect fine dining – you come to Mido for the atmosphere. You may find a better egg sandwich or bowl of noodles elsewhere, but do give the quintessential Hong Kong milk tea a try. Mido Cafe also has its own cinematic history: it has appeared in films such as The World of Suzie Wong and Moonlight Express.

Gallery Tete
A small space dedicated to Japanese handmade objects for everyday life. Gallery Tete’s selection focuses on ceramics, wood, glass, tea utensils, and other objects created by Japanese craftspeople with whom the gallery regularly collaborates. These pieces are not meant to be admired on a pedestal, but to be used. That is precisely why you will find objects whose beauty lies more in their materials, craftsmanship, and imperfections than in ostentatious design. It is one of those shops you don’t want to leave with a souvenir, but with something that will become part of your everyday life. After all, who needs another dust collector?

Onka.hk
If you love vintage – and I’m assuming you do if you’ve made it this far – you will love Onka.hk. The shop sits somewhere between fashion, textiles, and collecting, and specialises, among other things, in the traditional Chinese dyeing technique 莨染 (Lángrǎn), which uses the Dioscorea cirrhosa plant as a dye, giving vintage and antique pieces its characteristic deep brown hue. Onka focuses on old textiles and traditional materials, as well as vintage clothing, bags, footwear, furniture, and small objects.

Douguya Hatcharea
In Kowloon Bay, you will find another destination for vintage lovers. Douguya Hatcharea, a shop specialising in Japanese antiques, offers furniture, ceramics, wooden objects, and all sorts of small finds, united by their age, quality materials, and craftsmanship. The owner also collaborates with Japanese artists who transform old objects into new pieces and works of art.

Yuet Tung China Works
The business has been around for almost a century. Since 1928, it has been one of the last workshops in Hong Kong still dedicated to hand-painted porcelain. At its factory in Kowloon Bay, shelves are packed with porcelain, from traditional Chinese plates and tea sets to decorative vases, while artisans can be observed at work among them. The workshop specialises, among other techniques, in Guangcai, known for its rich colours and intricate hand-painted decoration. This is not a polished showroom, but a working workshop and warehouse in one. Narrow aisles are lined with towering stacks of porcelain, making a visit a truly memorable experience.