14 Best Restaurants in Hong Kong, China

Often regarded as one of the best Shanghainese restaurants in town, Liu Yuan’s cooking style stays loyal to tradition with a no-fuss mentality that has worked in their favor for years. Easy favorites include sweet strips of crunchy eel, panfried meat buns, and steamed xiao long bao dumplings plumped up with minced pork and broth.

Some of the homespun dishes at this restaurant require at least a day’s advance notice and can be pricey, but the extra fuss is worth it. Simpler (and cheaper) options are also available, such as pomelo skin sprinkled with shrimp roe or panfried flat rice noodles.

Arguably Hong Kong's most famous—if not most perpetually packed—indoor dai pai dong has communal tables large enough to fit 18 guests and walls scribbled with an ever-growing list of specials. The food is Hong Kong cuisine with fusion innovations, and you should wash everything down with a cold beer (served here in Chinese soup bowls).

Set in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui, this convenient, family-friendly restaurant promises views of Victoria Harbour, an outdoor terrace, and a stylish cocktail bar. Though the menu is eclectic enough to keep everyone happy, most people come for the views.

The first thing you’ll notice here is the most Disney-ish touch: a computer-animated koi pond, where electronic fish dart out of the way as you walk by. Once inside the crystal-studded space, your focus will turn to the food: the pan-Chinese menu includes favorites like Sichuan dan dan noodles, honey-glazed barbecued pork, and double-boiled pear topped with mandarin peel. Kids will get a kick out of the “character dim sum,” which includes pork and vegetable buns shaped like Toy Story’s little green men, and seafood pancakes bearing the likeness of Mickey Mouse. Make sure to order these in advance. If you wind up in Disneyland, this is by far the best way to dine (unless the kids demand a character meal at the Enchanted Garden in the hotel’s lower level).

This buzzing Chinese restaurant specializes in Beijing and Huaiyang cuisine and draws a following for its upscale atmosphere and its stellar appetizers (try the smoked eggs and crispy eel), hand-cut noodles, traditional Peking duck, and award-winning combo dishes such as wok-fried crabmeat, rock lobster, and salted egg yolk served on rice crackers.

Travel back to the romantic 1960s at this retro restaurant. Both the decor and the food have remained largely unchanged since the restaurant’s heyday, and you’ll find local interpretations of borscht, gravy-covered steaks, and other western dishes.

The food at Jaspa's is delicious and filling, perfect after a day walking in the hills or enjoying the beach. The international menu is wide-ranging enough to satisfy all tastes. The chicken and Peking duck fajitas arrive on your table sizzling hot; grilled snapper with Asian herbs and Parmesan-crusted rack of lamb are also delicious. Enjoy your meal indoors or opt for a table on the alfresco terrace.

Inspired by New York’s 2nd Avenue Deli, with a gleaming tiled interior to match, Main St. Deli introduced traditional Big Apple neighborhood favorites to Hong Kong and found immediate popularity with visitors and locals alike. It continues to make lunch favorites such as pastrami on rye and hot corned-beef sandwiches. Reuben sandwiches and matzo-ball soup satisfy homesick New Yorkers. On the drinks side, kids can indulge in the wide variety of milk shakes, while the grown-ups enjoy the selection of American microbrews.

Pui O is famous for its beautiful beach, but not for its dining scene. This seaside restaurant, however, aims to change that by combining a laid-back surfer’s attitude with a reverence for top-quality cooking. Locally sourced ingredients feature heavily on the menu, which includes house-ground burgers and nachos made with pork wontons instead of tortilla chips. The restaurant also serves regionally brewed ales and cocktails designed to beat the summer heat.

The floral interior makes this place look like something out of 1950s Beijing. The Peking duck, however, is a showstopper (it might be the best in town), and you'll see an old-school crowd enjoying it as well as noodles and stir-fried wok meat dishes.

If you’ve made your way out to Tai O, this gorgeous glass-roofed restaurant is a great place to enjoy a leisurely afternoon tea or dinner. Formerly the Tai O Police Station, the historic building has been lovingly refurbished, and the restored colonial decor includes authentic wooden furnishings. The menu is short, sweet, and eclectic, offering a mix of Asian and western dishes. Be sure to try the Tai O–inspired items, such as the fried rice and crispy pork-chop bun with shrimp paste.

Close to Hong Kong’s famous nightlife and dining district of Lan Kwai Fong, Yung Kee has been a local institution since it first opened as a food stall in 1942. The food is authentic Cantonese, served amid riotous decor and writhing gold dragons.

A laid-back beachfront dining terrace and an extensive international menu make this one of the best outdoor restaurants in Hong Kong. Perched on the Discovery Bay promenade a 25-minute ferry ride from Central, the sea and beach views alone are easily worth the trip. Signature dishes include deep-fried calamari and grilled baby back ribs. Pizzas and pastas also share the spotlight with Asian and Mexican favorites. Come early to enjoy the great beach, and stay to catch a free view of nearby Disneyland’s nightly fireworks display. If you spend more than HK$100, you get a free ferry ticket back to Central.