Hong Kong
What to Do & see
Hiking
The Peak: Easy hike that’s easy to get to, best views of Hong Kong
Dragons Back: Easy hike, fun to do if you’re heading to the beach after, you can walk to Shek O or Big Wave Bay from the end of the hike
Sai Kung: McLahose trail gets you to most beautiful remote beaches/cliff jumping in HK, in New Territories though so it’s about an hour drive away from Central
Beaches
Repulse Bay: Great restaurants, kinda crowded but worth it
Big Wave Bay: Super low-key beach with local restaurants
Sai Kung: The most beautiful and most remote
Markets
Ladies Market: Crowded and touristy but fun to see
Temple Street Night Market: Street food at night
Jade Market: Jade and jewelry
Bird Market: What it sounds like
Flower Market: Also what it sounds like
Art/Culture/MISC
H Queens: New gallery building in Central
Pedder Building: Another gallery building (Gagosian)
Asia Society Museum: Great temporary exhibits
Soho: Man Mo Temple, Cat Street Antiques, PMQ
Happy Valley Racecourse: Horse races every Wednesday night!
Tram: The greatest form of transportation
Ten Feet Tall: Best foot massage place
Star Ferry: Take the ferry from Central to TST
Restaurants/Bars
Trendy
Yardbird: Simply the best
Ronin: Yardbird’s sister restaurant, lowkey izakaya with bar seating, some of the best sashimi I’ve ever had. All bar seating
Rhoda: Cool restaurant in SYP, high end European in cool atmosphere, Kinda out of the way
Uma Nota: Really amazing Brazilian/Japanese fusion food, right on Peel street so people always gather outside and drink in the street
Chom Chom: One of my all-time favorites. Must visit. Vietnamese fusion, amazing cocktails, Pho rolls/short rib lettuce cups are the best
Ho Lee Fook: the classic trendy Cantonese fusion restaurant everyone goes to take pictures with the lucky cat wall, decent food
Chachawan: Really good traditional Thai food in laid back, cool restaurant
La Vache: Basically Relais de l’Entrecote, first Sunday of every month they do a disco brunch that gets wild
Tokyo Lima: Good Japanese place in cool space
Pici: Yummy Italian, there’s one on Aberdeen in Central, but I prefer the one in Wan Chai
Francis: Amazing Lebanese food in Wan Chai on cute, quiet street
La Cabane: Charcuterie and natural wines
Beet: Healthy, trendy place in Central
Meats: Popular meat based restaurant in Central
Potato Head: Such a cool place, amazing Balinese food, make sure to go to the music room after dinner
Little Bao: May Chow’s (famous woman HK chef) bao restaurant, really good food (French fries, spring rolls, bao buns, etc…) but you’ll feel like shit afterwards
22 Ships: Really good tapas place in Wan Chai. They play the best music
Mrs. Pound: Speakeasy with cool décor, good drinks and mediocre food
Sohofama: Healthy outdoor Chinese restaurant under PMQ, yummy food and good vibes
Mott 32: My favorite high end Chinese food restaurant, really yummy, hip, and cool. Always packed
Café Gray at Upper House: Don’t eat there but go to the bar for the best views
Okra: One of my favorite Japanese spots, cool space with innovative and delicious Japanese dishes, mostly bar seating
Limewood: The best spot to drink and eat at Repulse Bay beach, if it’s nice out it’s so worth it to go
Brickhouse: Hidden Mexican restaurant on LKF, they’re always blasting hip hop, you can go for dinner or drinks
Cantonese/Chinese
The Chairman: THE BEST MODERN CANTO. Seriously this place is amazing, but go for lunch, $300 HK for 3 courses
Kau Kee: The famous beef brisket soup, always an hour (at least) long line outside and it’s an absolute hole in the wall
Maks Noodles: Classic noodle soup shop
China Club: Fancy member’s only club but a great place to people watch and drink martinis. Also they serve some of the best Chinese food in HK
Megan’s Kitchen: Classic hot pot spot in Causeway Bay
San Xi Lou: Amazing Sichuan food/hot pot, very traditional
Qi House of Sichuan: Higher end Sichuan spot
Lan Fong Yuen: A leetle shop on Gage street that has the best Hong Kong milk tea
Duddells: One of the best high end Cantonese restaurants, eat upstairs in the Salon for dim sum. On the weekends they have all you can eat/free flowing dim sum brunch. Book that early in advance
Tung Po: This place is a full blown shit show. If you want to get down and dirty with the locals and drink beers from bowls you MUST go!!
Tim Ho Wan: Cheapest Michelin starred dim sum restaurant, don’t go on Hong Kong Island, they have restaurants all over Kowloon that won’t have lines
Hexxa: Good Cantonese place in Tsim Sha Tsui with incredible views of HK island. Worth it for the views
Maxim’s: On the weekends, waiters serve you dim sum on a cart, a Hong Kong institution
Under Bridge Spicy Crab: Anthony Bourdain turned this hole in the wall into a Hong Kong hot spot, really good seafood
Casual Western/Asian
Maison Libanaise: Amazing healthy Lebanese food, the rooftop is such a nice place to hang
Mana Slow Fast Food: My go-to spot for healthy salads,
Bêp: Really good Vietnamese pho, huge line at lunch, empty at dinner
Mak Mak: Amazing Thai coconut soup but in the Landmark mall, more of a quick bite than somewhere you want to chill but it’s still really nice
Catch: Good, chill brunch in Kennedy Town if you ever want to get out of the hustle and bustle, take the tram there from Central
Coffee Shops
Why 50!: The best avocado toast and eggs I’ve ever had, chill Aussie coffee shop in Sheung Wan
Cupping Room: Classic HK coffee shop that serves breakfast and actually really good coffee
Elephant Grounds: Trendy coffee shop that serves pretty good food
Noc: Same as all the others but cool interior
Bars
J Boroski: Hard to find super cool bar where they make you cocktails based on your mood
Dr. Fern’s Gin Parlor: Speakeasy bar below the Landmark and above Central Station, they have every single type of gin that’s ever been made
Stockton: Great drinks, high end but can get fun
Ping Pong Gintoneria: Cool décor, in Sai Yin Pung
Sevva: Best views on HK Island, must see
Quinary: Apparently the best cocktail bar, but not really my fav
The Old Man: New speak easy, super cool
Back Bar: Cute bar in Wan Chai, same owners as 22 Ships and right across the street
Salon X: Love this place, always cool people smoking cigs and getting drunk, they play great music
Ophelia: Cabaret bar in Wan Chai
Clubs
Iron Fairies: All-time favorite place to go out in HK, they have amazing live music bands, there are a million little butterflies hanging from the ceiling, honestly more of a bar than any of the clubs. You'll dance all night long
Cassio: Ugh. They’re annoying at the door and the place isn’t anything special, but everyone goes and I must admit I’ve had some fun there
Volar: The black hole, don’t show up any time before 2AM, underground dark space with two dance rooms: one hip hop, one techno. My <3
Play: Quintessential club
Studio: Right before you enter play is Studio, a secret and small club where they have live bands every night starting at 9
Dragon-i: The classic Hong Kong spot
Tasmanian Ballroom: Pool tables and good for big groups
What to Wear
Hong Kong is a tropical island, so be prepared for all weather. One day it's scorching hot, the next day there's a typhoon. Hong Kong is also an extremely built up, metropolitan city. You will find yourself walking everywhere!
What to Pack: bathing suits, comfortable tennis shoes, and a rain coat!
My Hong Kong Style
