First Time in Hong Kong? Here’s What To Eat, See and Do

Ask a Hongkonger where to eat and you’ll rarely get one answer. I lived in Hong Kong for 24 years and still learn something new every time I go back. A one-Michelin-starred goose shop, a 70-year-old noodle counter and the world’s best bar sit within a few MTR stops of each other, so expect to build your itineraries around eating and sightseeing on the same day.

If you’re planning your trip around food, October is the month: the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival runs at the Central Harbourfront from October 29 to November 1, while Wine & Dine Month runs through November. But even outside these times, Hong Kong is full of diverse experiences – it’s one of the world’s best cities for eating and drinking, after all. No matter when you’re planning to visit, consider this your guide for where to eat, drink and explore, any time of the year. 

Eat

Breakfast here is a queue, and the queue is part of it. One Dim Sum – located in Prince Edward, Tsim Sha Tsui and Central – is a fluorescent-lit room where you tick your order on a paper form: har gow, char siu buns, siu mai. Go before 11am if you’d rather not wait on the footpath with everyone else.

Kam’s Roast Goose in Wan Chai is where third-generation goose knowledge meets a Michelin star. The lacquered goose is the headline act, all crisp skin and rendered fat, but the sleeper hits are the goose blood pudding and the noodles tossed in goose fat. There are only about 30 seats, so the queue is permanent.

Mak’s Noodle on Wellington Street does wontons the old way: small bowl, springy noodles, broth built on dried flounder. Regulars order two without embarrassment. In Sai Ying Pun, Bib Gourmand-listed Kwan Kee Clay Pot Rice is a night-time affair. The rice takes time, so order it the moment you sit down, get the eel and scrape the crust off the bottom.

Sham Shui Po is the city unvarnished. Oi Man Sang has been running since the 1950s and still puts its tables on the street, which is the point of a dai pai dong (an open-air food stall). Order the typhoon shelter crab and anything carrying that smoky wok hei.

Elsewhere, these two institutions are worth building an afternoon around: Lan Fong Yuen and Yee Shun Milk Company. The former claims to have invented silk-stocking milk tea, strained through cloth until it’s strong enough to stand a spoon in, and the pork chop bun is the correct thing beside it. For something “not too sweet” – the highest compliment you can pay an Asian dessert – head to the latter for the double-skin milk pudding, or the ginger milk curd that sets in front of you.

Drink

Central packs more good bars into a few blocks than most cities manage citywide. In October 2025, Bar Leone on Bridges Street was named 50 Best’s world’s best bar, the first in Asia to take the top spot. The cosy venue features a room modelled on a Roman neighbourhood joint rather than a temple to mixology. Expect their signature Filthy Martini, a mortadella sandwich, their house-smoked olives and a queue (trust me, it’s worth it).

Lorenzo Antinori’s second act with Simone Caporale is Montana, a nod to mid-century Havana and easier to get into. Coa on Shin Hing Street held Asia’s best bar title for three years running and still makes the most persuasive case in the city for drinking mezcal slowly. The Savory Project builds umami-packed, savoury drinks around unconventional ingredients such as miso and mushroom, while The Diplomat is for serious Martinis (and one of the world’s best burgers). All five sit within a few blocks of each other, which is either a convenience or a hazard.

See and do

There’s more to this city than the skyline – though you should see that first. The Peak Tram hauls you up Victoria Peak where you can see how the city’s layers – Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and New Territories – form one unified landscape that changes hue throughout sunrise and sunset. Cross the harbour on the Star Ferry and walk the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade and Avenue of Stars at dusk for a different view of the famous skyline – lit up at night. M+ in West Kowloon is worth it for the Herzog & de Meuron building alone.

For a touch of greenery, head to Kowloon Walled City Park, built on the site of an ungoverned enclave where 33,000 people once lived across 2.6 hectares, making it the most densely populated place on earth before it was demolished in 1994. The Cinematic Journey exhibition recreates the sets from Hong Kong-set action film Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, including low-flying planes. If you’re on the hunt for some retail therapy, Tsim Sha Tsui is the place to go – with a handful of malls and shopping centres that house luxury designers, independent brands and local labels.

If you’ve got more time, take the Ngong Ping 360 cable car to the 34-metre Tian Tan Buddha. Or ferry out to Cheung Chau, a car-free fishing island 40 minutes away from Central for giant fish balls and mango mochi on the way to Tung Wan Beach.

Outside of permanent sites and cultural institutions, there’s always an exciting event happening in Hong Kong. Victoria Park is being lit up by giant lanterns in September for the Mid-Autumn Festival; the 2026 Hong Kong Cyclothon is riding into town in October; there’s the aforementioned Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival towards the end of the month; and Winterfest transforms the city from November to December. Whenever you go, there’s probably something cool going on.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with the Hong Kong Tourism Board.