Cover Sofi Coffee (Photo: lizeatery/Instagram)

From a cafe housed in a former prison complex to a monastic temple to pour-over, here are the newest cafes worth checking out

Let's be honest—with the dozens upon dozens of new cafes that have opened up in the past year or two, caffeine is among one of the last reasons for you to make a visit to each successive opening. Instead, embrace what each new entrant to this uber-saturated market brings: an excuse to make a trip to a previously undiscovered corner of the city, while gaining bragging rights among your friends and followers for being the first in the know. Without further ado, here are the newest kids on the block this past month.

See also: The Best Cafes And Coffee Shops In Causeway Bay

Loop Kulture

Landing in Sham Shui Po's already crowded cafe scene, Loop Kulture stands out for its focus on sustainability, as hinted at by the nod towards closed-loop processes in its name. In addition to selling organic household products and nuts, grains and seeds sans-packaging in bulk, the cafe serves locally roasted blends in nutty and fruity varieties, alongside indulgent pain perdu and sourdough toasts laden with fruit. The interior will please many an influencer thanks to the lush foliage throughout the double height space.

Loop Kulture, 90 Apliu Street, Sham Shui Po

 

Snooze Coffee

Don't expect to sit down at this unassuming coffee shop in San Po Kong's Rhythm Garden, which primarily serves takeaway coffee—though it makes for a good stopover for those on the way to Nan Lian Gardens. Snooze uses beans sourced from Ethiopia, Honduras, Guatemala and Indonesia and roasted by Hong Kong's Kyōyū Coffee Roastery; while the hand drip coffee is sourced from Taiwan's Cafe Sole. A small selection of cakes is also available for those looking to whet their sweet tooth.

Snooze Coffee, Shop 899, G/F, Rhythm Garden, 242 Choi Hung Road, San Po Kong

Coffeeflow

Mei Foo's Jao Tsung-I Academy is a little-known heritage gem in Hong Kong, though new cafe Coffeeflow might change this just a little. Housed in one of the cultural complex's handsome two-storey pitched roof structures—which have variously served as a custom house, quarantine station, prison, hospital and psychiatric centre over their 100 years of history—Coffeeflow aims to provide a breathing space for those looking to escape the city; indeed, it resembles a colonial-era enclave you might find in Shanghai's French Concession. Expect your usual selection of brunch food (all-day breakfast, ice cream waffles, spaghetti bolognese) and flavoured lattes—the location is the real star here.

Coffeeflow, G/F, Block G, Jao Tsung-I Academy, Mei Foo

Bla Bla Black Sheep

The sparse coffee scene in Kowloon Bay just got a little more exciting with the opening of Bla Bla Black Sheep in Telford Plaza. Operated by 18 Grams, this takeaway coffee booth offers four single-origin options, including a honey processed variety from Papua New Guinea, as well as seven brew methods, from pour-over and Clever Dripper full-immersion, to siphon, Aeropress, French press and ice drip. Pastries and sandwiches are also available to order.

Bla Bla Black Sheep, 2/F, Telford Plaza Phase 2, Kowloon Bay

After Eightys

Situated in the middle of Mong Kok's relentless bustle is After Eightys, so named as the founders were all born in the 1980s and subsequently spent much of their childhoods in the surrounding neighbourhood. Keeping in line with Hong Kong's obsession with industrial chic, the interior features cinder blocks creeping up the walls and holding up the coffee bar. The three-course lunch set is exceptionally priced at under HK$100, while the black sugar Oreo mochi waffles is a crowd-pleaser.

After Eightys, 27 Soy Street, Mong Kok

Sofi Coffee

Not to be confused for the stock brokerage of the same name, Sofi is a dark and moody cafe in Kowloon City that has chiaroscuro aplenty thanks to a feature glass brick wall and an interior awash in black. Shrouded behind bamboo curtains, the baristas take their coffee seriously, with hand pours being the preferred method—they offer close to ten options for this alone, alongside the choice to have it shaken with ice for added texture. The pastries are also pleasingly photogenic, with tiramisu and pound cakes on offer.

Sofi Coffee, G/F, 428-430 Prince Edward Road West, Kowloon City

See also: 9 Hong Kong Cafes That Turn Into Bars At Night

Rings Coffee

Having called Kowloon City home for some years now, Rings Coffee has revamped its space to unveil a new timber-clad look. Pour-overs are the go-to here, with the Anthem Geisha beans being a crowd favourite. You'll not be lacking for food options either, thanks to a selection of sandwiches, avocado toast, udon and all-day breakfasts.

Rings Coffee, G/F, 8 Nga Tsim Long Road, Kowloon City

Chew Chew

Chew Chew Kitchen is an austere, Japanese-inspired cafe and eatery in Sham Shui Po by the team behind Rest Coffee Gin and Brew Note Coffee Roaster. Citing the relationships between food, time and artisanship as their key inspiration, the cafe's menu widely utilises products of fermentation as seen in their housemade pickles and saikyo miso grilled cod. The pastoral aesthetic of the space serves to amplify Chew Chew's focus on quality produce and substance over seasoning, with the pared-back interior resembling that of a Japanese teahouse.

Chew Chew Kitchen, 143 Lai Chi Kok Road, Sham Shui Po

Oops Coffee

Oops Coffee brings a pet-friendly space with coconut-flavoured coffee drinks to Sai Kung. In addition, the cafe boasts a wide range of CBD offerings such as CBD-infused coffee and cookies, but it goes the extra step in also offering the rarer cannabigerol (CBG), a less abundant cannabinoid that has been observed to reduce inflammation, combat pain, and even slow the proliferation of some cancer cells. If that's not enough reason to visit, the food menu will be sure to convince you with its selection of scones, pancakes, roll cakes and lava cakes.

Oops Coffee, Shop 11, G/F, Ko Fu Building, 58-72 Fuk Man Road, Sai Kung

Interval

Serving all-day dining and drinks in Central since 2018, Interval left its original location behind in early March for greener pastures in Lohas Park and Cyberport. The former spans 3,000 square feet, encompassing space for 60 covers, a patio, and a theatre-inspired retail corner selling specialty coffee beans from Coffee Collective and a selection of wines curated by group sommelier Wallace Lo, while the Cyberport location offers more of a culinary, farm-to-table focus under the eye of chef Steve Chiu—underlining this dedication is an on-site farm created in consultation with Farmacy HK. Live fire cooking is the main attraction here, alongside sourdough pizzas and an impressive selection of wine.

Interval, Shop 417, 4/F, The Lohas, 1 Lohas Park Road, Tseung Kwan O

Interval, Shop 207, Arcade Cyberport, 100 Cyberport Road, Pok Fu Lam

Miss Dough & Brew

Miss Dough & Brew was opened by a baking enthusiast and, as its name suggests, focuses on two things only: coffee and sourdough. The star of the show is Cooper, the three-year-old sourdough starter that the food menu is derived from. In addition to pour-over and espresso drinks, no visit to this cafe is complete without an order of the Turkish eggs, which consists of a runny sunny-side-up egg and Greek yoghurt that is consumed with cheddar and jalapeño sourdough bread. Best of all, dogs are very much welcome in this animal-friendly space.

Miss Dough & Brew, Shop 7, G/F, 88 Second Street, Sai Ying Pun

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