Ho Lee Fook

Ho Lee Fook is best when you’re craving the addictive qualities of Asian takeaway and a loud Chinatown-basement vibe—the menu is an ode to Chinese diaspora overseas, except here dishes are creatively executed, ingredients are carefully sourced and a touch of restraint allows for appreciation of an unconventional approach. The concept is intentionally ironic in Hong Kong, a city where diners demand authenticity in their Chinese cuisine. 

Homey dishes are served family-style, mostly plated in a nonchalant mound and heavily seasoned with spices, coriander and fried shallots. The drinks pair well as a refreshing counterpart to the well-seasoned menu but stick with something simple like beer or wine—the cocktails can be a bit on the sweet side. 

Ho Lee Fook, G/F, 1-5 Elgin Street, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2810 0860, holeefook.com.hk

 

 

Louise

Designed by André Fu, this two-story restaurant is a lush, colonial-inspired oasis that provides three unique settings; a leafy courtyard, a casual space on the ground floor and a more formal, ivory-hued dining room on the first floor. The menu at Louise pays homage to chef Julien Royer's memories of home cooking while embracing local ingredients, like sautéed Hong Kong frog legs with parsley butter and garlic crisps, as well as more decadent dishes like angel hair pasta with caviar and truffles. 

Louise, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2866 0300; louise.hk

Fukuro

This lively hideaway transports diners to Tokyo's late night izakayas, where sake flows, delicious food is shared and the energetic atmosphere is contagious. Fukuro's menu surprises and delights with the likes of raw dishes, including quality sashimi and oysters elevated with a yuzu ponzu dressing, to its now-famous sweet and salty caramel butter corn, grilled meat and seafood (the hamachi collar with fuji apple ponzu is a must) and an irresistable yaki udon with snow crab and crab miso butter. 

Fukuro, 1-5 Elgin Street, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2333 8841; fukuro.com.hk

Bun Cha Vietnamese

What this intimate Vietnamese eatery lacks in size, it makes up for in bold, authentic flavour. Occupying a charming corner space on Aberdeen Street, Bun Cha is owned and operated by no-nonsense Vietnamese ladies who make and serve favourites like bun cha vermicelli, banh mi, rice paper rolls and steaming hot bowls of pho that feel like a hug from the inside. 

Bun Cha, Shop 1, G/F King Ho Building, 41-49 Aberdeen Street, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2858 1900

Bar Leone 

Neighbourhood cocktail joint Bar Leone is the kind of place anyone would be happy to have in their neighbourhood. The vibe is inviting and unpretentious, and the food and drinks are delicious. Don't skip the mortadella sandwich. 

Owner Lorenzo Antinori was formerly beverage manager at the Four Seasons Hong Kong, but left the prestigious post to open something closer to his home and heart—Bar Leone is inspired by local watering holes in his old neighbourhood of Trastevere in Rome, with a mahogany bar, burnt orange banquettes and vintage memorabilia. 

Bar Leone, 15 Bridges St, Central, Hong Kong, barleonehk.com

See also: Lorenzo Antinori, the mastermind behind the newly opened Bar Leone, shares how his new venture celebrates the beauty of simplicity

Coa 

A widely recognised pioneer in promoting agave spirits in Asia, Coa serves creative cocktails that are sophisticated, with minimal garnish—letting the bright flavours speak for themselves. The industrially decorated bar is consistently full every night thanks to a concise but deeply loved menu of approachable cocktails.

The drinks are tasty, but more importantly, they manage to educate guests on a drinking culture from halfway around the world, hooking many drinkers on the qualities of agave-based spirits since the bar opened its doors in 2017. 

Coa, Shop A, LG/F, Wah Shin House, 6-10 Shin Hing Street, Central, Hong Kong, +852 852 2813 5787, coa.com.hk
 

 

Kinsman

New to Peel Street in Soho is Kinsman, a Cantonese cocktail salon from Singular Concepts. Featuring an interior inspired by the films of Wong Kar-Wai, especially the seminal In the Mood for Love, the bar was designed in collaboration with Atelier Shan.

In an effort to highlight overlooked Cantonese and Chinese spirits, the cocktail menu primarily features the likes of Yuk Bing Siu, black glutinous rice wine, monkfruit spirit, and local amaros from Magnolia Lab in cocktails such as the Kowloon Dairy, a Hong Kong-style milk punch with a salted cream cap, and the Papaya Van Winkle, a Martinez-style stirred drink with papaya wine, N.I.P gin, roselle liqueur and tomato syrup. Meanwhile, the food menu consists of creative Cantonese bistro fare like a Chinese sausage platter sourced from nearby Sai Ying Pun, baked Wagyu ox tongue rice with 24-month aged Comté cheese, and a selection of contemporary tong sui (Chinese dessert soups) with the option of adding a spirit pairing.

Kinsman, 65 Peel Street, Central, Hong Kong; instagram.com/kinsman.hk

Quinary 

Over a decade old and still going strong, it’s no exaggeration to describe Quinary as a stalwart of the Hong Kong scene, with a signature cocktail, the Earl Grey Caviar Martini, that is a modern classic in its own right. The rest of the menu is equally worthwhile, spanning house signatures, classic cocktails with a twist, and seasonal themed cocktails, each requiring a laboratory’s worth of equipment to produce. Collaborations come fast and frequently at this bar, with each month bringing a new spirit brand and time-limited cocktails.

Quinary, G/F, 56-58 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2851 3223, quinary.hk
 

 

Shady Acres

Shady Acres’ ‘come as you are’ attitude makes its customers feel right at home, which is why on any night of the week, you’ll find crowds pouring onto the street outside of this cosy bar. Stocked with a well-curated wine selection, quality liquor and food options that are slicker than your average bar menu, an evening at Shady Acres is always a good idea.

Shady Acres, 46 Peel St, Central, theshadyacres.com 

The Old Man

The Old Man features a programme of innovative cocktails inspired by Ernest Hemingway that are continuously being refined and reworked, this bar serves big, unusual flavours that are best suited to those with an open mind. Enhanced using techniques such as fat-washing, infusions and cold fermentation, the unusual ingredients include clarified banana ghee, snail tequila, bread wine and uni gin, topped off with garnishes like a citrus cloud or a ball of steel wool that’s set alight to startling effect.

The Old Man, Lower G/F, 37 Aberdeen Street, Central, Hong Kong, +852 27031899, theoldmanhk.com

The Wise King

Blink and you’ll miss the entrance to this hole-in-the-wall cocktail bar. Despite its diminutive size, The Wise King has had an outsized impact on the local mixology scene. With just ten cocktails on the menu—in a nod to Spanish king Alfonso X, who inspired the concept behind the bar—there’s not much room for error, though co-founder Sandeep Kumar knocks it out of the park with cocktails like the Jamón Old Fashioned and the Mandirino Negroni.

The Wise King, Basement, 25 Staunton Street, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2326 5911, thewiseking.com

 

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