A Guide to Eating and Drinking in Hong Kong

  A Local Delicacy

As is the case with its geography, Hong Kong’s cuisine is surprisingly extensive and diverse. It’s also considered to be some of the very finest around, with a recent survey of globetrotting gastronomes rating the territory second only to France and Italy.

That’s not to say it’s all about fine dining: visitors prepared to leave the beaten track will find a city where the eating and drinking is both excellent and cheap. There’s a mixture of Cantonese and Szechuan dishes here, along with other prevalent Thai and Vietnamese flavors.

By and large, the Western world has been fed on a very narrow variety of Chinese food, and the traveler should not expect to feast only on sweet and sour pork and Peking duck. Be prepared to try frog, duck’s tongues and chickens feet if you really want to eat cheaply.

The local favorite of Dim Sum, however, perhaps provides an equally budget, though less daunting, prospect. Part of the territory’s Chinese heritage, it is considered a morning or early afternoon meal that is available in a vast number of eateries and is not to be missed.
 
Away from the restaurants, ‘Dai pai dongs’ (food stalls) are the best way for the backpacker or budget traveler to get a good square meal such as ‘yu dan min’ (fish balls and noodle soup). In particular, try Graham St. (Central), Hau Fook Street and Haiphong St. (Tsim Sha Tsui).

For less adventurous eaters, the legacy of British rule has left a number of Western-inspired eateries in its wake, with American and British cuisine readily available. There’s also a fruit and veg market along Graham Street that ensures backpackers can get their vitamin hit.

Food is a serious pastime in Hong Kong, and the visitor can chow down on a heady variety of pretty much everything. Whether it’s curry, spring rolls or jellyfish, travelers can rest assured that Hong Kong will satisfy even the most of voracious of appetites.

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