Hong Kong is a destination famous for many things. There’s that iconic skyline, deserted islands, and the ‘sheer variety of products in Hong Kong’s shops is dizzying’. However if there’s one thing which is impossible to miss, it’s trying one of their celebrated dim sum.
Because dim sum is a ritual in Hong Kong. It’s a lifestyle, and revered on a completely different level to that of other food. And from traditional dim sum teahouses, to the cheapest Michelin Star restaurant in the world, the diversity and sheer number of Hong Kong dim sum restaurants is insane!
So whether you’re after steamed, baked, or deep fried, we’ve put together a guide of the top restaurants you shouldn’t miss.
If you’re ready to embrace your inner foodie and want to travel with this information offline, download our free guide from Pearlshare straight to your phone. Click here. To organize a taxi to any of these Hong Kong food jaunts book a car online.
The Best Dim Sum in Hong Kong
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Lin Heung Kui
Lin Heung Kui is a hot and noisy tea house which serves authentic dim sum, and dining here is a great way to experience local life.
They serve century old recipes from traditional dim sum trolleys stacked with huge bamboo baskets filled with time honored Cantonese flavors. It’s hard to find these old fashioned dishes anywhere else.
The atmosphere is classic Cantonese and is set up like a dining hall. You’ll share your table with locals, and when the food comes through it’s a battle station – so be brave!
Address: Western Centre, 46-50 Des Voeux Rd W, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
Tim Ho Wan
This Hong Kong landmark appears at first glance to be an ordinary eatery. In reality it’s the world’s cheapest Michelin Star restaurant, offering some of the best dim sum in Hong Kong.
You might feel like you’re queuing at a theme park at first but once you taste the incredible fare on offer you’ll realize it was worth the wait. The must-orders at Tim Ho Wan include the famous Baked Bun with BBQ Pork, the Steamed Egg Cake and the Pan Fried Turnip Cake.
Address: Olympian City 2, 18 Hoi Ting Rd, West Kowloon. Website.
San Hing
Opening at 3am, San Hing is the best place to go for a dim sum fix after hours. But don’t let the early hours of the morning fool you – it’s an absolute madhouse as soon as it opens, especially on weekends.
Staff churn out a wide variety of dim sum to a diverse mix of customers including celebrities, the elderly, and those who’ve been out partying all night. The prices are cheap (around $1.50 – $2 USD) though you’ll need to arrive before it opens if you want to secure seats.
Address: 10 Hau Wo St., Kennedy Town
Yan Toh Heen
With two Michelin stars, there aren’t a lot of restaurants which can rival Yan Toh Heen. It’s been famous for it’s dim sum since the 1980’s, well before the InterContinental hotel acquired the space. It offers incredible food and a harbour view.
Known for refined Cantonese cuisine, try the Yan Toh Heen Three Trios. This is a dim sum platter with “crabmeat, mango and avocado; Bun with Duck Liver and Taro; and Crispy Rice Paper Roll with Seafood, Peach and Almonds. Other interesting dim sum options include Baked Roasted Duck & Taro Buns, Wok-seared Buns with Wagyu Beef and Cumin.” – Lady Iron Chef.
Address: 18 Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui. Website.
Mott 32
Mott 32 is a contemporary Chinese restaurant located in the heart of Central, and a celebration of Hong Kong culture and cuisine. Being located in the basement of the Standard Chartered Bank Building means the restaurant is quite dark, however you’ll forget about the lack of natural light once the food arrives.
Cooking is principally Cantonese with some signature Beijing dishes and some of the best Szechuan food in central Hong Kong, bringing the most out of traditional recipes passed down from generation to generation. This particular level of modernity combined with the respect for tradition is what makes Mott 32 so spectacularly unique.
Address: Standard Chartered Bank Building, 4-4A Des Voeux Rd Central, Central. Website.
Fook Lam Moon
To dine at Fook Lam Moon will be pricey, however you do get what you pay for, in terms of both atmosphere and food. This is the restaurant of choice for celebrities and high profile businessmen; “a culinary landmark which has been dishing up high quality Cantonese dishes to the rich and famous since 1972” – Mom on the move.
It’s an unparalleled dining experience of classic Cantonese Cuisine, and dim sum here stays true to its traditional roots. The Michelin star menu was created on the idea that ingredients should be allowed to speak for themselves without being overloaded with seasonings and artificial flavours.
Address: Shop 3, G/F, 35-45 Johnston Rd, Hong Kong. Website.
Pure Veggie House
It’s absolutely possible to get a great vegetarian dim sum, and even those who aren’t vegetarian won’t notice the lack of meat.
Pure Veggie House prides themselves on serving unconventional vegetarian cuisine with no added spices, MSG or dairy products. They use organic produce cultivated from ‘Kang Zhi Yuan Ecological Farm’ to give you the most natural and healthy taste. It’s a vegan / vegetarian paradise, and the various types of dim sum are great.
Address: 3/F, Coda Plaza, 51 Garden Road, Mid-Levels. Website.
Lung King Heen
This is one of the few restaurants in Hong Kong with three Michelin stars. In fact, it was the first Chinese restaurant in the world to achieve this elevated status. The signature restaurant for the Four Seasons Hotel, it occupies the fourth floor with beautiful views over the harbor, and fine dining dim sum.
It’s a traditional menu which has been given modern twists. Try the signature crispy suckling pork belly, Braised Bird’s Nest Soup with Minced Chicken, Shanghainese dumplings and steamed rice rolls with lobster. It rotates six to eight dim sum menus every month.
Address: Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, 8 Finance St, Central. Website.
Maxim’s Palace City Hall
This is one of the most famous dim sum restaurants in Hong Kong – set in an enormous banquet hall where dim sum is still served in the traditional way. Harried women push steaming trolleys piled high with bamboo baskets through the dining hall. There are 500 guests on a slow day.
It’s massive and noisy, but a quintessential Hong Kong dim sum experience. This is a great choice for an authentic experience, to eat dim sum the good old fashioned way!
Address: City Hall Low Block, 2nd Floor
Lei Garden
Another restaurant with a Michelin star, Lei Garden is a great place for incredible cuisine in a friendly and unpretentious atmosphere.
When it comes to rating dim sum, the restaurant is probably the most consistent in Hong Kong, pulling huge weekend dim sum crowds. The service is also consistently excellent. Word on the street is that wait staff are put through much more rigorous training, and paid better than any other Cantonese restaurant chain in town.
Address: 3008-11, 3/F., International Finance Centre, Central. Website.
Luk Yu Teahouse
We’ll be honest – the service and dim sum here are only average, though you eat here for the atmosphere. Luk Yu Teahouse is the most famous traditional teahouse in Hong Kong. It offers old Hong Kong glamor with art deco styling, and you’ll feel as though you’ve fallen through a time warp.
With such a rich history and a colonial facade, it’s no wonder it regularly appears in movies and literature. Once again, be prepared for the notoriously bad wait staff. But know that the atmosphere does make up for it.
Address: Hong Kong, Central, Stanley St, 24-26號號
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Photo credits: Pinterest images by insatiablemunch. Tim Ho Wan via Flickr by TomEats. Yan Toh Heen Superior Dumplings via Flickr by City Foodsters. Yan Toh Heen resturant by InterContinental Hong Kong. Fook Lam Moon via Flickr by City Foodsters. Lung King Heen by City Foodsters.
26 Comments
You’d have to be pretty unlucky to strike a bad dim sum restaurant in Hong Kong, even if you don’t know the city. But this guide is definitely a useful resource to make sure you do hit dim sum gold! I’ll certainly give your app a whirl next time I’m in Hong Kong.
Yep – it’s pretty easy honestly to find good food in Hong Kong! And almost everywhere does a good dim sum. That said there are definitely a couple of hidden gems which stand out above the rest, like the authentic dining halls and teahouses – not something you might accidentally stumble across unless you knew where to look :)
I dont think it was a very good idea to read this post at midnight hahah I have heard so much about Tim Ho Wan not only because the food is amazing but because of the price. I love the fact that they dont charge you through the roof just because they are Michelin Star. Though as vegan I am deeply craving the dim sum from Pure Veggie House. I think that is reason alone to start planning a trip to HK!
Haha the case of the midnight munchies … I know it well! Yes, Tim Ho Wan is an incredible spot and it’s so amazing that they make their menu accessible to everyone by keeping the cost low.
As a vegan, definitely head to Pure Veggie House – it’s to die for! Happy travels!
I love dim sum! I would love to try dim sum in a Michelin star restaurant. I took some notes for the future. I hope to travel to HK soon and try these places out.
Hong Kong will be your haven then! Yes, the best city in the world to try Michelin star Dim Sum – they never disappoint!
Hong Kong is such a happening place. We had a whale of a time when we were there last year. Of course, the food of Hong Kong is a star attraction in its own right. Dim Sums are its iconic offering. Your post has some valuable information on what and where to have. We would of course, head out to Pure Veggie House, without a second thought to taste some of the best vegan Dim Sums.
So glad to hear you enjoyed Hong Kong Sandy & Vyjay! Yes, Hong Kong is definitely a foodie destination in it’s own right – probably one of the best in the world :)
Pure Veggie House is a great place if you’re looking for vegan dim sum :)
Big fan of dim sum right here! When I visited HK I enjoyed so much that I had to stay away from dim sum for awhile when I came back to Manila hahaha.
Who isn’t right!! :D Haha but yes I can totally understand the dim sum in Hong Kong ruining it in other parts of the world … once you’ve tasted it in Hong Kong nothing else is ever quite as good!!
This post made me so hungry! I want to try all of the dim sums. I reckon I could send a week just eating my way through HK – and one day I will!
Haha everytime I come back to respond to a comment I’m the same :D You probably could just live off a diet of dim sum for a week … I think that’s a pretty good challenge actually!! Lol :)
I love dim sum – whether steamed or fried and it’s interesting to know there are so many wonderful restaurants to try it in Hong Kong. I especially loved Mott 32 – the place looks so cool.
You can’t miss a dim sum restaurant in Hong Kong lol they’re everywhere :D! Mott 32 is a great spot! And it’s definitely unique – the basement atmosphere makes for a really cool venue :)
I LOVE dim sum. Of course, as a vegetarian, it’s really hard to find veggie dim sum! Thankfully, there are a couple of spots in Toronto that cater to vegans who like dim sum, and I don’t have to be deprived!
Pure Veggie House is your spot then! It’s absolutely possible to get a great vegetarian dim sum :D Glad to hear they have a couple of options for you in Toronto :)
Some really nice piece of information!
Yummy :)
Glad you enjoyed the post :)
Wow, you’ve been to all these places to check out these Dim Sum – that is next level dedication to the cause! I think that Lin Heung Kui appeals the most to me. The combination of the atmosphere and good food always makes for a better meal!
Haha when you try your first Hong Kong dim sum you’l understand :D And hopefully be hooked as much as I was!!
Lin Heung Kui is a really great spot – fantastic way to experience local life! Totally agree with you that the atmosphere contributes just as much to the experience as the food itself :)
There’s a big dim sum trend happening in London right now, but had no idea that dim sum is a ritual in HK. You have to pay quite a lot for decent dim sum in London but its awesome to see how much choice there is in HK. I can’t wait to visit!
Yes, so much choice in Hong Kong, highly recommend a visit for anyone swept up in the trend right now! Sad to hear it’s quite expensive and difficult to find anything decent in London :(
Tim Ho Wan seems would be my favorite! Congrats for your dedication!
Tim Ho Wan is a great choice which won’t disappoint! Have a great trip to Hong Kong :)
Glad I found your post. Well definitely check it out. After all the China FB posts of fake foods etc… i get so paranoid now and then. I don’t know anymore if what I’m eating is real or not.Hopefully these restaurants are serving legit ingredients!
Glad our recommendations were helpful Cynch – these restaurants are a authentic as they come :) Have an amazing time in Hong Kong!