Keeping up with new restaurants in Hong Kong, let alone new chefs and new menus, can be tricky. Our restaurant news round-up will keep you in the loop about the city’s ever-evolving dining scene. From the latest eatery to open its doors to celebrity chefs to Hong Kong brunches and cool new bars, it’s all here!
New Restaurants and Bars
Pirata Expands
Not one to let a pandemic slow it down, Pirata Group has opened its largestever hospitality development: The Sixteenth. The new collection of four restaurants is located in Oxford House, Taikoo Place, and takes its name for the area being the “16th” district of HK. The 18,000-square-foot, 400-seat destination, which includes one of the city’s largest outdoor terraces along with some striking interiors, features two Italian concepts – La Favorita and Tempo Tempo – along with a couple of Japanese eateries, Honjokko and TMK Funk & Rolls.
Hawker Hero
Food halls have been popping up all over HK lately, offering diverse eating options under one roof. The latest is 70s Food Dining by Vintage House, a casual eatery with six stalls and a dine-in restaurant called Earth. Founder Michael Chan hails from Malaysia, and he brings his old-school hometown favourites to HK, from rich and fragrant curries to stir-fried noodles, as well as Thai, Sichuan, Cantonese and international flavours. The retro vibe is matched by vintage ceiling fans in the lobby and bamboo lamps peppered throughout the space.
46 Granville Road, Tsim Tsa Tsui.
2866 0111 | IG: @70svintagehouse
Wholesome Eats
Innovative plant-based brand Green Common has unveiled a brand new two-storey flagship in Nexxus Building, Central, with a modern and refreshing new image. The ground floor of Green Common Nexxus features a coffee and drinks bar (with oat milk as default!), plus a retail area. The upper floor is a restaurant showcasing Asian fusion cuisine and a vegan wine collection, with a regularly changing four-course tasting menu available for dinner (HK$328).
Shop G01 & 101, Nexxus Building, 77 Des Voeux Road, Central
2727 6682 | fb.com/greencommon
Morsels at M+
Hospitality group Lai Sun Dining has launched two stylish upcoming dining concepts at M+, Hong Kong’s brand new museum of visual culture, which opened in the West Kowloon Cultural District in November. Mosu Hong Kong will feature contemporary cuisine from innovative chef Sung Anh, the fine-dining pioneer who earned two Michelin stars for Mosu Seoul, while ADD+ is an all-day dining concept, with everything from Hong Kong classic snacks to fresh takes on global cuisine.
Happy Hour
Keen to join a community that supports the local food and beverage sector? Happy Hour Hong Kong is a new, easy-to-use app that helps you find great specials in and around the city, while helping bars and restaurants gain traffic and support. How does it work? Just open the app and explore your surrounding area; you’ll see bars that are open and currently have “Happy Hour Specials”, or you can search for “Exclusive Offers” – plus you get additional offers from the app’s listed bars. And look out for the “Featured” tab on the home screen for recommendations for the upcoming month.
happyhourhongkong.com | @happyhourhkapp
Proper Pizzas
Little Napoli is an authentic Neapolitan pizzeria – Chef Gavino Pilo hails from Naples – that has newly opened in Happy Valley. The grab-and-go outlet serves handcrafted pizzas fired in a hand-built brick oven from the famous Italian city that deliver the perfect charry crust and a mouth-watering doughy centre. Classics include the beloved Margherita (HK$158) made with DOP San Marzano tomato sauce, Agerola mozzarella, Pecorino Romano, fresh basil and olive oil. Our pick? The flavour-packed Diavola (HK$178), which adds Napoli salami and chilli flakes for a fiery kick. 8 King Kwong Street, Happy Valley.
6882 1823
Pane e Latte
Italian for “bread and milk”, this newie in Stanley serves up high-quality artisanal breads, pastries and pizzas, baked fresh daily. The Italian bakery feel is replicated in the traditional long marble countertop, where you can browse and pick from the offerings on display. The seaside location is handy too, helping to evoke the colourful cliffside homes in Positano, on the Amalfi coast – and the window awnings and cushion covers in soft gelato colours help too. As for food highlights, there are many, but we struggle to go past the Bomboloni (an Italian doughnut) and a loaf of fresh Pugliese focaccia. There’s a simple all-day breakfast menu, too, and – it goes without saying – great Italian coffee, wines and cocktails.
G/F, U-c Court, 25 Stanley Market Road, Stanley
paneelatte.hk | @paneelattehk
G Room Bar & Lounge
They had us at “whole lobster paella”! Gaia Group has just opened G Room Bar & Lounge at K11 MUSEA. The menu features Western-Asian tapas – think Mediterranean-style dishes but with a Southeast Asian twist – in an innovative space that combines fine dining, music, art and technology. Aside from the aforementioned paella (HK$598), which features crisp Asian-style fried rice, premium Iberico ham and whole Boston lobster – there’s also a spesh-sounding seafood platter ($298) with everything from calamari to Thai fish cakes. We’re eyeing off the bespoke cocktail selection, too – in particular, the G Room Sangria Jar ($428), with fresh seasonal fruit in a blend of Spanish red wine, white wine, moscato and premium rum.
Shop 504, 5/F, K11 MUSEA, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, TST
2332 6662 | gaiagroup.com.hk
The Meat Co.
The cliché that steak is a blokey food is put to the sword (or carving knife) at The Meat Co., a new “female-forward steak frites concept” that has opened in Eaton HK’s Food Hall. The dining destination is helmed by an all-female team, with the idea being to support Hong Kong’s women who are underemployed in comparison to the male population. Premium USDA Angus Striploin is used in the signature steak frites here, with prices starting from a very affordable HK$138, including fries, fresh coleslaw and a choice of sauces. Hungrier diners can up the portion size of both the steak and the fries.
Shop 6, Level LG, Eaton HK, 380 Nathan Road, Jordan
FB & IG: @themeatco.hk
Giacomo
Fans of fab Italian (aren’t we all) will be happy to hear that an elegant southern Italian fine-dining restaurant, Giacomo, has launched in Crowne Plaza Hong Kong Causeway Bay. After stints at big-name venues such as 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana, Michelin-star trained chef Keith Yam is making his debut as an Executive Chef at Giacomo, with signature dishes featuring high-quality, globally-sourced seasonal ingredients, including “sun-kissed herbs and vegetables of the south”. Along with artisanal hand-made pastas with divinesounding sauces, there are signature meat dishes such as lamb with a winter black truffle sauce, and heavenly desserts like chocolate and hazelnut gelato. Meanwhile, the interior features classical Italian touches and a floor-to-ceiling window along bustling Leighton Road.
G/F, 8 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay
3980 3008 | fb.com/Giacomo.hk
ARGO Cocktail bar
ARGO has opened in the Four Seasons as part of the hotel’s wider transformation that included makeovers to all guest rooms. The name derives from the ancient myth of Jason and the Argonauts – hence the adventurous drinks list. In particular, the bar celebrates six staple ingredients that may be endangered in the future: honey, cacao, vanilla, coffee, rice and apple. There are local ingredients on show – from bee farm HK Raw Honey, for instance – and the bar also encourages collaborations with movers and (cocktail) shakers. It has already launched ARGO Gin, created in conjunction with the award-winning Australian distillery Never Never Distilling Co.
G/F, 8 Finance Street, Central
fourseasons.com/hongkong
What Else?
Cool Bevvies
ONLY Vodka Soda is a homegrown brand catering to those looking for refreshing, health-conscious alcohol alternatives. It’s made of the highest quality five-times distilled premium vodka and natural Tahitian lime and yuzu ginger flavours, and is the first zero sugar, zero carb, naturally flavoured premium vodka soda created by Hongkongers. It’s available for HK$30 per can from numerous liquor and retails shops, private member clubs and hotels, and on Deliveroo and Foodpanda.
See more in our Wine & Dine section!
