Your insider's guide to all the cool spots in Wong Chuk Hang

Wong Chuk Hang may mean “Yellow Bamboo Ditch” in Cantonese but there is nothing remotely rural about this gritty industrial neighbourhood on the south side of Hong Kong Island. Once the sole domain of car mechanics and factory workers, Wong Chuk Hang’s status as a neighbourhood to watch has been cemented with the opening of the South Island Line MTR service in December 2016.

Wong Chuk Hang is full of cool and quirky businesses

Super-cool businesses have sprung up behind the industrial facades of the buildings lining the Southside to Pokfulam freeway. You’ll find everything from galleries under the umbrella of the South Island Cultural District to furniture-makers (complementing the offerings at nearby Horizon Plaza in Ap Lei Chau), along with party venues, restaurants and fashion and fitness outlets. Here’s our look at the highlights:

Homewares and Furniture

Mirth
A 1960s ex-wooden stool factory on the south side of Hong Kong Island is now home to Mirth, a haven of inspiring retail therapy and quirky globally sourced gifts, homewares, books, fashion, and children’s accessories.

Casa Capriz

Vintage lovers will love Casa Capriz – the showroom is packed with gorgeous vintage furniture and homewares, mostly sourced from Europe.

Candle Outlet
This factory outlet of Canadian brand Uni King stocks over 2,000 styles of candles, reed diffusers and candleholders all at remarkable discounts. Rumour has it that it’s sometimes possible to pick up a Jo Malone at a fraction of normal prices!

Jervisbay Barbecues

Jervisbay Barbecues relocated to Wong Chuk Hang from Horizon Plaza last September. It stocks a huge range of barbecues, with sizes to suit every need and space. You can also check out outdoor kitchens, outdoor heaters, tableware, scented and citronella candles, barbecue accessories, smoker chips, eskys, and salt bricks for barbecue cooking. As an added bonus, customers are offered free coffee to enjoy so they can take their time browsing!

Manks

Manks began its life over dinner in Copenhagen in 1996 when founders Paul Fung and Susan Man decided to bring Scandinavian modern design to Hong Kong. The company now showcases modern furniture and antiques, as well as having a character property arm.

Art

Spring Workshop
Drive along the main freeway in Wong Chuk Hang from Pokfulam and to your right you’ll see some bright yellow metal canes swaying in the breeze. This art installation, The Industrial Forest, is housed in Spring Workshop, a non-profit experimental arts space committed to a programme of artist and curatorial residencies, exhibitions, music, film and talks.

The Cat Street Gallery Annex
An offshoot of Hollywood Road’s mecca of contemporary art, The Cat Street Gallery, this 3,000-square-foot space is dedicated to storing and documenting artworks, and to providing a light and spacious private viewing venue for collectors.

Blindspot Gallery
One of the city’s leading names in contemporary photography, Blindspot showcases the work of established and emerging photographers.

Plum Blossom
Established back in 1987, this gallery promotes both ancient and modern Asian art. Plum Blossom is well known for its outstanding collection of museum-quality early Chinese textiles.

Food & Drink

3/3rds

This cafe in the Yally Industrial Building does cafe food like it should be done – classic dishes using great ingredients with a dash of inspiration. Think three cheese and onion toasties, ox tongue hash with poached egg for a weekend brunch or a roasted aubergine salad with saffron yoghurt. The menu changes regularly and food is kept at room temperature for no more than two hours to keep it at its freshest. They also have a rooftop terrace, where they do barbecues and events.

Elephant Grounds

If you needed proof The Factory building in Wong Chuk Hang was cool, the presence of Elephant Grounds should provide it. The cult coffee house has a huge space inside the building where their much-loved brew available on weekdays from 9am to 6pm.

Mum
This unassuming spot at the base of One Island South serves up some of the island’s most delicious veggie fare. Its latest offering is a “yogi veggie lunch” – a morning yoga session followed by a nutrient-packed vegetarian feast. What better way to start your day?

Chef Studio by Eddy
Consistently voted one of the city’s best private kitchens, here, tucked away in an industrial building, miles from the usual restaurant hubs, Eddy Leung presents eight course tasting menus of “real food and real flavours”.

The Butchers Club
A modern take on the traditional butcher, The Butchers Club offers everything meat-related, from dry-aged Black Angus beef and South Australian hormone-free lamb to classes in sausage-making and butchering techniques. The Club is also home to an 18-seater dining room where guests can feast on pre-selected meat aged and cooked to perfection.

Pomegranate Kitchen
We’ve long been fans of Pomegranate Kitchen’s Mediterranean cuisine and now, along with their catering service, they have opened a dining and event space complete with large terrace in Wong Chuk Hang. Book the entire venue for a special event or visit on a Thursday evening where it takes on more of a restaurant feel.

Pizza Express

This family dining favourite has set up a branch on the ground floor of One Island South. It is open daily from 11am to 10pm, serving up pizzas, pastas and salads and their very well-priced kids’ menu, complete with colouring.

Fitness

Flex
When Heather Thomas Shalabi started teaching Pilates in her Repulse Bay apartment, little did she know that her passion for the method would result in Flex becoming one of the most popular and progressive studios in the city. The Southside’s largest fitness space now offers not just Pilates but also yoga, Zumba, TRX and more.

Elite Personal Training
Over the years, Elite’s state-of-the-art gym and programmes such as the 40-Day Challenge have helped fitness-loving individuals gain inspiration and motivation to reach their goals. Founder Nathan Solia introduced the concept of bootcamp to Hong Kongers over a decade ago.

Fashion

Plage
Located in a corner of the Mirth lifestyle boutique, Plage is the place to go for ultra-flattering beach and resort wear sourced from the best European designers. We love their beautiful Panama hats from Ecuador available in 12 pops of colour.

Angry Lane

French brothers Ben and G decided in 2012 to build their own custom motorcycles and launched Angry Lane. Their business has since expanded into clothing and accessories, with a range of jackets, pants and tees, along with bags and belts.

Did you know?

Wong Chuk Hang’s bustling streets may be less than pretty but behind the industrial facades is centuries of history. The area is home to some of the island’s most ancient rock carvings, highly unusual in that they are located at least a kilometre from the sea. The neighbourhood is also home to one of the Heritage Departments most recent declared monuments, The Old House at Wong Chuk Hang San Wai, one of the few traditional Chinese vernacular houses preserved on Hong Kong Island. Visit www.amo.gov.hk for further details.

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Your guide to Wong Chuk Hang

Homewares and Furniture

Art

Food & Drink

Fitness

Fashion

Did you know?

Directory

Homewares and Furniture

Art

Food & Drink

Fitness

Fashion

Did you know?

Directory

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