FAMILY FUN

Slurpy guide to Hong Kong milk tea, dim sum, coffee and eats

A fun guide to Hong Kong milk teas, fast disappearing dai pai dongs and cha chaan tengs, local dim sum forays, coffee, and some international culinary creativity. We focus largely on small-scale family places tfrom the heart of the city to the rustic New Territories.

Written and photographed by Vijay Verghese

December 2024

SEE ALSO Hong Kong shopping guide | Hong Kong Business Hotels | HK Causeway Bay and Haven Street Fun | Sanya Guide | Macau Guide | HK Yuen Long Coffee and Cafe Guide | Fastest Roller Coasters | Singapore Green Hotels Review| Second Life Virtual Travel | Songdo, Incheon | El Nido Fun Guide | Goa Best Beaches, Eats | HK Museum Tour

JUMP TO Tin Sui Wai and Lau Fau Shan | Central and Sheung Wan | Wanchai, Causeway Bay, North Point | Jordan, Mongkok, Sham Shui Po | Tai Po, Fanling, Yuen Long | Luk Keng, Tai Wai | Something completely different

Master Chef Eric Cheng (far left) measures a perfect pour at My Cup of Tea, Wanchai; new-look Waso Cafe near Tin Sui Wai (centre); and (right) dim sum at The Palace Restaurant, Lau Fau Shan near the old oyster farms as cha-cha dancing server Elaine looks on. / photos: Vijay Verghese

PING Shan to the far north of Hong Kong’s New Territories in Yuen Long is an early bastion of the Tang family, one of the big five clans that first made the territory their home. Unsurprisingly, everyone here is a Tang. It was on walks through the Heritage Trail here, passing crumbling ancestral halls and brooding walled villages, that I kept hearing about Mrs Tang’s Café and I set out to find it, a needle in a haystack, with every stall run by a Tang. “Yes this is Mrs Tang,” they all chirruped…

The cafe remained elusive. One of the things it was famous for was Hong Kong’s popular milk tea or ‘chha chao’, the stocking tea of yore that is boiled and poured through a fine mesh when it is strong enough to fell an ox. Then it is mixed with evaporated milk, usually bitter but also, upon request, with a spoon of sweet condensed milk. Being lactose intolerant this seemed an adventure right up my alley.

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The search for the mysterious Mrs Tang

But no crying over spilled milk. Armed with lactase enzyme tablets I set off once again. The reason for my earlier misses was simple. The place had changed its name and moved beyond the Tin Sui Wai MTR station on the Tuen Ma line to Ha Mei San Tsuen, within walking distance from Ping Shan but a little stretch.

Lan Fong Yuen (far left) at 2 Gage Street, Central, claims to be the original HK milk tea place since 1952; Ding Dim 1968 (centre) is a popular dum sum spot on Wyndham Street; and (reight) a chilled bottle of Hong Kong milk tea at Shui Kee Coffee, Sheung Wan / photos: Vijay Verghese

Occupying a corner patio in a quiet residential area, the renamed Waso Café is a nice little retreat, orderly, spread out and quiet, most unlike the clamorous ‘cha chaan tengs’ and gentrified rustic ‘dai pai dongs’ that still serve up old Hong Kong street foods and milk teas.

Waso Café is a country retreat by Yuen Long standards but, lining the central kitchen, are those unmistakeable mini skyscrapers of Black & White evaporated milk cans bearing their proud emblem — a Holstein Friesian cow from the Netherlands. This is an instant giveaway at the many stalls around town serving variations of this brew. Waso is a pleasant weekend option with its customary milk teas along with sweetened pineapple buns stuffed with a signature slab — yes, SLAB — of butter and a slice of tomato. It does decent club sandwiches too for the less intrepid. (There’s also the upscale padded-seat diner Waso Café with its pork chops, chicken wings and vermicelli tomato soup, at 272 Jaffe Street in Wanchai. Expect long queues meal times.)

Roads less travelled run from Tin Sui Wai all the way north to the disappearing oyster farms of Lau Fau Shan and its ramshackle seafood market. A few weekend places limp on but the most comfortable is The Palace Restaurant (with parking and cheerful service). If you get in earlier, grab a nice veranda seat. Our beaming server Elaine, who cycles in daily from Tin Sui Wai, says she loves the exercise and dances the cha-cha on off days. Just to demonstrate she breaks into a few moves as guests chuckle. You can’t get more Sixties than that. The dim sum portions are huge and flavourful. A K65 bus terminates here from Yuen Long and Tin Sui Wai MTR Stations.

At My Cup of Tea on Spring Garden Lane (far left), Wanchai, Eric Cheng dishes out his special 'cha chao' with evaporated milk; cheerful Ms Lai stirs up some flavourful and filling vegan delights at the blue-entrance Lisa's Veggie (centre left to far right)/ photos: Vijay Verghese

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A Central tea original and Sheung Wan

But it is in the heart of bustling Central that one of the oldest exponents of Hong Kong milk tea was founded in 1952 when a young 24-year-old Lin Muhe started Lan Fong Yuen (www.hklanfongyuen.com/en/). Despite its vintage the place is an easy to miss stall at 2 Gage Street with a small inside room that remains packed most times. It is an evocative start to any Hong Kong milk tea trawl with the sloping pavements humming. Lan Fong Yuen proudly maintains that it is one of the inventors of silk stocking tea.

On a bracing winter morning the tea hits the spot, not too bitter, and rich to the tongue. For a bite, just up the hill at 59 Wyndham Street is the satisfyingly cosy and tasty dim sum hideaway Ding Dim 1968 with attractive prices and a great location across from the Tai Kwun heritage complex.

(Many traditional tea stalls and ‘bing sutts’ or airconditioned cold beverage places, have closed in recent years, some miraculously revived, like the Tai On Coffee and Tea Shop, www.instagram.com/taion_coffee_and_tea, at 830 Canton Road, Yau Ma Tei Exit A1, rescued by a group of young Hongkongers.)

Central’s ‘ice rooms’ have disappeared but just down the hill our Hong Kong milk tea guide picks up the trail at the Sheung Wan Municipal Services Building on Morrison Street where you’ll find the tiny Shui Kee Coffee, which operates at one corner of the second floor food court. Shui Kee specialises in a cold version of the brew, refrigerated, not iced and watered down, that arrives in a chilled bottle. It does hot versions too. The cold milk tea is refreshing in summers and is usually served with street eats like scrambled egg with corned beef on toast, condensed milk on toast, and pork noodle soups. Seating is on plastic chairs. English is in short supply but customers — who take pride in this local offering — may step in to help, or confuse matters entirely.

Squeezed into a narrow alley (far left) near the Tin Hau MTR, Bing Kee Cha Dong has been around almost unchanged for 60 years; while (centre and right) Mr Chan and Ms Cheng greet guests at the inexpensive and tasty More Fortune Here Dim Sum near Fortress Hill MTR/ photos: Vijay Verghese

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Wanchai steam, Causeway Bay, North Point

A younger streetside offering in Wanchai is the hugely popular My Cup of Tea (www.instagram.com/omycupoftea) at 6 Spring Garden Lane, once a spot for knock-off garments. This crevice for coffee and tea has seats along one wall and is shoehorned into an old walk-up building. It gets cracking at 7am when Eric Cheng in his crisply ironed blue chef’s outfit and apron pours out his excellent full bodied milk tea with perhaps a generous spring onion scrambled egg sandwich (‘chung faa taan’) on the side.

Both items are breakfast favourites here (though more elaborate meaty meals are available too). The stern looking Eric bursts into an embarrassed smile when complimented and takes boyish delight in his steaming concoctions. It is hard to imagine he has just been brewing tea for a few years. Cold Hongkong-style milk tea is available too in slim-neck bottles.

A stone’s throw from here at the heritage Blue House on Stone Nullah lane is the delightful vegan retreat Lisa’s Veggie run by the cheerful Ms Lai (who also has a restaurant on Thompson Road). The food — mostly meat themed as is the local tradition — is excellent and the portions, with a hearty starter soup, are belt stretching. Ms Lai is an excellent host and the décor is attractively homey and clean. Pick from soups, curries and vegetarian dumplings.

Two MTR stops from Wanchai, the Tin Hau station is a short stroll from the curving Tung Lo Wan Road bordering Causeway Bay and its ancient side streets filled with cafes, cakes and, of course, milk tea. The premier stall here is the 60-year-old Bing Kee Cha Dong in a nondescript alleyway between Shepherd Street and Third Lane.

It is open 7am to 3.30pm with long queues especially weekends. Remarkably, it has maintained its laid back presence with a few plastic tables and chairs under a green tarpaulin. Staff of various vintage shuffle about taking orders, serving food and cackling aloud. It looks like nothing earth and its milk tea is out of this world. Again expect the usual local pork chop, noodles, and soupy fare. Remember, if your tea is too bitter, ask for an extra spoon of condensed milk.

Artistry Brewing Company (far left) tucked into a hillside in North Point is a calming escape with aromatic coffees and refreshing drinks brewed by owner Xi Xi (smiling, centre); Australian Dairy Co in the Jordan Road area (centre and right) is legendary for its packed seating — and fluffy scrambled eggs / photos: Vijay Verghese

Up at 275 Kings Road on the ding-ding tram line is another newer home-style eatery, More Fortune Here Dim Sum. Staff is pleasant, customers friendly, and the prices amazingly reasonable, encouraging neighbourhood retirees to frequent the place. The quiet Mr Chan manages things here ably assisted by the tall Ms Cheng who steams about like a non-stop express strain while staff trundle out dim sums and seat newcomers. Seating is padded and comfortable, diner style. Try the excellent steamed prawn with vegetable dumpling. There is a second outlet at San Po Kong.

A couple of blocks along the road near North Point MTR Station Exit B1 on the steps leading up from Shu Kuk Street is the enchanting lazy afternoon bolthole Artistry Brewing Company (43A Kam Ping Street, www.facebook.com/artistrybrewingcompany/). It was started five years ago by well-travelled barista Xi Xi who has developed a taste for fruity Ethiopian coffee flavours mixed with Guatemalan beans. She has always been interested in coffee she says with a laugh. The tasteful driftwood interior design is chic with rustic seating and a small alfresco veranda. Food is international — laksa to linguine Bolognese, some recipes fine-tuned by her husband. Unsurprisingly, the place is a big local draw. Craft beers provide an extra surprise.

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Jordan, Mongkok, Sham Shui Po tea to wonton

Across the harbour near the Jordan Road, Nathan Road intersection in Kowloon is the furiously busy Australia Dairy Co (47 Parkes Street). It specialises in steamed milk puddings, custards, and a standout fluffy scrambled egg on buttered toast. The egg is completely unadorned but tastes delicious. There are various sets. A popular item tea time is the flavoursome chicken soup with spaghetti. Since Australia Dairy Company is always busy you’ll need to squeeze in, order fast, gobble it down, and run. Or so it appears. There’s a sense of impending bum’s rush here at all times. Yet, I have had no issues on numerous visits.

The delicious wonton noodles at Lau Sum Kee in Sham Shui Po (left) are orchestrated by the industrious Ms Wong (far left) at the old Kweilin St shop while Mr Lau (centre) at the newer Lau Sum Kee on Fuk Wing St greets customers as his mother (centre right) wraps the wonton. The dough is kneaded with bamboo; (far right) the popular cha chaan teng Kam Wah in Mongkok is known for its pineapple buns/ photos: Vijay Verghese

But back to our Hong Kong milk tea guide. Heading north a couple of stops along the MTR Tsuen Wan Line from Jordan brings you to Mongkok. Take Exit B2 and walk down Sai Yeung Choi Street and turn left on Bute Street. The family-run Kam Wah Café at 45-47 Bute Street offers a choice of two cake-and-tea rooms that are always packed. Kam Wah Café is another old timer that has been running since 1973 and is a go-to spot for its pineapple bun with generous butter slice, French toast drowned in condensed milk, and egg tarts (the Hong Kong style is more heavy crusted and custardy than the Portuguese egg tart, Lord Stowe’s variety). Be prepared to queue as tourists armed with Google map start arriving. Fah Yuen Street around the corner is popular for street shopping.

Mongkok is where you’ll find some good dim sum options. Folklore has it the stencil was inverted by accident (turning the W into an M) and should have read, Wong Kok (as pronounced in the local Cantonese). At the northern end of this busy shopping district there’s the popular One Dim Sum (209 A and B Tung Choi Street, onedimsum.hk/) with its colourful frescoes, long queues, and amazing dumplings of all description, and the friendly Stars Dim Sum Specialists (220 Tung Choi Street); and at the other end is the well-known and pleasingly designed Dim Dim Sum (106 Tung Choi Street) where you can eat without banging elbows to enjoy the large dim sum portions surrounded by colourful wall paintings. Open since 2007 “to bring happiness,” One Dim Sum has a newer outlet in Central at Lyndhurst Terrace. The fabulously quirky Dim Dim Sum outlet in Causeway Bay closed during Covid.

The Kung Wo Beancurd Factory (far left and centre right) survived the travel slowdown and has returned with a new restaurant extension; try its dofu fa with orange cane sugar; Dim Dim Sum in Mongkok (centre left) remains hugely popular; and (far right) another tasty spot in Mongkok is One Dim Sum/ photos: Vijay Verghese

Heading north again a couple of stops away is the old wholesale textile and street shopping district of Sham Shui Po that still retains its ‘60s Bruce Lee movie flavour. MTR Exit D2 will bring you to Kweilin Street at the end of which at No.48 you’ll spot the small and busy plastic curtained Lau Sum Kee. This family-run wonton noodle place has been around for over 60 years and still presses the dough using heavy bamboo to slowly flatten and knead the mixture. This process, which involves a person sitting on the bamboo, is said to lighten the feel of the noodles that taste eggy and flavourful in soup. The prawn and pork dumplings are delicious and filling. The industrious manager Ms Wong gets the place cranked up at 11.30am after staff have eaten their fill and the place is full within minutes. Fortunately turnover is quick.

The family's animated Mr Lau runs another modestly larger Lau Sum Kee (a later addition) around the corner at 182 Fuk Wing Street where his mother patiently stuffs the shrimp and pork meat in dumpling wrappers watched by eager diners, media and celebrities. Mr Lau's father started with a small noodle cart in 1956 just down the block (Mr Lau points in the general direction with a smile) and moved to Kweilin Street in 1974 before setting up shop at the original 48 Kweilin location. According to Mr Lau, with the slow manual bamboo kneading of the dough it takes around five to six hours to prepare noodles for the two restaurants daily. A range of other offerings like beef brisket with mushrooms and so on are available. This is an old-style Hong Kong must-do if only for the atmosphere.

One short block from here at 118 Pei Ho Street is another ancient family establishment, the well patronised Kung Wo Beancurd Factory famous for its silky hot or cold dofu fa served with heavy sprinkles of orange cane sugar. Patrons also buy tofu carved from slabs of the freshly made stuff to take home. Hit hard during the lockdown Kung Wo has made a comeback and even expanded into a neighbouring dofu speciality restaurant.

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Tai Po, Fanling, Yuen Long finds and coffee

Farther along in  eastern New Territories just off the scenic Lam Tsuen River in Tai Wo (East Rail Line MTR Station and really still part of Tai Po) is the spacious and well setup Ah Sem Dai Pai Dang (Shop B1, G/F, Mei Sun Building, 4-20 Kau Hui Chik Street). This clean and popular spot serves the usual fare along with bigger bites like its spectacular prawn with scrambled egg (‘ha yan chhau tan’), which is big enough for two. Given its size it easier to find seating most times. Later, stroll the river taking in the moored boats and flower bedecked bridges.

Remote Ah Sem Dai Pai Dang (far left and centre left) in Tai Wo is spacious and serves up a great prawn and scrambled egg that foodies will love; and in Yuen Long West, couple Jenny and Daniel (centre right and far right) dish out coffee, eggs, and delicious spaghetti with garlic prawn/ photos: Vijay Verghese

Out in Yuen Long West (Long Ping MTR Station on the Tuen ma Line) is the easy-to-miss entrance of tiny NextStation (www.facebook.com/nextstationyuenlong/) at Shop 10, G/F, Block A, Fu Loi Garden. It is open at 12 noon every day except Monday. Run by an engaging couple, willowy barista Jenny and the seemingly 12-armed chef Daniel, the place has gained a dedicated following for its all-day breakfasts featuring aromatic eggs with bagels (served in dim sum steamers) and a fabulous prawn and garlic spaghetti (there is also a popular truffle and cream version). Both were one-time luxury watch salespersons in Causeway Bay.

Heading west through the New Territories will bring your to the small and classy coffeeshop CoHee Studio (www.coheehk.com/) in Kam Tin that mixes and sells roasted coffee beans along with eggs and small treats. Find it at 152 Kam Tin Shi Street. There’s a bigger outlet in Fanling. Not far from here and still in the New Territories, one of our top picks for har gau (steamed prawn dumpling with water chestnut) and steamed beef ball (with Mandarin orange rind) is a Shek Kong streetside dim sum stall in the small village market next to the petrol pump (and the No.51 bus stop). It is opposite the Sheung Tsuen Playground (bus 64K from Tai Po Market or Yuen Long West Bus Terminus). This family run spot does keen business early morning to afternoon and with good reason.

In the northern central New Territories at Fanling is the impossibly tiny cha chaan teng  Hon Hing (3 Luen Hing Street) that is closed Sundays and open all other days 5am to 4pm. The place is a steamy clutter with a lot of instant noodle soups and pork chops but a mainstay here is the tasty scrambled egg and corned beef patty that is served like a burger accompanied by buttered toast. Hon Hing is worth a look-see if you happen to be in the vicinity. As at most such local establishments, no English is spoken so it’s the point-and-smile school of ordering. The beautifully restored art deco Luen Wo Market is just around the corner.

In Fanling, find the tiny Hon Hing (far left) with its corned beef egg patty; (centre left and right) the far flung Fat Kee Store in Luk Keng is a popular remote hiking and motorbike stop with hearty breakfasts; BB Happy Store (far right) is an easy-to-spot Luk Keng stop/ photos: Vijay Verghese

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Rustic Luk Keng and Tai Wai fine dining

The intrepid may consider hopping onto a 56K green minibus at Fanling Station to do the scenic rural drive heading east on Ping Shan Road past Starling Inlet (that hosts flocks of migratory birds over winter) to hidden Luk Keng and its pleasant coastal walks. Luk Keng hosts two long-time cafes. BB Happy Store, run by the jolly and no-nonsense Anny, is an immediately visible landmark at the turn off for the village. It serves unadorned fare like beef brisket noodles and club sandwiches and prices are higher here. But it is used by cyclists and hikers as a convenient stop-off and re-stocking point.

The second Luk Keng cafe, with a 1960s vintage and a laid back country vibe, is Fat Kee Store (www.facebook.com/fatkee.lukken/) in the small gentrifying village community bordering one end of the Plover Cove Family Walk. A dai pai dong with greater aspirations, it has been in this location since 1985, dishing out milk teas, eggs and hearty breakfasts. The whole family seems to be in on this venture and ladies of all ages (some carrying babies) scuttle up and down from the kitchen while sleepy dogs eye motorcycle groups and fancy cars drift in. Seating is in a covered patio with some alfresco wicker chairs under a leafy tree. The place is open 11am to 6pm most days except for Saturdays and Sundays when it starts by 8am. That about wraps up our fun HK milk tea guide.

One of the most interesting dim sum restaurants in Hong Kong — a Michelin guide pick with a weeklong waiting list or more at times — is tucked away in Tai Wai on the East Rail Line. Tai Wai Dining Room (taiwaidining.com) heralded by the red lanterns hanging outside is a huge favourite and is packed out weekends. The restaurant specialises in classic morsels and various traditional dim sum recipes, some no longer available elsewhere. Think large soup dumplings, sticky rice creations, crisped pork and a variety of local favourites, all made with quality ingredients. The reservation blocks run for 90 minutes.

In an old Causeway Bay Building, Pamela and Jo (left) run the French crepes Fleur de Sel with lovely balcony views; in the New Territories (centre right) find some of the best har gau near the Sheung Tsuen Playground bus stop; and (far right) classic dim sum at Tai Wai Dining Room/ photos: Vijay Verghese

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And for something completely different... crepes

And for something completely different back in Causeway Bay (think French crepes and galette), visit Fleur de Sel (www.facebook.com/fleurdeselhk/) on the second floor of the repainted but otherwise wonderfully decrepit Po Foo Bldg, 1 Foo Ming Street. This is the very heart of old Hong Kong. A fabulous small balcony offers open views onto the teeming street below, best enjoyed as the lights come on at dusk. Pick the romantic corner balcony bar stools for two. The place is run by young French chef Jo and his Cantonese wife Pamela. Interestingly, in 2016 this duo joined and worked with the former team, Hongkong-born Vanessa and her French husband, before taking over the operation a few years ago. Sit on the balcony, savouring raclette cheese galette or a rich dessert, and you will immediately appreciate why this city is such an intriguing blend of east and west.

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