Steak, curly, natural, shoestring, waffle, crinkle, fat, thin, cheesy, Belgian, cottage, and sweet potato – Fries Fanatic has tried possibly every single type of fries found in Hong Kong.
Over eight years, the fry hobbyist has detailed the quality and standard of the city’s restaurants. For some, fries are simply an add-on side dish to mains; for him, they represent an essence of what food should be.
“[Fries are] a childhood memory for me. Every child loves to eat fries, but their parents would stop them. When I grew up, this memory called me back and I really wanted to eat fries as a comfort food!” the anonymous reviewer recounts.
“In 2016, you had many foodies in Hong Kong, but very few who focussed on only one type of food. They would go to every restaurant and taste everything. Some of my friends suggested I focus on one food: fries!”
Fries Fanatic, who preferred to stick by his salty online moniker rather than an anonymous name, scopes out fries to review on Google, OpenRice, or from friends’ recommendations.
Because of his day job, he prefers to stay incognito. Total privacy also ensures he can remain subjective with his criticism and avoid commercial sway in his opinion.
Each fries review will focus on four angles to judge the potato snack: appearance, potato quality, taste, and value-for-money. Fries Fanatic also reports on the history and story of each restaurant serving fries and the significance of the item on its menu.
Has the anonymous reviewer found the perfect fry in Hong Kong? No. “I do not want to tell people what is the best [fry] to ensure everyone won’t forget about other restaurants.”
“For me, some of my most favourite fries in Hong Kong can be found at Second Draft, Lost Stars Live House, Amphissa, Top Blade Steak Lab, and White Beard.”
With varying styles and consistencies across Hong Kong, Fries Fanatic admits it is hard to fix a direct comparison with each fry. Some are indulgent, some perfect for hangovers, some made for fine-dining, and some acting as a stand-alone food product.
Since he began in 2016, Fries Fanatic claims the standard of French fries in Hong Kong has stayed relatively the same over his reviewing tenure.
“Covid has forced many restaurants to close and the business today is tough. Hong Kong’s [fry standard] has remained okay, but I want to keep finding fries that are better.”
A bulk of his fries reviews came before the pandemic owing to his busy day-job and the testy local restaurant business. In 2025, he is assured to beef up his reviews to make Hong Kong knowledgeable on where to find very good fries.
Catch Fries Fanatic’s anonymous fry reviews on his Instagram page.
