Causeway Bay, located in the northern part of Hong Kong Island, is one of the city’s most bustling neighbourhoods, with a reputation as both a shopper’s and diner’s paradise.
After a few hours spent pounding the pavement and negotiating the crowds of Causeway Bay, a café pit stop is often much needed to rest your weary bones and take stock – along with a jolt of java and bite to eat at the ready. Check out Foodie’s guide to our favourite cafés in Causeway Bay, from invigorating to more peaceful.
The best cafés in Causeway Bay
1. Artista Perfetto
Artista Perfetto has been thriving in Causeway Bay since its debut in 2018, but it was actually founded in Taipei way back in 2012. This cosy corner café is definitely on the petite side, but its top-notch baristas and warm ambience make it stand out from the pack. The menu here is simple, straightforward, and priced reasonably, from the black coffee (HKD35) to the matcha latte (HKD45). The latte art here is pretty incredible too.
Artista Perfetto, Shop 2, G/F, 3A Sharp Street West, Causeway Bay
2. Happy Kitchen Cafe & Bar
Launched by German Pool, Happy Kitchen is housed within the home appliance brand’s flagship location in Causeway Bay. Decked out with wooden tables and plenty of greenery, the café offers a welcome escape from the hullabaloo just outside its doors. The Asian-inspired food menu is surprisingly noteworthy, especially the lunch sets of Hainanese chicken rice (HKD88), unagi don (HKD118), and Korean beef rice (HKD138), which comes with a mini grill. If you register to become a member (it’s free and easy), you’ll get substantial discounts on the lunch sets and à-la-carte menu in return.
Happy Kitchen Cafe & Bar, Shop G, 1/F, Fashion Walk, 9 Kingston Street, Causeway Bay, 6333 3501, book here
3. Layback Cafe & Bar
Layback’s stylish decor, with shelves displaying quirky vinyl covers a major design feature, is mirrored in the café’s Instagrammable drinks and dishes. Dishes crafted with crabmeat are the go-tos here, the “crabonara” (HKD158), mentaiko soft-shell crab linguine (HKD158), and soft-shell crab avocado burger (HKD148) in particular. To drink, the sea salt caramel cheese latte (HKD58/HKD62) is recommended, whilst for dessert, it’s all about the pistachio Basque cheesecake (HKD78), ticking off two trends in one go.
Layback Cafe & Bar, Shop 1702–03, 17/F, Bartlock Centre, 3 Yiu Wa Street, Causeway Bay, WhatsApp 9275 8618, book here
4. The Alchemist Cafe
In addition to its Causeway Bay outpost, The Alchemist Cafe has achieved great success across Hong Kong, boasting a total of 12 locations across the city. The chain’s design is clean and comfy and the food and drinks consistent in quality and priced affordably. Come with a date or pal and order the You & Me set (HKD428 for 2), which comes with a snack, pasta dish, main course, two drinks, and dessert. If you’re dining solo, you won’t feel left out as the café also offers an Alone but not Lonely set (HKD58) that’s extremely good value.
The Alchemist Cafe, Shop 17, G/F, Fashion Walk, 11–19 Great George Street, Causeway Bay, 2950 9535
5. 18 Grams
The Causeway Bay branch of premium coffee roastery 18 Grams is the brand’s original, with each coffee bean utilised here ground to order. Its Cannon Street café is tiny, so we recommend going when it opens at 8AM to find a seat in which to savour the immaculate double espresso (HKD38) alongside a darn good bagel sandwich. Shout-out to 18 Grams for giving out free upgrades for plant-based milk alternatives.
18 Grams, Shop C, G/F, Hoi To Court, 15 Cannon Street, Causeway Bay, 9454 0353
18 Grams, city’super, B1/F, Times Square, 1 Matheson Street, Causeway Bay, 5641 8398
6. La Viña
La Viña is most well known for its exquisite selection of Basque cheesecake flavours, but this cheesecake specialist also has a very pleasant café in Causeway Bay that’s a favourite for its spacious, relaxed atmosphere. Though it would be a crime to dine at La Viña and not order the signature original Basque cheesecake (HKD82), we think the bakery’s millefeuille sandwiches deserve a look-in too. On the sweet side, we adore the strawberry with custard cream (HKD106), whilst the avocado, chicken, cheese (HKD118) is a great savoury contender.
La Viña, Shop G09, G/F, World Trade Centre, 280 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, WhatsApp 9661 5106
7. RUSSELL
Located within spitting distance of Times Square, Causeway Bay café stalwart Cafe Corridor – in business since 2001 – was thankfully given a new lease of life when it was rebranded as RUSSELL in 2023. You’ll have to negotiate a narrow corridor to get to this café gem that is charming in its own chaotic way. The outdoor seating area is our preferred space in which to enjoy RUSSELL’s classic flat white (HKD42) or more off-piste tiramisu latte (HKD63). In terms of food, the all-day breakfast toast (HKD128) is a solid choice.
RUSSELL, G/F, 26A Russell Street, Causeway Bay, 2892 2927
8. Mercury Recalls by Lost Stars
Mercury Recalls is an offshoot of live music bar and restaurant Lost Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui, continuing the hip vinyl-inspired theme at this Causeway Bay café and bar extension. This chilled spot offers a superb range of daytime drinks, from mocktails, to Mindful Sparks sparkling tea, to fresh juice blends. The weekday and weekend lunch and brunch set (from HKD88) is the way to go on the food front, inclusive of a green salad or soup of the day and drink. The smoked salmon egg Benedict and deep-fried pork tenderloin burger are two of the most popular main course choices.
Mercury Recalls by Lost Stars, Shop A & C, G/F, Fairview Mansion, 51 Paterson Street, Causeway Bay, 2416 7503, WhatsApp 6592 1383, book here
9. CACAOLAB
Local bean-to-bar chocolatier CACAOLAB has a flagship café location in Causeway Bay designed with chocoholics in mind. Interesting cacao-infused drinks on the menu include the hot or iced cacao (HKD48/HKD58), iced cacao juice (HKD58), and hot or iced cacao tea (HKD28/HKD32). The dark chocolate millefeuille egg tart (HKD10) and cacao croissant (HKD20) are the greatest hits here when it comes to the sweets. A bonus to the chocolate-laden treats up for grabs is the in-store museum space, an immersive experience exploring how chocolate is made.
