Cocktail enthusiast Jase Ho has opened Locale in Sheung Wan, serving cocktails that tell Hong Kong stories in a city-themed bar
After 15 years working in the Cantopop industry, Jase Ho was aching to continue telling stories about Hong Kong, but in a new format.
A budding cocktail-maker (and drinker), the Hong Konger carved up a new space in Sheung Wan late last year to express his love for the city, both old and new.
“I used to create music talking about life here,” Jase tells Foodie. “It was about time to find another way to tell the story of Hong Kong.” Joining fellow former group member King Wu, the pair instil stories about the city’s past, culture, and places in cocktails at their HK-themed bar.
Locale opened on Hollywood Road in December 2025 at the corner of Possession Street, a location that saw the birth of modern Hong Kong when the British took formal possession of the city in 1841. Hollywood Road itself was built in 1844, Hong Kong’s second paved street following the construction of Queen’s Road a year earlier.
Whilst located on a Hollywood Road now flush with Soho’s top cocktails bars to the east – Montana, Quinary, PENICILLIN, and The Iron Fairies, to name just a few – the road’s western Sheung Wan half predominantly plays host to wine bars and pubs.
“We searched Central for a location to open Locale, but this neighbourhood offered us more space.” Jase knew Sheung Wan would suit Locale’s presence as one of the first proper cocktail bars to open within the neighbourhood.
Through the door of Locale, sat to the left of an upscale service apartment block, the theme of the cocktail bar reveals itself in flamboyant fashion.
Constructed over two floors, patrons enter Locale’s first of four spaces within the bar themed as Hong Kong’s four distinct areas: Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, New Territories, and Lantau Island.
The entrance zeroes in on Lantau Island and nearby Cheung Chau with seafaring motifs. A central column at the entrance is adorned with red-marked lucky buns, a nod to the Cheung Chau Bun Festival, whilst red lanterns and white-and-blue striped tarpaulin hangs above the table seating at the front, inspired by the islands’ local essence.
Go up the stairs and the main room focuses on Hong Kong Island, along with touches of Kowloon and New Territories.
Dark wooden chairs with rattan inserts join tables on the black-and-white tiled flooring, emblematic of Hong Kong Island’s age-old dim sum haunts. On one side of the main bar space sits a collection of old-school Cantopop records, vintage items, and antiques purchased in Sheung Wan; the other side shows a large outline of Hong Kong Island.
At the bar, Jase and his team have outfitted the structure with the same wooden material used to create the outdoor seating and tables found across Hong Kong’s hiking trails and country parks, most notably in New Territories. The plastic shrubbery hanging from the ceiling and hiking signs bring you into the centre of the city’s green north.
Lastly, elements of a 1990s Kowloon City add to the city theme, with retro iconography in a darker corner of the bar representing the “dark side.”
“With our food menu,” small yet mighty with tom yum shake fries, faux shark fin roasted duck soup, and the signature eggplant, “we want to bring a modern Hong Kong twist with the flavours.”
For example, Locale’s spicy garlic lo ramen uses imported Japanese noodles with additions of Cantonese-style shredded fish maw, sea-salt meat, and crab stick and roe. With the chicken nuggets with Canto sauce, you can dip the deep-fried bites into fermented tofu sriracha sauce, HK-style lemon sauce, sweet-and sour-sauce, or satay sauce.
And, of course, the cocktails at Locale complete the package with Hong Kong storytelling. “I want to explore the local cultural background of districts and places and the stories behind them with our cocktails,” Jase says.
The eight signature cocktails and six mocktails each explore a facet of a Hong Kong celebrated, but possibly not explored, in drink form before.
Wong Kar-kai’s romantic film Chungking Express is explored with Expiry Mate, a yuk bing siu cocktail that is powered by masala spice. The opening scene and several parts of the film zero in on Tsim Sha Tsui’s Chungking Mansions, patronised by Indian businessman and restaurant operators.
Taking Jase’s favourite drink, the michelda, Locale injects the Mexican cocktail with familiar sour and spicy flavours, made using hot sauce and pickled apple vinegar, popular in Tsuen Wan’s mixian restaurants.
As for Halfway Through, the like-it-or-hate-it local ingredient of bitter melon finds itself in a cocktail balanced out with gin and lime shrub. “I originally thought no one would love it, but it has actually become our second-best seller!”
Barely two months old, Jase is optimistic about 2026, venturing into a bar industry he has never worked in before.
“Hong Kong now has so many [Asia and World’s] 50 Best cocktail bars in the neighbourhood,” with the trend focusing on conceptual storytelling and location-setting in destinations beyond Hong Kong.
“I really do love [serving] Hong Kong cocktails [at Locale]. I believe ‘storytelling bars’ are not rare, but there are not too many here.”
As the bar scene continually feeds us experimental, experiential, and international flavours, Jase expects his local touch at Locale to win out this year.
Visit Locale for your next night out and sip Hong Kong stories in cocktail form.
