Header photo credit: @375chicken

In light of COVID-19, we encourage diners to take precautions when going out. You can also support your favourite restaurants by getting takeaway and delivery.

375 Chicken ‘n Fries

Firm fans of both fried chicken and fries, we’re so chuffed about the opening of 375 in the 852. An import from New York City’s Lower East Side, 375 was opened in 2017 by classically trained French chef Stephane Lemagnen, who wanted to bring high-quality, feel-good fast food to the city. With all items cooked to order and made with fresh ingredients, including all-natural, hormone-free and antibiotic-free chicken, the brand uses a unique process of cooking their chicken and fries at precisely 375°F for optimal crispness without the need for preservatives. HK menu highlights include a range of fried chicken sandwiches, such as buffalo-honey, triple truffle and BBQ ranch, popcorn chicken and loaded fries. The made-from-scratch sauces – there are seven! – are a bonus. Open daily, 11am–10pm.

G/F, Man Hing Commercial Building, 79–83 Queen’s Road Central, Central, 3751 5181

Alvy’s & Friends (5 May)

K-Town pizzeria Alvy’s will be welcoming 11 Westside for a Cinco de Mayo evening fiesta on Wednesday, 5 May. Chef Samin Dewan will be serving up various Mexican specialities and a piquant michelada – a drink made with beer, lime, spices, tomato juice and chilli peppers, served in a chilled, salt-rimmed glass – along with Young Master Brewery’s Al Pastor lager.

8 Holland Street, Kennedy Town, 2312 2996, book online

Aqua Kyoto pop-up at Statement

Last year, London’s hip Spanish restaurant Aqua Nueva made quite a statement (!) at Statement, and now it’s Japanese sibling Aqua Kyoto’s turn. For a limited time, you can dig into a selection of the London eatery’s signature creative dishes, to include salmon, beetroot and sea buckthorn maki, cured red snapper with truffle, Wagyu beef gyoza and slow-cooked pork belly with eel. On weekends from 1 May, check out the Kanpai brunch, which includes yakitori, tempura and Japanese sandos, or if you head there on a weekday, the “light” brunch features a selection of favourites for less than $300 per person.

1/F, Block 1, Tai Kwun, 10 Hollywood Road, Central, 2848 3000, book online

the Arca

Yulan Group has opened a new boutique hotel in Wong Chuk Hang, dubbed the Arca. In addition to its rooftop infinity pool, one of the main draws of the hotel (also on the rooftop) is Arca Society, a laid-back East-meets-West all-day diner with a lush outdoor terrace. Its neighbour, Arca Sky, offers craft cocktails with a view.

43 Heung Yip Road, Wong Chuk Hang, 3701 6000

Artisan Brewer

Soft-opening on 3 May, this prime spot in SoHo will be a bar and restaurant called Artisan Brewer, brought to us by Artisan Butcher in Sai Ying Pun. If the butcher’s beer selection is anything to go by, we think the Hollywood Road location will have a really interesting beer selection, and they will start with a selection of IPAs from around the world. They currently have a set lunch menu, whilst their dinner and bar snacks menus start at 6pm. Beer pairing will be a focus, which we are quite excited about.

We have also heard they will be hosting a tap takeover in late June with HK Craft Beer Co., who are bringing in sour and wild beer from Italian brand Ca’ del Brado. Exciting stuff!

28 Hollywood Road, Central, 9848 2863

RELATED: Hong Kong’s latest craft beer news

BaseHall’s Cinco de Mayo fiesta

BaseHall will honour all things Mexican on Cinco de Mayo (5 May) by offering a Mexican-inspired dish at each of its vendors, from Westside Taqueria’s tacos, to Roti Tori’s pollo rostizado (Sinaloan-style roasted chicken), to MOYOSIK’s Cinco de Moyo kimchi carnitas fries. On the drinks front, Pub 1842 will be serving La Paloma Oaxaca cocktails and Al Pastor lager, while BaseHall Bar will have Mexican Libres and margaritas on the menu. This is all to the tune of Mexican folk music by Mariachi Fiesta and Latin soul courtesy of DJ Gia Fu. The dishes will be available all day on the 5th, but the real party starts at 6pm.

This is also a good spot to note that Roti Tori will bid farewell to BaseHall on 7 May.

Shop 9A–9C, LG/F, Jardine House, 1 Connaught Place, Central, 3643 0865

The Big Things Kitchen

This playful takeaway spot offers colourful bento boxes filled with “reimagined comfort foods” in five compartments – be it the Badass bento with seared, slow-cooked Australian Wagyu layered on top of sushi rice and sprinkled with salmon roe, edamame and dashi tamago, the Glamsquad bento with roasted Norwegian salmon served with gomoku rice or many more fun bento options. The Big Things Kitchen also provides delivery service in Central and Wong Chuk Hang. Open daily except Sunday, 11:30am–8pm.

Shop 7, LG/F, Jardine House, 1 Connaught Place, Central

Café Lantau’s farm-to-table pop-up + organic honesty box

At all-day-dining and buffet restaurant Café Lantau at newly opened Sheraton Hong Kong Tung Chung from 10 May–30 June, the menu will include tapas-style small plates of international dishes created from locally grown fresh produce, with weekly mealtime highlights the likes of carrot juice using carrots harvested from nearby Long Ping Farm at breakfast, local sea caviar salad at lunchtime and poached Emperor chicken with minced ginger for dinner. During lunch and dinner, the fresh noodle station will feature homemade beetroot noodles as well as a fresh-from-the-farm salad bar. At the weekend, the farmers who produce all this food will make appearances – taking “farm to table” to a whole other level.

The star of this promotion is the organic produce honesty box. Each day, a limited selection of fresh organic produce will be displayed at the eatery, and guests are invited to take away what they like after paying whatever they think it is worth. Proceeds from the honesty box will be donated to local charities Hong Kong Council of Early Childhood Education and Services and Hong Kong Organic Association.

1/F, Sheraton Hong Kong Tung Chung, 9 Yi Tung Road, Tung Chung, 2535 0021, book online

CaN LaH

We don’t have many details about CaN LaH, the new Singaporean restaurant at ifc mall, but we take it it’s inspired by the food of the land of Crazy Rich Asians, and we think the name is a hoot. We did some digging, and it turns out the chef behind the eatery, Francis Chong Wui Choong, has quite a fine pedigree – he’s the former Executive Chinese Chef at Marina Mandarin Singapore (now PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay), with a slew of culinary awards to his name. OK with you lah? Open daily, 11:30am–10:30pm.

Shop 3075, 3/F, ifc mall, 8 Finance Street, Central, 2802 9788, book online

Casa Pasta

Larger-than-life Italian chef Ermanno Lelli of private kitchen Segreto is now serving up his pasta dishes in Sheung Wan, with the grand opening of Casa Pasta set for 8 May (there’s another branch of the eatery in Bali). Chef Lelli’s home town of Torre Annunziata, near Naples, was the capital of pasta production in the 19th century, so pasta is in his bones, whether it be classic carbonara or his grandmother’s Neapolitan-style mac ‘n’ cheese. On the side, we’ll be digging into the eggplant Parmigiana and meatballs Napoletana. Open daily except Sunday, 11am–10pm.

Shop D, G/F, Po Hing Mansion, 2–8 Po Hing Fong, Sheung Wan, 6821 0095

CUT Sando Sound Bar

Katsumoto Sando Bar might have some competition on its hands with the opening of CUT, billed as a cosy sando and sound bar with a side in natural wines. It’s the brainchild of Twins Kitchen, the pair behind hotspots Common Ground and Interval. Sando options include beef brisket, tamago and bacon and mapo tofu (this one’s on the secret menu – shh!) alongside deep-fried delights such as okonomiyaki fries and headcheese fritters. Open daily, 5–10pm.

8–10 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central

DarkSide x Mr Black takeover (until 1 May)

Australian coffee liqueur brand Mr Black and local roastery Hushush Coffee Division are set to take over Rosewood’s sultry cocktail bar DarkSide from 29 April–1 May, uniting the worlds of craft coffee and cocktails. Guest mixologist Arlene Wong from Mr Black will whip up a series of cocktails and mocktails that incorporate a tailor-made coffee blend by Hushush. We’re most keen to try The Dark Side of Coffee, made with Mr Black coffee amaro, DarkSide Grande Champagne cognac and Mr Black amaro chocolate praline. Open from 5pm.

2/F, Rosewood Hong Kong, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, TST, 3891 8732, hongkong.restaurants@rosewoodhotels.com

Eat Fuh

Yes, it’s pronounced “fuh”! Pho lovers, get ready for Eat Fuh, one of Sydney’s most popular pho specialists. It’s making its mark for the first time in Hong Kong in the cool Sai Ying Pun ‘hood with its Vietnamese beef noodle soup made with beef-bone broth and oven-roasted spices. There are also chicken and vegetarian pho options here alongside Vietnamese bites the likes of lemongrass grilled chicken and deep-fried prawn cakes. Fuh-nomenal! Open daily, 11am–9pm.

345A Queen’s Road West, Sai Ying Pun, eatfuh.hk@gmail.com

GRAIN

Local craft brewery Gweilo has taken over the former Little Creatures space in Kennedy Town as a R&D “brewlab” called GRAIN. They’ve partnered with Woolly Pig HK for the restaurant, and guests at GRAIN can expect comforting flavours from a menu of delectable dishes driven by seasonal ingredients, many of which are used in the brewing process (we love the sound of the GFC – Gweilo IPA and buttermilk-marinated fried chicken thigh with spicy mayo). Roman-style pinsa pizza is another speciality. GRAIN also features a workshop and beer-tasting space that caters to up to 20 guests and a series of tap-served cocktails made with Gweilo gin. Open daily from 12pm, with brunch and a cracking-sounding Sunday roast menu served from 10am at the weekend.

3–5 New Praya, Kennedy Town, 3500 5870, book online

House of KI NO BI pop-up at Sake Central

Kyoto craft gin distillery KI NO BI will make an appearance at Sake Central from 7–31 May during dinner service (daily, 6–10pm). At this pop-up, you’ll be able to try an eight-course gin-pairing menu (from $1,188/person) by acclaimed Japanese chef Shun Sato of CENSU, his own restaurant, which is set to open here next month (Chef Sato was formerly at Fukuro). KI NO BI masterclasses ($288/person), led by d Ayako Miyake, the first runner-up of the Japan Kanto female bartenders competition, will also be offered on weekend afternoons in May from the 15th, with gin tastings included – click here for more info and to book.

Shop S109–S113, Block A, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central, 2656 6552, book online

House of Orient

It looks like we have another top choice for dim sum in Central with the opening of elegant, colonial-style House of Orient in Entertainment Building, where premium Chinese tea joins East-meets-West dim sum handcrafted by veteran chef Wong Chi-sang, who boasts more than 40 years of experience at some of the best Chinese restaurants in town, Michelin-starred Fook Lam Moon for one. We can’t wait to try the afternoon tea service, which includes nine sweet and savoury dim sum bites paired with charming mini versions of the restaurant’s porcelain tea sets. House of Orient’s dim sum teahouse is first to launch, with the full restaurant up and running in June. Open daily, 11am–8pm.

2/F, Entertainment Building, 30 Queen’s Road Central, Central, 2123 9263

Il Bel Paese (TST East)

Celebrating its amazing 20th anniversary this year, Italian deli chain Il Bel Paese has opened its first – and biggest yet – branch in Kowloon, offering premium products imported weekly from throughout Italy. The deli’s highlights include pastas, oils, vinegars, wines, fruit and veg, cold cuts and cheeses, many of which aren’t available elsewhere in the 852. Takeaway items of Il Bel Paese’s signature restaurant dishes can also be purchased here. Open daily, 9am–9pm.

Shop 47–51, G/F, Wing On Plaza, 62 Mody Road, TST East, 2997 3003

La Rotisserie (Central)

The fifth outlet around town for La Rotisserie – the masters of French-style rotisserie chicken – has hit SoHo, this time with 15 bistro seats and outdoor seating to its name. Exclusively at the SoHo shop, diners can dig into this gorgeous roast duck breast too. For the first week of opening (until 2 May), you can get 20% off classic menu items including the OG classic chicken set. Open daily, 11:30am–9:30pm.

4 Staunton Street, SoHo, Central, 5628
4370

Matchali (K11 MUSEA)

Home-grown matcha brand Matchali has crossed the harbour for the first time to open this lovely branch at K11 MUSEA. The menu of matcha drinks has been expanded here, offering K11 exclusives including iced red bean matcha latte (pictured above) and matcha colada, where the pina colada’s tropical coconut and pineapple flavours are matched with the intensity of a matcha shot. You can also try the new Ice Age! vegan ice-cream flavour matcha cookies ‘n’ cream here, produced in collaboration with Cookie DPT. Open weekdays, 12–9pm, and weekends, 11am–8pm.

Shop LA 106, 1/F, K11 MUSEA, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, TST, 9880 7873

MIÁN

Housed in a specially commissioned two-storey pavillion next to The Murray hotel’s entrance, MIÁN is a refined Chinese restaurant showcasing the eight great regional cuisines of China (we’ve heard it through the grapevine that the Sichuan specialities are particular knockouts). Open daily, 12–10pm (from 11am at the weekend).

UG/F, The Pavilion, The Murray, Hong Kong, 22 Cotton Tree Drive, Central, 3563 6405, book online

Moon Lok Chiu Chow (Mira Place)

Joining its siblings at Citygate and Xiqu Centre, Buick Management’s 60-year heritage as a pioneer of Chiu Chow cuisine comes to the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui. Moon Lok Chiu Chow is a contemporary 6,000-square-foot eatery offering authentic Chiu Chow cuisine. To celebrate the opening, three new eight-course set menus for lunch and dinner are available from 1 May until 30 June, featuring classic Chiu Chow dishes such as double-boiled bird’s nest in papaya and deep-fried pigeon (see above). Open daily, 11am–10pm (from 10am on weekends and public holidays).

Shop 405, 4/F, FoodLoft, Mira Place One, 132 Nathan Road, TST, 2157 9949

Pici (Kennedy Town)

Pici’s handmade pasta empire has now expanded westward, with Kennedy Town its sixth location to date. The tagliolini with truffle and lasagne are always firm faves for us, along with the homemade meatballs and heavenly tiramisu. In a nod to its location by the sea, the K-Town branch serves up a few exclusive dishes including ravioli codfish and tagliatelle with black mussels. Open for dinner from 6pm on 14 May, with full lunch service launched from 11:30am on the 18th.

55 Cadogan Street, Kennedy Town, 2699 1033 (no bookings)

Roji

If its location is anything to go by – in the hidden alleyway where Brickhouse once stood – modern izakaya Roji is destined to be a hit. Roji has a traditional Japanese focus (notably, almost all the ingredients are sourced from Japan aside from a handful of veggies that are locally grown in New Territories) in both the food and cocktails. The main dining room consists of small tables, a long countertop for larger parties, a bar and semi-outdoor benches that are inspired by Japan’s street-side dining culture. The buzz is here with this one! Open daily except Sunday from 5pm for drinks (dinner service starts at 6pm).

20A D’Aguilar Street, LKF, Central, 6335 9294 (no bookings)

SAKImoto Bakery pop-up (OP Mall)

We are huge fans of this Osaka import’s shokupan, or milk bread, and collection of gorgeous “jewel jams”, with the bakery debuting in Hong Kong at Harbour City last December. Now, SAKImoto Bakery has launched a limited-time pop-up at OP Mall in Tsuen Wan, on until 31 May – get there fast, Tsuen Wan folk. Open daily, 11:30am–8pm.

Shop A1, G/F, OP Mall, 100 Tai Ho Road, Tsuen Wan

Seoul Recipe

Launched in 2017 by Korean native Jennifer Kim to provide an authentic and affordable Korean food experience, either via online home delivery or takeaway at various supermarkets around town (Great Food Hall, Food le Parc Cheung Kong Centre and Westlands Centre and Taste Festival Walk), Seoul Recipe now has a brick-and-mortar location in SoHo. Signatures include their kimchi, marinated galbi, fried chicken and gimbap, as well as lunch boxes and party set offerings. If you prefer to be pampered at home, Seoul Recipe offers multi-course tasting menus prepared by private chef. Open daily, 11am–10pm.

LG/F, 7 Staunton Street, SoHo, Central, 9383 6989

Studio City by Cali–Mex

Studio City is an elevated sibling to taco chain Cali-Mex. Retaining a distinctly laid-back Cali vibe (with a pet-friendly al-fresco dining area), Studio City presents a high-end selection of Mexican grilled dishes and street food, plus a full-on tequila (George Clooney’s Casamigos is the house pour) and mezcal cocktail bar. The street tacos look delectable, from the cochinita pibil (marinated pulled pork shoulder, pickled onion, habanero chilli, cotija cheese) to the nopales, or grilled cactus. This is where to head if you want your guacamole made tableside with some queso fundido on the side. Open daily, 10am–11pm.

Shop C, G/F, Food Street, 50–56 Paterson Street, Fashion Walk, Causeway Bay, 2889 1689

Sunday’s Sessions at Posto Pubblico (2 May)

Yardbird and RŌNIN’s online convenience store, Sunday’s Grocery, is hosting its latest Sunday’s Sessions at Posto Pubblico on 2 May (2 seatings: 2pm and 4:30pm). Each ticket ($480/person) entitles the guest to an Italian-Japanese set menu (yuba pizza, fried mozzarella balls with tomato tonkatsu, ume shiso sausage) by Chef Matt Abergel and the Posto team, free-flow Sunday’s and Fernet Hunter cocktails, Brooklyn Lager and Proscecco, plus tunes by DJ John L.

28 Elgin Street, SoHo, Central, buy tickets online

Sushiro (Sheung Wan)

Woohoo! Japan’s beloved kaiten (read: conveyor belt) sushi chain Sushiro has made its first appearance on Hong Kong Island (there are nine other branches in Kowloon and New Territories that are wildly popular). Well known for its good-quality sushi at affordable prices (and never-ending queues outside its shops), Sushiro is a very welcome addition to the thriving Sheung Wan food scene. Open daily, 10:30am–10:30pm.

Shop 201, 2/F, Infinitus Plaza, 199 Des Voeux Road Central, Sheung Wan, 2621 3908 (no bookings)

Sushi Yonjugo

With just nine counter seats, contemporary omakase restaurant Sushi Yonjugo presents fine Edomae-style sushi to discerning diners. We’re told the ingredients are delivered daily (within 12 hours) from hand-picked fish markets all over Japan (Kagoshima, Kyushu, Tokyo, Hokkaido and Okinawa), with Chef Milton Lau – an apprentice to one of HK’s most renowned sushi chefs, Kenjo Shunji – whipping up sushi masterpieces before guests’ eyes. In addition to a carefully curated list of sake to complement the seasonal menus, “VVIPs” stand the chance to be allotted a personalised jar of umeshu from Sushi Yonjugo’s umeshu library. Open daily except Sunday for lunch and dinner.

35 Staunton Street, SoHo, Central, 3689 1045, book online (reservations open on the 1st of the month for each month)

Tong Chong Street Market’s Street Food Carnival

Street food is the bi-monthly theme at Tong Chong Street Market this May and June. Open on weekdays (except public holidays) from 8am–3pm, for the next two months we can sample global street-food flavours like Isaan Thai bites from Chachawan, Fish & Chick’s classic British beer-battered fish and chips and coffee courtesy of Blue Bottle.

One Taikoo Place, 979 King’s Road, Quarry Bay

The Veggie Club

The new plant-based delivery-only arm of burger specialist The Butchers Club, The Veggie Club serves up a nicely curated collections of meat-free burgers and sides. The burgers are all made with Impossible patties – like the Mad Max, which is topped off with beetroot, egg, onion, lettuce and Green Goddess sauce.

Order online

Whey

We were saddened when Chef Barry Quek’s chic bistro Beet shut shop last year, but the good news now is that the chef is back, this time returning to his Singaporean roots, with the opening of Whey this month in partnership with ZS Hospitality Group. Chef Quek’s refined menu is built on the bones of fresh local seafood, meat and veg, with local, seasonal fruits used in the eatery’s cocktails designed by Raphael Holzer, co-founder of Fernet Hunter. Southeast Asian flavours are elevated in dishes such as Whey’s bread and butter, showcasing brioche made with buah keluak, a native SE Asian nut, and sourdough made with locally grown leaven, seared scallop with jackfruit emulsion and homemade prawn floss and an innovative riff on laksa using rice instead of noodles, featuring fresh flower crab and konjac coated with curry laksa sauce (Whey’s flower crab konjac rice is pictured above).

UG/F, The Wellington, 198 Wellington Street, Central, 2693 3198, info@whey.hk (bookings open on 14 May for seatings from the 25th)

WING

Michelin-starred chef Vicky Cheng of VEA has soft-opened fine-dining Chinese restaurant WING in the same building (also where Whey is located – see above). It’s named after the chef’s Chinese name, representing his mother’s high hopes for him. Uniquely for a Chinese eatery, WING presents seasonal tasting menus, featuring the chef’s creative interpretations of Chinese classics using local, indigenous ingredients and – possibly for the first time in a Chinese kitchen – in-house dry-aged poultry the likes of pigeon, poussin and quail. Open daily except Sunday, 6–10pm.

29/F, The Wellington, 198 Wellington Street, Central, 2711 0063, book online (reservations from June onwards open 28 days prior to the booking date)

Yardbird’s 10th anniversary pop-up at The Pontiac (15 May)

Has it really been 10 years since Yardbird clucked its way into the 852? To celebrate this achievement, the team will be popping up at The Pontiac (coincidentally, also celebrating their recent win at Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2021) on Saturday, 15 May from 6–10pm. The Pontiac team have curated some special cocktails along with a gnarly metal playlist. Yardbird will also be debuting their 10th-anniverary band-style T-shirt by streetwear brand The Hundreds here, commemorating all the locales around the world where they’ve popped up over the past decade.

13 Old Bailey, Street, SoHo, Central, 2521 3855

RELATED: New Restaurants & Pop-Ups: April 2021

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