Exploring Hong Kong’s lanes: North Point’s Kam Ping Street is a hidden food gem
In the first of a series exploring some of the city’s off-the-radar lanes and alleys, we wander down one of North Point’s backstreets to find an array of dining options – from authentic Malaysian to Japanese
Take a detour off Hong Kong’s main streets – many left bland and homogenised by retail chains selling the same old food and fashion – and you’ll discover some exciting surprises. Finding these hidden gems is not always easy for time-poor Hongkongers, so we are doing the leg work for you.
In the first of a series exploring off-the-radar lanes and alleys, we headed to Kam Ping Street in North Point on the eastern side of Hong Kong Island (on the MTR’s Island Line between Quarry Bay and Fortress Hill). During the day this wide lane, on a slope near a row of car-repair shops and open only to pedestrians, is subdued.
It’s a little hard to find (the easiest way to get there is to take exit B1 from North Point MTR station, turn left and walk up Shu Kuk Street – you can see the lane at the end of the street on the right).
Hong Kong’s tiny understairs shops: the Elgin Street tailor who treasures his craft and a sense of community
Some might say not much happens in this part of Hong Kong Island, but it was a very different story in the 1950s, when the district was a magnet for migrants from China, who triggered a population boom. In fact, so many people were living in North Point that by the end of 1960, the area was listed as the most densely populated place on earth by the Guinness World Records.
Today it’s bustling with shops, schools and restaurants and a mix of housing estates and luxury developments (New World’s new luxury development, Fleur Pavilia, is going up in North Point).