Hong Kong Spanish restaurant FoFo by el Willy to close after 11 years, hit by coronavirus and protest double whammy

‘Tapas and sangria with friends, it’s all about the atmosphere,’ says chef Alex Fargas of closing Spanish restaurant Fofo by el Willy as Covid-19 curbs bite

Fargas plans a farewell menu of favourite dishes, and to focus his efforts on his and his partners’ casual restaurant La Paloma in Sai Ying Pun

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After 11 years, fine-dining Spanish restaurant FoFo by el Willy (shown here with Halloween decorations) closes on January 30. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Published: 6:45pm, 6 Jan 2021Updated: 6:45pm, 6 Jan 2021

Unlike others returning to work in the new year, chef Alex Fargas is winding down – by closing fine-dining Spanish restaurant FoFo by el Willy. The restaurant, in Central on Hong Kong Island, will serve diners for last time on January 30.

“It’s time for a change. It’s the right time to do it,” says Fargas of the closure, announced in a Facebook post on January 5.

The lease for FoFo, the co-owner and executive chef explains, is up in two months’ time and Fargas and his partners – among them chef Willy Trullàs Moreno, who started FoFo – decided after 11 years it was time to close.

Fargas, 37, says the coronavirus pandemic has hit the restaurant hard and, with people working from home and the government’s restrictions on dining in groups and in the evening, it would be difficult to continue.

Alex Fargas wants to focus on moving forward and giving customers a good feeling about FoFo by el Willy before it closes.

Although the Spanish restaurant, which serves items like Ibérico ham croquettes, gazpacho, roast suckling pig and paellas, also offers takeaway, he says that Spanish food is not the first cuisine Hongkongers think of choosing to eat at home.