Popular Hong Kong Island gastropub Second Draft to close in the face of a rent rise
- The gastropub operated by Hong Kong craft brewery Young Master Ales, with quirky Chinese dishes created by chef May Chow, will shut in February
- A hit with drinkers and diners since it opened in 2016, Second Draft will be hard to replicate, brewery owner says, and calls its closure ‘unfortunate and sad’
Second Draft, the neighbourhood gastropub in Tai Hang on Hong Kong Island that served locally brewed beers from Young Master Ales paired with quirky modern Chinese dishes created by chef May Chow, will close in February after receiving a rent increase.
Young Master Ales and Second Draft owner Rohit Dugar says the news is “unfortunate and sad”.
“We knew about it about a month ago,” he explains. “A few months ago, the landlord, Little Tai Hang, gave us a renewal offer with the rent much higher and we gave a counter offer, and then there was silence.”
He believes the landlord has plans for another tenant in the space.
“It was surprising they didn’t give us a chance. We have another place, The Ale Project in Mong Kok, and when the lease was up we managed to find a space two doors down, but this is more challenging,” Dugar says.