22 of the best new restaurants to try in Hong Kong this March, for sushi, chicken and waffles, fancy ramen and Filipino food
- With masks scrapped, Hong Kong feels open. So are many new restaurants, from Japanese wagyu specialists to sushi spots, to a diner serving chicken and waffles
- A Chinese restaurant good for large gatherings, a Swedish coffee shop and a new entrant to the burgeoning Filipino food scene are among the additions for diners
With the requirement to wear masks in most places around Hong Kong scrapped, it feels like, after three years of pandemic restrictions, the city is finally open. And so are many new food spots in town, from Japanese omakase restaurants and izakayas, to Italian and even large-scale Cantonese venues for big gatherings.
Modern Filipino cuisine is beginning to trend in Hong Kong, and there’s also a new addition to the Pinoy scene in Central.
Read on to see the other new openings that may tantalise your taste buds this month.
Sir Berwick
A fun restaurant specialising in American diner-style food like chicken and egg waffles, mac and cheese, fried hot chicken burgers and milkshakes has opened in Sai Ying Pun. It is a self-proclaimed “comfort food club”, and it is recommended for customers to arrive hungry; the portions are hearty and the fare is decadent.
Shop E, G/F, Lai On Building, 15-19 Lai On Lane, 2 Water Street, Sai Ying Pun
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Fikafabriken
Fika is the Swedish concept of taking time out for oneself every day, and this place helps customers do just that.
The owner spent some time in Sweden, and the cafe offers pastries and coffee to help city dwellers to take a break.
Shop 6, G/F, Island Crest, 8 First Street, Sai Ying Pun
Enishi
Central’s newest teppanyaki restaurant has only 23 seats, which makes for an intimate setting.
Diners can choose the 11-course teppanyaki tasting menu or order à la carte.
The three chefs behind Enishi, Shun Sato, Toru Takano and Ami Hamasaki, take the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi – embracing the beauty of imperfection – and apply it to their cuisine with dishes like shirako (cod milt) dumplings or pot rice based on a recipe by Toru Tanako’s mother.
49 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan
Woodlands
Well-known Tsim Sha Tsui Indian vegetarian restaurant Woodlands has opened a new branch across the harbour in Wan Chai.
1/F, Dannies House, 20 Luard Road, Wan Chai
Rú
Rú, the new Chinese restaurant at the Nina Hotel Tsuen Wan West, occupies 11,000 square feet (1,000 square metres).
The menu is split into 11 categories with a total of 90 dishes. There’s a focus on sustainable seafood, as well as meaty items like braised chicken wing stuffed with bird’s nest and truffle honey, and barbecued pork with honey.
An upcoming extension will include an 800-bottle wine room, a dining hall annex, and five private dining rooms able to seat a total of 226 people.
7/F, Nina Hotel Tsuen Wan West, 8 Yeung Uk Road, Tsuen Wan
The Jade
The Regala Skycity Hotel recently opened at Hong Kong International Airport, and The Jade is its Chinese restaurant.
Diners can enjoy contemporary twists on classic dishes like sweet and sour pork, crispy eel and more.
12/F, Regala Skycity Hotel, 8 Airport Expo Boulevard, Chek Lap Kok
Man Mano
Man Mano Italian restaurant is a recent addition at Citygate Outlets shopping centre in Tung Chung, on Lantau Island. It is a family-style restaurant that serves innovative and traditional Italian cuisine, with a focus on house-made artisanal pasta.
The menu offers dishes for sharing as well as a wide selection of pastas. For dessert, customers can enjoy cannoncini, cannoli and more.
Unit 418, 4/F, Citygate Outlets, 20 Tat Tung Road, Tung Chung
Voynich
Tsim Sha Tsui’s Harbour City mall has a new addition in the shape of stylish Cantonese restaurant Voynich.
Shop 401, 4/F, Ocean Centre, Harbour City, 3-27 Canton Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui
Pizzeria at Cotton Tree Terrace
The lush surroundings at The Murray in Central sound like an ideal place to relax and eat pizza in, and so Cotton Tree Terrace is a welcome addition to the hotel. The pizzeria offers Neapolitan-style pizzas, pasta dishes and mains like grilled chicken and rib-eye steak.
Garden/F, The Murray, 22 Cotton Tree Drive, Central
Barkada
Diners can dig into dishes such as adobo popcorn chicken and brown butter pancit canton, and wash them down with cocktails by award-winning bartender Gagan Gurung.
UG/F, Foco, 48 Cochrane Street, Central
Yakiniku Ishidaya
Yakiniku lshidaya, an import from Japan that specialises in Kobe beef, has opened its second Hong Kong branch in Causeway Bay’s World Trade Centre.
The restaurant’s interior design incorporates Japanese elements, with materials such as wood and rattan used to create a warm atmosphere.
Shop 1001, 10/F, World Trade Centre, 280 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay
Smokehouse Bar & Grill
Smokehouse Bar & Grill combines the smoky flavours and meaty goodness of American barbecue with fresh seafood and salads.
The restaurant is in Mong Kok’s Langham Place, and its kitchen’s centrepiece is the Bastra wood smoker.
Diners can try a Smokehouse platter, which includes a variety of meats and house sauces.
Another must-try is the beef brisket, marinated with paprika and coriander and smoked with beechwood for up to 30 hours.
Shop 05, Level 13, Langham Place, 8 Argyle Street, Mong Kok
Hoho Cafe
For those who want the fun of eating in the great outdoors without having to venture into the wild, camping-themed Hoho Cafe, in Tsim Sha Tsui, offers a unique experience.
Sit on artificial grass while enjoying a fairy-light-lit dinner of hearty fare such as rib-eye steaks and all-day breakfasts.
LG/F, Austin Tower Phase 2, 152 Austin Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Sushi Taka
Diners can enjoy reasonably priced omakase starting at HK$398, as well as quick and easy donburi, or rice bowls, that are perfect for a lunchtime snack.
Shop 255-266, 2/F, Cityplaza, 18 Taikoo Shing Road, Tai Koo
Sushi Ishi
This restaurant on Prat Avenue, in Tsim Sha Tsui, is fast becoming a cult favourite among omakase lovers.
The menu includes fresh seasonal produce, as well as little surprises such as Japanese snow crab siu mai, or steamed dumplings.
The sushi is fresh and seasonal, and is some of the best the markets of Japan has to offer.
Shop E&F1, G/F, Rose Mansion, 1 Prat Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui
La Brasserie
Below The Whale Club in Central is newly opened La Brasserie, which serves traditional French bistro fare.
Diners can enjoy signature dishes including house-smoked salmon, bouillabaisse and steak frites. Starting at HK$318, lunch is reasonably priced for the area.
Shop D-E, G/F, Lyndhurst Building, 23-29 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central
Vivere
Don’t let the menu fool you at Vivere. While everyone likes a solid Italian restaurant that serves dishes like scallop and tiger prawn risotto, and roasted lamb rack and strozzapreti, it is the commitment the restaurant has to the art of drag that makes it different.
11/F, Sugar+, 31 Sugar Street, Causeway Bay
Call Me Al
The neighbourhood gastrobar serves up comfort food and delicately balanced cocktails such as Five Trumpets – a mixture of vodka, cognac peach iced tea, passion fruit, cardamom bitters and vanilla – and much more.
123 Queens Rd West, Sheung Wan
Gogyo
Gogyo is back! After closing its doors at IFC Mall in 2019, one of the city’s first fancy ramen spots has reopened in Alexandra House, in Central. Expect signature ramen inspired by the five elements, a solid selection of beers, and highballs to accompany karaage fried chicken.
Shop B2, B/F, Landmark Alexandra, 16-20 Chater Road, Central
An Nam
One of the most authentic Vietnamese restaurants in Hong Kong has recently relocated from one part of the Lee Gardens mall in Causeway Bay to another. Now in Lee Gardens Two, the restaurant is a lot easier to access than before, when customers had to climb a winding staircase. Slurp up some pho, or dig into spring rolls dipped in An Nam’s addictive dipping sauce.
3/F, Lee Garden Two, 28 Yun Ping Road, Causeway Bay
Gonpachi
The original Gonpachi in Tokyo is also known as the Kill Bill restaurant, as its interior served as inspiration for the House of Blue Leaves in the movie of that name.
The Hong Kong outpost has opened a branch at the One Peking Road complex in Tsim Sha Tsui.
With panoramic vistas of Victoria Harbour, the atmospheric restaurant has retained its signature temple eaves and lantern decor.
Guests can indulge in modern izakaya fare with skewers, sushi and cocktails to wash it all down. There is also an omakase menu for diners to indulge in, too.
28/F, 1 Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Ask for Alonzo
Ask for Alonzo has opened its fifth branch on the corner of the new 8 Star Street development in Wan Chai. The neighbourhood restaurant has exclusive menu items available such as squid ink linguine, prawn and asparagus risotto and sea bream fillet.
The happy hour is one of the best around, with Italian cocktails, beers and house wines starting at HK$48.
Shop B, G/F, 8 Star Street, Wan Chai
