Certainly, many restaurants that closed had issues that predated Covid-19, but even with Hong Kong’s reopening, the legacy of the pandemic has remained in F&B, where staff shortages are still critical. Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, estimated last year that there was a shortfall of more than 60,000 workers in the sector.

Read the full 100 Top Tables 2024 guide here

It’s too early to gauge where we’ll be when the next instalment of 100 Top Tables drops a year from now, but from our vantage point in early 2024, the first green shoots of recovery have broken through. Big developments have opened – including at Kai Tak, where Airside has brought a raft of new dining concepts to the neighbourhood.

Most impressive, though, has been Forty-Five in Central, where Cardinal Point has proved a hit among so many Hongkongers wanting to sip their drink in front of a gorgeous view – and of course, there is Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic. The new restaurant by “the most decorated Michelin-starred female chef in the world” was an important signifier that Hong Kong is once again open for business and, moreover, remains a global player.

But it’s not just the big names who have been active. Smaller concepts have opened over the past 12 months, and this year’s edition of 100 Top Tables is decorated with many new openings that have impressed.

Chef Manav Tuli surprised many when he left Chaat, which he helped build into one of the most coveted tables in town, to open Leela, but that already looks like another winner. Another major headline grabber of the past year is Feuille. Chef David Toutain’s “nature-inspired French cuisine” has wowed customers and critics alike with its flavoursome menus that pay due respect to seasonality and sustainability without being restricted by either.

How humble Hong Kong street food found its way to fine dining

Special recognition should be given to the city’s drinks scene, for which 2023 was a banner year. For the first time, Asia’s 50 Best Bars came to Hong Kong – the cause of many hangovers and lost hours of work – and, for the first time, a bar was crowned No 1 in Asia for three years running: Hong Kong’s very own Coa.

The strength of the city’s bar industry should be a source of pride. Despite restrictions even more stringent than those placed on restaurants, the nightlife industry somehow made it through the pandemic and unleashed a raft of impressive new openings this year that point to the scene being high on creativity and confidence. In Jardine House, Artifact wowed with its stunning interiors and drinks that were almost as good, while across the harbour in Tsim Sha Tsui, the just-opened Avoca serves up a high-quality cocktail menu that intrigues with its local ingredients, and SoHo’s The Savory Project is at the vanguard of a new wave of umami-heavy drinks.

The past few years may have been a dark time for Hong Kong, but perhaps there is something to be said for creative destruction. It’s undeniable that we lost some important spaces and key players, but evidence shows that Hong Kong’s F&B sector is getting back to business as usual. Whether the past year’s developments turn out to be a fresh trend or just a one-off explosion of pent-up investment, we’ll let you know in another 12 months.