The Definitive Dai Pai Dong

The dai pai dong is the one icon of Hong Kong that we all took for granted. The city was full of these unique outdoor restaurants 25 years ago, but is now fast losing them. As of today, only 28 licensed dai pai dongs remain. But while the golden era for these outdoor eateries may be long gone, the remaining vendors continue to be devoted to their humble restaurants, determined to preserve this unique side of Hong Kong’s dining scene. That is why we decided to devote this issue of HK Magazine to dai pai dongs, to thank them for their years of serving us awesome food at dirt-cheap prices. We embark on an eating tour around some of the city’s best dai pai dongs and provide you with a comprehensive guide. In celebration of outdoor dining, we also look into the alternative to street-side dai pai dongs, and finally, we ask why alfresco dining is, for some reason, hated in certain neighborhoods. Tuck in.

Sing Heung Yuen

This perpetually-packed dai pai dong received its first government license in 1957 and was originally located on Elgin Street before moving to its current Mei Lun Street spot 30 years ago. “I started helping out at Sing Heung Yuen 33 years ago,” says Irene, who inherited the dai pai dong from her mother. “I’ve watched this whole neighborhood change—the shops, the people—but our dai pai dong has remained the same.” And it’s this nostalgic charm that has kept Sing Heung Yuen so popular. “We get a lot of young, hip customers nowadays who want to experience that part of local culture they see fast fading,” says Irene, as she swings back and forth between the kitchen and the dai pai dong front to chat with some of her regulars.

By 5:30pm, when Sing Heung Yuen is just closing for business, a steady stream of customers still drop in, requesting Irene make them just one more hot milk tea or one more crispy sweet bun for takeaway. “Traditional dai pai dongs used to be taken for granted,” she says as she finally manages to close for the day. “But now I can see that Hong Kong people are finally beginning to treasure the last remaining few.”
Must-try dishes: tomato broth noodles with beef, toast with condensed milk.
Corner of Gough and Mei Lun Streets, Central, 2544-8368.

Shui Kee

Located in a small, sloped alley just off Graham Street Market, this tiny street-side stall has been serving its signature cow offal noodles to the neighborhood clientele for over 50 years. The stall is now managed by Lam, who took over the business from his father and grandfather. And just like the generations before him, Lam prides himself on Shui Kee’s dedication to its food, including everything from a bowl of $16 noodles to the dai pai dong’s vinegar daikon and chili sauce, which he makes himself.

Shui Kee offers the whole set of cow offal, including more obscure parts such as “sha gua” (cow’s fourth stomach)—a fairly uncommon cut of offal which Lam usually reserves for his regulars since there are only two small pieces to every cow. “Cow offal takes a lot of time and care to clean. These days, who wants to spend that kind of effort?” says Lam as he shows us a basket of snowy white tripe he hand-cleaned himself that morning. And unlike most other street stalls and cha chaan tengs that often use already-cooked and refrozen meats and offal to save time and money, Shui Kee insists on serving only fresh ingredients to its customers. This unchanging commitment to quality, despite being just a small alley-side stall, is the main reason Shui Kee has remained popular since Lam’s grandfather’s time.
Must-try dishes: beef offal noodles, deep-fried wontons, deep-fried eel skin.
2 Gutzlaff St., Central, 2541-9769.

So Kee

One of the few remaining old-school outdoor street stalls on Sham Shui Po’s once dai-pai-dong-laden Yiu Tung Street, So Kee is an easy neighborhood favorite with its dirt-cheap but satisfying food, all day opening hours and warm, friendly staff. Having been in the same spot for 30 years, So Kee has a steady base of loyal regulars. Owner Ms. Chan gestures at a young couple sitting at the back table, “they come by every week for my husband’s signature fluffy pork chops.” She then goes on about a customer she’s known for over 20 years, “His family used to bring him here all the time when he was just a little school kid,” adding that, although he’s grown up, become a successful businessman and moved away from the neighborhood, “he still makes a special drive down here every now and then to visit us.”