a vegan guide to : hong kong
#1 from my new travel writing series!
Welcome to my new travel writing series; ‘a vegan guide to:’ ! Every fortnight, I’ll be bringing you an in-depth look at vegan food in different cities I’ve travelled to, and more importantly, eaten in! From useful local language, to supermarket hacks, to the cheapest hole-in-the-wall spots, you don’t have to compromise your veganism to eat authentically. I’m a multilingual, third culture (former) kid who is always on the lookout for where to eat when I travel.
veganism in hong kong
I’m starting out with my hometown, because it happens to be a food lover’s paradise. It’s well known for housing a wide variety of cuisines, thanks to its many cultural influences. I was lucky enough to grow up there, and have continued to eat my way through HK for many years. People from all walks of life call Hong Kong home, and this is reflected in its thousands of restaurants. Sure, you may be craving wonton noodle soup, but you end up eating momos; pancit; penang curry; sushi… the list goes on. Hong Kongers are food obsessed. If there’s something good, you’ll know about it, because come lunch time, there’ll be a huge line up outside the restaurant! Word of mouth goes far in this city - which seems ultra-modern at a glance - but many of its customs are rather old-world.
Unless you live here, you probably want to look for all local food, and this guide will help you do just that. There’s great vegan pizza, burgers and all that but that’s not what you’re here for!
Although Hong Kongers are generally big meat-eaters, there’s no shortage of vegan spots. This is largely due to Buddhism - around 21% of Hong Kongers identify as such. I always thought that it was impossible to be vegan in HK, but that’s not true. Once you do some digging, you’ll be surprised to find great choices. Also - a useful note - most Buddhist places are vegan, even if advertised as ‘vegetarian’, but it’s best to check. For small businesses, make sure you bring cash, as card payments are rarely available.
useful words and phrases
Cantonese is a tricky one to crack. With nine (!) tones, it can be intimidating. But often, a little goes a long way. Syntax and politeness are hardly a priority for most, especially in a restaurant setting - which makes it easier to just be blunt with the words you do know. Here are some useful words to get you started. I haven’t included the tones here, just for simplicity’s sake.
Mm goi sai - Thank you (for services)
Do ze - Thank you (if someone gives you a present)
Leung wai - (Table for) two
Ngo sick zaai - I eat vegan
Fei dung mat caan ban - Non-animal products
Mm goi - Please
Lei gou hai meh ah? - What is that?
Yao mo.. - Do you have..?
Ying man cai dan - English menu
Many people in Hong Kong speak English, but it’s always polite to give the local language a go. I know of many who have grown up in Hong Kong and never even attempted Cantonese, which baffles me.
supermarket hacks
If you are wanting to cook in one of HK’s notoriously tiny kitchens, keep it simple. Many processed foods here contain animal products, unfortunately. Your best bet is instant noodles, tofu, rice, and fresh veggies. Many supermarkets have international ranges as well, if you’re looking for home comforts - Taste, Park’n’Shop, and Wellcome are the ‘big three’. Sometimes, vegetarian meat dishes are available at the hot food counter during Buddhist holidays. I have seen them dotted throughout the year at Taste.
My personal choice for shopping is to go to a local wet market. The fruit and veggies are cheap, and there is often a homemade fresh tofu shop, where you can buy it by the kilo for a pittance. Another note about wet markets - there’s almost always a cooked food centre upstairs! This is mainly so that those buying meat and fish can take it upstairs to be cooked, but sometimes you’ll get lucky and there’ll be a buddhist restaurant there. If not, barbecue restaurants upstairs often make skewers of marinated tofu, eggplant, corn, chives and more.
7-11 - the ultimate emergency hunger stop
Not a restaurant per se - but an important pit stop. 7-11 in Hong Kong is the best, and you’ll find one on every corner. Everyone from school kids to businesspeople stops there at some point for a snack. They sell ice-cold soy milk (in winter, it’s hot), crisps, sweets and more, but my favourite part is the hot food counter. The best snack to ever exist lives there - cheong fun. These are rice noodles smothered in peanut sauce, hoisin, chilli, soy and sesame, and they’re accidentally vegan. You can also find lo mein (aka garlic noodles) and ga lei udon (curry udon), but the cheong fun is king. Most shops sell hot food from 9am onwards, so if you’re craving it for breakfast, go for your life. You can also find cheong fun at most street food vendors in Hong Kong.
luen on roast meat restaurant - peng chau
I’m starting out with this banger because its story is so Hong Kong. This restaurant, as its name suggests, used to be a roast meat restaurant. One day, according to another patron I spoke to, they decided to go vegan, but the sign and the name remained to keep costs down. Although the menu completely changed, the locals kept on coming, and the rest is history. It’s a set-menu style restaurant, where you can choose three dishes on rice, plus soup, for the low price of $44HKD. Peng Chau itself is one of my favourite places in Hong Kong, it’s a quiet village on a tiny island. It’s not touristy at all - in fact, we were probably the only gweilos to have ever stepped into the restaurant, and our ferry from there to Mui Wo was deserted on a weekend. It’s worth a day trip.
Cash only. There is no evidence of this shop on Google maps or HappyCow, and the opening hours are dicey, so best to call ahead - 29839820. General opening hours are Monday - Saturday, 12pm - 3:30pm, then 6pm to 9pm. G/F, 12 Peng Chau Wing On Street, Peng Chau.
hoi wan vegetarian - tai o
Another funny one. This restaurant isn’t vegetarian, but it offers an impressive separate vegan menu. If you happen to be in the beautiful village of Tai O, this is your only choice - but I’d go back there just for the deep fried taro rolls and the “tofu delight”! There is no English menu, so be sure to bring out your google translate. The translations just do not compute, so it’s mainly for entertainment purposes…
Cash only. Opening hours are 11:30am - 8:30pm, every day except Thursday. Address is 13B, Tai O Rd, Nam Chung Tsuen, Hong Kong. From the ferry pier, cross the bridge towards the beach and turn left.
three virtues vegetarian - north point
My favourite vegan dim sum restaurant in Hong Kong. You order off a menu where you pencil in the quantity of dim sum you want, which is customary for dim sum in Hong Kong. EVERYTHING is good here, but if you have to choose, go for fried cheong fun, siu mai, char siu bao, lo mai gai, and the deep fried radish pastry.
Cash or Octopus only. Google states opening hours are 10:30-9:30, but dim sum is served typically from 11am - 2pm. Address is 1st floor, 395 Kings Rd, North Point.
tung fong siu kee yuen - wan chai
The oldest buddhist vegan restaurant in Hong Kong, and it stuck around for a reason! It first opened in 1905, and specialises in vegan meat and take-away dim sum. If you’re having a night in, or you want some snacks for the road, then pick up something here! The curry ‘chicken’ is one of my favourites, as are the lo bak go (turnip cake) and the ham sui gok (deep fried glutinous rice dumplings). The staff are really friendly here if you try your Canto on them. They even taught me the word for a dim sum I didn’t know the name of (wu tao go aka taro cake if you’re wondering). The food is so moreish, I would eat it every day if I could. There is also a mochi shop nearby, selling fresh mango mochi - for dessert perhaps?
Cash only. Open from 9:30am-9:30pm, but most dim sum sells out by early afternoon! Address is 241 Hennessy Rd, Wan Chai, Hong Kong.
branto - tsim sha tsui
If you’re wanting a little break from Hong Kong food, this Indian Vegetarian restaurant will do the trick. I’ve been going there since I was little! It’s a stone’s throw from the Star Ferry pier and does great set meals for a great price. Don’t come here without trying the masala dosa, and be sure to specify that you don’t want ghee in your food.
Open every day from 11am - 3pm, then 6pm - 11pm. Address is 1st floor, No, 9 Lock Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong.
kan kee vegetarian - wan chai
A very unassuming, but very tasty family-run restaurant above the Bowrington Road cooked food market. You’ll find it at the back end of the food court. It serves simple dishes - 3 choices on top of rice with some lovely soup, for $50 HKD. It might be the cheapest meal you’ll find in Wan Chai! I love their vegan spam, you can’t miss it.
Cash only, open every day but Sunday from 11:30am - 2pm. There’s always a line up at lunch hour, so come early to avoid disappointment! Located on the 1st floor of the Bowrington Road Cooked Food Centre, Wan Chai.
coco ichibanya - multiple locations
This chain of Japanese curry restaurants is a family staple of ours, and now a staple for me and Blake when we come home (pictured below). Although the choices aren’t super exciting, the curry itself is the best I’ve ever tried. Get the okra and tofu curry and add mixed veggies. Don’t forget to add heaps of the moreish soy sauce pickled radish!
Most stores open 11:30am - 9pm, check just in case. Card payments are available here. The Mong Kok branch does not have the full menu, try Silvercord in Tsim Sha Tsui or Hysan Place in Causeway Bay.
ah po tofu fa - lamma island
The best place to try your first tofu pudding! It’s a little street cart that sells fresh tofu and soy milk. The tofu has a custardy consistency and is topped with syrup. It’s a delicious stop on the Lamma family walk.
Open every day from 10:30am - 5:30pm. Cash only. Address is 1 Tai Wan San Tsuen Village, Family Walk, Lamma Island.
po lin monastery - ngong ping
If you happen to visit the big buddha, don’t bring lunch! There’s a snack shop at the Po Lin Monastery selling take away dim sum, fake meat and noodles, all vegan of course. If you’re not visiting the Buddha, but are hiking up Lantau Peak, head into the village, it’s a great reward. Plus, friendly cows. I repeat, friendly cows.
Cash only, open every day from 11:30am - 5pm. At the foot of the Buddha statue, if facing away from it, walk straight and right, you can’t miss the big banner.
vegelink - north point
Another amazing dim sum place - although some products contain milk, the menu clearly states which ones do, and you’re still spoilt for choice. The beef balls in particular are incredible, as is the lo mai gai. You need to become a member to eat here, but it’s free, and you get a discount.
Cash or Octopus only. Open for dim sum from 11am - 3pm, but come early as it gets busy. You can make a reservation to avoid disappointment. Address is Suite 112, 1/F, Foo Yet Kai Commercial Centre, 56 Java Road, North Point. It’s above a kindergarten, so you may think you’re going the wrong way when you enter the building, but it’s just upstairs!
liza veggies - wan chai
A great set menu restaurant. The daily menu is up at the counter, when in doubt, just point. You get three dishes on rice, plus soup, for ~$60 HKD. No English spoken, so flex that Canto!
Cash only. Open 11am - 3pm daily (except Sunday) for lunch, and from 5pm - 10pm for dinner. It’s in the Harvard Commercial Building, which is at 105-111 Thompson Road, Wan Chai. Second floor.
mother pearl - multiple locations
Hong Kong’s first all-vegan bubble tea shop. The flavour combos are absolutely insane, and so OTT, but trust me, they work. If you want something classic, go for a taro mo-latte. I love their seasonal drinks, too - in summer, I had a “Soul Full of Sunshine'' - pineapple, mango, passionfruit, coconut nectar, coconut froth, monkfruit jelly, nata de coco, and blue spirulina chia seed jelly. Sometimes, more is more!
There are hundreds of vegan-friendly restaurants in Hong Kong that I haven’t had the space (or stomach room) to cover here. But, if you’re lucky enough to step foot in my hometown, I hope you find this guide useful, and delicious. Joi gin (bye) ! <3
Makes me hungry
Ah ~ I never knew you were from HK too. Do you still live here?