A pocket guide to Hong Kong

Planning a visit to Hong Kong? I've put together a little list of some of my favourite coffee shops, stores and food spots to keep you fed and watered during your trip.

---

For those looking for an in-depth look into Hong Kong with all the best spots, you’ve come to the wrong place. You’ll find all of that knowledge inside something like Monocle’s travel guide. But instead, if you want a more concise round-up that I had noted down on my phone for my two week stay then don’t click ‘X’ on your browser just yet.

It’s true, there are plenty of cool spots opening up in Hong Kong, too many to talk about. It doesn’t matter which side of the island you find yourself on, there’s going to be somewhere to go. Most of the places I’ve listed I didn’t get the chance to photograph as I was family and taking out a big camera and walking off for ten minutes to go and take photos kind of ruins the conversation.

Let’s start with where to stay. For the majority of my trip I stayed in an AirBnB that unfortunately didn’t live up to the photos. However, for my last night I booked myself into Tuve Hotel which surpassed them. Located in Tin Hau, it’s close to both Causeway Bay and the developing area of Tai Hang. If you’re one for a simplified stay which does all the essentials very well, consider staying here.

As for food, you’ll find good spots everywhere. Hong Kong culture gravitates around food. Whether it is dim sum, hotpot or western, there’re loads of places to try. My starter pack for if you find yourself stuck would be: Second Draft, Yardbird, Little Bao, Ping Pong and Elementary HK.

Something you might need to rely on if you step count is high and your to-do list is full, is coffee. Straightaway I can say my favourite place is Noc. I managed to tick off each of their three locations during my stay. If the weather is looking promising, I’d recommend getting a coffee to go from their Sai Ying Pun branch and then walking over to Kennedy Town and the Pier. Other places you’ll find good coffee are Omotesando Koffee and Cupping Room.

Though walking around is entertainment enough - head to Tai Kwun Contemporary and H Queen's - if you do find yourself wanting to do a bit of shopping I’d recommend a visit to A Beautiful Store, Kapok, Eslite for the best selection of magazines and then maybe Fashion Walk for a menswear fix. I feel the menswear offering in Hong Kong is still quite limited, but perhaps I haven’t been reading the right guides or been to the right areas yet.

And that’s it! I told you it wasn’t going to be the biggest guide out there, but the best part about Hong Kong is that you could find the best food spot or bar that won’t be in any guide. Have fun exploring and I hope this post acts as a good starting point. If you want to find out more about my time in Hong Kong, I’ll leave links here and here.jbicon

---