Hong Kong Is Fast Food, But Way More Delicious: Dai Pai Dongs, Egg Tarts, and a 1950s Cafe

Michelin-recognized, fast and cheap dim sum

Get: Shumai, egg tarts, and a full steamer basket

Fast food, but way more delicious, is the whole idea here: everything came out quick, fresh, and affordable, egg tarts we called 'ginormous,' with a thick custard and a cookie-like crust. Even the most expensive item on the whole menu ran a little over $5 USD; a full steamer basket topped out around $20 USD.

Cha chaan teng, Hong Kong-style cafe

Get: Fish floss and eggplant noodles, crispy pork chop rice, a pineapple bun with milk tea, and Hong Kong French toast

A proper cha chaan teng, and it delivered on every classic: an eggplant dish with fish floss that was savory and spicy in a way that made us finish the whole plate, a crispy pork chop that was tender and garlicky, and a pineapple bun so buttery it was basically a pat of butter with bread attached. The Hong Kong French toast came out impossibly airy with peanut butter inside; it, and the massive pineapple bun, were the two things we said we'd only be able to make at home with a deep fryer.

Claypot rice, Temple Street

Get: Claypot rice with pork and lap cheong (Chinese sausage), plus an oyster pancake

Endorsed by South Korean celebrity chef Paik Jong-won, and it's easy to see why: the rice underneath the pork and lap cheong turned out fluffy on top and crispy on the bottom, giving two completely different textures in one bowl. The oyster pancake on the side was sweet, spicy, and loaded with battered egg and oysters.

Cha chaan teng, open since 1950

Get: An egg sandwich and shrimp toast

Established in 1950 and barely changed since, right down to the interior; it's shown up in movies, including the 1998 Stephen Chow film The Lucky Guy. Both the egg sandwich and the shrimp toast were delicious, and the character of the space alone is worth the visit.

Sourdough egg tarts, famous line

Get: Six sourdough egg tarts and a salted egg yolk bolo bao

They sell out about 25 minutes after opening, so plan to buy ahead and pick up later, which is what we did. The egg tarts were flaky, taller, and thicker than a standard egg tart, firm and custardy rather than squishy; good, but we admitted we wouldn't personally wait 45 minutes in line for them again. The salted egg yolk bolo bao, with its brioche-like bottom, was worth it on its own.

Historic hotel, afternoon tea

Get: The full afternoon tea service: tea sandwiches and high-quality tea

Open since 1928 and still one of the city's most iconic meeting spots. At $100 per person it's not cheap, but between the tea sandwiches and the tea itself, we called it totally worth the experience.

Specialty coffee

Get: A piccolo and a matcha latte

Genuinely our style, both in vibe and in menu; the piccolo and matcha latte were both well made. Expect to share a table here, which is common at small Hong Kong restaurants and cafes in general.

Hong Kong-style dessert shop

Get: Mango pomelo sago with extra rice balls, and a black sesame soup

Sweet, soft, and bouncy black sesame soup on one side, and a cold mango pomelo sago loaded with pomelo pulp and mango chunks on the other, though be warned it can carry a faint durian smell from cross-contamination with other desserts in the shop.

Michelin Guide-recommended, milk tea

Get: A Hong Kong-style milk tea

Michelin Guide recommended, and the milk tea itself came out creamy, sweet, and bitter all at once, with an Earl Grey-like depth; a super-iced version ran $28 HKD and was exactly what a proper Hong Kong milk tea should taste like.

Bakery, modern pastries

Get: A monkey bread croissant and mentaiko bread

Both the monkey bread croissant and the mentaiko bread were excellent choices, distinctive enough that we said we'd have to come back and work through the rest of the menu next time.

Roasted meats, siu mei

Get: Roasted goose and roasted pork, plus boiled lettuce with oyster sauce

The roasted goose was magical: thin skin, lean meat, gamey with a smoky edge, nothing like the fattier duck we're used to. The roast pork skin wasn't overly crispy but still excellent, and even the simple boiled lettuce with oyster sauce on the side was genuinely good. Everything for the table ran about $150 HKD.

Dai pai dong, open since 1956

Get: Razor clams with black bean sauce, a beef and potato dish, and salted egg prawns

One of only about 25 dai pai dongs (literally "big license stalls") left in Hong Kong, a dying part of the city's food culture that used to line the streets. We got there right at opening, 4:45pm for a 5pm start, to beat the sellout on razor clams, and the gentleman running the counter has a resting angry face that has nothing to do with how he treats you. Everything's cooked over open propane flames and you wash your own dishes after; the razor clams and the peppery beef-and-potato dish were both rice killers, this was our last proper meal in Hong Kong, and we couldn't have picked a better way to end the trip.