Wan Chai Restaurants

This long-standing, family-owned restaurant boasts some of the best Cantonese food in Hong Kong. This is the place to try more expensive dishes like bird’s nest soup or abalone, but they’re well-known roasted suckling pig, fried crispy chicken, and excellent dim sum classics. It’s a great spot for an upscale lunch; They have several outposts, but this is the original.

Recently renovated and located on the third floor of an office building in the Wan Chai District, Liu Yuan Pavilion is known as one of the best Shanghainese restaurants in Hong Kong (and has a 2017 Bib Gourmand from Michelin to prove it). Don’t miss the dim sum, of course, but it’s also worth trying dishes like their Mandarin fish with sweet and sour sauce or their braised pig knuckle. Because of its popularity and small-ish space, it’s usually very hard to drop in—definitely make reservations in advance.

You won’t find traditional pho here, but what you will find are unexpected flavor pairings—green papaya salad with crispy shallots, octopus and tamarind glaze, fresh veggies and red prawn carpaccio—all served up in a brightly lit, Parisian brasserie-like setting. Vegetarians will be pleasantly sated with the soy-braised tofu and hedgehog mushrooms. If it’s not too hot out, opt for one of the tables outside, settle into one of the roomy wicker chairs, and take in the bustle of the surrounding Star Street neighborhood. Don’t glaze over the wine list—it features an impressive roster of biodynamic French wines rarely seen elsewhere in Hong Kong.

When you've maxed out on dim sum and just want a simple café where you can tuck into the paper, and maybe a bagel and lox or some avocado toast, Classified is a nice choice.