[Hong Kong Cuisine] 16 Must-Try Eateries at MTR Mong Kok Station

Mong Kok is one of the most densely populated areas in Hong Kong, if not the world. As well as being a residential area, it is also one of Hong Kong’s most famous tourist and shopping districts, bustling with both visitors and locals alike. The area is particularly renowned for its affordable, authentic local cuisine, and many eateries remain open late into the night. If you fancy some Hong Kong-style noodles, head to the long-established ‘Good Mong Kok Congee & Noodles Specialist’ to sample their hand-pulled bamboo-pole noodles, or visit ‘Big Guy Noodle House’—a spot even Hong Kong celebrities flock to—to take on the fiercely spicy beef tendon noodles. If you’re in the mood for one of those old-school ‘bing sato’ (cafés) that are gradually disappearing, head to places like ‘Qi Xiang Bing Sato’ and ‘China Bing Sato’. Fancy trying hotpot, a dish Hong Kongers love all year round, come winter or summer? Then pop into the rather unique ‘Xian Ru Wei Zhu’ for a taste. Mong Kok also boasts a number of distinctive cafés and dessert shops, such as the ‘Starbucks Concept Store’, brimming with Hong Kong nostalgia, and ‘Taste of Sugar’, themed around a school classroom. If you’d like to take some Hong Kong delicacies home to share with family and friends, you can pop into ‘Curiosity Bakery’ to buy some souvenirs…
If you’re the sort who finds it hard to make up your mind, with so many restaurants and street food stalls of all sizes, you really might be at a loss as to what to choose. To help ease your worries, I’ve hand-picked a few must-try restaurants in Mong Kok that are hugely popular with the locals, for your consideration.

(1) ‘Good Mong Kok Congee and Noodles Specialists’ opened in 1971 and is renowned for its hand-pulled bamboo-rod noodles

Good Mong Kok Congee & Noodles Specialists opened in 1971 and is renowned for its traditional wonton noodles, homemade hand-pulled bamboo-pole noodles and its famous pork knuckle. It also uses traditional methods to prepare fresh ingredients for its wonton and congee dishes. A visit here is incomplete without trying the fresh noodles, as this is one of the best restaurants in Hong Kong for preparing them; The fresh noodles are crisp and free of any lye water aftertaste; paired with the pork knuckle, rich with the flavour of fermented bean curd, it really is a match made in heaven!

Address: Shops 5–6, Ground Floor, 18 Fa Yuen Street, Mong Kok
How to get there: Take Exit A2 from Yau Ma Tei MTR Station. Once you reach ground level, cross the road, walk along the footpath on the opposite side, then head straight towards Ka Lok Fong. When you see Garden Street, cross the road and turn into it; continue straight ahead for about 3 minutes and you will see it.
Tel: 2384 6898
Opening hours: Monday–Sunday: 10:00–01:00

(2) ‘Wang Ping’s Tea Restaurant’ – a Hong Kong-style tea restaurant where the pork chop is the signature dish

This Hong Kong-style café specialises in XO sauce pork chop rice, which is their signature dish. The XO sauce isn’t too spicy, but has a lovely aroma of dried prawns and crushed garlic, making it perfect for those who can’t handle spicy food. It’s absolutely delicious mixed with rice. The pork chop has been marinated and isn’t too thin; it has a tender texture, which explains why it’s so popular with customers. Their pork chop bun is also an excellent choice for afternoon tea.

Address: Ground Floor, 94 Black Cloth Street, Mong Kok
Telephone number: 8522395 0168
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday: 07:30–23:30

How to get there: Take Exit D3 from Mong Kok MTR Station, follow the passageway on the left to Argyle Street, then turn right and walk straight ahead for about 8 minutes. When you see Black Cloth Street, turn into it and walk straight ahead for about 2 minutes, and you will see it.

(3)‘Big Guy Noodle House’: Opened by the descendants of the long-established Lung Kee Noodle House, which has been in business for half a century

The long-established Lung Kee Noodle House, which has been in business for half a century, was recently reopened by the owner’s younger brother under the new name ‘Big Guy Noodle House’. Carrying on his elder brother’s legacy, he is carrying forward the traditional craft and bringing it to new heights, Regulars such as Wong Cho-lam, Lam Tsz-sin and Tai Po’s LuLu have all flocked to the new premises to relive the flavours of yesteryear. The beef tendon in ‘Big Guy’s’ Spicy Beef Tendon Noodles is braised for a full two hours in a secret Chiu Hou sauce, whilst the house-made chilli oil is incredibly aromatic. The tendon is tender, full of flavour and delightfully spicy. Dishes such as the soy sauce-fried pork mince with rice noodles and wonton noodles are all traditional signature dishes, whilst the ginger, spring onion and soy sauce noodles are also not to be missed. The sauce, made from dark soy sauce and secret spices, offers a hint of sweetness without being overly salty, Paired with generous amounts of ginger and spring onions and firm, chewy whole-egg noodles, it’s incredibly flavourful. I think it’s still maintained its former standard – not bad at all!

Address: Ground Floor, 97 Black Cloth Street, Mong Kok
How to get there: Take Exit D3 from Mong Kok MTR Station, follow the passageway on the left to Argyle Street, then turn right and walk straight ahead for about 8 minutes. When you see Black Cloth Street, turn into it and walk straight ahead for about 2 minutes, and you will see it.
Tel: 2363 2838
Opening hours: Monday–Saturday: 11.30–22.30
Closed on Sundays

(4)‘Curiosity Bakery’: Must-buy traditional Chinese pastries as souvenirs

The shop offers a wide variety of distinctive Chinese pastries, freshly baked every day and very popular with customers. Every single pastry is exceptionally well-made, such as the Guangsu biscuits, shaobing and laopo biscuits. Unlike other bakeries, this establishment maintains the high standards of a long-established brand and truly lives up to its reputation. If you’re looking to buy traditional souvenirs, this is a must-visit spot.

Address: Ground Floor, 135 Fa Yuen Street, Mong Kok
How to get there: Take Exit B2 from Mong Kok MTR Station, go up onto the footbridge, turn right, go down at Fa Yuen Street, then walk through the passageway on the left-hand side of Fa Yuen Street and you will see Kee Koo Bakery.
Tel: 2394 1727
Opening hours: Monday–Sunday: 08:00–20:00

(5)A first for Fresh in, Cooked! Enjoy hotpot as if you were right in the market

‘Fresh Selection’ in Mong Kok is a hugely popular and much-talked-about hotpot restaurant, The interior is designed to resemble a nostalgic street market, allowing customers to feel as though they are dining in a real market whilst enjoying their hotpot. Patrons can simply select whatever ingredients they fancy from the fish, meat and vegetable stalls and order a portion, The hotpot ingredients—including live clams, live prawns, fresh vegetables, hand-sliced beef, Dongfeng snails, mudfish, squid and small fish—all feel exceptionally fresh, and every afternoon the chef personally visits the market to select the freshest seafood. Not only can guests select their own ingredients, but they can also handle them first-hand; the whole process is incredibly atmospheric.
Aside from their appealing creative selling points, the dishes at ‘Freshly Cooked’ are all made with genuine, high-quality ingredients, among which the pepper pork tripe and chicken hotpot broth left the deepest impression. First, dried longan flesh, goji berries and pepper are stuffed into a fresh chicken, which is then placed inside a pork tripe and slow-simmered for four hours. Although the pepper in the broth is spicy, it is incredibly nourishing and warms the stomach; the broth is usually finished by diners before the hotpot even begins, which shows just how generous the ingredients are. Both the fish maw and chicken broth and the pepper pork tripe and chicken broth are extremely popular and are my personal favourites.

Address: 2nd Floor, Dundas Plaza, 43H Dundas Street, Mong Kok
Tel: 2782 2003
Opening hours: Monday–Sunday, 17:30–03:00
Directions: Take Exit A2 from Yau Ma Tei MTR Station, walk along the alleyway on your left until you reach Dundas Street, then turn right. After about two minutes, look up to find Dundas Plaza on the second floor.

(6)‘Jiaji Snacks’: A Round-up of Authentic Street Food

In Mong Kok, you can find all sorts of authentic street food stalls, and whilst the types of food and cooking methods are largely similar across the board, the only real difference is the price. It’s actually quite a challenge to find a stall that offers decent quality food at a reasonable price. Of course, I have my own personal favourite—a snack shop I visit every time I’m in Mong Kok: ‘Ka Kee Snacks’. It’s situated opposite Gala Place and is incredibly popular, attracting large crowds both in the afternoon and in the evening. Naturally, I always order a portion of their famous stinky tofu and grilled squid tentacles. The stinkier the stinky tofu, the better it tastes, and Ka Kee’s stinky tofu is the stinkiest in Mong Kok – proof of just how delicious it is. The grilled squid tentacles are crispy, fragrant and full of flavour, making them an excellent choice for a snack.

Address: 41 Dundas Street, Mong Kok
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday: 12:00–24:00

(7)‘Tasting Sugar’: A Hong Kong secondary school campus design, brimming with the atmosphere of a school classroom

Girls in Hong Kong are mad about desserts; you could say the younger they are, the more they love them. When they go to a restaurant, they’re in the habit of checking the dessert menu first. I suppose girls all over the world are the same—a dinner isn’t complete without dessert. That’s why you can find desserts on every street corner in Hong Kong. Mong Kok, with its huge crowds, naturally has plenty of them. Right on the corner of Kwong Wah Street, there’s a whimsical dessert shop called ‘Chang Tang’. The name ‘Chang Tang’ is a Cantonese pun on ‘shang tang’, which means ‘to attend class’.
The menu inside the shop is designed to look like a school exercise book, and the dessert names are rather quirky—things like ‘Durian Campus’ and ‘Mr Yang’—some of which might sound a bit spooky at first. But this is actually a charming little shop serving desserts of excellent quality, made with real care and attention to detail. ‘Watermelon Laughs’ is a simple dessert: half a small watermelon, hollowed out in the centre and filled with watermelon shaved ice, topped with a generous helping of jellies, konjac, small dumplings, agar jelly, black pearls and coconut jelly, amongst other things. It looks quite presentable, and the flavour is exactly as you’d expect—no major surprises.
Teacher Yang is none other than the generously filled Yangzhi Ganlu, packed with mango flesh, pomelo segments and Taiwanese-style tapioca pearls, all blended with mango juice and coconut milk. the large, chewy sago pearls are delightfully firm, whilst the rich mango juice is particularly commendable. The tables and chairs at ‘Tasting Sugar’ are identical to those used in Hong Kong secondary schools; though the shop is small, it is brimming with the atmosphere of a school classroom, There’s even a noticeboard on the wall—the sort we used at school to display our best work and show off our achievements—which is now covered with the names of all sorts of desserts, making for quite a treat.

Address: Shop 3, Kwong Fai Building, 13 Kwong Wah Street, Mong Kok
Transport: Exit A2 at Yau Ma Tei MTR Station, approximately a 7-minute walk
Telephone number: 3689 8659
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday: 15:00–01:00

(8)‘The Supreme Chongqing Chicken Hotpot’ – Hong Kong’s first all-you-can-eat Chongqing chicken hotpot restaurant

Hong Kongers love hotpot all year round, and in recent years, Sichuan-style spicy chicken hotpot has become extremely popular. You’re bound to find a restaurant nearby in every district of Hong Kong, with a choice of all-you-can-eat or à la carte options, and the level of spiciness varies from place to place. If you’re looking for an all-you-can-eat option at a reasonable price, I’d recommend heading to a hotpot restaurant with a fixed-price set menu; the quality there is generally quite good. Chongqing Chicken Hotpot is Hong Kong’s first all-you-can-eat Chongqing-style chicken hotpot restaurant. The flavour is certainly on a par with more expensive hotpot restaurants elsewhere. Most importantly, there’s a wide selection of hotpot ingredients to choose from; after finishing the chicken hotpot, you can add broth to enjoy a traditional hotpot, and there are also unlimited drinks and ice cream on offer, making it excellent value for money.

Address: 16th Floor, Chong Hing Plaza, 593–601 Nathan Road, Mong Kok
Tel: +852 2148 2628
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday: 17:00–03:00

(9)‘Extremely Good Congee, Noodles and Tea Restaurant’ is renowned for its stir-fried instant noodles

Ordinary instant noodles take on a whole new dimension in this café; their stir-fried instant noodles are hugely popular with customers and have earned the place a reputation far and wide. The noodles are stir-fried until light and crispy, with a rich flavour, and are sautéed with onions to bring out their aroma. Best of all, they aren’t too greasy, so even ladies won’t feel weighed down after eating them. The ‘chee zai mee’ here is also excellent; the broth has a rich flavour of braised beef brisket, and there’s a good selection of toppings to choose from. It’s definitely a must-visit little spot.

Address: Ground Floor, 154 Tung Choi Street, Mong Kok
How to get there: Take Exit B3 from Mong Kok MTR Station, then go up onto the footbridge and turn right. Take the lift down at the market, then walk towards Tung Choi Street and you’ll see it.
Tel: 2394 8414
Opening hours: Monday–Sunday: 7.00–3.30

(10)‘Victory Kitchen’: Boneless Hainanese Chicken with Oil Rice – Utterly Tender and Silky Smooth

‘Hainanese Chicken Rice’ is the signature dish here. Boneless chicken is served with glutinous rice, accompanied by a separate serving of dark soy sauce and chilli sauce. Take a bite and you’ll experience the tender, succulent texture of the chicken; the glutinous rice isn’t too greasy, and the grains are perfectly cooked—soft yet firm, with each grain distinct. The curry sauce here is also a good choice; it’s rich in coconut flavour, yet the sauce isn’t too runny.

Address: Ground Floor, 6 Victory Road, Ho Man Tin
How to get there: Take Exit D3 at MTR Mong Kok Station, head towards the back to Argyle Street, then turn right and walk along Argyle Street for about 10 minutes. Turn into Victory Road and walk for about 3 minutes, and you will see it.
Tel: 2760 0033
Opening hours: Monday–Sunday: 11:00–23:45

(11)‘Qi Xiang Ice Parlour’: A historic ice parlour with 40 years of history; the must-try signature dish is tomato sauce pasta

It’s already difficult enough to find old-style ice parlours in Hong Kong, and finding one that serves the authentic flavours of yesteryear is even harder. This place has a 40-year history, and counts the couples Miu Kiu-wai and Lau Ching-wan among its fans—you might even bump into them here. Their signature dish is the braised spaghetti, slowly simmered and stir-fried with tomato sauce and tomato purée. Prepared to order, it leaves you wanting more.

Address: 26B Victory Road, Ho Man Tin
How to get there: Take Exit D3 at MTR Mong Kok Station, head towards the back to Argyle Street, then turn right and walk along Argyle Street for about 10 minutes. Turn into Victory Road and walk for about 1 minute, and you will see it.
Tel: 2713 3209
Opening hours: Monday–Sunday: 07:00–20:00

(12)‘Starbucks’: A Starbucks brimming with Hong Kong’s artistic flair

You’ll often see plenty of Starbucks branches on the high street or in shopping centres; their interiors are generally quite plain and all look exactly the same. If you’ve grown tired of this sort of décor, why not pop into this particular Starbucks? This branch is brimming with Hong Kong artistic flair. The stairwell is adorned with black-and-white brush-pen graffiti, reminiscent of the style of Hong Kong’s famous ‘Kowloon Emperor’. The walls inside the shop mimic Hong Kong’s streets, with numerous handwritten billboards plastered across them, creating a truly authentic atmosphere. Combined with the rich coffee and pastries, the atmosphere is truly relaxing.

Address: 1st and 2nd Floors, Wai Kee Building, 89–91 Sai Yee Street, Mong Kok
How to get there: Take Exit D3 at MTR Mong Kok Station, head towards the back to Argyle Street, then turn right and walk along Argyle Street for about 5 minutes. When you see Time Gallery, turn in there and you will see Wai Kei Building.
Tel: 2101 1399
Opening hours: Monday–Thursday and Sunday: 08:00–23:00
Friday–Saturday: 08:00–00:00

(13)‘Breathing Coffee’ – a vintage-style café and a hub for local musicians

Breathing Coffee & Tea House is spread over three floors, each with its own distinctive décor in a vintage style, and features a tranquil open-air seating area. A wide range of distinctive dishes is on offer, and the coffee beans are house-roasted. Enjoying a cup of invigorating coffee in this comfortable setting gives you a sense of being far removed from the hustle and bustle. In its early years, Breathing Café incorporated musical elements by establishing Full Cup Music. Every Sunday, live shows are held on the third floor of Breathing Café, featuring performances by local and international musicians and bands.

Address: 3rd–7th Floors, Heng Wei Commercial Centre, 36 Dundas Street, Mong Kok
How to get there: Take Exit A1 at Yau Ma Tei MTR Station, walk straight ahead onto Bonham Street and turn right. Walk along Bonham Street for about 3 minutes, then turn right onto Dundas Street, where you will see the Heng Wei Commercial Centre.
Tel: 2771 7775
Opening hours: Monday–Thursday: 15:00–02:00
Friday: 15:00–04:00
Saturdays and public holidays: 13:00–04:00
Sunday: 13:00–02:00

(14)‘China Ice Room’ – a nostalgic Hong Kong-style ice room open since 1963 and a filming location for the classic Hong Kong film PTU

‘China Café’, which has been in business since 1963, is a nostalgic Hong Kong-style café featuring a two-storey layout, With its booth-style seating featuring wooden tables and chairs, complemented by vintage mosaic flooring and walls, the décor—which has been preserved since the café first opened—is steeped in the nostalgia of old Hong Kong. The moment you step inside, the pace of life slows to a gentle rhythm.
‘China Ice Room’ was also used as a filming location for the film *PTU*, directed by Johnnie To, and it was actually through this film that I first learnt of the place’s existence. In a nostalgic ice parlour like this, one simply must try the old-fashioned snacks—Yuan Yang ice and Nai Yang Duo. Yuan Yang ice is red bean and lotus seed ice, with a rich, creamy flavour complemented by generous portions of red beans and lotus seeds; ‘Nai Yang To’ is condensed milk and kaya toast: toasted bread topped with condensed milk and kaya jam, which tastes rather good.

Address: Ground Floor, 1077A Canton Road, Mong Kok
Transport: Exit A2 at Mong Kok MTR Station, approximately a 4-minute walk
Tel: 852 2392 7825
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday: 06:00–19:00

(15)At ‘Fa Ji Desserts’, the Yangzhi Ganlu and durian desserts are the most popular with customers

Fa Kee, a Hong Kong-style dessert chain, offers a dazzling array of desserts; in addition to the Chinese descriptions, there are corresponding pictures. Yangzhi Ganlu and Durian Fragrance are the most popular with customers, the pomelo is free from any astringency, whilst the mango’s sweetness is just right, making you want to have bowl after bowl; The ‘Durian Delight’ boasts a rich durian flavour and is packed with durian flesh; combined with the textures of sago and pomelo, it offers a truly rich and varied mouthfeel – a must-try for durian lovers.

Address: Ground Floor, 27 Soy Sauce Street, Mong Kok
How to get there: Take Exit E2 at MTR Mong Kok Station, walk straight ahead to Sai Yeung Choi South Street, then turn right. Walk straight on for about 5 minutes, then turn into Soy Sauce Street and walk straight on for about 3 minutes until you see Fa Kee Desserts.
Tel: 2332 8919
Opening hours: Monday–Sunday: 12:30–03:00

(16)‘Tim Ho Wan Dim Sum Speciality Shop’ – a Michelin-recommended dim sum restaurant

This is the flagship branch of Tim Ho Wan, which has moved here from Kwong Wah Street in Mong Kok. The Tai Kok Tsui branch is of a moderate size and can accommodate a reasonable number of diners, but as footfall in the Tai Kok Tsui area is relatively low, there is generally little need to queue. The quality is consistent across all Tim Ho Wan branches, with standardised cooking methods; the menu features the same selection of delicious dishes, and the restaurant has been awarded a Michelin star for four consecutive years.
There are also plenty of public parking meter spaces available near Tim Ho Wan in Tai Kok Tsui; the situation is similar to that at the Sham Shui Po branch, but it’s a 15-minute walk to Mong Kok Station if you’re travelling by MTR. Olympic Station is closer, but changing lines to get there on the Hong Kong Line is a bit of a faff.

Address: Shop 72, G Floor, Olympian City 2, 18 Hoi Ting Road, Tai Kok Tsui (MTR Olympic Station, Exit D3)
Tel: +852 2332 2896