[Hong Kong Cuisine] 12 Must-Try Local Snacks from the Small Island Fishing Village of Tai O

The best thing to do in Tai O is to explore the streets and alleys in search of authentic local Hong Kong cuisine. As well as the must-try spots featured in guidebooks, there are several more secluded, hidden gems that are well worth taking the time to seek out. For example: extra-large fish balls, braised giant cuttlefish, Yin Gu’s traditional pastries, natural and healthy luo han guo tea, square-shaped ‘Egg Roll King’, freshly grilled seafood, and charcoal-grilled dried seafood. On a slightly different note, I recently tried a street food stall in the city centre…Xi Xi Snack Bar…and those huge fried chicken thighs are truly unforgettable – if you’re ever in To Kwa Wan, do pop in and give them a try.

(1) Revival Journey: Tai O’s Extra-Large, Deliciously Fun Fish Balls and Braised Giant Cuttlefish

As soon as you step onto Wing On Street, you’ll be drawn to these giant fish balls and large cuttlefish. Fung Hing Hang started out as a small shop selling dried seafood, but later began selling snacks at bargain prices. It is best known for its extra-large, bursting-with-flavour fish balls and extremely thick slices of braised cuttlefish. You can find giant fish balls on Cheung Chau too, but those from Tai O are even more flavourful. As for the braised giant cuttlefish, it is deeply flavoured, with sweet and succulent flesh; a must-try for those who aren’t too concerned about high cholesterol.

Address: Shop 4D, Wing On Street, Tai O
Tel: 2874-1010
Opening hours: Monday–Sunday, 10:00–19:00
Transport: Tai O Bus Terminus; after alighting, walk for 5 minutes towards Wing On Street

(2) ‘Yin Gu Tea Cakes’ – Tai O’s famous speciality tea cakes

‘Yin Gu Cha Guo’ in Tai O is a place where you can find ‘cha guo’—a traditional snack typically found only in old villages. The sweet version is filled with sugar, sesame seeds and crushed peanuts, whilst the savoury variety contains mung beans and peanuts, as well as chicken-dung vine, which is said to have medicinal properties.
Although it is no longer the old lady who sells the tea biscuits—it’s now a young woman—it’s still a snack shop well worth a visit.

Address: 11A Wing On Street, Tai O
Tel: 2985-5708
Transport: Tai O Bus Terminus; after alighting, walk for 5 minutes towards Wing On Street

(3) ‘Renxing Heji Luo Han Guo Tea’ – Natural and healthy Luo Han Guo tea

Aside from the purple clams, daylily and hibiscus tea sold on every street corner—which are the most popular drinks in Tai O—monk fruit tea is also a well-known beverage. Although not everyone is fond of the taste of monk fruit, its health benefits are certainly superior, and it is suitable for drinking all year round. The small shop Ren Xing He Ji specialises in luo han guo tea and is well worth a visit.

Address: 58 Kai Hing Street, Tai O
Tel: +852 2985 7428

(4) ‘Liang Chengji Egg Roll King’ – square egg rolls

The owner of Leung Shing Kee is an extremely friendly old gentleman who calls out to passers-by every day, inviting them to sample his products. The ‘Egg Roll Royale’ made by the old gentleman has a subtle egg aroma and a deliciously crisp texture. The egg rolls are sold in sealed packets, priced at $50 per packet, with a special offer of $120 for three packets. If the owner happens to be visiting Hong Kong Island, you can even arrange to collect the egg rolls from him at an MTR station in the city centre – definitely worth a try.

Address: Ground Floor, 78 Wing On Street, Tai O
Tel: 6733-2343
Opening hours: Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, 12:00–19:00
Transport: Tai O Bus Terminus; after alighting, walk for 15 minutes towards Wing On Street

(5) ‘Chubby Girl’s Barbecue Snacks’: Freshly Grilled Seafood – A Dance of Smell and Taste

Once you’ve crossed the Hengshui Ferry and followed the aroma of barbecued food, you’ll spot this little shop on the street specialising in freshly grilled seafood. The most tempting dish, of course, is the oysters grilled with a layer of cheese on top; the slightly charred cheese is incredibly fragrant and simply a must-try. Grilled abalone, scallops and tiger prawns are also excellent choices; just the sight of them is enough to get you excited. So there’s no single ‘must-try’ recommendation, as with grilled seafood, if it isn’t fresh, it’s simply not worth eating.

Address: Ground Floor, 21 Tai O Market Street
Tel: +852 2985 7233

(6) ‘Tai O Charcoal-Grilled Delicacies’: Charcoal-grilled seafood – full of flavour and delightfully crispy

The locals in Tai O know how to sun-dry seafood to produce dried seafood products for sale in the market; shops usually stock a variety of salted fish—ranging from lightly to heavily salted—as well as dried prawns, fish maw, and prawn paste and paste-like products. However, over the past decade, there has been a resurgence in the practice of charcoal-grilling these dried seafood products as snacks, much loved for their fresh flavour and crisp texture.
Grilled squid is quite common, but grilled dried prawns and grilled yellow croaker are really only found in Tai O.

Address: Junction of Wing On Street and Street Market Street, Tai O
Transport: Tai O Bus Terminus; after alighting, walk for 10 minutes towards Wing On Street until you reach the junction with Street Market Street

BOX: Golden Rules for Gaming
The Tai O Food Festival is held every November to showcase 25 local small shops and authentic eateries; please keep an eye out for announcements from the Tai O Heritage Hotel for further details.

(7) ‘The Fragrant Concubine Roll’: made to order, fried on the spot and filled with a savoury filling

You’ll find this little snack shop in the middle of Jiching Street. Although the premises are small, it offers a wide variety of fried snacks, such as fried baby fish and fried baby crabs. However, what draws the most people here is their ‘Xiangfei Rolls’. The fragrant wrappers for the ‘Xiangfei Rolls’ are pan-fried to order, then filled with a savoury mixture of dried prawns, preserved radish, spring onion and crispy sesame seeds, before being rolled up and drizzled with a special sauce.

Address: 70 Kai Hing Street, Tai O
Tel: +852 2985 7428

(8) ‘Rising Sun’ Squid Cakes: Black and White Combination

If you want to experience the authentic charm of the simple fishing village of Tai O, these handmade black and white cuttlefish cakes are a fine choice. The owner, Mr Leung, prepares fresh ingredients every evening for sale the following morning. One black and one white, each cake is packed with chunks of cuttlefish meat and has a springy, crisp texture. The black squid cakes are made with squid ink, whilst the white ones are made purely from squid meat.

Address: Ground Floor, 47 Wing On Street, Tai O
Tel: 2985-6001
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday, 07:00–17:00 (closed on Wednesdays)
Transport: Tai O Bus Terminus; after alighting, walk for 15 minutes towards Wing On Street

(9) ‘Bingbing’s Three-Coloured Cakes’: A shop with a massive queue selling delicately fragrant three-coloured cakes

The queue outside the little shop selling tricolour cakes usually numbers between ten and twenty people. A large portion of the three-colour cakes costs just $20 and comprises three varieties: sesame cake, osmanthus cake and coconut milk cake. Each cake has a delicate aroma and its own distinctive character; the sesame cake, in particular, is wonderfully fragrant, whilst the osmanthus cake is delightfully sweet.

Address: Kai Hing Street, Tai O, near No. 21 Tai O Market Street
Transport: Tai O Bus Terminus; after alighting, head towards Wing On Street, walk towards Tai O Market Street, then turn onto Kat Hing Street

(10) ‘Tai O Wah Kee Crispy Egg Waffles’ – charcoal-grilled egg waffles bursting with the flavour of eggs

In the early days, he simply used to push a wooden cart along Jiqing Street selling charcoal-grilled egg waffles; in recent years, he has opened his own little shop, and the egg waffles cooked over a genuine charcoal fire are a cut above the rest. The piping-hot egg waffles are crispy and rich in the aroma of eggs – a result that can only be achieved by charcoal grilling. Just watching the process is enough to make one’s mouth water.

Address: Ground Floor, 121 Shek Tsai Po Street, Tai O
Transport: Tai O Bus Terminus. After alighting, head towards Wing On Street, walk along Tai O Market Street to the end of the street, turn left, and continue along Shek Chai Po Street.

Food Facts
Egg waffles are an original traditional street snack. A batter is made from eggs, flour, evaporated milk and sugar, which is then poured into egg-shaped moulds and baked over charcoal; the best ones have a rich egg flavour and are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Egg waffles baked over charcoal are the most traditional method, but in recent years electric ovens have become the norm, though they lack that distinctive smoky aroma from the charcoal.

(11) ‘Tea Fruit and Glutinous Rice Dumplings’ – entirely handmade, limited quantities available

The outer skin, rolled from glutinous rice flour, is both soft and chewy, whilst the filling is generously portioned. Uncle Cai’s glutinous rice dumplings are made fresh daily and sold on the spot; they are then carefully stored in insulated plastic boxes to ensure they remain fresh and piping hot when on sale. It is this attention to detail that makes Uncle Cai’s dumplings so highly recommended. As Uncle Cai is now of advanced age, production is limited, so if you have the chance to try them, please do show your support.

Address: 106 Shek Chai Po Street, Tai O

(12) ‘Zhang Cai Ji’s Prawn and Pork Pastries’—savoury and irresistible, you simply must try them

Even whilst walking through the streets of Tai O, you can already catch the salty, savoury aroma wafting from afar. Cheung Choi Kee, renowned for its shrimp paste and shrimp concentrate, has in recent years invented a snack called ‘shrimp and pork patties’, First, minced pork and preserved radish are stir-fried with shrimp paste in a small pan until fragrant; shredded lettuce is then mixed in, and finally the mixture is rolled up in a freshly made wrapper to be eaten. The savoury, salty aroma of the shrimp paste is utterly irresistible – it’s an experience you’ll never forget once you’ve tried it.

Address: Ground Floor, 41 Kai Hing Front Street, Tai O
Tel: 2985-7428
Opening hours: Open only at weekends and on public holidays
Transport: Tai O Bus Terminus. After alighting, head towards Wing On Street, walk towards Tai O Market Street, then turn onto Kat Hing Street and head inland.

(1) *Revival Journey*: Tai O’s Extra-Large, Deliciously Fun Fish Balls and Braised Giant Cuttlefish