The best cafés in Hong Kong rarely look like cafés at all — they're bagel counters in old walk-up buildings, rooftop bars above Peking Road, and family-run rooms in Sai Kung's fishing-town backstreets. We went looking for where locals actually queue, not just what photographs well, and the spread surprised us: a Pakistani lunch spot hidden inside a Tsim Sha Tsui gallery sits alongside a dim sum room built for special occasions and a pizza patio that turns into SoHo's evening hangout. Here's where we'd send you first.
Pakeeza Food Restaurant
A tucked-away Pakistani spot inside Mirador Mansion's gallery isn't what you picture when someone says "café," but it's the kind of find a coffee crawl through Tsim Sha Tsui should detour for. We climbed to the second floor following hand-painted signs and landed in a room thick with quiet jazz and the smell of grilling meat. The set menu — three unlimited dishes plus mango lassi, tea, rotis, and rice — turns lunch into an event, and staff keep refilling before you ask. Honest aside: it's easy to walk past the building entrance twice before you spot the right stairwell, so look for the sign, not a storefront.
✦ Insider tip: Order the barbecue add-on with the mango lassi — it's the combination regulars keep coming back for.
HK$100–150📍 Level 2, Shop 51, Mirador Mansion, 58 Nathan Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Opening hours
| Monday | 11 AM to 4 PM, 6 PM to 5 AM |
| Tuesday | 11 AM to 4 PM, 6 PM to 5 AM |
| Wednesday | 11 AM to 4 PM, 6 PM to 5 AM |
| Thursday | 11 AM to 4 PM, 6 PM to 5 AM |
| Friday | 11 AM to 4 PM, 6 PM to 5 AM |
| Saturday | 11 AM to 4 PM, 6 PM to 5 AM |
| Sunday | 11 AM to 4 PM, 6 PM to 5 AM |
Schragels Delicatessen (Central)
Schragels is where Hong Kong's bagel cravings actually get answered — a black-and-gold storefront on a Central backstreet with a glass deli case worth a slow look before you order. The bagels arrive properly chewy, not the flattened supermarket kind, and the rugelach draws its own following. Honest aside: a few visitors have flagged rough experiences around unlabeled nuts in the pastry case, so it's worth asking directly if allergies matter to you. Grab a coffee to go and eat on the nearby steps if the tables are full.
✦ Insider tip: Ask what's fresh from the case that morning; the pastry rotation changes daily.
HK$100–150📍 G/F, Siu Yat Bldg, 1 Sai Kung Hoi Pong Square, Sai Kung, Hong KongWebsite ↗
Opening hours
| Monday | 7:30 AM to 6:30 PM |
| Tuesday | 7:30 AM to 6 PM |
| Wednesday | 7:30 AM to 6 PM |
| Thursday | 7:30 AM to 6 PM |
| Friday | 7:30 AM to 8 PM |
| Saturday | 7:30 AM to 8 PM |
| Sunday | 7:30 AM to 8 PM |
Schragels Delicatessen (Sai Kung)
The Sai Kung branch of Schragels swaps Central's backstreet hustle for a laid-back waterfront-town pace, and it's an easy stop before or after a boat trip out to the islands. Regulars come back for the free-flow drip coffee paired with a full breakfast — the "Loxy Lady" and "Egghead" plates get named again and again as the ones to order. The bagels carry the same excellent chew as the Central shop, and the value stands out in a town that leans pricier near the water. It's compact inside, so weekend mornings can mean a short wait for a table.
✦ Insider tip: Go early on a weekend — Sai Kung's brunch crowd builds fast once the boats start loading.
HK$100–150📍 G/F, Siu Yat Bldg, 1 Sai Kung Hoi Pong Square, Sai Kung, Hong KongWebsite ↗
Opening hours
| Monday | 7:30 AM to 6:30 PM |
| Tuesday | 7:30 AM to 6 PM |
| Wednesday | 7:30 AM to 6 PM |
| Thursday | 7:30 AM to 6 PM |
| Friday | 7:30 AM to 8 PM |
| Saturday | 7:30 AM to 8 PM |
| Sunday | 7:30 AM to 8 PM |
The Pizza Project
The Pizza Project owns a slice of SoHo's Peel Street nightlife, and by evening the tables spill onto the steps outside with a crowd that's clearly there for both the pizza and the scene. The wood-fired pies get real praise for consistency, with repeat visitors saying the quality holds up trip after trip. Service comes up again and again as warm rather than rushed, the kind of detail that makes you want to order a second round instead of rushing off. This one leans more late-night bar-and-pizza than daytime café, so save it for an evening plan.
✦ Insider tip: Come later in the evening for the full SoHo patio energy, or earlier if you want a quieter meal.
HK$150–350📍 G/F, 26 Peel Street, Central, 26 Peel St, Central, Hong KongWebsite ↗
Opening hours
| Monday | 12 to 10 PM |
| Tuesday | 12 to 10 PM |
| Wednesday | 12 to 10 PM |
| Thursday | 12 to 10 PM |
| Friday | 12 to 11 PM |
| Saturday | 12 to 11 PM |
| Sunday | 12 to 10 PM |
Pici (Tseung Kwan O)
Pici's all-white, glass-fronted room in Tseung Kwan O looks more European bistro than neighborhood Italian, with café-style bentwood chairs lined up along the pavement out front. It's become something of a special-occasion spot for families nearby — we heard about more than one Father's Day dinner booked here specifically. The pasta and service both draw consistent praise, with specific servers getting called out by name review after review, always a good sign for a place that runs on repeat customers. Reserve ahead if you're coming on a weekend evening.
✦ Insider tip: The outdoor bentwood-chair seating out front is the spot to grab if the weather's decent.
HK$150–350📍 G17, Capri Place Shop 17, CAPRI Place 33, 33 Tong Yin St, Tseung Kwan O, Hong KongWebsite ↗
Opening hours
| Monday | 11:30 AM to 9 PM |
| Tuesday | 11:30 AM to 9 PM |
| Wednesday | 11:30 AM to 9 PM |
| Thursday | 11:30 AM to 9 PM |
| Friday | 11:30 AM to 9:30 PM |
| Saturday | 11:30 AM to 9:30 PM |
| Sunday | 11:30 AM to 9 PM |
Lai Ching Heen (Yan Toh Heen)
Inside the Salisbury Road hotel row of Tsim Sha Tsui, Lai Ching Heen — also known as Yan Toh Heen — is Cantonese fine dining with a teal-tiled dining room built around a jade-colored centerpiece, the kind of interior that makes you slow down before you even open the menu. Dim sum here gets singled out repeatedly, with the har gow praised for its thin, translucent wrapper and clean shrimp flavor. Reviewers keep comparing the service favorably to top Western fine-dining standards, which says a lot for a Cantonese room. Honest aside: portions run generous even on the reduced set-lunch menu, so don't over-order the way we did.
✦ Insider tip: Ask about the seasonal tasting elements on the set lunch menu — a tea sommelier is on hand to pair each course.
HK$500+📍 18 Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Fika Restaurant & BAR
Fika sits in Hang Hau Village, Tseung Kwan O — a warm, low-key room that reviewers keep calling a hidden treasure well off the main strip. The pasta list leans inventive, pairing local ingredients like XO sauce with tiger prawns in a way that surprised more than one skeptical diner. The appetizers, like the avocado crabmeat crisps, get called out for looking as good as they taste. It's worth the short detour off Tseung Kwan O's main roads if you want something calmer than the mall food courts nearby.
✦ Insider tip: The avocado crabmeat crisps keep coming up as the dish to start with.
HK$100–300📍 No.24 Ground Floor Hang Hau Village, Tseung Kwan O, Hong Kong
Opening hours
| Monday | 12 to 10 PM |
| Tuesday | 12 to 10 PM |
| Wednesday | 12 to 10 PM |
| Thursday | 12 to 10 PM |
| Friday | 12 to 10 PM |
| Saturday | 12 to 10 PM |
| Sunday | 12 to 10 PM |
Cafe Alley
Cafe Alley is Sai Kung's classic small-and-local pick — a handful of outdoor tables squeezed onto a quiet street corner, the kind of place you stumble into between a hike and a ferry. We'd back the spring rolls, which reviewers rank among the best they've had anywhere, not just locally. It closes early midweek, so check before a Wednesday or Thursday visit, but the weekend hours stretch later into the evening. Good for a light lunch and a beer before heading out to the water.
✦ Insider tip: It's closed midweek — plan your visit for Monday, Tuesday, or the weekend.
HK$100–150📍 3 Sai Kung Hoi Pong St, Sai Kung, Hong KongWebsite ↗
Opening hours
| Monday | 10 AM to 6 PM |
| Tuesday | 10 AM to 6 PM |
| Wednesday | Closed |
| Thursday | Closed |
| Friday | 10 AM to 6 PM |
| Saturday | 10 AM to 7:30 PM |
| Sunday | 10 AM to 7:30 PM |
4 more spots in this guide
Also inside: WARM BREAD · Ladies' Purse (HKJC Member Only) · KABOOM · Little Cove Espresso
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Get the Hong Kong Map →Frequently asked questions
What's the best café in Hong Kong for brunch?
Little Cove Espresso and the Sai Kung branch of Schragels Delicatessen are the two names that come up most for a proper sit-down brunch, from sourdough Benedict to free-flow drip coffee with a full plate.
Are there good cafés outside the main tourist areas?
Yes — several standout spots here, including Cafe Alley, WARM BREAD, and Little Cove Espresso, are in Sai Kung, a fishing-town district well outside the usual Tsim Sha Tsui and Central circuit.
Is Lai Ching Heen really a café?
Not in the traditional sense — it's a Cantonese fine-dining room known for dim sum, but it's included here because its tea service and set-lunch menu make it a legitimate stop for anyone building a food-and-drink day around Tsim Sha Tsui.
Which café should I visit if I only have time for one?
Schragels Delicatessen is the safest bet — it has two branches, Central and Sai Kung, a loyal following for its bagels, and consistently high ratings across both locations.
Do any of these spots need a reservation?
Pici in Tseung Kwan O is popular enough for special occasions that booking ahead for weekend evenings is worth it; most of the others are casual walk-in spots.
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See the Hong Kong map →About the author
Camille Laurent · Travel Curator, BeyondWego
Camille Laurent writes and curates city guides for BeyondWego. She walks each neighbourhood herself — coffee in hand, map in pocket — before a single spot earns its place, and keeps these guides current as cities change.
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