Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get our top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
Header images courtesy of Bistro. Du Vin.HK (via Facebook) and 11 Westside (via Facebook)
Located northwest of Hong Kong Island, Kennedy Town is a gentrifying neighbourhood that has been growing since the extension of the MTR Island line in 2014, amid a series of investments from the government to improve public facilities. Following extensive public works, this part of town also enjoys a beautiful waterfront, making for one of the best spots on Hong Kong Island to watch the sunset.
Although Kennedy Town never became the bustling dining destination as was hoped for, the restaurant scene has adapted to its population, and you’ll find that the eateries and bars that remain are welcoming places serving honest food and packed with regulars who live nearby. Here are our picks of the best restaurants in Kennedy Town.
It’s jokingly said that all the French expats in Hong Kong live between Sai Ying Pun and Kennedy Town, which might explain why there are so many French dining venues in this part of town. Fuelling this amusing belief is Bistro du Vin, something like a home away from home for French bistro lovers. Rustic vibes, hearty cuisine, and an extensive wine list define this restaurant. From the classic onion soup to the beef bone marrow, snails from Poitou-Charentes, beef tartare, and charcuterie board, it’s hard to pick a starter, as everything is delicious. For the main course, Bistro du Vin recommends sharing its signature dish, the bouillabaisse, a seafood stew with rouille and toast.
Bistro du Vin, 39 Cadogan Street, Kennedy Town
11 Westside is a staple in Kennedy Town, and one of the few restaurants that people are happy to make the trip for. From table-side guacamole to some of the tastiest margarita pitchers in all of Hong Kong, it’s no surprise this address is so popular.
Founded by chef Esdras Ochoa, known as something of an expert on tacos, the kitchen team cooks up some excellent versions of this Mexican dish, and the restaurants gets crowded on Taco Tuesday! We continuously rave about the Baja fish taco, where battered sole is served with pico de gallo salsa, chipotle aioli, and fine cabbage.
Classic tacos such as the al pastor, carne asada, and pollo asado are available for bite-sized cravings of pork, beef, or chicken, and there is one vegetarian option in the form of the scrumptious Caulifornia Veggie (because it’s made with cauliflower, geddit?).
11 Westside, 1/F, The Hudson, 11 Davis Street, Kennedy Town
Sheung Hei is a Michelin Bib Gourmand-recommended eatery founded over a decade ago by local chef Lam Weng-hong. Options from the speciality claypot rice menu seem endless, from a simple sausage rice to a shark fin rice or a salted fish rice, so you’re really spoilt for choice. Aside from claypot rice, the spacious restaurant also serves other staples of Chinese cuisine, such as dim sum, rice flour rolls, congee, and stir-fries.
Sheung Hei Claypot Rice, G/F, 25 North Street, Kennedy Town
Named after its counter seats, which allow you to dine on French tapas and sip on wine while facing the open kitchen and sommelier’s central station, Comptoir has been around for years and is a neighbourhood staple. High tables and an upstairs private-tasting cellar complete this laid-back, welcoming restaurant. To accompany the wine you will inevitably order at Comptoir, you can nibble on the melted Saint-Marcelin brick, the mini beef cheeseburger, and the homemade foie gras terrine to start. For bigger plates, pick main courses from the seafood, meat, and pasta selection—have you ever tried a lasagna carbonara?
Comptoir, 42 Forbes Street, Kennedy Town
Open from 4 pm to 4 am (yes, you read that right), Ho Ho Restaurant is an unassuming cha chaan teng attracting lots of regulars, and beloved by students for its affordable prices and late operating hours. Serving up double-boiled soups, fried rice, stir-fried noodles, pork chop, fish balls, rice rolls, congee, and more, Ho Ho also boasts an intriguing selection of cold side dishes: black fungus in chilli oil, preserved eggs with pickled chilli, garlic marinated cucumber in chilli oil, and chilled shredded kelp salad. While not your typically hip bubble-tea provider, Ho Ho nonetheless lists 12 flavours in its pearl tea series, from a classic milk tea with pearls to an iced blueberry milk tea with pearls.
Ho Ho Restaurant, Shop E–F, G/F, Luen Wai Apartments, 136–142 Belcher’s Street, Kennedy Town
Peripheral Kennedy Town is all about the small neighbourhood vibes, and most restaurants and cafés are frequented by people who actually live nearby, which is the case at Waffling Beans. It’s a cosy space with curbside seating, and it’s dog-friendly, too! The neon sign above the coffee counter reads “Take your time,” so you know you can spend hours there catching up with a friend or reading a good book. Waffling Beans serves an all-day brunch, and expectedly, there’s a range of waffle-based desserts.
Waffling Beans, Shop 9C, New Fortune House, 4–8 North Street, Kennedy Town
For quality takeout in Kennedy Town, Bengal Brothers is a sound bet. The Indian eatery is famous for its street food, kati rolls, and rice bowls. The kati rolls are great for on-the-go snacking, whether you go for the New Market chicken tikka, Chettinad lamb, Connaught Place chickpea, BB Classic, or Achaari panner option. With a side of gunpowder fries or Bag of Poppadoms lentil crackers, that’s your lunch sorted!
Bengal Brothers, Shop 2F, G/F, Smithfield Terrace, 71–77 Smithfield Road, Kennedy Town
For Japanese fare, step through the noren (Japanese door curtains) on Smithfield and into Shiba, a grilled-skewer restaurant and Niigata-imported sake bar. The chefs prepare the food in front of you if you sit at the counter, which we recommend for a well-rounded experience. Sample through the skewer sections of seafood, chicken, meat, and vegetables—from Hokkaido scallop to Miyazaki A4 Wagyu, there’s plenty to nosh on.
Shiba, 11 Smithfield, Kennedy Town
Did you know you can have Sichuan pot in Kennedy Town? Just head over to Twelve Flavors for a fiery experience. Same as the restaurant chain’s 20-plus locations across Hong Kong, the Kennedy Town outpost serves spicy or non-spicy dry pots, grilled meats, boiled fish and grilled fish dishes, skewers, and even seasonal hairy crab.
Twelve Flavors, Shop 2–4, G/F, Pearl Court, 13 Belcher’s Street, Kennedy Town
Although the café scene in Hong Kong is competitive, few shops have solidly established themselves in the same way that Little Cove Espresso has. After its first location in Sai Kung, the café opened a second outpost in Kennedy Town, and has now opened up in Pacific Place and Taikoo Place as well. A victim of its own success, Little Cove Espresso in Kennedy Town gets really busy on weekends, and only accepts walk-ins. However, we think it’s worth getting up early or queuing up for a taste of the fluffy smashed avocado on sourdough, generous shakshuka, spiced chicken salad, and a slice of cake.
Little Cove Espresso, Shop 3, G/F, New Fortune House, 3–5 New Praya, Kennedy Town
Some of us are always looking for something sweet to finish off a good meal. Bakeries are not sparse in Kennedy Town, but if you’re willing to expand your dessert palate, this Chinese desserts specialist is definitely worth the detour. Black sesame soup, sweet potato in ginger soup, walnut and mung bean soup, golden milk custard, sago and beans soup with taro balls, or red bean soup with lotus seeds, tangerine peel, and lily bulbs are just a few of the dessert iterations you can order at Yin Kee Desserts.
Yin Kee Desserts, Shop 4, G/F, The Hudson, 11 Davis Street, Kennedy Town
Born and raised in the French countryside, Lily arrived in Hong Kong looking for an adventure. Passionate about books, she spent some time in Parisian publishing houses and is the author of an illustrated book about hair. Life in Hong Kong for her entails looking for seaside places to eat and a lot of hiking.
Top