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Header image courtesy of @cafe.hopping (via Instagram)
Most people say that the world is obsessed with Australian coffee culture, but we’d say that’s just because they have not yet set foot in one of Hong Kong’s outstanding cafés. Small as the city may be, our neighbourhoods are brimming with boutique coffee shops, and new openings are popping up across Hong Kong every week. Join us as we follow the irresistible waft of freshly ground coffee beans to the latest and greatest café and coffee shop openings in Hong Kong.
Located just a stone’s throw away from the famous Tin Hau Temple Complex in Yau Ma Tei, Cascara is the latest coffee shop concept to flourish in the historical neighbourhood. Sticking out like a chic thumb with its monotone façade, bare concrete walls are balanced off against wood-topped stools and brushed metal tabletops, making for a sleek and chic space to rest your feet for a coffee date. Perfecting the snap-and-go vibe that is pervasive in the Instagram age, Cascara provides a perfectly photogenic log bench by its shopfront, no doubt with well-poised selfie opportunities in mind while one waits for their drinks order.
For food, take your choice between offerings like the ham & cheese toast ($56) and the smoked salmon avocado bagel ($68)—we hear their bagels are, in fact, quite popular and sell out regularly. Pair it off with an excellent flat white (starting from $38) or to complete the leisurely experience.
Cascara, Shop C, G/F, 56–58 Temple Street, Yau Ma Tei | (+852) 2445 5441
A sliver of a coffee shop this may be, but you’ll be hard-pressed to miss its vibrant green exterior. Time Coffee is possibly one of the smallest new café openings we have seen recently, occupying no more than a petite corner in Kwai Fong. Still, less is more, and this lively little shop makes do with just six counter seats, plenty of standing room along the pavement, and endless takeaway opportunities.
Despite its size, Time Coffee offers a robust beverage menu, ranging from black to white coffees, teas, and even speciality drinks like the coffee beer ($60) for sundowners. Light bites are served in the form of sweet pancakes and bagels, with the homemade kaya bagel ($48) as the standout dish of choice.
Time Coffee, Shop F1, G/F, Kwai Lok Building, 79 Wing Fong Road, Kwai Fong | (+852) 9686 0159
“This drink, I like it—another!” Chris Hemsworth once cried as Thor, and the scene of him smashing his coffee mug on the ground has gone down in film history as a classic. Well, we like our coffee shops as much as Thor likes his aromatic bean brew, so here’s another one, in the form of, well, Another One. However, don’t be quick to dismiss Another One as just another café—there’s more than meets the eye.
As a French-Vietnamese concept, Another One goes beyond your average coffee shop, serving phở and bánh mì as signature dishes on its food menu. Opt for the signature assorted phở ($92), where a medley of raw and cooked beef, meatball, beef shank, tripe, Vietnamese sausage, and rice noodles awaits you, and lemongrass grilled chicken baguette ($68) for a hearty lunchtime meal. Pair it off with a sweet and acidic cold-brew lemonade ($48) or an iced Viet morning coffee ($45) for some novel flavours.
Another One, G/F, The Humphreys, 6–6A Humphreys Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui
If discovering hidden gems in the villages of Hong Kong is your jam, then you’ll not want to miss out on SBG Coffee. This unassuming little neighbourhood coffee shop opened in Ma Wan New Village in Tung Chung just before the new year and has become a popular pilgrimage spot for café hunters, especially those who are attempting various hikes around Lantau Island over the weekend.
Its no-frills décor is nothing to write home about, but comforting flavours abound—their satay beef noodles, in particular, are drawing rave reviews from foodies. When it comes to coffee, local roasters are given the spotlight on a rotational basis—this month features a blended selection from Hong Kong-based Mad Coffee Roaster—and standout beverages include the hand-drip coffee and the flat white.
SBG Coffee, G/F, 10 Ma Wan New Village, Tung Chung | (+852) 2960 0303
Tseung Kwan O is fast becoming the next suburban hotspot in eastern Hong Kong, brimming with family-friendly venues, assorted restaurants, world-class shopping outlets, and engaging outdoor activities. It should come as no wonder, then, that trendy coffee shops and cafés should soon follow.
Adding to the thriving dining scene in this residential community, Stay With Café welcomes guests of all shapes and sizes, meaning that four-legged friends will have plenty of opportunities to join in on the fun. Its decidedly eclectic interior is comfortable, and its large, street-facing patio is optimal for people-watching. From its expansive menu, which covers everything from all-day breakfasts to sourdough toasts and pasta, there’s bound to be something that will catch your eye—and your dog’s, too, from the pet menu! We would recommend the aromatic duck & spinach roll ($68), paired with a sweet Doggieccino ($25).
Stay With Café, Shop 3B, G/F, Alto Residences, 29 Tong Yin Street, Tseung Kwan O
Coffeelin is taking its winning brand of brewed joe with a side of good vibes to its second location in Happy Valley! Drawing on an eclectic mix of medieval Italian design influences for its geometric floor patterns and muted colour palette as well as 1980s Milanese coffee shop graphics for its décor, Coffeelin juxtaposes old and new to breathe new life into the comfortable residential neighbourhood.
Come for breakfast or brunch and perk right up with the Morning Call, Coffeelin’s signature cold-brew coffee, and sink your teeth into their salami & porchetta pesto panini and truffle mushroom panini for a wholesome meal. We also love the smooth oat milk latte to go with their bite-sized lemon cake.
Coffeelin, G/F, 8 Cheong Ming Street, Happy Valley | (+852) 6012 6241
If we could give out prizes to the most beautiful new coffee shop opening in town, this month’s honour would be bestowed upon Cofflow, who might not be winning us over with its phlegmatic name, but whose interior design efforts deserve the highest praise. Preserving the old-fashioned tilework of 1950s Hong Kong shopfronts and the patterned metal shutters of the gated entrance with contemporary elements of exposed concrete and dark wooden furnishings, Cofflow blends together nostalgic accents with modern sensibilities to create a fashionable hotspot for coffee lovers. Have a sip of their raw honey latte, which uses locally farmed honey from Yuen Long, and treat your sweet tooth to a slice of their Earl Grey cheesecake.
Cofflow, 2C Wong Chuk Street, Prince Edward
To say that we have been waiting with bated breath for the opening of Grain of Salt would be an understatement. Teasing us with a work-in-progress shopfront for months ahead of its arrival on Gough Street, Hong Kong’s newest health-forward café combines a downstairs coffee shop with an upstairs dietician’s clinic, creating the ultimate wellness destination for holistic well-being.
Led by dietician Tiffany Shek, this nutrition hub is not just beautiful inside and out, but packs a punch when it comes to guilt-free indulgence, too, focusing on foods that tick all the boxes, be it plant-based, nourishing, keto-friendly, and more. We have our eyes on the Green, Eggs & No Ham ($108)—carrot hummus and poached egg served on sourdough toast—and the chia pudding ($88) to start our day off on the right foot. Add a cup of matcha milk ($50) to your breakfast and make balanced eating look easy!
Grain of Salt, G/F, 47 Gough Street, Sheung Wan | (+852) 2968 1083
Born in Hong Kong, raised in Germany, and educated in the US, Jen is an award-winning creative with a background in illustration, communication design, art direction, and content creation. When she’s not getting lost in a good book, you’ll find her doing crosswords, eating dim sum, covering all sides of a “Hamilton” number, and taking naps.
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