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Header image courtesy of Joel Fulgencio (via Unsplash)
When we think of Hong Kong’s most iconic districts, Mong Kok is right up there with Central, Causeway Bay, and Tsim Sha Tsui. With its pedestrian-friendly streets lined with market stalls, snack shops, and stores selling everything under the sun, Mong Kok is a shopper’s paradise on par with Myeongdong in Seoul and Harajuku in Tokyo.
While Mong Kok can be something of a sensory overload—a far cry from the peaceful flower market and bird garden in neighbouring Prince Edward—it’s almost always worth braving the crowds. Whether it’s a delicious snack, the perfect smudge-proof mascara, or the exact vintage toy you were on the hunt for, there’s always something to be discovered in Mong Kok. Read on for our favourite things to do, see, and eat around Hong Kong’s “busy corner.”
Perched on a junction on the border of Mong Kok, this near-century-old shophouse is a prime example of a pre-war tenement building that incorporates both Western and Chinese design elements. Featuring a curved façade, granite columns, decorative urn-shaped balustrades, and deep verandas, Lui Seng Chun cuts an imposing figure in Mong Kok’s architectural landscape.
The four-storey building was used as a shophouse by the Lui family, who operated a traditional Chinese medicine clinic on the ground floor and occupied the upstairs quarters. In the early 2000s, the Lui family donated the building to the government, and it was later converted into a clinic for Hong Kong Baptist University’s School of Chinese Medicine. There are information panels that can be found all around the building so you can learn more about the building’s history and Chinese medicine as you explore the site.
Lui Seng Chun, 119 Lai Chi Kok Road, Prince Edward
If you’ve taken a couple of creative workshops and liked the processing of developing your own style, consider CC Art Studio. It offers one-day ceramic workshop trials, where you can create almost anything you want, from vases, sake sets, and fluid ceramic plates to ceramic dehumidifying aroma stones. If you’re not interested in ceramics, it also offers wheel-throwing, modelling clay, and art workshops. The studio’s interior feels more like a home than it does a business space, presenting a relaxing atmosphere as you create your next piece.
CC Art Studio, Flat E, 6/F, Edward Mansion, 141 Prince Edward Road West, Mong Kok | (+852) 8546 6825
Relive (or just live) your teen years at Game Zone, one of Hong Kong’s best-known games arcades. Hidden in the bowels of one of Mong Kok’s many malls, this is an old-school arcade where you’ll find a treasure trove of games. Take your pick from rhythm games like Taiko no Tatsujin and Wacca or classics like Mario Kart, as well as dance games such as Danz Base and Dance Evolution Arcade.
Game Zone, B/F, Mong Kok New Town Mall, 65 Argyle Street, Mong Kok
Cat cafés are generally a bit hit-or-miss—some are more like cafés with a shop cat, while others are a little cramped for the feline populations housed. Lay your concerns to rest at Catfe, a spacious and clean cat café complete with an Instagrammable swing seat table (open for both humans and felines to laze upon) and a well-behaved crew of adorable kitties. Many of the cats are up for adoption—which we’re sure is welcome news for anyone who has formed bonds with cat-café moggies in the past. Catfe also occasionally operates free-of-charge to attract more visitors when cats are in need of adopting, so make sure you check its Facebook page to see if any special events are coming up.
Catfe, Room A, 3/F, Ko’s House, 577 Nathan Road, Mong Kok | (+852) 96646361
While Mong Kok has plenty of malls, the most popular shopping attractions here are the huge, sprawling street markets. The most famous one by far is Ladies’ Market, which occupies the southern half of Tung Choi Street. Despite its name, the market doesn’t exclusively stock products for female customers—the wide range of items available include Hong Kong-themed souvenirs, knock-off bags and shoes, novelty toys and gadgets, and much more.
Continue your retail adventure by wandering off to the nearby Sneaker Street (a.k.a. Fa Yuen Street) for a thoroughly hypebeast-worthy shopping expedition, or to Goldfish Street (the northern section of Tung Choi Street) to check out the massive selection of aquarium-related goods and aquatic pets for sale.
One of our favourite places to discover local brands and pick up quirky or handmade items is 618 Shanghai Street, a revitalised shopping centre similar to PMQ, Tai Kwun, or The Mills. Though the complex itself is new, the façade was painstakingly preserved from Hong Kong’s longest row of tong lau shophouses. Inside, you’ll find a well-curated selection of local independent shops—many of which stock “Made in Hong Kong” products like minibus sign-style keychains, hand-carved mahjong, as well as a plethora of imported vintage items from across the globe. The food available ranges from traditional Hong Kong corner shop eats to authentic Malaysian dishes and international sweet treats. It also holds short-term markets from time to time, so keep an eye on its Facebook if you’re interested!
This petite CD and record store is a veritable treasure trove for vinyl fans with a taste for alternative music, with everything from indie darlings like Japanese Breakfast, Lucy Dacus, and Men I Trust to classics like David Bowie, Nirvana, and Primal Scream, as well as rising stars like Chappell Roan and Laufey. You’ll also find a good selection of old-school and modern Asian artists, from every Chinese parent’s favourite singer, Teresa Teng, to Hong Kong noise-rockers The Yours. Even trendy coloured vinyl records—like the neon-green fifteenth-anniversary edition of Dinosaur Jr’s Farm —are priced reasonably, providing a welcome change of pace from Hong Kong’s typically steep mark-up for imported limited-edition goods.
Zoo Records, Shop 325, 3/F, President Commercial Centre, 608 Nathan Road, Mong Kok | (+852) 2309 2911
Film photography buffs and newbies alike will be well-catered to at Showa. As you might expect from a film camera store named after the Japanese era when analogue photography began to take off, Showa’s stock is largely sourced from Japan, with cameras and film from flagship brands like Nikon, Minolta, and Canon. The shopkeeper is always more than happy to geek out over cameras, so feel free to chat with them (or try to win the in-shop cat’s affection) while you wait for your film to process!
Showa, 3/F, 66 Sai Yeung Choi Street South, Mong Kok
Mong Kok has no shortage of local malls teeming with cosmetics stores, odd speciality shops, and boutiques. Argyle Centre is a favourite among bargain-hunting teens, which is similar to Island Beverly and Laforet in Causeway Bay in its representation of local “cube stores” offering the latest threads from Korea and Japan. There are also a variety of Korean or Japanese-style photobooths, making it a popular go-to spot for post-hangout photos.
Once you’re done browsing Argyle Centre’s 14 floors of shops, you can take the footbridge to get to TOP (This is Our Place). With trendy brands like Idiot Sandwich N. Cat and WeGo Tokyo nestled alongside K-pop or anime merch stores, as well as Hong Kong’s only Popeyes Chicken, this shopping centre is definitely geared towards a more youthful, K-pop-loving crowd.
For Asian and Western beauty products, there’s no beating Langham Place. You’ll find a multitude of make-up and skincare offerings here, ranging from Japanese road-shop brands like Cosme and Shiseido, but Langham Place’s selection covers more upscale outlets like Nars, Dermalogica, and Sulhwasoo as well.
Argyle Centre, 688 Nathan Road, Mong Kok
TOP, 700 Nathan Road, Mong Kok
Langham Place, 8 Argyle Street, Mong Kok
It’s not just make-up and skincare, however—Mong Kok also caters to the nerd that is inside (most of) us, with specific shopping centres and streets specialising in comic books, anime, and toys. Refresh your media library at Sino Centre, where you can find all manner of comics and anime, models, toys, video games, and all the related merch, consoles, and gadgetry. For hobby toy collectors, CTMA Centre is up there with In’s Point in Yau Ma Tei as a geek haven, with figurines and models spread across the mall.
Sino Centre, 582–592 Nathan Road, Mong Kok
CTMA Centre, 1N Sai Yeung Choi Street South, Mong Kok
Dine like you’re in an old-school dai pai dong at Ladies Street Sik Faan Co., a sprawling Mong Kok eatery serving up elevated DPD classics—think scallion oil chicken, black pepper pork knuckles, and its signature scallops with free range chicken. In the same vein as Lau Haa Hot Pot in Causeway Bay, Ladies Street Sik Faan Co. is a single restaurant done up to look like a retro cooked food market (beer bowls and all!), complete with metal shutters and Chinese signage to simulate the presence of other businesses.
Ladies Street Sik Faan Co., Shop B, 1/F, Witty Commercial Building, 1A–1L Tung Choi Street, Mong Kok
Just a stone’s throw away from the Ladies’ Market is this hidden gem of a taproom-slash-gastropub. Opened by the team behind craft brewery Moonzen, Moonkok is decorated in a more-is-more style that’s in keeping with the brewery’s Chinese mythology theme. Besides the wide-ranging beers from Moonzen and other craft breweries, you’ll find a concise menu of Western baos, Eastern buns, and spicy bites, which make for great finger food while you pay tribute to Chinese deities by imbibing Moonzen’s Kitchen God porter and Thunder God pale ale.
Moonkok, 88 Shantung Street, Mong Kok | (+852) 2911 4662
Dreaming of the colourful bazaars of Istanbul? Satisfy your wanderlust at Be Humble, a hyper-photogenic café and shisha bar inspired by bohemian design and Middle Eastern culture. While the décor is the main draw for a lot of customers, its shisha menu is no slouch, with over 40 flavours from famous brands, as well as the option to change the water base to juice, milk, or alcohol. Don’t forget to give its food a try either, as its XLXLXL egg rolls are known to be flavourful and silky, and its potato grid has received plenty of love from customers too. Next time you want to chill with a friend over drinks, you know where to go.
Be Humble, 18/F, Mongkok Metro, 594–596 Nathan Road, Mong Kok | (+852) 6897 7628
For an unforgettable meal of refined Cantonese food, there is nowhere better in Mong Kok than Ming Court. Tucked away on the sixth floor of the upmarket Cordis hotel, this Michelin-starred Chinese eatery is famed for its delicate dim sum and perfectly executed Cantonese classics. Try the famously hard-to-perfect river shrimps with scrambled egg whites or the visually stunning deep-fried crab shell stuffed with crabmeat. Can’t choose? Indulge in the Michelin degustation menu, which includes eight courses and an appetiser duo.
Ming Court, 6/F, Cordis, 555 Shanghai Street Cordis, Mong Kok | (+852) 3552 3300
For a filling and affordable meal of authentic Taiwanese fare, Mu Taiwan Noodle always hits the spot. Its red-braised beef noodle soup is a crowd-pleaser, with generous portions of unusually thick slices of meat and a rich soup base that’s worth every slurp—but you also have the option of tomato or numbingly spicy soup base too, if that’s more your speed.
Mu Taiwan Noodle, Shop 3–4, G/F, The Concord Building, 60–102 Soy Street, Mong Kok | (+852) 9862 2272
Satisfy your craving for mille-crêpe cakes at Lamlamli, which specialises in the delicate layered cakes. The cake shop, which started off as an Instagram bakery, has found success in its brick-and-mortar location, where you can take your pick from over 12 different flavours, from lava chocolate and taro milk, to cheese-milk-capped oolong tea and blueberry cheese. It also started offering Basque cheesecake options after the dessert’s rise in popularity, such as the classic Basque cheesecake and fun flavours like Oreo or pistachio.
Lamlamli Bakery, Shop 697, 3/F, Winner Mansion, 691–697 Nathan Road, Mong Kok
For a fusion Thai meal that looks as good as it tastes, head to Morokok at Gala Place. This endlessly photogenic restaurant is a favourite with the Instagram crowd for its beautiful themed installations, with seasonal displays featuring snow-capped Christmas trees or bountiful cherry blossoms decorating its expansive outdoor terrace at any given point. Some of its most popular dishes include the lobster pad Thai, Hainanese chicken, and mango with butterfly pea and pandan sticky rice.
Morokok, Shop 801, 8/F, Gala Place, 56 Dundas Street, Mong Kok | (+852) 2363 1882
For ultimate indulgence on your next cheat day, Outdark Hong Kong is definitely worth a try. With its roots in Busan, Outdark Hong Kong is the first international outpost of the traditional Korean eatery. Its offerings range from the ever-iconic boneless fried chicken, the refreshing beef bulgogi mullaengmyeon, and the indulgent seafood tteokbokki, plus almost every traditional Korean dish you can dream up. Aside from taking pictures inside the dimly lit, atmospheric restaurant, you can also take Y2K-style pictures at its newly added photobooth! What’s more, your photos are printed as receipts, instead of the typical four-cut photo style.
Outdark, 2/F, Fee Tat Commercial Centre, 613 Nathan Road, Mong Kok | (+852) 2892 0877
Take a break from the ever-busy streets of Mong Kok at 90s Lazy. This upstairs café aims to provide a comfortable and chill environment for its customers to unwind, with no dining time limit. Some of its most popular dishes include its scallop and black truffle risotto, the mentaiko cream udon, and the all-day breakfast. If you’re not feeling particularly hungry, you can content yourself by ordering from the drinks menu, which covers everything from black and white espressos, organic teas, and seasonal drinks like Hami melon soda.
90s Lazy, 1/F & 2/F, 50 Shantung Street, Mong Kok | (+852) 2341 0288
First published on 26 July 2021. Written by Annette Chan. Last updated by Punita Chan.
Covering the hottest new eats, the best places to play, offbeat takes on local culture, and so much more, Localiiz is every Hongkonger’s destination for how to live a well-rounded life in our vibrant city. Why the strange spelling? Well, Localiiz is designed to be your “local eyes”—and for that, you need two i’s.
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