Hotel ICON’s Top 7 Hong Kong Noodle Spots

Paris has croissants. New York has hot dogs. Naples has pizza. And when it comes to Hong Kong, noodles are a deeply ingrained part of the city’s culinary consciousness, the epitome of what fine Hong Kong gourmand fare can look like. The city is a shopping paradise, but a brisk amount of walking means you’ll need to boost your energy with some high-quality food. And what better way to satiate your appetite than by enjoying Hong Kong’s favourite food?

In exploring the many Hong Kong noodle restaurants, you’ll see — and taste — a little of everything. The international city purveys cuisine from China and all around the world and is home to chefs from both around Asia and beyond. Some of the city’s finest noodles aren’t served over a white tablecloth and are available where you might least expect them. From handcrafted Japanese ramen to the best wonton noodles, Hotel ICON explores the 7 noodle restaurants in which you simply must eat when in Hong Kong.

7 Must-Eat Hong Kong Noodle Spots

1) Mak's Noodle

Photo credits: Mak’s Noodles Hong Kong (Facebook)

This restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong has its roots in a Guangzhou eatery established prior to World War 2. It serves incredibly delicious dishes, but arguably its pièce de résistance is its wonton noodle soup.

This diner-style restaurant, complete with small, homely booths, dishes up plump wontons, seasoned to perfection and bursting with tender crustaceans, straining against their thin flour pockets amid thin noodles and umami-rich soup. Make sure you take time to observe the action in the open, permanently steamy kitchen, in which skilled shifu in white paper hats produce dish after dish of fine Chinese cuisine. Put simply, Mak’s provides the benchmark against which most noodle restauranteurs dream of operating. Don’t pass up the opportunity to taste some of the best wonton noodles in Hong Kong!

19 Lock Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

Tel: +852 2301 3233

2) Yat Lok Roast Goose

Photo credits: chopsticktravel (Instagram)

Yat Lok is aesthetically a grunge vintage of a shop. In a way, this makes the exceptional quality of its food all the more surprisingly fun! A single small room, the restaurant is usually busy and crowded, no-nonsense and straight-talking, and the genuinely incredible food stands out from the unusual take on customer experience.

Mirrored walls covered with pink menus itemizing the choices in large red and black Chinese characters make for a fascinating interior. The star of the menu is unquestionable: thick rice noodles in a fragrant scallion-thick broth, topped with tender chunks of roast goose, the skin of which is delectably crispy. Oozing in scrumptious marinated ingredients, including wine and soy sauce, the meal is served with a perfectly complementary sweet plum sauce.

G/F, 34-38 Stanley Street, Central

Tel: +852 2524 3882

3) Ramen Bari-Uma

Photo credits: Bari-Uma (Facebook)

This restaurant is simultaneously low-key and iconic, a truly legendary institution established in Hiroshima in 2003. The restaurant refined the flavour so loved by the people of Japan before taking it to Asia en masse. Bari-Uma is notable because its soups are sourced directly from Japan and its noodles crafted fresh within the restaurant.

Ramen Bari-Uma’s spicy gyozas are a melange of incredible flavours which explode on the taste buds, and the karaage is both crisp and succulent. An ornate interior, animated atmosphere and subtle decor totally complete the authentic Japanese dining experience.

26 Kimberly Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

Tel: +852 2217 8300

4) Kau Kee Restaurant 

Photo credits: tamthetourist (Instagram)

 

Kau Kee has been around just shy of a century, and their wisdom shines through in their dishes. Seating a maximum of just 30 people, the lines are usually out the door, so plan in advance. Their beef brisket noodles are famous for a reason. The broth is clear, sweetly spiced and flavoured with traditional Chinese herbs and tangerine peel. The aroma is sweet, aromatic; the taste is strong, salty and totally irresistible.

 

A fast, affordable, filling establishment in which to eat, Kau Kee has never bowed to the pressure of anglicizing their menus, so be prepared to point out what you want. The variety of noodles on offer is fantastic, and the atmosphere is hearty, welcoming and fun!

 

G/F, 21 Gough Street, Central

Tel: +852 2850 5967

 

5) Siam Noodles, 7 Lock Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

 

 

Photo credits: Siam Noodles (Facebook)

 

The quintessential taste of Thailand is truly spectacular in this buzzing spot with fascinating decor and hospitable staff. The noodles are light and fluffy, the pad thai authentically delicious and the beef melt-in-the-mouth. Be sure to check out the incredibly flavoursome meaty soups, and the crispy pork crackling is a very nice touch indeed. Finally, do not miss out on the Thai boat noodles, each with a luxurious spin, be it the chicken leg boat soup with pad thai, US premium Angus beef boat soup with flat rice noodles or roasted pork belly with prawn chips.

 

Shop A, G/F, Kar Lock Building, 7 Lock Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

Tel: +852 2350 4808

 

6) Lung King Heen

 

Photo credits: mio_omodaka (Instagram)

 

Its name meaning View of the Dragon, this restaurant was the first in China to receive 3 Michelin Stars. Executive chef Chan Yan Tak is responsible for making the establishment a destination for foodie tourists from around the globe. With floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the vibrant skylines of Hong Kong, the ambience is effortless, the dining room airy and the atmosphere not pretentious in the slightest.

 

Perhaps the finest dish on offer here is the braised egg noodles with shrimp wontons, ginger, shrimp roe and spring onions. Lightly tossed in a mild sauce to ensure optimal moistness, the dish is completed by shiitake mushrooms, crunchy beansprouts and scallions. This aromatic blend of flavours encapsulates everything right about the cuisine of one of the world’s most culturally diverse cities.

 

Podium 4, 8 Finance Street, Central

Tel: +852 3196 8880

 

Check Out Hotel ICON's Own Fantastic Noodles

 

 

While you’re visiting and enjoying the sights and tastes of Hong Kong, why not head on over to Hotel ICON? Our buffet restaurant The Market is one of the city’s most renowned and popular of its kind. Offering international classics from antipasti to curries, including our famous laksa lemak, a spicy noodle soup, is guaranteed to tickle your taste buds. Our dishes are prepared by chefs who excel in the respective countries they represent.

 

Fancy some warm steaming spaghetti? Why not check out Green, which offers some of Hong Kong’s best breakfasts and afternoon teas. With a menu featuring such Western classics as pastries, teas and croissants, this brasserie celebrates Hong Kong old and new in its media installations, sweeping staircases and elegant interiors. For a more luxurious spin on traditional Chinese noodles, you will not be disappointed with Above & Beyond’s A&B Stir-fried Lobster with Crispy Noodles in Black Bean Sauce.