Hong Kong Restaurants Claim Top Two Spots In Asia’s 50 Best

“Culinary Capital” Title Reaffirmed with Over 200 Restaurants Listed in Internationally Acclaimed Gourmet Guides.

Following last year’s “The World’s 50 Best Bars” Award Ceremony in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) this year brought the “Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026” Awards Ceremony to Hong Kong for the first time. The event today (25 March) brought together over 1,000 culinary industry representatives, renowned chefs and media worldwide. Top local Cantonese restaurant The Chairman and contemporary Cantonese restaurant Wing secured first and second places respectively on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 list, once again highlighting the leading position of Hong Kong’s dining scene in Asia.

HKTB Chairman Dr Peter Lam said: “We extend our sincere gratitude to the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants team for selecting Hong Kong for the first time as the host city for the Awards Ceremony. This international award recognises the outstanding achievements of the culinary sector. I am very proud of Hong Kong’s remarkable accomplishments in this year’s Awards. Together with the ‘MICHELIN Guide Hong Kong Macau 2026’ and ‘The Black Pearl Restaurant Guide’, over 200 restaurants have been listed in these internationally acclaimed gourmet guides, reaffirming Hong Kong’s position as a “Culinary Capital” in Asia. We are delighted to welcome the esteemed Asian chefs and other culinary professionals attending the Awards Ceremony to Hong Kong, and we warmly invite everyone to explore the city’s unique and diverse gastronomic charm by following the master chefs’ curated recommendations featured in the citywide ‘Taste Hong Kong’ Gourmet Guide.”

Danny Yip, owner of The Chairman, said “Being named The Best Restaurant in Asia for the second time is a huge honour for our entire team, and to achieve it here in Hong Kong makes it even more meaningful. This recognition — as well as the strong results for the city on this year’s list — reflects the depth and diversity that define Hong Kong’s dining culture today. It’s a privilege to represent our city in this way and to continue sharing the traditions and stories that shape our cuisine.”

Hong Kong Leads Asia Culinary Landscape with Two Restaurants in the Top Three

Together with the previously announced extended list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants (51th – 100th), a total of ten Hong Kong restaurants were recommended in the Asian edition of the prestigious list. These include six restaurants in the top 50: while The Chairman and Wing topped the list at first and second spots, Neighborhood (No. 24), Estro (No. 32), Caprice (No. 35), and Mono (No.46) stayed strong on the list. Four other restaurants were also featured in the extended list, namely Ta Vie (No. 68), Vea (No. 70), Andō (No. 88), and Amber (No. 90). With this stellar performance, Hong Kong reaffirmed its leading position in the regional culinary scene. The winning restaurants cover a diverse range of cuisines, demonstrating Hong Kong’s unique appeal as a melting pot of global flavours and a hub for star-rated dining establishments.

In the recently announced “Black Pearl Restaurant Guide”, the number of Hong Kong entries increased to 39, up from last year, including four first-time entries – Mosu Hong Kong, founded by three-Michelin-star South Korean chef Sung Anh; Jee, a Cantonese-French fusion restaurant; contemporary Indian restaurant Leela, and Cantonese fine-dining establishment Man Ho Chinese Restaurant. In addition, homegrown chef Vicky Cheng of Chinese-French restaurant VEA, and Terry Ho, Chef de Cuisine of French restaurant Amber, received the Master Chef Award and the Young Chef Award respectively in the Black Pearl Restaurant Guide, affirming the distinguished reputation of Hong Kong’s culinary talent in the Asian dining scene. In the “MICHELIN Guide Hong Kong Macau 2026”, more Hong Kong establishments were awarded MICHELIN stars than in the previous year, bringing a total to 77 Michelin-starred restaurants in one destination, further demonstrating the world-class standard of the city’s culinary scene.

Top Asian Chefs and Global Media Gather in Hong Kong to Experience the City’s Culinary

Capitalising on the opportunity presented by major culinary event being hosted in Hong Kong, HKTB arranged exchanges between leading Asian chefs and renowned local culinary talent, enabling them to experience the city’s diverse gastronomic offerings and produce promotional videos dedicated to “Taste Hong Kong”. In addition, HKTB leveraged its global network to invite media representatives from the Chinese Mainland, Taiwan, South Korea, Southeast Asia and other key markets to visit Hong Kong. In addition to attending the award ceremony for media coverage of the event, HKTB curated a series of immersive culinary experiences to fully showcase Hong Kong’s unique charm as a Culinary Capital.

Highlights of the itinerary included engaging with local master chef Vicky Cheng to gain firsthand insight into his exceptional culinary skills and cooking philosophy; participating in a dim sum workshop led by master chef Wong Lung-to, Executive Chef of Forum Restaurant, to learn how to make classic Cantonese dim sum such as siu mai (Cantonese pork dumplings) and har gow (shrimp dumplings); and joining an egg tart baking workshop. Media representatives were also invited to dine at several listed restaurants and visit emerging bars to experience Hong Kong’s diverse food and beverage culture in full. Through in-depth media coverage, the media trip will help promote Hong Kong’s distinctive culinary appeal to audiences worldwide, attracting more visitors to explore “Taste Hong Kong” and further consolidating the city’s status as a Culinary Capital.

11 Exclusive Collaborative Signature Sessions around the Awards Ceremony to Share Hong Kong’s Gastronomic Experiences

To encourage locals and visitors to immerse themselves in the vibrant atmosphere surrounding the award ceremony, HKTB partnered with the organiser for the first time this year to invite 40 internationally renowned and local award-winning restaurants to present 11 limited-time collaborative Signature Sessions covering various global cuisines, bringing multiple tasting surprises to locals and visitors. The events attracted many locals and visitors, allowing everyone to experience the charm of global cuisines converging in Hong Kong at a single table.

Full results of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026:

https://www.theworlds50best.com/asia/en/list/1-50

Hong Kong's Newest Art Galleries And trendiest Restaurants

Hong Kong: a place bursting at the seams in almost every sense of the phrase. Like any politically charged city, there’s an undercurrent of creativity that provides an outlet for Hong Kong’s rebellious streak, translating into a clutch of interesting food experiences, design ideas and artistic endeavours. 

Pin this imagePing Pong Gintonería, one of Hong Kong's hip new bars. Image by Megan Eaves / Lonely Planet

Here’s our guide to sampling what’s hip in Hong Kong and uncovering the local heart of this Asian metropolis along the way.

New art galleries

Hong Kong may not be the first on a contemporary art lover’s guide to world cities, but Hong Kongers are at an interesting moment in their history. The decades following the handover from British to Chinese rule have led Hong Kong to question its identity and search for its roots, and these undercurrents have sprung into a unique art scene, which nowadays culminates in the annual Art Basel Hong Kong (hongkong.artbasel.com), which showcases predominantly works from Asian and Hong Kong-based artists and galleries every March.

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Pin this imageExhibit by artist Mak Ying Tung at Gallery Exit. Image by Megan Eaves / Lonely Planet

Art tends to seek unrefined spaces to thrive, and the rising rent prices and dearth of venue spaces have led many Hong Kong gallery owners to abandoned or run-down high-rise warehouses in Aberdeen, a quiet fishing village transforming itself on the south side of Hong Kong Island.

Lorries carrying rice and veg now compete with art trucks delivering massive sculptures to and from several high-rise warehouses here. Spring Workshop (springworkshop.org) is one such venue, a rotating gallery of local exhibitions alongside a sleek, warm residency space where artists can live, work and eat. There’s also an outdoor terrace where they host public film screenings and concerts.

In the next high-rise over, Gallery EXIT (galleryexit.com) produces cutting edge exhibitions by local artists and some from around Asia, many speaking to contemporary realities of life in Hong Kong and how the city’s varied history has informed current cultural trends.

Pin this imageLocal designs at PMQ. Image by Megan Eaves / Lonely Planet

Back in Central, PMQ is a new design centre on Hollywood Rd that's doing its part to revive this historic part of Hong Kong. Based in the old Police Married Quarters (hence the name), several levels of former apartments have been transformed into gallery spaces where artists and designers can work, connect with the public and sell their wares.

Hip restaurants and bars

The ‘death of fine dining’ is finally arriving in Hong Kong, a city that until recently was littered with high-end restaurants that only corporate budgets could afford. There’s still plenty of top-shelf food to be found in Hong Kong, but those not on an expense account will be pleasantly surprised by the arrival of small, specialist restaurants. Usually run by individual, up-and-coming chefs, these hotspots serve one or two things very well. New takes on old favourites are popping up everywhere, as are exciting fusions of east and west.

Pin this imageChef May Chow and staff at Little Bao. Image by Megan Eaves / Lonely Planet

Leading the tradition-bucking charge is Little Bao, a tiny, rectangular space with bar stool seating along the open kitchen. It’s located, appropriately, across from the PMQ design centre. Bao, an Asian-style sandwich served on steamed a steamed bun, is the order of the day here. But renegade chef May Chow has playfully mixed up her American and Hong Kong backgrounds to make what she calls 'Asian burgers'. The menu is extremely small and rotates around the signature pork belly bao (a must), with a few side-dishes that will surprise (mac and cheese made from rice cakes rather than pasta), and the make-your-life green tea ice cream dessert burger.

New kid on the block, Ho Lee Fook (holeefook.com.hk), whose puntastic name actually means 'good fortune for your mouth' in Cantonese, is making waves on the Hong Kong scene with its avant-garde menu and massive cocktails cooked up by another young chef and food fanatic Jowett Yu from Taiwan.

With rents often being hiked in space-deprived Hong Kong, many chefs are turning to their own personal spaces and creating private kitchens that a maximum of one or two groups of diners can attend per evening. One of the most atmospheric private kitchens in Hong Kong is that of Margaret Xu. A self-taught chef, Margaret is known for her use of historic Hong Kong cooking techniques and has recently opened a special new kitchen at her beachhouse, Ying Yang Coastal (yinyang.hk). Margaret devises a ‘fantasy menu’ based on what she can get that day at local markets, what fish she catches herself and what herbs and veg she’s grown in the front garden. You’ll need to get a group of eight together to book the single private table.

Pin this imageFresh herbs on the menu at Yin Yang Coastal. Image by Megan Eaves / Lonely Planet

Hong Kong's nightlife scene is slowly expanding west from the night owls' bastion of Lan Kwai Fong - the traditional heart of Hong Kong drinking - into historic neighbourhoods where unusual spaces are being converted into new-use bars and lounges. One such space is Ping Pong Gintonería (pingpong129.com) in relatively quiet Sai Ying Pun district. Built out of a former ping pong gymnasium, this is a hidden bar specialising in gin - a most refreshing tipple in Hong Kong’s hot and humid climate. The bar itself has no English sign; look for the Chinese characters for ‘ping pong’ (乒乓球) displayed above a red door on Second St, and descend into the delightfully restored open lounge, complete with the former ping pong club’s neon sign hung above the bar.

Pin this imageTerrace at Yinyang Coastal. Image by Megan Eaves / Lonely Planet

Or, opt to get an insider's tour of all of the above from Little Adventures in Hong Kong (littleadventuresinhk.com), a group of locals who put together bespoke private tours of Hong Kong's secret corners, including a breathless nightlife tour with city socialite Johannes Pong.

Megan Eaves is Lonely Planet's North Asia Destination Editor. If lost, she could very well be found guzzling wonton soup down one of Hong Kong's dai pai dong. You can follow her on Twitter @megoizzy.

Megan travelled to Hong Kong with support from the Hong Kong Tourism Board (www.discoverhongkong.com). Lonely Planet contributors do not accept freebies in exchange for positive coverage.

Contributed by MEGAN EAVES

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