Ditch the Michelin-starred and fine dining restaurants, at least for today. Far from Hong Kong’s posh dining scene but no less delicious, cheap-yet-mouthwatering street bites are what truly capture HK’s flavor! 

From classic stainless steel push carts to night market kiosks and hole-in-the-whole restaurants, we’ll give you a little tour of our favorite curbside eats. These are the best street foods in Hong Kong as per our often-snacking, ever-food-loving staff!

Cheung Fun 

Where to buy it: 

• Hop Yik Tai – Kweilin Street, 121號號, Sham Shui Po
• Cheung Fun Wong – Shop D, G/F, 177-179 Wan Chai Road, Wan Chai

Price: HK$ 15 to HK$ 20 

Cheung fun is a well-loved Cantonese dish known for its silky smooth texture and al dente chewiness. It’s a popular brekkie or lunch snack that can be easily found in snack stalls and yum cha restaurants. 

This dish originated from Guangdong province in southern China. It’s basically rice noodle sheets made through a combination of glutinous rice flour and water. 

The rice noodle sheets are filled with prawns, char siu barbecue pork, or beef. Then, the sheets are rolled into long tubes and chopped into bite-size delights. 

After that, cheng fun is doused in sesame paste, soy sauce, or hoisin and topped with a sprinkle of roasted sesame seeds.  

But watch out! Some streetside versions of cheung fun don’t come with fillings, and well, it’s rather bland without that. Fortunately, vendors usually offer sweet, spicy, and savory sauces with unfilled cheung fun – though we still say it’s better to get filled versions! 

Tofu Pudding 

Where to buy it: 

• Kung Wo Beancurd Factory –  Pei Ho Street, 118號號地下, Sham Shui Po 
• Grandma‘s Tofu Pudding – 2A Tai Kwong Lane, Tai Po

Price: HK$ 10 to HK$ 13 

Tofu pudding, or “tofu fa” as we call it, is a timeless dessert that holds a special place in our dessert-loving hearts. 

This delightful go-to treat is a simple soy milk concoction with just the right hint of sweetness. The soybeans need to be soaked, grounded, and steamed for many hours to achieve a smooth and velvety consistency. 

It’s either served warm or cold, so you can enjoy it no matter the season. We recommend the original flavor – plain soy milk pudding with a generous drizzle of ginger syrup and brown sugar. 

While it’s true that many restaurants feature fancy spins on tofu fa, the OG version is still a crowd favorite. You can find authentic tofu fa in many grab-and-go stalls of Sham Shui Po and Mong Kok.

Egg Tart

Where to buy it: 

• Tai Cheong Bakery – 35號 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central
• Kam Fung Restaurant – 41 Spring Garden Lane, Wan Chai

Price: HK$ 2 to HK$ 10 

Hong Kong-style egg tarts or “dan tat” sits high above Hongkongers’ favorite pastry treats. 

If you haven’t tried it yet, just picture this: golden flaky crust hugging a sweetened creamy custard center. Compared to British egg tarts, our egg tarts have thinner and crispier crusts and milder sweetness. 

They’re also best enjoyed straight out of the oven!  The warm, buttery goodness with oozing sweet custard… *Chef’s kiss!*

Craving one now? Don’t resist. Head out to a local bing sutt (bakery) or cha chaan teng (HK-style cafe or diner) and treat yourself to this sweet bite. 

Beef Offal 

Where to buy it: 

• Temple Street Beef Offal – 18 Arthur Street, Yau Ma Tei
• Sing Hing Beef Combinations Noodles House – G/F, 15-21 Burrows Street, Wan Chai

Price: HK$ 30 to HK$ 60 

The general worry about this street food is that the experience can be a total roulette of 5-star yumminess to worrisome tummy troubles. But don’t worry, if you stick with our tried-and-tested spots, you won’t have to worry about the latter!

Just think of it as a flavorsome brisket filled with beef’s most interesting bits. You see, no cuts are off-limits when it comes to beef offal, so you can try innards with different textures and flavors. 

Plus, all beef parts used in this dish are soaked in a soy-based marinade and tons of spices and braised until they’re tender, so it’s a total flavor fiesta. 

Usually, it’s served as a steaming bowl of soup, but some people enjoy the innards better when skewered and doused with sweet sauce. 

Either way, if it’s your first time trying this street food, we suggest you go for the beef intestine. It’s just a bit chewy and fatty, but the texture is not that weird and gamey. 

Siu Mai 

Where to buy it: 

• One Dim Sum – G/F, 209A Tung Choi Street, Prince Edward
• Tim Ho Wan – Shop 12A & 12B, Level 1 MTR Hong Kong Station, Central

Price: HK$ 20 to HK$ 50

Siu mai or shumai is a dim sum favorite in the city. If you’re wandering around night markets or a lineup of Cantonese restaurants, chances are these little flavor bombs are on the menu. 

This type of Chinese steamed dumpling is a tasty mix of minced shrimp and pork in a soft flour wrapper. And for the fancy ones, you might even spot a blob of crab roe on top. 

To amp up the flavor of Hong Kong-style siu mai, don’t forget to dip this bite-sized goodness in a sweet chili soy sauce!

Curry Fish Balls 

Where to buy it: 

• Fish Ball Gor – 6 Argyle Street, Mong Kok
• Kai Kei Snacks – 41 Dundas Street, Mong Kok 

Price: HK$ 5 to HK$ 8 

Another deeply loved and very affordable street snack you can enjoy in Hong Kong is curry fish balls. You can easily find this treat on steel food carts on the busy streets of Mong Kok and Causeway Bay. 

Fish balls are usually the size of ping-pong balls, and they’re made of shredded and pounded fish meat mixed with starch and seasoning. They’re deep-fried and smothered with fragrant and sweet curry sauce with a hint of spiciness. 

Some street food vendors also add coconut cream to the curry sauce to make it thicker and more creamy. Try them on wooden skewers to enjoy munchies on the go, or if you’re extra hungry, on top of steamed rice or piping hot noodle soup. 

Roasted Chestnuts 

Where to buy it: 

• Food stalls in Temple Street Night Market or Causeway Bay 

Price: HK$ 20 to HK$ 25 

Believe it or not, this humble treat is part of the nostalgic memories of many Hongkongers, and it serves as a reminder of simpler times. During British colonial rule, Chinese immigrants who worked as laborers enjoyed snacking on warmly roasted chestnuts while working outdoors.

Fast forward to today, you’ll still find licensed street hawkers selling chestnuts outside subway stations and other commercial areas as soon as October rolls around (when the nuts are in season). 

You can typically buy it by kilo/half-kilo or by the bag. They’re roasted in a wok filled with sand and coarse sugar – leaving them easy to peel, sweet, and tender with a nice smoky flavor!

Three Stuffed Treasures 

Where to buy it: 

• Fish Ball Gor – 6 Argyle Street, Mong Kok
• Food stalls in Temple Street Night Market or Causeway Bay

Price: HK$ 12 to HK$ 20 

Three Stuffed Treasures, or “Zeen Yeung Sam Bo”, are a long-standing streetside snack in the city. The name of this dish originated from its presentation (the stuffed veggies are the treasures and they’re sold in sets of three).

Even today, this treat is basically vegetables and other food stuffed with marinated fish paste or Chinese red sausage. Eggplant, green bell pepper, and tofu are the most common options. You can also have mushrooms and bitter gourd. 

And ordering them is super easy since most vendors have them pre-cooked. They just toss them in some hot oil, heat them, drizzle on some sweet soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce, and voila! Stuffed treasures! 

Pineapple Bun 

Where to buy it: 

• Kam Wah Cafe & Cake Shop – 45-47 Bute Street, Mong Kok
• Sai Kung Cafe & Bakery – G/F, 6-7 Kam Po Court, 2 Hoi Pong Square, Sai Kung

Price: HK$ 6 to HK$ 10 

We’ll give it to you straight. Pineapple buns or “Bo Luo Bao” in Hong Kong don’t actually have a single ounce of pineapple in them. 

If you’re a Hongkonger, you’ll already know this, but if it’s your first time trying this streetside snack, it might be a shock. Anyway, the bun’s signature crisscross pattern surface resembles pineapple skin, so that’s the source of the name. 

This is just a regular sweet bun made of flour, eggs, milk, and water. What makes it different is its crunchy and caramelized crust. Try splitting it in half and slapping butter right in the middle. Most of us also pair it with a cup of Hong Kong-style milk tea. 

Char Siu Bao 

Where to buy it: 

• Food stalls in Mong Kok, Wan Chai, or Yau Ma Tei 
• Yung Kee – Yung Kee Building, Wellington Street, Central 

Price: HK$ 30 to HK$ 50 

Who can say no to char siu bao? Definitely not us!

Hongkongers have a serious soft spot for barbecue pork buns. It’s like one of the top comfort foods you have to try at least once in your life. 

Char siu bao is tender and flavorful charred barbecue pork filling tucked snugly into a fluffy or crispy bun that’s either steamed or baked. It’s often enjoyed as a hearty breakfast or an after-school snack. 

What’s good is that you can find this treat in almost all sit-down dim sum restaurants, hole-in-the-wall eateries, and even street food stalls. Honestly, there’s never a bad time or place to indulge in this juicy and meaty treat!

Stinky Tofu 

Where to buy it: 

• Food stalls in Mong Kok  
• Delicious Food Stinky Tofu – Hong Kong, Prince Edward, Shop 10, G/F 30-32 Nullah Road

Price: HK$ 15 to HK$ 30 

Stinky tofu is a love-it-or-hate-it delicacy that’s a must-try for adventurous foodies. If you want to give it a shot, visit the street food stalls or night markets of Mong Kok and just follow your nose. 

With its pungent aroma, you won’t miss the street food push carts selling smelly fermented bean curds. However, despite its distinctive scent, it tastes better than its smell. 

Here’s the secret – the tofu is soaked in vegetable and meat brine and left to ferment for several days. After that, the tofu can be barbecued, steamed, or deep-fried.

For first-timers, we recommend you have it deep-fried and topped with a generous drizzle of garlic and chilli soy sauce. This tones down the fermented tofu’s funkiness, so it tastes milder with just a hint of saltiness and bitterness.