{"id":25952,"date":"2018-07-05T07:42:10","date_gmt":"2018-07-05T14:42:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wearetravelgirls.com\/?p=25952"},"modified":"2025-08-26T03:51:27","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T10:51:27","slug":"hong-kongs-hippest-hoods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wearetravelgirls.com\/hong-kongs-hippest-hoods\/","title":{"rendered":"AN EXPAT\u2019S GUIDE TO HONG KONG\u2019S HIPPEST ‘HOODS"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/span>If Hong Kong was a person, she\u2019d be a chic Eurasian girl in a fierce-but-femme suit who works in finance, has a secret outdoorsy side, and never, ever pays full price for her designer gear (I swear I\u2019m not describing myself). It\u2019s got the best parts of New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles with a sprinkling of its own identity crisis to capture the interest of the most seen-it-all travelers. <\/span>While this is by no means a comprehensive guide to the Fragrant Harbour, it\u2019s the sort of advice I would give a girlfriend traveling there. I spent five years living in Hong Kong as an expat and love showing people around my adopted one-time home.<\/span><\/p>\n

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WHEN TO VISIT HONG KONG<\/span><\/h3>\n

Weather-wise, you\u2019ll escape the worst of the humidity in November, December, and early January, but my favorite time of year in Hong Kong is March-April, which coincides with Art Basel<\/a>\u00a0and Rugby Sevens<\/a>. The Saturday Sevens tradition dictates that you come early, in costume, and ready to exercise your liver. WARNING: If you don\u2019t come in costume, one may be forcibly issued to you! <\/span>If fashion\u2019s what you\u2019re after, <\/span>sale season<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 when Hong Kong\u2019s ubermalls give deep discounts on their designer wares \u2013 it reaches its apex right before Chinese New Year.<\/span><\/p>\n

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GETTING THERE AND AROUND<\/span><\/h3>\n

As soon as you clear customs and collect your bags, hop on the Airport Express<\/a>. If I were President of the World, every major city would have an Airport Express (I\u2019m looking at you, New York). It costs less than US$15, comes every 10 minutes and gets you to Central Hong Kong in under half an hour every time. <\/span><\/p>\n

The MTR<\/a>\u00a0is a cheap, clean, and easy way to get around Hong Kong. Get an Octopus card<\/a><\/span>\u00a0at the airport and fill it with about US$50 (you won\u2019t need much more). The Octopus isn\u2019t an ordinary metrocard \u2013 you can use it at convenience stores, fast food restaurants, buses, ferries, trams, and even the Airport Express. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>You won\u2019t save money by taking an Uber instead of a taxi, and some say that Uber can be more expensive for short distances. But Ubers are plentiful in case taxis are hard to find. Hailing a taxi in Hong Kong is a bit like in New York, except Hong Kong cabs are red. If they\u2019re free, the circular light at the top will shine. You may occasionally run into a taxi driver that speaks poor English. Take heart \u2013 everyone speaks fluent Google Maps.<\/span><\/p>\n

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WHAT\u2019S WITH THIS ESCALATOR THING?<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Central-Mid Levels Escalator<\/a><\/span>\u00a0is the world\u2019s longest outdoor escalator system. It covers over half a mile from the skyscrapers of Central to the top of the Mid-Levels. Home to many expats, the Escalator neighborhoods of SoHo (short for South-of-Hollywood-Road) and the Mid-Levels are lined with bars, restaurants, boutiques, and Instagrammable street art.<\/span><\/p>\n

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GO FULL HOLLYWOOD<\/span><\/h3>\n

A walk down bustling Wyndham Street and Hollywood Road will take you past some of Hong Kong\u2019s most stylish bars and restaurants, not to mention its most iconic street art murals. <\/span>Don\u2019t miss <\/span>The Quinary<\/a>, which has made it onto the World\u2019s 50 Best Bar<\/a>\u00a0list for the past several years. On the Wyndham Street side, Le Boudoir<\/span>\u00a0styles itself as Hong Kong\u2019s sexiest bar, complete with nouveau-Belle-Epoque d\u00e9cor and its own impressive cocktail menu. At the corner of Hollywood Road and Elgin Street lies <\/span>Ho Lee Fook, a popular Western-Asian fusion spot where your salt-and-pepper grouper comes with a side of rap standards and 80s one-hit wonders playing in the background. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Set your inner yupster (yuppie-hipster) free at <\/span>PMQ<\/a><\/span>, an emerging art market and catch-all creative epicenter at the corner of Hollywood Road and Aberdeen Street. The space once did duty as a dorm for married police officers, with PMQ standing for Police Married Quarters. It takes a cold, dead heart to not want to Instagram a photo of yourself sitting on those stairs with the koi fish, but the shops, design studios, and cafes are worth a look. <\/span>End your evening with a nightcap at The Old Man<\/a>, a top cocktail spot named after the legendary drinker, cat lover, and occasional scribbler of words, Ernest Hemingway.<\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/span>WALK THE FONG<\/span><\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re seeking a Bourbon Street-style experience \u2013 Jello shots and all \u2013 head to <\/span>Lan Kwai Fong. However, tucked away amongst the dive bars is Employees Only<\/a>. Name sound familiar? In late 2017, a branch of the famed New York-based speakeasy opened in Hong Kong. Can\u2019t find it? Look for the red neon PSYCHIC sign.<\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/span>WELLINGTON\u2019S WARRING WONTONS<\/span><\/h3>\n

Wellington Street in Central is home to several top-quality (and Michelin-recommended) dumpling and wonton houses. I\u2019m a Tsim Chai Kee<\/a>\u00a0girl, but many people swear by Mak\u2019s<\/a><\/span>\u00a0for their wontons. Craving dumplings? Stop at\u00a0Wang Fu<\/a>, get an order of their pork-and-leek dumplings, and thank me later.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Gage and Graham Street Wet Markets<\/a>\u00a0running perpendicular to Wellington Street aren\u2019t just a tourist attraction. They\u2019re a venerable vestige of old Hong Kong, and where I bought my produce. Unfortunately, many wet markets are being torn down and replaced with sleek luxury flats.<\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/span>THE RADDEST STREET IN HONG KONG<\/span><\/h3>\n

<\/span>5 minutes from Wellington Street and the Mid-Levels Escalator lies Gough Street. It\u2019s between SoHo and Sheung Wan and is a little slice of indie heaven. Line up for the beef brisket noodles at <\/span>Kau Kee<\/a>, grab a coffee at Elephant Grounds, and poke your nose into the daintily overpriced boutiques that line its sidewalks. <\/span><\/p>\n

The real gems, however, are found in the steep streets that running perpendicular to Gough. My hands-down favorite bar in Hong Kong is <\/span>Coa<\/a><\/span>, a craft cocktail joint specializing in mezcal and tequila drinks. Go during off hours and strike up a chat with the friendly, passionate bartenders. Coa won big at Hong Kong\u2019s 2018 Bar Awards<\/a>, so the buzz is already out.<\/span><\/p>\n

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GET SOME RELIGION <\/span><\/h3>\n

No visit to Hong Kong is complete without a stop at Man Mo Temple<\/a>\u00a0on Hollywood Road. A shrine to the Gods of War and Literature, you don\u2019t need to be an ambitious academic or military hawk to appreciate this beautiful and well-preserved piece of old Hong Kong.<\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/span>SHEUNG WAN AND BEYOND <\/span><\/h3>\n

<\/span>After you pass the Man Mo Temple, you\u2019re officially in Sheung Wan territory. It\u2019s a great neighborhood to explore on foot. You can go antiquing on Upper Lascar Row<\/a><\/span>\u00a0or just gasp at more street art as you wander. Take a detour to Po Hing Fong<\/a><\/span>, or PoHo, a microneighborhood full of design studios and hip cafes.<\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/span>WANCHAI WANDERING<\/span><\/h3>\n

<\/span>If Central is too westernized for you, Wanchai offers a grittier, more authentic side of Hong Kong that rewards people patient enough to explore it. <\/span>You\u2019ll find two of Hong Kong\u2019s most authentic Thai restaurants in Wanchai: The Spice House<\/a>\u00a0and <\/span>Samsen<\/a>, the latter of which earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand\u00a0nod in 2018. If cheap eats are what you\u2019re after, head to Joy Hing<\/a><\/span>\u00a0for some of the city\u2019s best char siu (barbecued) pork and roast duck.<\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/span>STOP! LAMMA TIME<\/span><\/h3>\n

If you want a break from Central\u2019s honking horns and crowds, take a trip to one of Hong Kong\u2019s outlying islands for the day. My favorite is <\/span>Lamma Island<\/a>, which sits a 20-minute speed ferry ride away from the urban zoo of Central. <\/span>Take a ferry from Pier 4<\/a><\/span>\u00a0to Sok Kwu Wan, where you can grab a seafood lunch before you set forth on the Family Trail<\/a>, a paved, so-easy-your-grandmother-could-do-it amble with splendid ocean views. The Family Trail expires at Lamma\u2019s main village of Yung Shue Wan<\/a>, a quaint beach town bursting with groovy vibes.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Grab a few local craft beers at the Yardley Bros\u2019<\/a>\u00a0Beer Shack (located right along the path to the beach) and make your way through the town to the Island Bar<\/a>, an everybody-knows-your-name expat haunt where you can watch the sun set over Lamma\u2019s resident power plant. <\/span>Hong Kong’s got something for all budgets and tastes. Whether you’re there for a weekend or a much longer stretch of time, you’ll soon find yourself falling in love with the schizophrenic charm of the Fragrant Harbour.<\/span><\/p>\n

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