Nicole & Niina’s Hong Kong Snack Guide:
Street foods are the best friend of a wanderer and Hong Kong is the oasis of it; Every street is flooded by the savior or sweet aroma of the best street foods that can’t stop you from craving. This is Nicole and Niina’s Hong Kong snack guide for when you need some guide for your rumbling stomach.
French Toast: Hing Kee Cafe
The thick puffy french toast, drizzling condensed milk mixed with butter, and an ice lemon tea at the side is the classic sweet snack you can get in a Cha chaan teng, also known as the Hong Kong-style cafe. Even better - ask for peanut butter filling.
Passion Fruit Tea with Mango Boba: Mr. Tea
After wandering around to take pictures and videos of the tram in Causeway Bay, Mr. Tea is the place Nicole and I always go! Passion Fruit Tea with Mango Boba is THE drink. The sweet and sour passion fruit tea, the mango boba that explodes in the mouth, and crunchy textures of passion fruit seeds. There’s nothing else that could replace that refreshing and addicting texture!
Mammy Pancake - Various locations across Hong Kong
Gai dan zaai is what we call it in Hong Kong and these are the exact ones you see all across Instagram in the egg shaped waffles! Usually served hot with a crunchy surface and chewy insides. For those picky eaters, don’t worry because Mammy Pancake has a variety of options to choose; From sweet like chocolate chips to savory like double cheese. Nicole’s favorite would be the earl gray chocolate chip while Niina’s would be matcha chocolate chip or banana chocolate chip! It also comes in the cutest waffle bag.
Coconut Milk: King of Coconut Hong Kong
Cold, refreshing, and sweet, the crown for the best coconut milk in Hong Kong has to go to the King of Coconut. This local drink shop specializes in making coconut milk, served in bottles or cups (I say buy the bottles so you can put them in a bag). Located in the midst of the Mong Kok, Bute Street, it makes a great pair with the street food stalls across the Mong Kok area! I swear, you cannot resist this coconut milk on a hot summer day.
Niina’s Personal Favorite - TamJai SamGor (Various locations across Hong Kong)
TamJai SamGor is every Hong Kong student’s favorite mixian rice noodle chain restaurant; Cheap and comes with lot of varieties! You would choose your toppings (the first topping is free), soup base and then spice level (I usually choose 5 or 4 mildness). I love all of their soups and usually have to struggle to decide to go with the SamGor Hot & Sour Soup or the Hot & Numbing Soup. I also love tomato soup especially when I don’t want to eat spicy food but want to eat at TamJai. TamJai also levels up its brand with vegan and vegetarian options with collaborations with the Impossible Meat!
Ham Sui Gok (Fried Glutinous Rice Dumplings) - One Dim Sum
There is nothing better than the first bite of the crunchy crust, chewy mochi and the savory pork: The Ham Sui Gok has to be one of the best dim sum. Its texture is definitely the highlight of the dish but I also have to mention how you can eat them endlessly especially with the savory pork and the sweet crunchy crust. The best part of it is that the dish in One Dim Sum is offered for 21 HKD for 3 pieces.
Fish Balls - Various but the BEST are in Cheung Chau
Fish ball holds so much of my afterschool memory; Some days with friends or secretly eating them before dinner without my parents knowing. Made from fish paste, it offers either original or curry flavor. In fact, you can find this snack anywhere. They cost from 10 HKD to around 20 HKD which is a fulfilling snack for those who have a limited budget!
Cheung Fun
If you haven’t had Cheung Fun, you have not experienced the whole Hong Kong lifestyle just yet. Cheung Fun is a rice noodle roll with the most addicting texture: chewy and moist. Usually served with soy sauce and chili sauce, but even better, Sesame sauce levels up the whole meal. Another plus to this snack is that you can always get it on every street corner from 711, Circle K, or the small food stalls.
Clay Pot Rice with Egg: Hing Kee
Steaming hot with the best mix of textures, Clay Pot Rice is fun for a weekend night out. Wandering through the streets in Mong Kok/Yau Ma Tai looking up at the last remaining neon signs before you sit down on the plastic stools to order. Nicole’s goto is the minced beef and egg which offers a nice mix of crunch from the rice stuck in the clay pot and soft from the egg breaking in creating a sauce. Wash this down with a cold bottle of blue girl beer and you have a delicious local meal at a (very) affordable price. Don't forget to visit the Temple Street market while your in the area!
Quail Egg - Stalls across Hong Kong in the winter
Once you smell the burning coal and the shovelling sound of the chestnut, there are always quail eggs. Though the trollies with sweet potato, chestnut, and quail eggs disappeared for a while during the pandemic, it has finally reemerged in the cities especially in Mong Kok and Causeway Bay. With them costing no more than 20 dollars, this is a great savoury snack as well for those who have a limited budget!
Let us know which of these Hong Kong snacks you wander to try next.
Happy snacking!
Niina & Nicole xx