Do you love breakfast as much as we do? Order these Hong Kong breakfast classics that will have you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning.
While there are a wide range of Italian restaurants, Indian restaurants, and Japanese restaurants our city, you can’t miss out on Hong Kong’s authentic Cantonese eats at the classic cha chaan teng (茶餐廳). Sweet, savoury, and scrumptious, here are the best traditional Hong Kong breakfasts that give us the energy to power through the day. Psst – we call them “breakfasts”, but many of these items are actually available as all day sets (known as seung chaan, or 常餐) – perfect even for afternoon tea. Try ordering your food in Cantonese and thank us later!
Truly local: Hong Kong breakfasts we love
1. Hong Kong-style French toast
Hong Kong-style French toast (港式西多士) is typically made with peanut butter and eaten along with condensed milk, syrup, or honey. You can find this sweet fried breakfast toast at your local cha chaan teng! Enjoy it for breakfast or afternoon tea along with a classic pantyhose milk tea.
Si Yik, G/F, 2 Stanley Market Road, Stanley, Hong Kong, p. 2813 0507
2. Instant noodles with satay beef
When it comes to Hong Kong breakfasts, you can’t beat instant noodles! Eat it the right way with instant noodles in soup topped with marinated satay beef (沙爹牛肉麵). This classic breakfast dish is both warm and filling; what’s more, it has been enjoyed by locals for decades.
BTW, did you know there are “concern groups” for specific foods nowadays on Facebook? Yep, there’s even one for satay beef noodles! Check out our guide to these quirky concern groups and join in on the fun. Thanks to these forums, we’ve learnt that Taste Yummy in Tsuen Wan is among the top five spots to get satay beef noodles in Hong Kong.
Taste Yummy, G/F, 45 Tsuen Wan Market Street, Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong, p. 5599 1298
3. Pineapple buns
These buns were named after their similarities in appearance to a fresh pineapple, so don’t be upset about the fact that they don’t taste like pineapple – as they don’t actually contain any! Pineapple buns (菠蘿包) are sweet and filling, and is usually served at cha chaan teng and in local bakeries. Complement your pineapple bun with some butter for extra flavour and creaminess.
We’ve scouted out where to find the best pineapple buns in Hong Kong.
Kam Wah Cafe, 47 Bute Street, Prince Edward, Hong Kong, p. 2392 6830
4. Congee and fried dough sticks
Congee and fried dough sticks have been eaten together for centuries among the Chinese community. In the first place, it was invented to help with food shortages and traditionally given to children, the elderly, and the sick, nowadays it’s commonly consumed as a breakfast food. Congee can be eaten plain or together with a number of toppings like shallots, fried peanuts beef, salted eggs, and century eggs.
Wait – what are century eggs again? Find out using our guide to Hong Kong’s adventurous eats.
Mui Kee Congee, Shops 11-12, Cooked Food Centre, 3/F, Fa Yuen Street Municipal Services Building, 123A Fa Yuen Street, Mong Kok, Hong Kong, p. 2789 0198
5. Macaroni soup and ham
You’ve heard of macaroni and cheese, now it’s time to try its Hong Kong counterpart – macaroni in soup with sliced ham (火腿通粉)! Once again, this dish is typically offered for breakfast, where the macaroni is swimming in chicken broth and is enjoyed as a noodle soup. Depending on which local cha chaan teng you visit, it is topped off with a slice of ham, corn, or diced carrots. When it comes to Hong Kong breakfasts, this is a must-try.
Australia Dairy Company, G/F, 47-49 Parkes Street, Jordan, Hong Kong, p. 2730 1356
6. Toast and omelette
Butter toast and an omelette is a classic Hong Kong breakfast dish. However, you can usually request for non-toasted bread should you wish. Depending on your local cafes’ chef, your omelette is cooked in butter and can contain cut slices of ham. We recommend you enjoy it alongside your Hong Kong-style milk tea!
Capital Cafe has multiple locations across Hong Kong.
7. Rice vermicelli with shredded pork and preserved vegetables
If French toasts and pineapple buns are too heavy for you in the morning, then go for the rice vermicelli with shredded pork and preserved vegetables (雪菜肉絲米). This noodle soup is a classic comfort food. What’s more, its toppings give us the impression that we’re having something healthier than satay beef – it’s got veggies, after all!
Lok Yuen, Shop 6, 3/F, Kowloon City Municipal Services Building, 100 Nga Tsin Wai Road, Kowloon City, Hong Kong, p. 2382 3367
8. Rice noodle rolls
One simple Hong Kong-style breakfast you can try are rice noodle rolls, also known as cheung fun. They’re made with rice or glutinous rice flour. You can usually choose to dress them in delicious sauces like hoisin, sesame, and soy sauce. Unlike the yum cha equivalent that has fillings like beef and char siu, breakfast rice noodle rolls are plain, allowing you to savour the textures and condiments in their full glory.
Cheung Fun Wong (腸粉皇) has locations in Wan Chai and Kwai Chung.
9. Tomato noodle soup
Differing from the quintessential macaroni and ham soup noodles, this breakfast item has a tomato base. Often containing beef, the dish features noodles or macaroni swimming in a seasoned tomato soup. Slightly sweet yet tangy, tomato noodle soup makes an appetising breakfast and is well worth the try alongside a crispy bun.
Cafe Seasons, 88 Des Voeux Road Central, Central, Hong Kong, p. 2650 2088
10. Hong Kong-style milk tea
If you’re more of a coffee- or tea-for-breakfast person, then Hong Kong-style milk teas have you covered. Tea lovers must try the classic pantyhose milk tea! Alternatively, yuen yeung (鴛鴦) – the classic combo of black coffee and milk tea – is also an unbeatable morning pick-me-up. For a speedy, grab-and-go experience, many cha chaan tengs now sell bottled versions of these staples. We recommend stopping by Shui Kee Coffee for its bottled milk tea on your way to work.
Shui Kee Coffee, Shop 17, Cooked Food Centre, 2/F, Sheung Wan Municipal Services Building, 345 Queen’s Road Central, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, p. 2850 8643
11. Tea eggs
Apart from the fermented century eggs we’ve mentioned on this list, boiling eggs in tea and spices is another quirky way Hong Kongers love to have their eggs. To achieve that unique brown hue and cracked pattern on the egg white, eggs are boiled half-way before their shells are cracked. They’re then reboiled in a mixture of tea and spices, creating a umami-rich breakfast staple – and a great source of protein! You can find tea eggs (茶葉蛋) at the herbal tea shop Hung Fook Tong, conveniently located in multiple MTR stations.
Hung Fook Tong has multiple locations across Hong Kong.
[This article was originally published in April 2019 and updated in 2024 by Celia Lee.]