Central is one of my favourite parts of Hong Kong to explore on foot.
Within a relatively small area, you can move from busy office streets to old markets, tea houses, temples, antique shops and quieter corners of Sheung Wan.
This time, I decided to do something a little bit different and explore Old Town Central on foot, following the route recommended by Discover Hong Kong.
I started from Central Market and made my way towards Tai Ping Shan Street, stopping at some of the neighbourhood’s best-known landmarks and, naturally, plenty of places to eat along the way.
Here are 22 places to eat, drink and check out around Old Town Central, arranged roughly in walking order:
Central Market 中環街市
93 Queen’s Road Central and 80 Des Voeux Road Central, Central, Hong Kong Island
Central Market makes an easy starting point for exploring Old Town Central, and it is worth slowing down for a look before moving on.
The current building dates back to 1939 and was once one of Hong Kong’s main wet markets, before being revitalised and reopened with restaurants, shops, hipster cafes, and cultural spaces.
Today, it is somewhere you can grab a bite, browse local brands and catch the occasional exhibition, all while getting a small glimpse of what this part of Central used to be like.
Gu Liang Cai 久兩菜
Shop 124 to 125, 1/F, Central Market, 93 Queen’s Road Central, Central, Hong Kong Island
Right within Central Market, Gu Liang Cai has a bit of that dai pai dong vibe, centred on Chiu Chow comfort food rather than delicate banquet cooking.
Think marinated goose, raw marinated seafood, oyster omelette, fish balls and wok fried dishes.
Gu Liang Cai is also featured in Taste Hong Kong 香港好味, a collection of 250 restaurants and eateries selected by more than 50 master chefs, with its Chiu Chow daa laang dishes among the highlights.
Luk Yu Tea House 陸羽茶室
G/F to 3/F, 24 Stanley Street, Central, Hong Kong Island
Moving on to Stanley Street, Luk Yu Tea House is one of those places where the atmosphere is almost as memorable as the dim sum.
Founded in 1933, it still feels wonderfully old-school, with dark wood, ceiling fans, Chinese paintings and veteran servers in white tunics moving briskly between tables.
Come for traditional dim sum such as the substantial Steamed Jumbo Chicken Bun and springy Beef Balls, but perhaps more importantly, for a taste of a nostalgic style of yum cha that has largely disappeared elsewhere.
Yat Lok Restaurant 一樂燒鵝
G/F, Conwell House, 34 to 38 Stanley Street, Central, Hong Kong Island
Still along Stanley Street, Yat Lok dates back to 1957 and has been at this Central location since 2011, and once earned a MICHELIN star for its Cantonese roast meats.
Roast goose is the obvious reason to come, prepared through more than 20 steps before roasting, with crisp skin over juicy meat.
Kowloon Soy Co. Ltd 九龍醬園
9 Graham Street, Central, Hong Kong Island
A short walk up brings you to Graham Street, where Kowloon Soy Co. Ltd feels almost frozen in time among the newer shops around Central.
Founded in 1917, the company is best known for soy sauces still made using traditional fermentation methods, along with preserved vegetables, fermented bean curd and other Chinese condiments.
Graham Street Market
14 Gage Street, Central, Hong Kong Island
Step back outside from Kowloon Soy and you are already in the middle of Graham Street Market, one of the most atmospheric stretches of this Old Town Central walk.
More than a century old, it is one of Hong Kong’s last remaining open air wet markets. You will find vegetables piled into baskets, fruit, meat and live seafood, with local shoppers squeezing past one another along the steep streets.
Lan Fong Yuen 蘭芳園
2 Gage Street, Central, Hong Kong Island
If you need some Hong Kong Milk Tea after weaving through Graham Street Market, Lan Fong Yuen is an almost inevitable stop.
It began as a humble dai pai dong, and the little green roadside stall is still there today, even though most diners now squeeze into the cha chaan teng hidden behind it.
Grab a “silk stocking” milk tea, the signature Pork Chop Bun and other cha chaan teng favourites. Slight warning: it can be crowded and rather hectic.
Mak’s Noodle 麥奀雲吞麵世家
G/F, 77 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong Island
Continuing towards Wellington Street, Mak’s Noodle is one of the classic names for wonton noodles in Central. The shop opened here in the 1980s, though the family’s noodle making roots go back to pre-war Guangzhou.
The bowls are famously modest in size, with springy duck egg noodles, small prawn wontons and a clear broth that keeps things relatively light.
Tsim Chai Kee 沾仔記
98 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong Island
Just across Wellington Street from Mak’s Noodle is Tsim Chai Kee, another well-known name for wonton noodles, though I feel the experience here is quite different. (You can always order from both brands to compare – one after another of course.)
The MICHELIN Bib Gourmand bowls here are more generous, with notably large prawn wontons, springy dace fish balls and sliced beef as the three main toppings.
Social Goods Modern Bakery
LG, Sun Lee Building, 43 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong Island (Entrance from Pottinger Street)
Social Goods Modern Bakery shows a much newer side of Central’s bakery scene.
Opened in 2025 by Christopher Younes, co-founder of French patisserie Paul Lafayet, the café quickly became known for its Eggies, small pastries inspired by the Hong Kong egg tart with a crisp exterior and soft, custardy centre.
Kung Lee Herbal Tea Shop 公利真料竹蔗水
60 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong Island
As the walk moves onto Hollywood Road, Kung Lee Herbal Tea Shop is an easy place to slow down for something cooling.
Opened in 1948, the bestseller here is the Sugarcane Juice, made by steaming peeled sugarcane before pressing it through an antique juicer, resulting in a naturally sweet and refreshing drink.
Tai Cheong Bakery 泰昌餅家
35 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong Island
Tai Cheong Bakery is one of those names almost everyone associates with Hong Kong egg tarts.
It has been around since 1954, and the Central shop still draws a steady queue for its warm tarts with buttery cookie crusts and smooth egg custard filling.
PMQ 元創方
35 Aberdeen Street, Central, Hong Kong Island
PMQ is worth popping into even if you are not particularly into design. This site was once home to the Central School, later Queen’s College, before being rebuilt in 1951 as Hong Kong’s first Police Married Quarters.
The former residential blocks are now filled with studios and small shops by local designers, alongside cafés, restaurants and regularly changing exhibitions.
Sing Heung Yuen 勝香園
G/F, 2 Mei Lun Street, Central, Hong Kong Island
Sing Heung Yuen is one of the few remaining dai pai dongs in Central, and has been around since 1959.
Save some stomach room for its Tomato Soup Noodles, with more than 20 variations, though the Crispy Bun with Butter and Lemon Honey is just as much a signature.
Man Mo Temple 文武廟
124 to 126 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong Island
Further along Hollywood Road, Man Mo Temple is one of Hong Kong’s oldest temples. Built between 1847 and 1862, it was originally established by wealthy Chinese merchants and is dedicated to Man Cheong, the God of Literature, and Mo Tai, the God of Martial Arts.
Students traditionally come to pray for academic success, while visitors also seek success and prosperity.
Even if you are not here to pray, the temple is worth stepping inside for its dramatic hanging incense coils, red and gold interiors and shafts of natural light cutting through the incense smoke.
It has become a popular photo stop, though it still very much remains an active place of worship.
Upper Lascar Row 摩羅上街
Upper Lascar Row, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong Island
Just below Man Mo Temple is Upper Lascar Row, one of the more enjoyable stretches to browse without any particular agenda.
The street has more than 100 years of history and is still lined with antique shops and small stalls selling porcelain, jade, Chinese calligraphy, old posters, figurines and all sorts of curious memorabilia.
Halfway Coffee 半路咖啡
26 Upper Lascar Row, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong Island
After browsing the antiques and curious finds along Upper Lascar Row, Halfway Coffee makes a rather fitting coffee break.
The café is known for serving drinks in mismatched vintage Chinese porcelain cups, many collected over the years, so no two tables seem to look quite the same.
I would recommend trying the Rose Latte, Longan Honey Latte or Okinawa Black Sugar Latte, though even a regular coffee becomes a little more memorable when it arrives in one of those beautiful old cups.
Square Street 四方街
Square Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong Island
From Upper Lascar Row, continue uphill towards the PoHo neighbourhood and you will reach Square Street, where the mood starts to feel noticeably more relaxed and creative.
The street was one of the early outdoor mural sites for HKwalls, with international artists turning the walls and metal shutters of old tenement buildings into an open-air gallery.
Indigo Coffee
1A Tai Ping Shan Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong Island
From Square Street, it is only a short walk to Indigo Coffee on Tai Ping Shan Street, a small neighbourhood café that feels more contemporary than many of the heritage stops earlier on this route.
The menu goes beyond the usual coffees, with signatures such as the Iced Tiramisu Latte and Iced Earl Grey Tea Jelly Latte, alongside bagel sandwiches, pastries and desserts.
Yuk Kin Fast Food 郁健快餐
Shop A, G/F, Po Wan Building, 6 Tai Ping Shan Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong Island
Wait a minute… The Curry Pork Chop Fried Rice here is so good. This modest cha chaan teng has been around for more than 30 years and remains a popular lunch spot for people in the neighbourhood.
The Curry Pork Chop Fried Rice (the Black Pepper is great too) is the one I would order, with plenty of wok hei and a mild curry fragrance worked through the rice, especially yummy with a fried egg on top.
For Kee 科記咖啡餐廳
Shops J and K, G/F, 200 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong Island
Yes, I had a few plates of Pork Chop Rice this trip. The Signature Pork Chop Rice at For Kee (always add an extra fried egg), comes with a thin, well marinated pork chop served over plain rice with soy sauce.
The Pork Chop Bun and Satay Beef with Onion Toast are worth adding if you are sharing.
Samsen
G/F, 23 Jervois St, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong
Not every stop along Old Town Central has to be about traditional Hong Kong food.
Located at Sheung Wan (there is another outlet just off Queen’s Road Central), Samsen brings some Bangkok energy into the neighbourhood, with a casual dining room and a menu by chef Adam Cliff centred on Thai street food flavours. Aroy!
Oh yah, one unexpected thing I kept noticing along the way was the cat mascots.
There are quite a number of cute cat statues dotted around the Old Town Central area, inspired by the meowvellous real cats that have long been part of neighbourhood shops and street life.
After spotting the first few, I started looking out for the rest for a purrfect little side quest.
If you are planning your own route, the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s Old Town Central guide is a useful place to start, with more stops and neighbourhood ideas to help map out your walk.
Visitors can also pick up a free Old Town Map, with five designs inspired by Hong Kong’s iconic street signs. From now till 30 September 2026, tourists who spend HK$200 or more in a single same day transaction at participating merchants can also redeem a limited-edition Street Sign Pin, with five designs to collect, while stocks last.
More details here: https://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/neighbourhoods/old-town-central.html
* This entry is brought to you in partnership with Hong Kong Tourism Board.
