The best restaurants in Central - Time Out Hong Kong (2024)

Helmed by Argentinian chef Augustin Ferrando Balbi, Ando presents a unique blend of Spanish and Japanese cuisine, inspired by his ancestral roots and explorations in Asia. Diners can expect to enjoy several courses that evoke nostalgia and unfamiliar yet comforting flavours like the restaurant’s signature arroz caldoso, a homage to Balbi’s grandma. If you don’t want to shell out for Ando’s dinner course, this restaurant offers an approachable menu during the day, where you can select from three to five courses depending on your budget

Bo Innovation is the two-Michelin-starred restaurant of chef Alvin Leung, aka The Demon Chef. Unlike any Chinese restaurant in the city, Bo Innovation specialises in Leung’s unique style of cooking called ‘X-Treme Chinese’, which combines traditional and new world culinary techniques. Dishes from traditional Chinese cuisine gets deconstructed to its essence, pieced together in reinvented, modern interpretations. Dig into dishes like its signature molecular xiao long bao, which reinterprets the original into one tasty molecular spheres that pops open with one gentle bite.

Head to the foot of Mee Lun Street to find Sing Heung Yuen, a dai pai dong that churns out cha chaan teng style classics like macaroni and tomato soup, egg and beef toasted sandwiches, and butter with lemon honey on crispy buns. Despite its humble character, which may not initially draw you in as a destination spot, foodies from all over flock to this restaurant for a taste of their top-notch comfort food.

Run by Salvatoria Fiata, an Italian native from Caserta, Fiata in Soho serves authentic Italian handmade pizzas, ranging from classic margaritas to pizza fritte (fried pizzas). Beyond catering to pizza lovers, Fiata’s Neapolitan-style pizzas have earned them fourth place in the Top 50 Pizzas awards for Asia-Pacific region. Be sure to try Fiata’s special offerings such as the A’Salsiccia, topped with onion cream, Napoli fior di latte, caramelised red onions, and fresh Italian sausage.

Located in an inconspicuous alleyway behind Old Bailey Street in Central, OBP is a Korean sooljip (drinking and eating joint) or, founded by the team behind 11 Westside. The venue provides a quintessential Korean drinking experience while serving a wide range of hearty K-cuisine like spicy seafood noodles, beef tartare as well as slow-cooked pork belly. Wash down your meal with their expansive range of soju, makgeolli, and co*cktails with Korean twists.

Chef and culinary director Richard Ekkebus’ innovative and sustainable approach towards French cuisine has cemented Amber as one of Hong Kong’s top restaurants, earning the restaurant securing two Michelin stars and a Green Star. Using consciously sourced ingredients, this fine-dining institution creates progressive dishes with masterful execution, such as their signature dish aka uni with Royal Cristal caviar.

Luk Yu Tea House has been a go-to dim sum spot for locals since it first opened in 1933. The loyal customers who grew up with the restaurant still visit today for a sense of old Hong Kong nostalgia, and its superbly done Cantonese dishes have been attracting a new generation. Signature dishes include the deep fried prawn toasts, Chinese almond and pork lung soup, and steamed chicken buns.

Otto e Mezzo Bombana offers contemporary Italian food with sophisticated flair led by culinary master Umberto Bombana. The Italian restaurant steadily churns out homemade pasta with seasonal ingredients, such as homemade tagliolini with black truffle shavings or cavatelli with shellfish ragout and sea urchin. Aside from their crowd-pleasing dishes, 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana boasts a spacious walk-in wine cellar that showcases over 2000 bottles of wines, available by the glass or bottle, and offers a bar where diners can drink aperitivo and digestif before or after meals.

An authentic Cantonese meal experience doesn’t get more down to earth than dining at a dai pai dong. Sing Kee is one of Hong Kong’s last remaining outdoor eateries, and it dishes up classic plates that go perfectly with chilled Blue Girl beers. Tuck into delicious Cantonese classics such as salt and pepper fried squid, fried pork ribs in sweet & sour sauce, and stir-fried crab at this local institution.

Led by world-renowned chef Ricardo Chaneton, Michelin-starred Latin American restaurant Mono specialises in reimagining Latin American flavours with French techniques. Customers that get a seat at this intimate eatery can enjoy dishes from two menu options, all of which showcase the finest seasonal ingredients and vibrant Latin American flavours with modern twists.

Sushi Fujimoto provides an intimate dining experience at the premier lifestyle destination FOCO. Helmed and owned by chef Kenichi Fujimoto, who trained for a decade under the supervision of standout sushi chefs Shinji Kanesaka and Takashi Saito, this Japanese restaurant provides guests with exquisite and authentic Edomae-style sushi. Customers can grab a seat by the sushi counter, and admire chef Fujimoto as he meticulously prepares dishes with carefully orchestrated movements.

New Punjab Club became the first Punjabi restaurant in the world to be awarded a Michelin star in 2019. This tandoor grill restaurant not only pays homage to post-colonial Pakistan and India through their flamboyant decor, but also does so by dishing out rustic Punjabi flavours. Diners can look forward to tandoor-fired cobia, masalewali chaanp lamb chops with grilled onions, as well as spicy keema pau stuffed with mutton and celeriac.

Upon entering the Magistracy Dining Room, you’ll be transported to a glamorous environment reminiscent of timeless London restaurants, complete with leather seatings, high vaulted ceilings, and candelabras. Savour nostalgic dishes like aged prime rib sliced tableside, chicken and mushroom pie, and a wide array of premium seafood served on ice. Once you’ve polished off your meal, make your way to their outdoor seating area, Botanical Garden, to sip on quality gin and tonics in their oasis full of lush greenery.

Since opening its doors in 2014, Ho Lee f*ck has remained a solid go-to spot for groups of friends to eat, drink and hang out in Soho. The venue recently underwent a makeover and now sports a lovely retro decor featuring elements like mahjong tiles, waving lucky cats, and a giant fortune cookie sculpture by the entrance that you can’t miss. When it comes to their fare, Ho Lee f*ck’s own Archan Chan dishes up traditional Cantonese cuisine with innovative and contemporary twists. Diners can try signatures like Wagyu short rib, e-fu noodles tossed in cheese sauce with seaweed butter and Australian lobster, and more.

Visit steakhouse Fireside to catch the restaurant’s chefs in action as they fire a wide variety of seafood, vegetables, meat, and even desserts over an open-flame grill. Along with grilled premium cuts of meats from Australia, Italy, and Spain, signatures at Fireside include a mouthwatering carabinero made with Scarlet cardinal prawn, served with flambadou forged beef fat drippings and dry-aged Ma Yao fish (threadfin).

Head to PMQ to find Michelin-starred French restaurant, Louise. Designed by renowned interior architect André Fu, the restaurant has transformed a former Grade II historic building into a chic and casual restaurant. Guests can grab a seat in the al fresco area on the ground floor for easygoing drinks and bites, or head to the upstairs dining room to enjoy a meal in a relaxing environment. Helmed by chef Julien Royer, this restaurant serves nostalgic and traditional French cuisine like steamed line-caught fish with sabayon and Kristal caviar, as well as roasted langousines with morels and crustacean bisque.

Lin Heung Tea House, known as Lin Heung Lau to Hongkongers, is one of the oldest traditional Cantonese restaurants in Hong Kong, serving only dim sum during the day and main courses at night. Customers can take their pick of dim sum from Lin Heung's old-school trolleys, such as pork liver siu mai, steamed turnip cake, and other timeless morsels. Additionally, this centennial dim sum restaurant is introducing trendy hand-shaken drinks to go from their ground floor space, which is sure to appeal to a new crowd of diners.

Luxury crystal house Baccarat and renowned French celebrity chef Anne-Sophie Pic have paired up to create Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic. Upon entering the dining venue, guests will be welcomed by a magnificent Baccarat chandelier, along with a sweeping view of Victoria Harbour from the restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling windows. Diners can expect to relish in a selection of refined French dishes, as well as chef Pic’s signature Les Berlingots ASP, pasta parcels filled with aged Comté and voatsiperifery peppers in a mushroom consommé with tangerine Pu’er tea.

As an extension of Mario Carbone’s New York-based restaurant, this Italian venue presents the very best of New York-style Italian food to the city. Menu highlights include a perfectly tossed Caesar salad, the crowd-pleasing spicy rigatoni vodka, and tender ribeye Diana. If you’ve still got room at the end of your meal, Carbone’s servers will bring out a selection of generously portioned Italian-style desserts on a trolley for you to choose from, with options like carrot cake, tiramisu, and New York cheesecake.

Step into the Pottinger Hotel to find Ta Vie, a three Michelin-starred establishment specialising in exquisite French-Japanese fare, which fuses chef Hideaki Sato’s native Japanese flavours with his culinary training in French cuisine. Ta Vie only offers tasting menus made with premium seasonal ingredients, so be sure to ask the restaurant for their most updated offerings. Don’t forget to pair your meal with the restaurant’s extensive range of high-quality wine, sake, and Champagne for an elevated dining experience.

Thanks to the large swarms of tourists crowding along the street, it isn’t hard to spot Yat Lok Restaurant in Central. The signature dish here is roasted goose, which has crispy, paper-thin skin while the meat inside remains juicy. Pair it with rice, soup noodles, or other roasted meats such as barbeque pork (aka char siu), crispy pork, steamed chicken, and soy-basted chicken.

Located at Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, this restaurant serves Italian cuisine with heavy influences of Asian flavours. Here, diners can choose between two tasting menus, both of which will deliver top-quality seasonal produce and transport diners on a journey through chef Paulo Airaudo’s culinary experiences. Additionally, the restaurant is decorated with figures and pop art from chef Airaudo’s favourite video games and films, and also plays his favourite tunes from the 80s and 90s as ambient music, all of which combine to offer a fun and relaxing dining experience.

Sushi Shikon, located on the seventh floor of the Landmark Mandarin Oriental, is Hong Kong’s first three-Michelin-starred sushi restaurant. The team at Sushi Shikon performs culinary magic with fresh, high-end ingredients procured from Tokyo’s fish markets. But this isn’t only a stellar dining experience, it’s also a one-of-a-kind cultural experience: two-hour meals at an eight-seat Hinoki counter, putting sushi chef and guests in exceptionally close proximity to one another.

Almost 100 years after it first opened its doors in Hong Kong, the historic Jimmy’s Kitchen has returned to Central. The eatery is helmed by Hong Kong-born executive chef Russell Doctrove, who has retained Jimmy’s signature dishes, while putting unique contemporary spins on the beloved plates. Expect to delight in global dishes like chicken madras, chicken supreme kiev, Angus beef mince on toast, and also dessert options like baked Alaska.