Choose your first bite
- Choose a bowl, a shared dish or a small bite to suit this meal.
- Open the food examples for the Chinese name and a closer look.
- Show the name when ordering, and ask about any ingredients you avoid.
A bowl or a bakery breakfast?
Wonton noodles offer a savoury soup-and-noodle choice; century egg and lean pork congee has a softer, thicker texture. For something to pick up, look at a pineapple bun. The name refers to its patterned crust: a pineapple bun is not necessarily filled with pineapple. Adding butter makes the serving known as bo lo yau.
Leave room for a small bite
Compare a flaky egg tart with fish balls in curry sauce. One is a sweet bakery snack, the other a savoury bite whose sauce can vary in heat. Choose the food first, then check what the shop actually offers. For a sit-down dim sum meal, use the separate ordering guide. For a spoonable snack, wun zai chi is a thick soup with glass noodles that imitate shark-fin strands. The chicken version described here also uses mushrooms, wood-ear fungus and egg. “Mock shark fin” does not mean vegetarian: ask which meat and stock are used.
Hong Kong milk tea · 港式奶茶
Strong tea is strained through a cloth bag and mixed with evaporated milk for a smooth, rich cup. Hong Kong milk tea is a familiar cha chaan teng drink.
Contains milk and tea caffeine. A request for no added sugar does not remove sugar already present in sweetened milk.
Yuenyeung (Hong Kong coffee milk tea) · 鸳鸯
A Hong Kong drink mixing brewed coffee with black tea and evaporated milk. It combines roasted coffee notes, tea astringency and a creamy taste; sweetness varies.
Contains milk and caffeine from both coffee and tea. Less sugar does not mean caffeine-free or milk-free.
Hong Kong lemon tea · 港式柠檬茶
Black tea with fresh lemon slices and sugar syrup, served hot or over ice. Its tea taste and citrus acidity distinguish it from plain lemon water.
Contains tea caffeine. Less sugar does not mean caffeine-free; sweetness depends on the amount of syrup.
Hong Kong French toast · 西多士
Egg-coated fried bread with a peanut-butter filling, served here with butter and condensed milk.
This version contains wheat, egg, milk and peanuts. Ask about fillings and the bread recipe.
Scrambled eggs with toast · 炒蛋多士
Scrambled eggs served with toast, not egg-dipped, deep-fried Hong Kong French toast.
请问这个早餐包括炒蛋和多士吗？ — Does this breakfast include scrambled eggs and toast?
饮品需要另外点吗？ — Do I need to order a drink separately?
Hong Kong ham macaroni soup · 火腿通粉
Macaroni in chicken broth with cooked pork ham; this version includes green peas, corn and a little sesame oil.
Contains pork, chicken, wheat and sesame in this version. Check the ham, broth and any additional ingredients.
Hong Kong chicken and glass-noodle thick soup · 碗仔翅
A thick Hong Kong soup in which glass noodles imitate shark fin. This chicken version includes shiitake, wood-ear fungus and egg in chicken stock, seasoned with soy sauce.
Contains chicken, egg and soy sauce; soy sauce may contain wheat. Mock shark fin does not mean vegetarian. Confirm the stock and meat.
Before you order
- Check fillings, broth and sauces as well as the main ingredient.
- Ask about the serving size before ordering several dishes.
Phrases to show at the table
这里面有什么食材？
What is in this?
可以少放一点辣椒吗？
Can you make this less spicy?
这个含饮料吗？
Is a drink included?
这个是甜的还是咸的？
Is this sweet or savoury?
Turn curiosity into a shortlist.
Pick one food you are curious about and keep its Chinese name with your notes. Use the questions above when you compare it with a restaurant menu.
Explore the food
