The Hong Kong cha chaan teng drink that splits coffee and milk tea in one glass with evaporated milk. Named for the mandarin duck, the Cantonese symbol of two-as-one.
Where to eat it: 6 restaurants across 1 city.
Yuenyeung emerged in post-war Hong Kong dai pai dong and cha chaan teng in the 1950s, when British colonial milk tea culture met the rising popularity of coffee. Lan Fong Yuen on Gage Street claims its owner Lum Muk-ho invented both silk-stocking milk tea (1952) and the coffee-tea blend yuenyeung as a sit-down workman's drink. The name compares the unlikely marriage of two opposites to mandarin ducks, who in Cantonese folklore mate for life. The drink is now an officially recognised Hong Kong intangible cultural heritage item and the default morning order at every cha chaan teng in the city.
Common allergens: Dairy
Tip from the editors. Use evaporated milk, not regular dairy milk; the higher fat and cooked-sugar note is what cha chaan teng drinks taste of.
Lan Fong Yuen on Gage Street in Central invented Hong Kong's silk stocking milk tea in 1952, with paper cup tea and a pineapple bun set landing under HK$60.
TrySilk stocking milk tea and pineapple bun
TipUse the side hatch for takeaway; the dine in counter has a 20 minute queue.
Capital Cafe in Wan Chai is the modern cha chaan teng with Canto pop memorabilia on the walls, trading scrambled egg with black truffle on toast and milk tea.
OrderScrambled egg with black truffle on toast.
TipTruffle scramble plus a milk tea is the Wan Chai late night order; weekend evenings get noisy.
Mido Cafe on Temple Street is a 1950 cha chaan teng with original wood booths and a tiled mezzanine, surviving as a daily cha chaan teng among tourist stalls.
Why locals goOriginal 1950 wood booths and tile work on the corner of Temple Street, a film set you can sit in for the price of milk tea.
TipClimb to the upstairs window seat for the Temple Street view; weekday afternoons are calm.
Sei Yik in Stanley is a tiny seafront cha chaan teng plating French toast and stuffed pineapple bun on a strip of metal counter behind the market.
DrinkIced lemon tea and pineapple bun
TipThe peanut butter French toast is the order; takeaway and eat it on the seafront promenade.
Kam Wah on Bute Street in Mong Kok sells warm pineapple buns from around HK$12 with milk tea for under HK$40 total, a 1973 Hong Kong cha chaan teng.
TryPineapple bun with butter and milk tea
TipPay with Octopus or WeChat Pay; no HK$1,000 notes accepted Cash is faster than card.
Tsui Wah's Wellington Street flagship reopened in 2025 after a five year hiatus, returning the cha chaan teng chain's local classics like soup noodles.
DrinkTsui Wah milk tea with crispy bun and condensed milk
TipOrder the crispy bun with condensed milk; no longer 24 hours after the relaunch, daily 07:00-22:00.
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