Kung Wo on Pei Ho Street in Sham Shui Po grinds soy beans into tofu by hand since the 1960s, with douhua and fried bean curd plates landing under HK$35 in a Kowloon storefront.
Tip: Tofu pudding with brown sugar is the canonical order; fried bean curd skin is the savoury side.
Address: 118 Pei Ho Street, Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong
Tim Ho Wan in Sham Shui Po has held Michelin Bib Gourmand for 17 consecutive years, with three baked char siu buns and a dim sum sampler that lands well under HK$100 a head.
Try: Baked char siu bao and dim sum tasting
Tip: Three baked char siu buns is the canonical order; the sweet polo crust is the signature.
Kwan Kee on Queen's Road West in Sai Ying Pun is Hong Kong's reference clay pot rice shop, with rice cooked over charcoal in individual pots topped with sausage and salted fish under HK$130.
Try: Clay pot rice with Chinese sausage
Tip: Order ahead by 20 minutes; the pots cook to order over a fixed coal bed.
Tim Ho Wan in Sham Shui Po has held Michelin Bib Gourmand for 17 consecutive years, with three baked char siu buns and a dim sum sampler that lands well under HK$100 a head.
Try: Baked char siu bao and dim sum tasting
Tip: Three baked char siu buns is the canonical order; the sweet polo crust is the signature.
Mak's Noodle on Wellington Street sells small bowls of shrimp wontons in clear broth from around HK$45, a Hong Kong wonton institution founded in 1989.
Try: Shrimp wonton noodle
Tip: Order the small bowl by default; the noodle to wonton balance is calibrated for it.
Sing Heung Yuen on Mee Lun Street serves tomato beef macaroni and crispy condensed milk toast from a 1957 dai pai dong stall in Central, all in for under HK$75 a sitting.
Try: Tomato beef macaroni and condensed milk toast
Tip: Cash only; closed Sundays. Sit at the metal stools on the alley.
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 on a working class budget.
Try: Pineapple bun with butter and milk tea
Tip: Pay with Octopus or WeChat Pay; no HK$1,000 notes accepted.
Mammy Pancake on Carnarvon Road in TST sells Michelin recommended egg waffles from around HK$28 each, the cheapest Michelin guide listing in Hong Kong.
Try: Original egg waffle
Tip: Original is the budget pick at HK$28; pricier sweet potato, matcha and chestnut versions run HK$40 plus.
