Sing Heung Yuen on Mee Lun Street is one of the last open air dai pai dong in Central, in a part of the city that has lost most of its post war street kitchens to redevelopment.
Why locals love it: One of the last dai pai dong street kitchens in Central, tucked on Mee Lun Street with no signage you'd notice from the main road.
Tip: Walk in from Cochrane Street; the dai pai dong is two minutes uphill on a service alley.
Address: 2 Mee Lun Street, Central, Hong Kong
Lock Cha at Tai Kwun on Hollywood Road serves all vegetarian dim sum and 100 Chinese teas inside the restored Central Police Station compound, calm even on busy Soho weekends.
Why locals love it: Inside the former Central Police Station, a quiet vegetarian dim sum room with 100 Chinese teas, lost to anyone passing on Hollywood Road.
Tip: Book a tea master pairing in the back room; otherwise the front is open seating.
Why locals love it: A 1948 herbal tea shop on Hollywood Road most tourists walk past without noticing the copper pots brewing 24 cooling herbs.
Tip: Order the 24 mei cooling tea; it is the room's signature Cantonese herbal brew.
Why locals love it: A Michelin starred roast goose shop in a fluorescent lit Central canteen that locals queue at; tourists usually overlook for fancier rooms.
Tip: Go at 11:15 for the first batch; the queue runs to Pottinger Street by lunch.
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 love it: Original 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.
Tip: Climb to the upstairs window seat for the Temple Street view; weekday afternoons are calm.
Lock Cha at Tai Kwun on Hollywood Road serves all vegetarian dim sum and 100 Chinese teas inside the restored Central Police Station compound, calm even on busy Soho weekends.
Why locals love it: Inside the former Central Police Station, a quiet vegetarian dim sum room with 100 Chinese teas, lost to anyone passing on Hollywood Road.
Tip: Book a tea master pairing in the back room; otherwise the front is open seating.
Why locals love it: A 1948 herbal tea shop on Hollywood Road most tourists walk past without noticing the copper pots brewing 24 cooling herbs.
Tip: Order the 24 mei cooling tea; it is the room's signature Cantonese herbal brew.
Why locals love it: A Michelin starred roast goose shop in a fluorescent lit Central canteen that locals queue at; tourists usually overlook for fancier rooms.
Tip: Go at 11:15 for the first batch; the queue runs to Pottinger Street by lunch.
Why locals love it: A 1960s cha chaan teng on the antiques row of Hollywood Road in Sheung Wan, plating pork chop rice that everyone walks past on the way to art galleries.
Tip: The pork chop in tomato sauce is the headline; arrive before noon for the seasoned cut.
Why locals love it: A 1960s hand grinding tofu shop on Pei Ho Street in Sham Shui Po, a Kowloon neighbourhood most visitors skip for Central's polished rooms.
Tip: Order the tofu pudding sweet with brown sugar syrup; fried bean curd skin is the savoury side.
