I was lucky enough to be visiting Hong Kong with a friend who had studied abroad there just a few years earlier, so he knew all the great, cheap places to eat.
We also couchsurfed, and our host, Peter, had tons of great tips on where to eat, including the free meal at the Sikh Temple below!
Read on for where to get cheap but tasty food in Hong Kong.
Free lunch at the Sikh Temple
371 Queen’s Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
If you’re exploring Hong Kong Island and find yourself with a hankering for incredible vegetarian food, make your way to the Khalsa Diwan Sikh Temple.
Everyday over lunch, they serve a free meal to international visitors of any faith.
Remove your shoes, grab a head covering, and descend to the basement cafeteria area, where you grab a tray and cup before sitting in long rows on the ground. Men and women come around with giant vats of various, delicious vegetarian dishes (think curries, yogurts, etc.) and will dish it onto your tray. Finish your meal off with a cup of hot chai tea.
The food is incredible and the kindness and generosity admirable. If you wish, you can leave a donation. When we were there in December 2019, they were asking for donations to help restore the nearly 120-year-old temple.
Michelin-starred food at Tim Ho Wan
18 Hoi Ting Rd, Tai Kok Tsui, Hong Kong
Tim Ho Wan is the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant in the world. They earned their star from their baked BBQ pork buns (so good), but you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu.
With three of us, we split several delicious dumpling dishes, a couple portions of pork buns, and other bits and bobs for only $90 HK ($12.75 US) each.
All-you-can-drink and eat at Mr. Wong’s
10號 Shamchun St, Mong Kok, Hong Kong
At this local student haunt, the eccentric Mr. Wong will come out and greet you, proudly wearing his “Make America Great Again” hat. If he finds out you’re from the States, like me, he’ll discuss how great Trump is with you in broken English. I took the route of nodding and smiling.
If you can get past that, he then brings you unlimited beers along with tons and tons of food (the more he likes you, the more food he brings). If he really likes you, he’ll bring out chicken wings (that’s when you know you’re in).
I attribute my awful hangover the next day to Mr. Wong personally, but also the fact that we ate our weight in delicious food and had unlimited beers for $80 HK ($10.30 US). You really can’t beat that.
Top notch Indian food at Khyber Pass Mess Club
Flat E2, 7/F, Block E, Chung King Mansion, 36-44 Nathan Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
If you’re craving some Indian food, Khyber Pass Mess Club in the Chungking Mansions (a sight in their own right) will set you up well. If you can manage to find it, that is.
It took us the better part of an hour riding the various elevators up and down to the seventh floor of each of the towers to discover the sign for Khyber Pass.
Once you reach the right floor, you’ll walk past a sign stating that the restaurant is for members only, and will be seated in the small interior.
We weren’t members, but no one blinked an eye and we still got the standard 10% member discount on our meal.
Slightly more expensive than the previous two options, with the discount our meal came to $118 HK ($15.25 US) each. But we got so much food we could barely walk after, so you could make it cheaper if you wanted.
Lunch meal deals at Amphawa Thai
Hong Kong, Yau Ma Tei, Man Ming Ln, 2號G/F
A true hole-in-the-wall, our friend Jonny knew this Thai food spot from his student days. The lunch meal deal was great value and delicious, with a curry, drink, and side for $58 HK ($7.47).
At first, it isn’t apparent it’s a restaurant (maybe that’s a theme in Hong Kong?). If you’re stuck, it’s the one with the plastic sheeting you walk through to get inside.
Snacks from 7-Eleven
Finally, you can never go wrong grabbing beers or snacks from a 7-Eleven which – like everywhere in Asia – seem to be on every street corner.
Hong Kong is surprisingly budget-friendly if you know where to look. If you’re a budget traveler, read my post on how to save money in Hong Kong for more tips.