Life in Central and the Western District: Top 5 Student-Friendly Restaurants

The area around Sai Wan, Kennedy Town, and Pok Fu Lam is a mix of old and new cultures. It is where you can find both traditional flavours of Hong Kong and creative impacts of the new generation. There are many price-friendly restaurants around the HKU campus. Here is a guided food map for those looking for affordable restaurants around the area.

1.Sun Hing Restaurant

 This is a traditional and nostalgic night tea store with 30 years of history in the Western District. It still uses the traditional dim sum cart and shouts to promote freshly baked dim sum. Every time people visit, they feel a strong sense of “old Hong Kong”.

A traditional dim sum store that opened in the 1960s, Sun Hing Restaurant opens at 3 a.m. daily. (Photo Credit: Christina Lai)

Whether you’re in a hurry to submit a paper, busy with meeting members from your society, just got off classes and feeling hungry at 3:00 a.m. or 4:00 a.m, Sun Hing Restaurant is here to help. All you need to do is walk a short distance, take an order and enjoy their oozing hot, sweet custard bun. You will feel recharged and eventually soothe your tiredness of the day. 

Freshly Steamed Creamy Custard Bun are the signature of the store. (Photo Credit: Christina Lai)

If you do not like sweet custard buns, there are other dim sum options available at prices as low as HKD$19.

Address : Shop C, G/F, 8 Smithfield Road, Kennedy Town, Western District

2.Sweet Dreamer Dessert

 Sweet Dreamer Dessert is a popular dessert store in Kennedy Town. It is a place that people cannot afford to miss due to the wide variety of delicious desserts. Let’s take a visit and eat something sweet to distract yourself from all kinds of anxiety.

Slogan in the store: Evil desserts being made. (Photo Credit: @nikkihongkong) 

Desserts in this store are very delicate and insatiable, making them the perfect fit  for university students to give it a shot. For example, the pistachio cheese lava cake is baked with a crispy outer layer. 

Many people will eat: pistachio cake with cream cheese ice-cream. (Photo Credit: @nikkihongkong)

When you cut the ice cream, you can see the pistachio sauce flowing inside. The flavour of the ice cream is very rich while the cheese ice cream gives a sour tang, which can neutralize the sweetness of the dessert.

When the cake was cut, the pistachio jam inside flowed out like lava. (Photo Credit: @nikkihongkong)

In addition, the price is inexpensive and suitable for students, about HK$50 per person.

 Address : G/F, 5 Smithfield, Kennedy Town, Western District

3.Wish You Well Congee Restaurant

 Wish You Well Congee Restaurant is a short walk away from HKU.  With its opening hours from 6am to 11pm, their congee options deliver you a sense of warmth from home. Perfect for breakfast, snacks or anything in between, this is a must-visit spot for students who are looking for a bowl of traditional Chinese comfort food.

A hot bowl of congee and a fried dough is a filling meal that will only cost you around HKD$50. 

Fish Brisket and Pork Loin Congee: Sweet and fresh fish brisket with crisp pork loin for a dense texture. (Photo Credit: Christina Lai)
Char leung; a fusion of fried dough and rice noodle roll.  (Photo Credit: Christina Lai)

 Address: Shop A, G/F, 32 Belcher’s Street, Kennedy Town, Western District

4.Cheung Heung Tea Restaurant

 Cheung Heung Tea Restaurant is one of the oldest traditional tea houses still surviving in Kennedy Town nowadays.

Opened in 1967, it is a nostalgic tea restaurant with a history of over 50 years. (Photo Credit: Christina Lai)

 The restaurant is known for their egg tarts, pineapple buns and french toasts. This restaurant gives you a taste of the old Hong Kong.

Enjoy traditional Hong Kong food – egg tart and milk tea in a traditional tea house.  (Photo Credit: Christina Lai)

The place is famous for its “50-year unchanging decoration”. Both the interior and exterior of Cheung Heung are unmissable photo-opportunities for Instagram.

Address: 107 Belcher’s Street, Kennedy Town, Western District

5.Bijas Vegetarian Restaurant

 Recently, vegetarianism has become a huge trend. Of course, young generations need to jump on the bandwagon. A common misconception is that vegetarian food tends to be bland, but the food at Bijas Vegetarian Restaurant will surprise you and make you realise that “vegetarian” food is so delicious.

 In the restaurant, you can choose your favourite food and pay by weight. There are also other sets, such as the afternoon tea one, for consumers to choose from.

They offer a very healthy buffet selection throughout the day, as well as dim sum options at tea time. (Photo Credit: @hkfoodieplate)

 There is a wide variety of food to choose from, from green vegetables, tofu, vegetarian meatballs, spring rolls and even a variety of dessert options.

This radish cake had a different texture and look to the ones I’ve tried before – it had a stronger consistency and wasn’t as crumbly. (Photo Credit:@hkfoodieplate)

The vegetarian meat tastes as good as real meat, and the food is hot even though it is a buffet-style restaurant. 

Address : G/F Run Run Shaw Tower, Central Podium, Centennial Campus, University of Hong Kong, Shek Tong Tsui, Pok Fu Lam

Leave a Reply

%d bloggers like this: