The Best Dim Sum in Hong Kong, Ranked
2024-11-23 · 5 min read
Tim Ho Wan, the world's cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant, serves baked BBQ pork buns with a crackly sugar crust that shatters into the soft, sweet-savory filling beneath. The Sham Shui Po location is the original, and while it has expanded globally, the Hong Kong branches maintain a quality that the international outposts sometimes struggle to match. Everything on the menu is under HK$50.
Maxim's Palace in City Hall has been serving dim sum since 1978 and represents the grand old Hong Kong tradition of cart service. The carts roll through a cavernous hall, and you point at what looks good. The har gow, crystal-skinned shrimp dumplings, are a textbook example of how thin the wrapper should be: nearly translucent, with exactly seven pleats. Classic for a reason.
Lin Heung Kui in Sheung Wan is the pugnacious choice. This old-school tea house has no menus and no patience. Carts appear and disappear rapidly, and if you hesitate, the aunties pushing them will not wait. The lo mai gai, sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf, is one of the best in the city, and the no-frills atmosphere is exactly what dim sum was before it got gentrified.
Duddell's in Central is the upscale option, serving refined dim sum in a space that doubles as a contemporary art gallery. The har gow here uses hand-caught prawns, and the truffle siu mai adds luxury without feeling like a gimmick. It is dim sum for a power lunch, with prices to match, but the quality justifies the markup for a special occasion.
Yum Cha in Tsim Sha Tsui injects playfulness into dim sum with character-shaped buns: custard buns that look like pigs, barbecue pork buns shaped like birds, and mushroom buns designed as penguins. It sounds gimmicky, but the execution is genuinely good, and the presentation makes it the most Instagrammable dim sum experience in the city without sacrificing substance for style.
