18 Best Coffee Shops In Hong Kong

18 best cafes in Hong Kong

The coffee scene in Hong Kong follows a slow-to-start but rapidly rising popularity in all of South Asia, a region more often associated with a love of tea (Ma, 2018).

These days, you’re just as likely to find a coffee shop on the corner of every major intersection as you are to find a tea house nestled in alleyways.[1]

Neither do the shop-owners of Hong Kong draw a strict line between the two — ask around at any shop and you’re likely to find yuan yang on the menu which is the marriage of coffee and milk tea into one delicious drink.

Innovation, style and world-class roasting and brewing practices now reigns supreme in Hong Kong.

We’ve selected our favorites for every type of mood or vibe you might be looking for on your next adventure into the world of the best cafes in Hong Kong.


Best Coffee Shops for Specialty Drinks

Amber Coffee Brewery

Amber Coffee Brewery

This Sheung Wan coffee shop boasts a sleek, minimalist look that puts all the focus on the stellar coffee it serves.

Award-winning baristas perfect their craft for the delight of the customers who come for the espresso drinks and stay for the atmosphere. By nightfall, the brewery turns into a wine bar.


Elephant Grounds

When you visit the Elephant Grounds Wan Chai coffee shop, expect to be charmed by its mix of wood and stone decor with touches of bright, fresh greenery.

The menu offers a balance of classic espresso drinks and modern takes that blend the line between coffee and cocktail.

If the beetroot juice latte scares you, don’t worry — we’ll show you where to find more traditional drinks later on.


Cafe Leitz

Cafe Leitz

Come for the espresso lime tonic, stay for the unique shopping opportunities this blend of retail and food space provides. Cafe Leitz knows how to appeal to the creative consumer.

Not only do they provide an interesting and unique menu for the connoisseurs at heart, but they also offer shutterbugs a chance to shop their collection of premium cameras and camera accessories.

What better way to test out your new camera than by taking pictures of Cafe Leitz’s one-of-a-kind concoctions?


The Coffee Academics, Causeway Bay

This flagship store sets a tone for modern coffee shops in Hong Kong (Bronwen, 2016).

Here, you can expect to find the latest innovations in brewing and serving up quality coffee drinks, including a locally favored selection of cold brews.

The Coffee Academics, Causeway Bay

Seating choices can satisfy the contemplative singleton or offer lively groups ready to discuss current events plenty of space to use.

If you’re looking for a quiet and cozy space to catch up on work, we’ve got you covered down below. [2]


Best Coffee Shops for Traditional Drinks

Steam Cafe

Looking for latte art? This cafe has mastered the practice so well, they can even pull it off with milk-alternatives, which are known to be fickle when it comes to steaming and creaming with coffee.

Steam Cafe even offers classes for those who wish to learn the subtle skill of steamed milk art.


Pacific Coffee, Wan Chai

As a brand, Pacific Coffee spans the globe, but their home in Hong Kong’s Wan Chai district is a favorite fixture for anyone who wants a standard but sturdy cup of coffee without a lot of fuss.

This shop’s floor-to-ceiling windows and cozy selection of seating echoes the feel of modern cafes made popular in American coffee culture.


N1 Coffee & Co

There’s nothing fussy or extra-fancy about this tiny and cozy coffee shop, where micro-roasting and boutique brewing are the secret to their consistently tasty offerings.

Order here when you want a truly traditional, freshly roasted and excellently brewed espresso drink.

Stick around and talk coffee shop with the owner and baristas if you want to learn more about their process.


La Station

A European flair helps this cafe stand out from the rest of the popular coffee shops in the Wan Chai district.

Its train station decor and old-world recipe secrets infuse the mood with a French take on coffee and atmosphere.

With that mood comes a wonderful selection of in-house pastries to pair with your favorite brew.


Best Coffee Shops for Productivity

Athletic Juice and Espresso Bar

When you’re in need of an energizing drink, look no further than the latte this cafe serves inside of an avocado shell.

If you’re looking for lighter fare, down a shot of espresso and chase it with a freshly juiced drink that will help you recover from the morning jog and prepare for the day ahead.


Habitu Cafe

Habitu Cafe

You’ll find plenty of space to work here and the kind of atmosphere where you can slip into your own bubble of productivity.

Some of the seating may not be close to an outlet, but if all you need is a couple of hours to finish up the last of a project without compromising on quality coffee, then Habitu is the place for you.


Knockbox Coffee

Any coffee enthusiast worth their crema knows that Knockbox Coffee is a must-visit when in Hong Kong.

This cafe serves its coffee like a meal, giving guests options to have one kind of coffee served three different ways, or challenging them to taste two similar coffees blindly and to try to pick out the subtle differences.

It gets those mental juices flowing so you can move on to your work with an extra boost.


Winstons Coffee

Ample window seating allows patrons a perfect people-watching vantage point from this cozy little coffee shop that turns bar as the day becomes night.

They don’t ditch the coffee just because it’s happy hour, however. Their espresso martini brings the crowds around and creates a buzz. After a long day of emails, you can wind down with a cocktail or two.


Best Coffee Shops for Third Wave Style

% Arabica Coffee, Hong Kong

Located inside of a ferry terminal in Hong Kong’s Kowloon district, % Arabica’s reputation for expertly blended and brewed coffee takes center stage.

% Arabica Coffee, Hong Kong

With a sparse decor that pairs industrial concrete with the organic touch of wood and glass, it’s everything a third wave coffee shop should be.

The attention to detail when it comes to selecting the right beans for the best brew speaks volumes about the skill at work behind the espresso bar.


The Cupping Room, Hong Kong

Up your coffee game with a visit to this cafe, which serves up its single-origin coffees with an opportunity to learn about how to taste the coffee like a pro.

Cupping, the term used by professionals who test brews for their flavor profile and quality takes on a new meaning here.

You can treat yourself to a quality experience, then chase it with a delightful assortment of treats and dishes from their varied menu.


Coffee Roastery Lab by 18 Grams

Although this brand has more than one location, the coffee shop’s roastery spot is the hub of its production in Hong Kong.

It’s no wonder that 18 Grams has a lead on the local coffee scene as one of its founding members is a world-renowned judge of barista championships.

At the Lab, they tinker and tweak their recipes until they‘re debut-ready for their coffee shop menus around the city.


Best Cafes in Hong Kong for Atmosphere

Hazel & Hershey Coffee Roasters

Hazel & Hershey Coffee Roasters

Vibrant, modern and brimming with cool vibes and good brews, you’ll want to make this coffee shops eclectic decor a part of your Instagram as much as you’ll find yourself a regular of their menu choices.

Great coffee aside, there’s plenty of cafe paraphernalia, knick-knacks, gadgets and books to enjoy in between editing photos for the feed.


Halfway Coffee

Halfway Coffee

Nestled near the antique vendors of Upper Lascar Row, Halfway Coffee takes that old-world style and gives it a modern twist.

In-house coffee is served in delicate porcelain cups, but even the paper to-go cups boast a vintage pattern worthy of a picture-perfect snapshot.


Why 50

why 50

Graffiti at the front and industrial minimalism at the back, this cafe will make any social media feed look instantly cooler when it shows up as the backdrop of your next personal photoshoot.

There’s just enough of a rustic feel that the warehouse-style brick-and-metal styling doesn’t come off as too stark.


Her

With plenty of seating and a flair for bright, colorful decor, this cafe is the perfect space for a lively meet-up or to catch up with friends.

The fashion-forward retail space and eatery allows you and your friends to shop together while sipping on uniquely whipped cold coffee drinks and nibbling on the Cookie Department’s famous offerings.

Traveling to Taiwan, check out the best cafes in Taipei and Taiwan here.

References1. Ma, D. (2018, December 17). Slow Brew: China’s Coffee Revival and Globalization. Retrieved May 12, 2019, from https://macropolo.org/analysis/slow-brew-chinas-coffee-revival-and-globalization/2. Bronwen, S. (2016, April 27). The Blossoming Coffee Culture of Southeast Asia. Retrieved May 12, 2019, from https://scanews.coffee/2016/04/27/the-blossoming-coffee-culture-of-southeast-asia/

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