When I wrote about open-air dining in seoul I thought nobody would care, but surprisingly I got quite a bit of comments and DMs from fellow covid-cautious travellers. I would keep on doing the same otherwise: people tend to to write on popular topics to feel accepted, but isn’t it meaningful to share something different about our selves or the world?
the spectrum of covid cautiousness
Covid cautiousness is a spectrum: some people would not travel or dine outdoors at all, and outdoor dining is not risk-free. So it really depends on the individual’s risk assessment. Even for outdoors we would not dine if the space is packed, and if there are visibly sick people around. In this aspect my partner is more cautious than me, so she gets to assess the space first. We are on an interesting spot on the covid-cautious spectrum: the average person thinks we’re being hypochondriac – I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people visibly gasp when I tell them we wear an uncomfortable n95 on an entire 7-hour flight, don’t dine indoors at all or eat on planes, but there are also people who would frown at us for being on a plane or that we would even contemplate eating around anybody even in open air.
Sometimes I can’t help but think how much less complex my life would be if I didn’t have to think about how cautious I want or need to be. Like if covid didn’t exist at all I would be 50% happier. At least my relationships wouldn’t be as awkward as they are now. I too think that masks are uncomfortable I wouldn’t pretend otherwise, and I miss dining indoors terribly and would like the occasional hangout, but I have spent 9 fucking long years (and $) trying to get better from chronic debilitating migraines, so I cannot imagine having to go through that again, or worse. Who is going to pay my bills if I get more disabled?
So it is what it is. Unfortunately it seems like the virus is going to be around forever and as long as there are no available medical technology to prevent or resolve post-covid conditions, my partner and I will have to keep having to do the covid-cautious mental gymnastics. Our risk assessment may change especially if we get covid again, but for now everything we have been doing seems to work. I am not sure how much of it is luck though.
hong kong has a surprising wide variety of outdoor options
We have resisted going to hong kong because it is known to be dense and crowded. We had assumed it would be extremely challenging to find any outdoor dining options, as hongkongers are known to dine in tight spaces – they have a culture of sharing tables precisely because there is not enough space, and the probability of having space outdoors seemed absurd. I did not recall seeing any outdoor dining options in my previous trips, with the exception of dai pai dongs, which are also going extinct.
We went there anyway prepared to do takeouts or food delivery. We were surprised by the plethora of options for a dense city like hong kong, especially western-style cafes which have popped up everywhere. We enjoyed experiencing the different dimensions of open-air dining in hongkong. Here are a list of the places, the caveat being that their suitability may depend on one’s risk assessment.
wanchai
tak yu
We thought it’ll be impossible to find a proper outdoor cha chaan teng (hongkong-style cafe). Tak Yu not only has outdoor sitting but seems to have a long history behind it. We love the old hongkong vibes. Their famous french toast is only available after 11am.
Near the same area (Star Street, Wan Chai) you can also find many other places with outdoor sitting:
tmk rap & rolls
Modern japanese fusion restaurant. It was very crowded at lunch time, but it was empty when we visited at about 2pm. Only serves a set menu at lunch.
matchali
They have a cute outdoor space inside the restaurant. The matcha is so good here we went back several times. Serves a good matcha chia seed pudding bowl too.
apt coffee
Seems to be very popular with locals. Crowded during lunch but pretty sparse during breakfast. We found the toasts average.
pici
Italian food. Avoid during peak meal times. We were there about 5pm and it was relatively empty. It is also up to you to decide whether you are comfortable sitting facing the restaurant.
Other places with outdoor sitting around the area:
- Blue Bottle Coffee
- Blend & Grind Star Street
- Conrad Garden Café (if you’re into buffets)
- Cafe Match Box in causeway bay, but one of the rare cha chaan tengs with ample outdoor sitting. Food is okay. Prices above average for ccts. Nice retro-style decor.
sheung wan / central
blend & grind mid-levels
Breakfast food. Entire place is outdoor-only. You may have to share tables, but there is an unsheltered outdoor area where nobody likes to sit.
halfway coffee
Small breakfast menu with about 3 items, but plenty of drinks. Worth visiting just for the beautiful coffee cups. They have other branches with outdoor sitting too.
pigsman sw dept
I’m not sure if you could count this as outdoor seating, they have one tiny bench with one tiny table outside their restaurant. They seem taken aback when my partner asked if we could eat there (we had to ask such awkward questions multiple times), but kindly relented. They have pretty good pork chop rice.
schragels
Technically not outdoors but they open their giant windows in the mornings when we were there (I guess it depends on the seasons). We went there at opening hours (8am) to snag the seat beside the window. There was only one couple dining apart from us. Supposedly the best bagels in Hong Kong, but I prefer Two Men Bagel House in Singapore.
the chinese library
I have to say this is expensive dimsum and we were only eating there because it was my birthday and outdoor dimsum restaurants are rare. I cannot remember when was the last time I ate dimsum at the restaurant. Housed in the beautiful Tai Kwun building – the former Central Police Station with a prison.
Tai Kwun has several other outdoor dining restaurants as well, including a vegetarian dim sum restaurant.
sai yung pun
Sai Yung Pun is next to Sheung Wan. It seems to be an up and coming area for cafes. It also has the Art Lane.
happiness single coffee
Owned by a sweet old couple, the cafe has like a giant drip coffee menu but we were really there for the sandwiches. The entire cafe is open-air but it could be narrow, so it would be best to take the tables right at the entrance.
congteakafe
Congteakafe is actually a modern cha chaan teng. Go there if you want to have a traditional hong kong style breakfast. It could be packed, so I would go there at opening hours. They have a breakfast and lunch menu, hence they serve different food at different hours.
two-and-a-half street
This is located next to Congteakafe, and we ate there because Congteakafe was closed. Decent brunch food and coffee, with plenty of dogs.
so.high coffee bar
We liked the cups.
Other cafes in the same area:
kowloon
There are not as many outdoor places at the Kowloon side, or maybe I am just terrible at finding them. They are a lot more spread out compared to Hong Kong island. But here’s some of them:
poach
I would come here just for the experience of dining on a roof top surrounded by the dense buildings of Mongkok. The food – japanese fusion – is pretty good too.
elephant grounds (K11 MUSEA)
The cafe officially opens at 10am, but food is only served 11am onwards. Visit if you need food in the Tsim Sha Tsui area, else you could give it a miss.
the butchers truck
We were hungry after visiting M+ and thankfully there was this food truck with a beautiful view. There are some other food trucks in the West Kowloon Art Park and a few restaurants with an outdoor dining area.
Other places scattered around:
- Black Sugar Coffee & Lifestyle & NOC (The Whampoa): if you find yourself in the Hung Hom area for some reason.
- ÔDELICE Tsuen Wan West & Feather & Bone (Tsuen Wan) In the same building (OP Mall), we were there because we visited The Mills and this seemed like the only place nearby that had a chance of having some outdoor restaurants. You can walk along the waterfront after food.
- Sai Kung: famous for seafood, plenty of outdoor options here.
- Outlying Islands: Plenty of outdoor options because it is a thing to dine alfresco when one is near the sea?
There are a lot more dining outdoor places than mentioned, but most of these were personally visited or verified. Sometimes you see an outdoor place mentioned on google but when you get there the area is closed or the tables have disappeared. Due to time constraints we also couldn’t visit everywhere we’ve bookmarked. You could do a keyword search on google like “outdoor seating”, “alfresco”, “pet-friendly”, and sometimes there could be surprises.
Hope this is useful to some covid-cautious internet stranger out there. I take this opportunity to say hi! because it is a lonely world for us out there.