Hong Kong has a longer vegetarian tradition than most visitors expect. Buddhist temple kitchens have been serving meat-free food here for well over a century, and the technique behind a good vegetarian Cantonese kitchen, coaxing depth out of mushrooms, bean curd and root vegetables, is genuinely refined cooking rather than a compromise.
Layered on top is a newer plant-based scene that has had a bumpy few years, with several high-profile closures. This guide sticks to places confirmed to be trading, running from temple dining rooms and Shanghainese institutions to a Michelin-listed vegetarian tasting menu and cheap all-day cafes. For more places to eat, browse restaurants in Hong Kong.
Buddhist and Chinese vegetarian institutions
This is the deepest and most distinctive part of Hong Kong’s meat-free cooking, and much of it is very good value.
Pure Veggie House
Refined Buddhist-style Cantonese cooking in a warm, wood-panelled room in Central, and the best place in the city for vegetarian dim sum. The mushroom dishes and the clay-pot rice show what a serious vegetarian Cantonese kitchen can do. Note it is vegetarian rather than strictly vegan, as some dishes contain egg or dairy.
Address: 6/F, M88, Wellington Place, 2 to 8 Wellington Street, Central | Nearest MTR: Central, Exit D2 | Hours: daily, lunch and dinner | Typical spend: mid; dim sum lunch cheaper
Good to know: Come for the dim sum lunch, which is the most affordable way to eat here.
Kung Tak Lam
A Hong Kong institution of more than thirty years serving Shanghainese vegetarian cooking without MSG, from braised vegetarian goose to scallion pancakes and dumplings. Comfortable, old-fashioned and reliably good.
Address: 20/F, Sugar+, 25 to 31 Sugar Street, Causeway Bay | Nearest MTR: Causeway Bay | Hours: daily, lunch and dinner | Typical spend: mid
Good to know: The vegetarian goose is the dish to order, and there is a Tsim Sha Tsui branch too.
Chi Lin Vegetarian
Inside the Tang-dynasty-style Nan Lian Garden, with tables looking out at a waterfall, this is as serene a lunch as Hong Kong offers. The braised mushroom and tofu casseroles are the strength, and the set lunches are very reasonably priced for the setting.
Address: Long Men Lou, Nan Lian Garden, 60 Fung Tak Road, Diamond Hill | Nearest MTR: Diamond Hill, Exit C2 | Hours: daily, lunch and dinner; afternoon tea at weekends | Typical spend: budget to mid; set lunches from around HK$120
Good to know: Combine it with the garden and the Chi Lin Nunnery next door for a half-day out.
Lock Cha Tea House
A calm vegetarian tea house in the K.S. Lo Gallery in Hong Kong Park, pairing serious Chinese teas with vegetarian dim sum. The bean curd rolls and pan-fried turnip cake are excellent, and much of the dim sum is vegan. One of the most peaceful meals in Central.
Address: G/F, The K.S. Lo Gallery, Hong Kong Park, 10 Cotton Tree Drive, Admiralty | Nearest MTR: Admiralty | Hours: daily, roughly 10am to 8pm | Typical spend: mid
Good to know: Let them recommend a tea to match the food; that is the point of the place.
Po Lin Monastery vegetarian kitchen
The monastery’s own vegetarian hall on Lantau, beside the Big Buddha, serving simple set meals of tofu, vegetables, noodles and dumplings to visitors and pilgrims. It is not the most refined food on this list, but eating it where it has been cooked for decades is the appeal.
Address: Po Lin Monastery, Ngong Ping, Lantau Island | Nearest MTR: Tung Chung, then the Ngong Ping cable car or bus 23 | Hours: daily, roughly lunchtime into the afternoon | Typical spend: budget; meal tickets from around HK$110
Good to know: Buy the meal ticket when you buy your cable car ticket, and go at lunchtime.
How Chinese vegetarian cooking works
It helps to know what you are ordering. Traditional Chinese vegetarian cooking, often called zhai, grew out of Buddhist practice and is built on bean curd in its many forms, dried and fresh mushrooms, gluten, root vegetables and a deep understanding of how to get savoury depth without meat stock. Done well, it is technically demanding cooking rather than a substitution exercise.
Two things often surprise newcomers. First, many Buddhist kitchens cook without garlic, onion, leek, chive or shallot, the so-called five pungent roots, which produces a cleaner, quieter flavour than you might expect. Second, mock meats are not a modern gimmick here: vegetarian goose, fish and char siu made from bean curd skin and gluten have been part of the tradition for generations, and the best versions are genuinely impressive.
The other thing worth knowing is that vegetarian does not automatically mean vegan. Chinese vegetarian restaurants frequently use egg and dairy, so if you are strictly plant-based it is worth asking rather than assuming.
Fine dining and Michelin recognition
Yuan
Hong Kong’s first modern Chinese vegetarian fine-dining restaurant, listed in the Michelin Guide and built around allium-free tasting menus, so no garlic or onion in keeping with Buddhist practice. Dishes such as matsutake with chrysanthemum tofu show what the kitchen can do. There is a dedicated plant-based menu alongside the vegetarian one.
Address: Shop 2, G/F, Chinachem Hollywood Centre, 1 to 13 Hollywood Road, Central | Nearest MTR: Central, Exit D2 | Hours: Monday to Saturday, lunch and dinner; closed Sunday | Typical spend: tasting menus from around HK$1,280
Good to know: Ask for the plant-based menu when booking if you want it fully vegan.
Modern plant-based
Veda
Hong Kong’s first vegetarian hotel restaurant, in the Ovolo in Central, serving Indian-inspired small plates and mains with plenty of vegan and gluten-free options. The terrace is dog-friendly, and it works as well for breakfast as for dinner.
Address: G/F, 2 Arbuthnot Road, Central | Nearest MTR: Central, Exit D2 | Hours: daily, from early morning until late | Typical spend: mid; mains roughly HK$58 to 145
Good to know: Good value for a hotel restaurant, and the spice level is not toned down.
Treehouse
The city’s best-known plant-based fast-casual name, built around build-your-own bowls, sourdough flatbreads and burgers, with sustainability baked into the fit-out. Quick, filling and reasonably priced, with a handful of branches across the city.
Address: Shop 1, G/F, H Code, 45 Pottinger Street, Central | Nearest MTR: Central, Exit D2 | Hours: daily, roughly 10am to 10pm | Typical spend: budget to mid
Good to know: The bowls are the best value; branches also operate in Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui.
MANA! Fast Slow Food
A long-running eco-conscious cafe doing vegetarian, vegan, raw and gluten-free food to eat in or take away, with a genuine sustainability ethos behind it. It has moved from its old Soho address to Tai On Terrace, so check where you are going.
Address: 8 Tai On Terrace, Central | Nearest MTR: Sheung Wan or Central, then uphill | Hours: daily except Tuesday, roughly 8am to 6pm | Typical spend: budget
Good to know: It has relocated, so ignore older listings pointing at the Wellington Street address.
Vegetarian dim sum and cheap eats
Veggie Kingdom
A fully plant-based dim sum parlour where all the mock meats are made in house, including a smoked vegan char siu and a mushroom fish fillet that fools people. It has picked up local restaurant awards and booking is strongly advised.
Address: 4/F, Kyoto Plaza, 491 to 499 Lockhart Road, Causeway Bay | Nearest MTR: Causeway Bay | Hours: daily, lunch and dinner | Typical spend: mid
Good to know: Fully vegan dim sum is rare in Hong Kong, so book rather than turning up.
Woodlands
Hong Kong’s original Indian vegetarian restaurant, open since 1981 and still turning out South Indian thalis and dosas at prices that have barely moved with the times. Vegan and Jain options are available on request.
Address: UG, Wing On Plaza, 62 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui | Nearest MTR: East Tsim Sha Tsui, Exit P1 | Hours: daily, lunch and dinner | Typical spend: budget; thalis roughly HK$90 to 135
Good to know: The thali is the order, and it is one of the best cheap meals in Tsim Sha Tsui.
Three Virtues
A family-run Cantonese vegetarian institution in North Point, doing budget-friendly dim sum and mock meats for a loyal neighbourhood crowd. Completely unglamorous and all the better for it.
Address: 1/F, Kiu Kwan Mansion, 395 King’s Road, North Point | Nearest MTR: North Point | Hours: daily, late morning until evening | Typical spend: budget
Good to know: A proper local spot rather than a destination restaurant; go for the dim sum.
Good to know
A few things worth knowing before you go:
- Vegetarian is not always vegan. Chinese vegetarian cooking often uses egg and dairy, so ask if it matters to you.
- Allium-free is a thing here. Buddhist kitchens frequently omit garlic and onion, which changes the flavour profile noticeably.
- Temple restaurants keep short hours, often closing mid-afternoon, so check before travelling out to one.
- The plant-based scene turns over quickly. Several well-known names have closed in recent years, so confirm before a special trip.
- Dim sum is the best entry point if you are sceptical, as vegetarian versions are genuinely good here.
- Book the smaller places, particularly Veggie Kingdom and Yuan, which fill up.
Hong Kong is a better city for vegetarians than its roast-meat reputation suggests, particularly if you are willing to eat Chinese vegetarian rather than looking for Western substitutes. For more places to eat, browse restaurants in Hong Kong, or plan a day around a temple lunch with our guide to things to do in Hong Kong.
The city also has plenty of independent coffee shops with good plant-based options. If you run a vegetarian or vegan restaurant, list it on advertise.hk so diners can find you. Opening hours change often, so check before a special trip.
