Hong Kong: six top spots for drinks in Tai Hang

1. Second Draft, Tai Hang
2. Les Pucelles, Causeway Bay
3. SKYE Roofbar, Causeway Bay
4. Forever Lounge, Causeway Bay
5. Moto Yakitori & Sake Bar, Tai Hang
6. Sister Wah, Causeway Bay

Compact and frenetic, Hong Kong island is not known for its hidden secrets, but the secluded neighbourhood of Tai Hang is just that. Sandwiched between the bustling Causeway Bay shopping district and gritty, up-and-coming North Point, this laid-back enclave has largely escaped the unbridled development that characterises much of modern Hong Kong.

Until the 1980s, the area was dotted with shanty towns, as the population of Hong Kong mushroomed with new arrivals from mainland China. Today, it’s best known for its annual fire dragon dance, which commemorates the impact of a devastating typhoon more than a century ago. A curious mix of crumbling colonial mansions and low-rise tenements, Tai Hang is also home to a burgeoning food-and-drink scene, as well as shops selling quirky household ornaments and vintage goods.

The area’s combination of boutique hotels, convenient location and transport options is increasingly putting it on the map for business travellers. Here are some highlights.

1. Second Draft

Ground floor, 98 Tung Lo Wan Road (nearest train station is Tin Hau)

Website | Directions

• Good for: frosty local craft beer
• Not so good for: wine lovers
• FYI: go for the beer and stick around for the food. The menu was created by May Chow, one of the city’s most celebrated chefs

This spacious neighbourhood bar is one of the best-known establishments to emerge from the city’s flourishing craft-beer scene, pioneered by local brewers such as Young Master, Gweilo and Yardley Brothers. Second Draft offers an extensive, rotating selection of Hong Kong and international IPAs, Pilsners and Weissbiers, and the knowledgeable staff always have great recommendations. Patrons come for the beer but stick around for the food – the menu, by the celebrated chef May Chow, includes local favourites such as Hong Kong-style French toast and mapo burrata, which neatly pairs Italian cheese with spicy pork.

2. Les Pucelles

26 School Street (nearest train station is Tin Hau)

Website | Directions

• Good for: fine-wine enthusiasts
• Not so good for: any other sort of tipple
• FYI: an authentic wine-bar experience in an unpretentious setting

This corner of Hong Kong is an unlikely spot for a cosy, welcoming, Parisian-style bistro that takes its name from a vineyard in the Puligny-Montrachet area of Burgundy. It is nestled among the ramshackle car mechanic garages and workshops that dot the area, but the unpretentious setting belies an impressive wine list – from France, Italy and the New World – that draws in a chatty, mostly local crowd. A short walk from Hong Kong’s main public library, it’s also the perfect spot to sit back with a book and watch the world go by, if you’ve got the time.

3. SKYE Roofbar

27th floor, The Park Lane hotel, 310 Gloucester Road (nearest train station is Causeway Bay)

Website | Directions

• Good for: cocktails with a view
• Not so good for: a cheap pint
• FYI: one of Hong Kong’s most impressive rooftop bars

SKYE, one of Hong Kong’s most impressive rooftop bars, isn’t technically in Tai Hang. Part of the five-star Park Lane hotel, it’s actually a five-minute walk away, overlooking Victoria Park, one of the few major green spaces in the city centre. But it does offer sweeping views of the area, including the shimmering neon skylines of Hong Kong island and the Kowloon peninsula. Its drinks menu is heavily geared towards cocktails: highlights include an infusion of jasmine tea, gin and vermouth, and the “Picosito”, a Mexico-inspired creation made with tequila and mango soda.

4. Forever Lounge

178 Tung Lo Wan Road (nearest train station is Tin Hau)

Directions

• Good for: late-night debauchery
• Not so good for: a quiet drink
• FYI: to make like a local, grab a bottle of Black Label whisky and try your hand at one of the dice games

You won’t find Forever Lounge in any Hong Kong guide book. Rowdy, smoky and very rough around the edges, Tai Hang’s pre-eminent dive bar is fantastic fun. It is also about the closest thing Hong Kong has to a traditional British boozer, down to the cheap pints and dartboards. But if you want to make like a local, grab a bottle of Black Label whisky and lose some money on one of the dice games that punters flock here for.

There’s a basic food menu to line your stomach: think noodles and spring rolls doused in soy sauce and fried on a giant griddle behind the bar. The jukebox doesn’t offer much except a few Abba hits and some Cantonese pop classics, and even those are hard to hear above the din. Cheers!

5. Moto Yakitori & Sake Bar

21 Brown Street (near train station is Tin Hau)

Directions

• Good for: after-work drinks and Japanese whisky
• Not so good for: single malt Scotch
• FYI: one of the area’s best examples of izakaya (Japanese-style pub)

Tai Hang, for reasons not entirely clear, has emerged as Hong Kong’s unofficial capital of Japanese food and drink over the past few years. It is hard to walk 10 feet in any direction without encountering steaming bowls of ramen or eye-wateringly-priced sushi. Moto Yakitori & Sake Bar is one of the area’s best examples of izakaya, or Japanese-style watering hole. The akachōchin (red lanterns) hanging above the door make it easy to spot. Inside, you’ll find a selection of Japanese single malts from premium distilleries such as Hibiki and Yamazaki, as well as sake and plum wines. A range of yakitori (Japanese skewered meat) and anything from the chef’s recommendations will spark joy in visitors requiring a late-night snack.

6. Sister Wah

13 Electric Road (next to Tin Hau train station)

Website | Directions

• Good for: calling it a night with late-night eats
• Not so good for: having one more for the road – Sister Wah does not serve alcohol
• FYI: go for the Michelin-approved diner’s signature dish: beef brisket and noodles in a hot broth

A nightcap in food-obsessed Hong Kong doesn’t always involve booze. Sister Wah, an unpretentious diner that draws big crowds, is a good case in point. Spartan, busy and lacking any decor besides frayed tablecloths and LED strip lighting, this Michelin “Bib Gourmand” establishment serves a signature dish of beef brisket with noodles in hot broth, often to worse-for-wear patrons. The no-frills, Shanghainese-influenced menu also includes homemade pork dumplings and drunken chicken cooked in Chinese rice wine. All the dishes are hot, cheap and very tasty. The diner’s close confines (tables are shared) provide plenty of opportunities to share a drink with locals and curious tourists — even if it is only a glass of milk tea.

We want to know: what are you favourite watering holes in Hong Kong? Tell us in the comments or write to us at ftglobetrotter@ft.com

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