Ladies and gentlemen, I admit I’ve given my all to you and to the blog. The best cafes in Wan Chai, a neighborhood in Hong Kong, is my special topic for which I particularly care. Now, let’s take off the gloves and get into the ring Now, let’s take off the gloves and get into the ring.
Introduction, which I permit you to skip if you are in a hurry
Wan Chai is one of the neighborhoods occupying the island portion of Hong Kong. This metropolis of seven and a half million inhabitants is, in fact, divided into a peninsular and an island portion.
The peninsula has the historic working-class neighborhoods (the term is kind of relative, in wealthy Hong Kong) of Kowloon, Tsim Sha Tsui, Yau Ma Tei, Mongkok, Sham Shui Po and then the New Territories, which reach all the way to the border with China itself (no, the list is not exhaustive, let’s say I’m mentioning the best-known ones).
The island region is the more “chic” and hosts the administrative and economic structures of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Zone (HKSAZ). Hong Kong is fully Chinese but enjoys a certain degree of autonomy and governs its operations based on the “one country, two systems” principle (which in reality increasingly leans more toward one country than toward the two systems, but let’s not get too polemical, we’re talking about caffeine here). In short, HK permits access to Chinese markets through an economic and legislative system supposedly modeled on British common law.
Before visiting the best cafes in Wan Chai, let’s explore the neighborhood.
Wan Chai has historically been Hong Kong’s nightlife district. For a time, thanks to the presence of a pier used for docking military vessels, it was also a moderately active red-light district. Now, the red-light district remains somewhat subdued, supplanted by a widespread and inexorable gentrification that, like an uncontrolled plague, is claiming victims around the world.
Old buildings and shops are being replaced by skyscrapers housing offices and car dealerships (Tesla and Chinese EV). In my opinion, Wan Chai maintains a certain residential/commercial mix, with clear differences from Central and Admiralty, but it still couldn’t be called a working-class neighborhood.
We’re not here to complain, but to say that in this whole kind of renovating process, something good has emerged. This something is coffee, and coffee shops (because using the term “bar,” as we italian tend to do, would be misleading), very often of high quality.
Well, I have to say it right away: the best espresso I’ve tasted in the last ten years was in Hong Kong. That might not say much to you, but it’s almost uncanny for me. So let’s get started with the list.
The best cafes in Wan Chai. The best espresso: Coco Café Wan Chai.
Coco Café is a chain of small cafes scattered across Hong Kong Island. The quality is generally very good, but this little café in the Wan Chai neighborhood, tucked away in a tiny alley, goes a step further.
It’s a tiny place, maybe 2 by 6 meters. There’s a small bench on the left after the entrance, and otherwise it’s takeout only; there’s no option to eat inside unless you’re standing. When I visited (February 2025), food options were also very limited: a few chocolate chip cookies and little else, as bagels weren’t available.
Yet the strength of this coffee lies in its focus. Excellent flat whites, excellent cappuccinos, interesting macchiatos, but the espresso is the best. It does what an espresso should do, with a certain strength that hits you immediately as soon as you swallow it, but with a vaguely hazelnut flavor and not too acidic. The flavor lingers on the palate for a few seconds, and obviously, I don’t even want to hear the mention of sugar (in Hong Kong, thank God, it’s not customary to put sugar in coffee or cappuccino).
Do I have to add anything? If Hong Kong were less than a four-hour flight away, and legitimate environmental concerns aside, I’d recommend going just to enjoy an espresso as it should be.
Best cafes in Wan Chai, the best coffee for a sweet or savory break: Soft Thunder
The rain falls and a soft thunder rolls
Upon tropical land, the coffee grows
In the baker’s heart, come thoughts of
cakes and tarts
No, I’m not completely crazy. It’s the poem that greets you at the entrance to the benches and chairs area at this remarkable, minimalist bar/café in Wan Chai. I haven’t been able to find out yet whether it’s by a famous poet, but I accept that this poem was written specifically for this place.
Sure, we’re not at Byron’s level, but the idea of Soft Thunder, the gentle thunder, struck me. It seems to resonate strongly with….something. And the logo makes sense, too.
Soft Thunder offers not only excellent coffee or cappuccino, classic flat whites and tea or lemonade, but also a decent selection of sweet snacks, from croissants to the famous Hong Kong egg tarts, including pain au chocolat and raisin rolls (raisin Danish, if we want to be international).
In addition to desserts, there is a wide selection of snacks and really good small savoury sandwiches.
Add to all this a minimalist style dominated by gray concrete, glass, and metal, a large seating area, and I must admit this café was my favorite for a snack, whether sweet or savory.
Best cafes in Wan Chai, best breakfast choice: Maison Kaiser Wan Chai
Maison Kaiser is one of the most famous and popular bakery/cafe names in Hong Kong. You can find it everywhere, from Kowloon to Central and Wan Chai, and the quality is always very good.
This bar/café offers bread in all its variations, pastries, juices, and other delicious breakfast treats. And of course, there’s coffee, with the usual assortment of cappuccinos, macchiatos, espressos, flat whites, and more. Maison Kayser has a large window overlooking a quiet stretch of Queens Road East, so you can choose to watch the pedestrians and cars go by or sit on the benches to relax or work.
Mayson Kaiser was a safe bet for me amidst the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong. The prices (which we’ll discuss in more detail later) are standard for Hong Kong, the service is friendly and fast, and whether you want to stay a while or are in a hurry, this Maison Kaiser on Queen East, is definitely the place for you.
The best cafes in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Here’s the sore point: prices.
Let’s be clear, it’s a given that coffee or cappuccino costs less in Italy than anywhere else in the world. However, Hong Kong is not making it easy in terms of prices.
Let’s say that in 2026 an espresso could cost between 25 and 35 Hong Kong dollars (HKD, 1 HKD is about 12 cents), or between 3 and 4.10 euros. Cappuccinos range between 50 and 55 HKD, while croissants can be around 35-40 KKD. An Italian breakfast, cappuccino and croissant, ranges from 8 to 10 euros, let’s say. Unfortunately, when it comes to the best cafes in Wan Chai, these are the prices you should keep in mind.
The post on the best cafes in Wan Chai is now over. Of course, I don’t think I have to mention the factr that these are my opinions, and there’s really no mathematical system for determining the best cafes in Wan Chai. Furthermore, this is only the first in a series on specific places and things to do in Hong Kong that I link down here.
Se ora volete leggere altro vi lascio qualche consiglio:
What about some coffee in another neighborhood of Hong Kong? What about the best cafes in Tsim Sha Tsui
Or maybe you want to go to the Netherlands with What to see in Delft
There is also Belgium with Discovering Brussels
And finally South America with a tango dance in Buenos Aires
