Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get our top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
Header image courtesy of @apt.coffee (via Instagram)
Originally published on 12 March 2018 by Shirley Ling. Last updated by Ching Yuen and Celia Lee.
A coffee (or three) a day keeps us from going insane, and with so many speciality cafés popping up around the city lately, we Hongkongers are seriously spoilt for choice. But what do we love more than our heart-pumping espressos and super gimmicky avo-lattes? A gorgeous café where we can have our coffee and take a decent selfie or two, that’s what. Here’s our pick of the most photogenic cafés in Hong Kong, which are sure to give you an enviable Instagram feed.
Since first starting up in To Kwa Wan, On The Hill has opened multiple stores and taken the city by storm with its singular and pleasing aesthetic, and delicious food and drinks. The café's main themes range from wooden interiors to gilded marble patterns. Some may say it’s “basic,” but who doesn’t enjoy a bit of luxury now and then?
On the Hill blends in pieces of wooden flooring to incorporate different textures, creating a relaxing space to hide from the summer heat. Not only does this café serve great coffee, but they also have cute baked treats. From the bar and seating area to the storefront, everywhere you look is an Instagrammable spot, so make sure to come with a friend to help with all of your model pictures!
Apt. Coffee stands out with white walls and bamboo shoots wherever it settles in the city. That’s right, you better get that bamboo from the outdoor area in the picture! The café is put together by a young couple, with the lady in charge of the coffee and the gentleman handling the sweets and savouries. Abiding by their philosophy of being “a personal tailor” for their customers, this café allows customers to create and customise their own coffees. From coffee beans and flavour to milk foam and temperature, design the perfect coffee for yourself. Their toasts are also customisable, as they provide a range of toppings and sauces to choose from.
Apt. Coffee, Shop A&B, G/F, 12 Moon Street, Wan Chai | (+852) 3619 4393
Ah Jeng’s Coffee Club sports an eye-catching and quirky aesthetic, with its bright, neon orange decor standing out amongst its neighbours on Second Street in Sai Ying Pun. Patrons step into a colourful monochrome paradise, complete with brightly coloured chairs, shelves, and tables that match the star colour of the brand. An orange-and-white mosaic tiled windowsill also makes for the perfect backdrop to your Insta-shots. Ah Jeng serves a variety of coffees with homemade biscotti, while seasonal desserts are slowly being rolled out as the coffee shop settles in the neighbourhood.
Ah Jeng’s Coffee Club, Shop B, G/F, Tung Cheung Building, 1 Second Street, Sai Ying Pun
Live out your dark academia dreams with a cup of joe at The Coffee Journal. The royal blue exterior of the café is hard to miss, with patrons transported into a cosy lounge as they step through its doors. Royal blue walls are contrasted with brown leather furnishings and marble-top tables, adding a touch of elegance to this comforting space. Do not forget to check out the vintage photographs and illustrations decorating the walls as you are posing for your next picture.
The Coffee Journal, G/F, 12 Yiu Wah Street, Causeway Bay
As their name suggests, Coffee Matters is all about taking customers on an elevated coffee journey in the historic district of Sham Shui Po. If the beauty of old Hong Kong-style tenement buildings speaks to you, then you’ll dig the green-and-white-tiled floors, wooden bar stools, and grey colour palette—a minimalist combination that makes you want to dress up for a splash of colour and get snap-happy with your beverage. A seat by the entrance and full-length windows will get you the best lighting if you are unable to score the coveted table just by the café’s sliver of a patio. In terms of coffee, Coffee Matters is known for their ice drip coffees, hazelnut lattes, and excellent flat whites—our boxes are all ticked.
Coffee Matters, G/F, 170 Ki Lung Street, Sham Shui Po | (+852) 3584 7866
Just off of a staircase full of antique stores in Sheung Wan is the very quaint Halfway Coffee. This café merges East and West with all drinks being served in vintage porcelain Chinese teacups, scoured from places like Temple Street Night Market. See them lined up atop the bespoke espresso machine and let the barista know which cup you would like your drink served in. Also, make sure to keep an eye out for the cash register—a traditional counter-weight, just like what you would see back in the day at a wet market.
Halfway Coffee makes a mean latte—rich, smooth, and creamy, the coffees here always hit the spot and come with some of the best latte art we have seen in the city. It is a super popular spot during lunchtime and space is limited in this small café, but do not fret, as Halfway Coffee has an array of locations across the city for you to photograph your lunch hour away. If you are looking for the most aesthetic location of them all, hop over to Soy Street in Mong Kok.
Bunches of dried flowers and potted plants make up most of the elaborate design at Café Zi, not to mention branches from their indoor tree that hangs over the entrance of the café. With thin bar stools lined up against the window, it’s a great spot to show off those fabulous long legs or get your friend to work the camera angles. The chalkboards and ready-available note pads up for grabs on the counter also signal that it is time to bring out your inner artist and draw a doodle for the shop. The woven baskets, wooden tables, and stools will remind you of mini bookshop cafés hidden in Taipei alleyways, where you can spend the day reading, drinking, or taking pictures!
Café Zi, G/F, 8 Hill Road, Tsim Sha Tsui | (+852) 2778 1629
Time to get away from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong’s city life! Go on a hunt for that little bit of Melbourne tucked away in the heart of Sai Kung. The couple behind Little Cove Espresso hired Studio Adjective to design the café, using fine, wavy details on the walls to bring a bit of the ocean inside their stylish and minimalistic sanctuary. There is just something about perfectly-lined wooden patterns on tables and chairs that make you want to slowly melt onto the ever-so-smooth surface. If it is not too sunny, make sure to grab a seat on the deck outside to thoroughly enjoy the Sai Kung outdoors—and snap a gorgeous pic. Lucky for us, the café recently opened a second location in Kennedy Town, making the trip to that perfect shot that much shorter.
One does not simply walk past Winstons Coffee without taking a photo of its shopfront. Its Sai Ying Pun, Kennedy Town, and Tai Hang locations feature an old-school cinema sign bearing the café’s name and a sneaky catchphrase. It is so eye-catching that there's always someone standing across the road taking photos of it. The sleek interior and black-and-white patterned floors are favourite backdrops for Instagrammers after that 10/10 shot. Winstons is more than just a pretty face, however, as this Aussie-style café serves some of the very best piccolos, flat whites, and espresso martinis in town. Strong, dark, and slightly bitter, these coffees are best enjoyed with a side of biscotti, croissants, and pies.
Fans of retro and vintage aesthetics will fall in love Allez Coffee. The corner location features a simple industrial exterior complete with wooden furnishings and outdoor seating. The interior of Allez reminds us more of a seasoned second-hand store than a café, with vinyls lining its exposed concrete walls and other paraphernalia of the past scattered around the shop. The most popular photo spot is one of Allez’s outdoor seat, where plastic Asahi crates on wooden benches are repurposed into small tables. Enjoy a coffee and a small bite as you plan out your next shot.
Allez Coffee, Shop 2–3, G/F, Fook Tin Building, 38 Wai Chi Street, Shek Kip Mei
Covering the hottest new eats, the best places to play, offbeat takes on local culture, and so much more, Localiiz is every Hongkonger’s destination for how to live a well-rounded life in our vibrant city. Why the strange spelling? Well, Localiiz is designed to be your “local eyes”—and for that, you need two i’s.
Top