Cover The only thing better than a great cocktail? A great excuse to stay for another at the bar
The only thing better than a great cocktail? A great excuse to stay for another at the bar
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What separates a good bar from a great one? A reason to stay for one more. I tested Hong Kong’s best so you never have to settle for sad nuts again.
There was a time, not so long ago, when the term “bar snack” was a lie told to drunk people. It meant something cold, something fried six hours earlier, or something with a best-before date that had already given up hope. You ate it because your blood alcohol had disabled your judgment, not because you wanted to.
Then something shifted, and bars across the city decided the people of Hong Kong deserve better. The following were not the first to try, but they were absolutely among the first to succeed.
Bar Leone is one of them. The mortadella focaccia comes stacked with whipped ricotta and pickled chillies, a construction so shamelessly fatty that it borders on the reckless. You eat it anyway. You forget to care almost immediately. There are also smoked olives, which have earned a cult following of their own, and they deserve it: little umami grenades that go off in quick succession, leaving you dazed, thirsty and reaching for another Filthy Martini.
Above The mortadella focaccia comes with whipped ricotta and pickled chillies at Bar Leone
Above The Diplomat burger offers Wagyu beef cooked to medium-rare with melted cheese
The mortadella focaccia comes with whipped ricotta and pickled chillies at Bar Leone
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The Diplomat understands a different kind of comfort. Its burger is not just food, it is therapy. When times get hard—and in this city, they do—this is where you run. A solid construction of Wagyu beef cooked to a blushing medium-rare, buried under melted cheese and tucked into a soft bun that somehow holds it all together without falling apart. It soothes the soul in the way only something deeply irresponsible can.
Those two proved it could be done; they kicked the door open. Now a handful of newcomers are walking through it, and they have clearly been paying attention.
Above Order the pasta alla vodka and the bourbon chocolate tart at Mius
Order the pasta alla vodka and the bourbon chocolate tart at Mius
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Mius is serving pasta alla vodka. At a bar. Think about that: a rich, flavourful pasta that has no business being this good in a room that stays open until one in the morning. The bourbon chocolate tart follows—dark, glossy and unctuous. You tell yourself you are just having a bite. You have three.
Sugar King dares to claim the “world’s best flan”, or crème caramel. Hyperbole? Perhaps. But the wobbly, caramel-topped mound of dairy decadence arrives with the confidence of something that has never been told “no”. Beside it sit the chicharrones du lujo: fried pork skins dressed in avocado crema and a flagrant hot sauce to wake you up between daiquiris at this Havana-inspired bodeguita.
Above Chilled prawn cocktail with rum hot sauce at Montana
Above The “world’s best flan” (crème caramel) at Sugar King
Chilled prawn cocktail with rum hot sauce at Montana
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Montana keeps the rhythm going on the plate. A chilled prawn cocktail arrives lifted by a rum hot sauce that punches well above its weight class, while devilled eggs with caviar take a suburban party snack and gild it with brine. The cubano sliders follow: pulled pork, Swiss cheese and pickles. It is the kind of food you eat with your hands and defend with your elbows.
You can drink anywhere—there are plenty of good bars. But the ones that understand that food matters have figured out the difference between a drink and a destination. A great bar does not just pour—it gives you a reason to stay for the next one. As for the bar nut? A noble soldier. It served us well when we knew no better, but its watch has ended. Time to let it rest.
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A storyteller by day and a first-class food devourer by night, Fontaine is the Regional Dining Editor at Tatler Asia, overseeing dining content across all regions and shaping the brand’s editorial voice on food, chefs and culinary culture.
She is also Content Lead for Tatler Best and Co-jury Head for Tatler Best Hong Kong and Macau, guiding the awards’ editorial direction and evaluation process. With over a decade in the lifestyle and media industry spanning London and Hong Kong, she brings a cross-regional perspective to the table.
Follow her on Instagram at @fontimes.
