These are the Best Private Kitchens in Hong Kong

Feel like going off the grid for your next meal? You might want to try one of our picks of the best private kitchens in Hong Kong.

If you’re a little bored of Hong Kong’s dining scene – which tends to flaunt and not always follow through – or you need a cool space to host a dinner party that you shoebox apartment and questionable cooking skills won’t allow for, a private kitchen can be heaven-sent.

The trend for private kitchens in Hong Kong started some 15 years ago, when skyrocketing real estate prices meant restaurants could no longer afford to rent space in prime locations. Seeking alternatives, rogue chefs started opening private kitchens in residential and industrial spaces; suddenly these were the hot new dining trend.

Private kitchens are a bit like being in on a private joke or being part of a secretive society – only those who are really in the know will know about them and have entrée. So, consider this your invitation to join the club.

Little Kitchen

Tucked into a tonglau (tenement building) in Sai Wan Ho, you might not have high expectations when you arrive at Little Kitchen, but this is one case where perseverance prevails. Step into the second-floor dining room and you’ll find a relaxed, comfortable space that caters to just 24 guests each night. In the open kitchen, chef David Forestell whips up seasonal, Western-style dishes that are served in four-course menus – think carrot gazpacho and roasted Australian lamb. The food is simple, solid and well-presented – plus you can BYO with no corkage.

Gitone

A glass-walled shopfront in Sai Wan Ho is home to a private kitchen marrying art and food. Gitone offers three signature menus of varying courses for dinner, as well as a surprisingly comprehensive a la carte menu and sets for lunch. All dishes use traditional Shanghainese recipes like sweet and sour spare-rib with pepper and braised grouper with garlic. If the food and the setting inspires you to create your own art, you can join a 1.5-hour ceramic workshop before or after lunch.

Pomegranate Kitchen

If you’re looking for somewhere special to host a private dinner party, you’ll find it here. A stalwart of Hong Kong’s private kitchen scene, Wong Chuk Hang-based Pomegranate Kitchen laces fresh Mediterranean plates with Asian flavours and dishes it all up in an idyllic indoor-outdoor setting that could almost fool you into believing you’re on a terrace in Greece. Lebanese chef Maria Bizri brings the flavours of her childhood in Beirut and Damascus to the table in a range of menus that can be presented family-style for sharing, or as a fine-dining experience – think beef cheek tagines, za’atar chicken, and porcini and grana Padano white wine risotto.

Ta Pantry

If you want to host a dinner party but don’t have the space – or the culinary skills of a Michelin-starred chef – Ta Pantry will be your new secret weapon. This homey private kitchen boasts a single table capable of seating 20 people, along with a decidedly apartment-like feel. The food here is staunchly rooted in French tradition, but the different menus – think Indochine, Korean, Japanese and Shanghainese – are informed by different culinary practices. Take, for example, the Japanese-inspired foie gras tamago custard or the Thai-style roasted prime beef short-rib, served atop a Thai salad and with chilli and lime dressing.

Gong Guan

Recently relocated to Sheung Wan, Gong Guan is a private kitchen with a menu that blends Shanghainese and Cantonese cuisine with ingredients from across Asia. The restaurant-like setting uses the same round tables fitted with lazy Susans that you see at other Chinese restaurants, so a minimum of eight people is required for reservations. Fill the quota though, and you’ll be dining on well-presented dishes like Sichuan beef, drunken chicken and fish rolls.

Le Marron

Perched above Causeway Bay, Le Marron could almost fool you into believing you’re having dinner at a rustic country property that once belonged to a French aristo that, quel dommage, lost his head several centuries ago. Interiors are all wood, glass, chandeliers and objets d’art, and the food is equally transportive. Expect to find seasonal, ingredient-driven dishes like baked Burgundy escargot with garlic and fresh herb pistachio butter; and a French lamb rack served with lamb sausage and a Dijon mustard herb crumb. Make sure to step onto the small outdoor terrace for aperitifs (or digestifs).

Ying Yang Coastal

If you really want to show off your insider knowledge of Hong Kong, try this quaint private kitchen located on the Tsuen Wan beachfront. Chef Margaret Xu Yuan works with local farms to offer a fresh, Cantonese farm-to-table concept inspired by the cuisine of Hong Kong’s fishing villages. Menus use whatever the freshest produce of the day is, so all you in need to do is pick how many courses you want. Surprises are good, right?

Kea’s Kitchen

Want to keep things interesting? How about dinner on a boat? This floating private kitchen is actually a boat moored at the Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter. Step on board and you’ll be treated to chef Kea’s Thai-inspired cuisine – think grilled beef tenderloin salad with wild betel leaf and Thai herbs or baked scallop with brie truffle and roasted chili sauce. Fun fact: Kea also runs her own brick-and-mortar operation, the popular Thai on High restaurant in Sai Ying Pun.

Dine Art

If the company’s a dud, at least you’ll still enjoy dinner at this visually pleasing private kitchen in Wong Chuk Hang where art is both on the walls and on your plate. The gallery-like space features a slightly rustic-chic look with guests dining at a handcrafted wooden table laden with candelabras, but the food – and the art – are decidedly modern. Five-course dinners kick off with celebratory Prosecco and canapes and include Italian-style dishes like tortellini stuffed with ossobuco and bone marrow, and slow-cooked Italian pork belly.

Check out Alpha Men’s Wining & Dining page for the latest F&B in Asia.