You know I love to eat, and my trip to Hong Kong was no exception. It’s a brave new world for me as I navigate traveling with food allergies. Though my son and husband have always had allergies we plan around, I recently gave up gluten myself in an attempt to resolve some nagging health issues.
Hong Kong is renowned for it’s food and it did not disappoint. But for travelers with coeliac disease or a gluten intolerance, picking the right place to eat is crucial. Not all restaurants understand gluten-free products and the potential impact of cross contamination. Now, I will say that I’m very lucky in that small amounts of gluten don’t seem to bother me, and in this trip, I wasn’t looking for strict celiac support. Always do your own double checking if your allergies are more severe.
I visited Hong Kong with a group of journalists recently. Traveling as guests of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, we were invited to dine at a range of exciting restaurants. Many of the restaurants provided us with a tasting menu that allowed us to explore the range of dishes on offer. This was a great opportunity to explore the options for eating gluten-free in Hong Kong and most of the restaurants knocked it out of the park with gluten free support.
In this blog post, I’ll share my favorite Hong Kong restaurants offering gluten-free food to help you plan your first visit to Hong Kong. I’ve also picked out a few places I’d love to try out next time I visit this vibrant and exciting city.
Duddell’s
- Vibe: Sublime elegance
- Highlights: Top-quality dim sum and super-fresh seafood
Duddell’s is a one-Michelin-star restaurant serving refined Cantonese cuisine in elegant surroundings. The decor is designed to look like a private art collector’s home with Chinoiserie-inspired ornaments and stained-glass screens.
There are two dining rooms at Duddell’s. The Main Dining Room offers tasting menus, à la carte dishes, and heritage cuisine in a menu that matches the elegance of the decor.
The Upper Room at Duddell’s offers a more casual dining experience featuring small plates, dim sum, and weekend brunch.
We sampled a range of small plates and dim sum during our visit to Duddell’s.
The restaurant is famous for its dumplings, but my gluten-free menu featured more seafood and meat dishes, including their amazing crispy pork belly. I would have eaten an entire plate of the pork belly. It was to die for!
Duddell’s was my favorite out of the Hong Kong restaurants I ate in. The food and service were incredible, and even though it’s an upscale restaurant, it felt very approachable when we visited at lunchtime.
However, I imagine it might feel a bit fancier if you book a table for dinner.
Reservations are mandatory at this Michelin-starred restaurant, and there’s a smart-casual dress code. You should avoid wearing sportswear, beachwear, or flip-flops.
Louise
- Vibe: Retro-classic French dining
- Highlights: The most amazing roast chicken
Louise is a one-Michelin-starred restaurant serving French cuisine with an inventive twist. It focuses heavily on traditional recipes using a lot of local and seasonal produce.
The restaurant offers two distinctly different dining experiences.
The ground floor hosts La Terrace by Louise, a casual bistro serving French classics and handcrafted cocktails. Upstairs, you’ll find the main Louise dining experience, where the food and ambiance are a little more refined.
Louise doesn’t offer a dedicated GF menu. However, their use of high-quality ingredients and traditional techniques makes it relatively easy for them to accommodate gluten-intolerant diners.
When we visited, I was presented with a gluten-free version of the tasting menu enjoyed by the rest of the group.
This included their amazing roast chicken, which was absolutely delicious.
The only dish that I didn’t particularly enjoy was the dessert, but that’s more because I don’t really like citrus-based desserts. From a presentation point of view, it was just as excellent as the rest of the menu.
Altogether, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Louise, and I highly recommend a visit. Reservations are required, and you should expect to dress a bit more smartly if you book a table in the main dining room than if you’re dining at La Terrace.
Sagano
- Vibe: High-end, elegant dining
- Highlights: Top-quality sashimi, presented beautifully
Another restaurant I enjoyed was Sagano, a Teppanyaki restaurant in the New World Millennium Hotel, which hosted part of our stay.
The food at Sagano was incredible, and because there was a lot of sashimi and simple meat dishes, they didn’t have to make many adjustments for me as a gluten-free diner.
Gluten-free soy sauce was freely available, and they sauteed any dishes that would normally have been tempura-fried.
All of the food I tasted was delicious, and it was also a feast for the eyes. The presentation was absolutely beautiful, and the food was plated on beautiful ceramic dishes and plates.
The food perfectly complemented the decor in the restaurant, which is a blend of modern and traditional Kyoto styling.
The New World Millennium Hotel has several high-quality restaurants, so it might be easy to overlook Sagano. However, I highly recommend paying them a visit, especially if you’re following a gluten-free diet.
Walk-ins may be available, but I recommend booking in advance if possible. This is even more important at busy times or if you want to sit at the 10-seat teppanyaki bar.
Bayfare Social
- Vibe: Loud and sociable Spanish dining
- Highlights: Amazing octopus and other seafood
Bayfare Social is a warm and vibrant Spanish restaurant inside the Rosewood Hong Kong, currently ranked #1in the World’s 50 Best Hotels list.
The menu features delicious, authentic Spanish cuisine with signature entrees, paella, and tapas, accompanied by Spanish wines, beers, and Sangria. The atmosphere at Bayfare Social is loud, bustling and fun, making it ideal for dinner with a group of friends.
Bayfare Social’s dining room is set out almost like a market place, with lots of stations serving different dishes. So you might choose a seafood dish from one station and then head to another station to pick up your vegetable accompaniments.
Bayfare Social has a dedicated gluten-free menu, and there was an excellent choice available. The staff were very knowledgeable about gluten-free food and understood which dishes from the main tasting menu would also be safe options.
I loved the octopus dish that I tried, and the group I was dining with ordered the paella, which they really enjoyed as well.
The menu also features an amazing tomato bread, which the kitchen made for me on gluten-free bread. It really helped me feel like I wasn’t missing out on the delicious food that the rest of the group was eating.
Overall, I was really impressed by both the food and the service at Bayfare Social. I’d highly recommend it to any gluten-free travelers to Hong Kong.
BluHouse
- Vibe: Sun-drenched Italian dining
- Highlights: Super fresh salads and juicy roasted chicken
BluHouse is another restaurant inside the Rosewood Hong Kong hotel. It has a gorgeous sun-filled dining room and, although the decor looked a little more French to me, the menu is definitely Italian.
The range features a lot of pizza and pasta, which can often make it hard to get good gluten-free options.
However, the staff at BluHouse are very knowledgeable about gluten-free diets, and there are several good options available.
Gluten-free items included lots of the protein options, and gluten-free bread is available on request. There was also an amazing burrata and prosciutto salad, which was gluten-free.
BluHouse is described as dining with a purpose, as 1% of your bill goes to programs supporting the local community.
This is a very popular restaurant, and I recommend booking in advance. It is large, however, so your chances of walking in are good if you are planning last minute.
If you’re dining at BluHouse or Bayfare Social, it’s also worth paying a visit to the Rosewood’s cocktail bars, XX and DarkSide. These both feature in my guide to the Best Bars in Hong Kong.
Mott 32
- Vibe: High-end “industrial-chic”
- Highlights: High quality meat and seafood
Mott 32 Hong Kong is one of the most awarded Chinese restaurants in the world. It’s located in an office building and it makes for a weird beginning of the experience, but the building security guard cheerfully directs you to the restaurant lobby. Its stunning decor combines industrial style with traditional Chinese design.
Dishes showcase top-quality ingredients, including fresh seafood, 42-day Apple Wood Roasted Peking Duck, and Kobe and Wagyu Beef. They’re accompanied by an excellent drinks menu featuring fine wines and signature cocktails.
The extensive menu offers a delicious selection of regional dishes from Beijing, Canton, Shanghai, and elsewhere. The restaurant graciously put together an enormous tasting menu for our group and we were blown away!
However, on a menu with 13 courses, only 5 were gluten free. I assumed that they would bring me alternative options for the courses I couldn’t eat since they had advance knowledge. To my surprise, there was no plan to do so! I’ve never had that happen before and honestly I felt left out.
The restaurant is famous for its iconic Peking Duck, but that wasn’t suitable for gluten-free diners.
Language barriers made it difficult to communicate with the wait staff (I don’t speak Cantonese, so this is entirely on me!), and it wasn’t clear if the problem was with the duck itself or the pancakes and sauces served alongside it.
Compared to the other Hong Kong restaurants I visited, Mott 32 was a bit disappointing simply for how much I couldn’t have. It’s such a famous restaurant and the Peking Duck is a staple of Hong Kong cuisine, so it was a shame that I wasn’t able to try it.
Reservations are required, and I would certainly recommend contacting Mott 32 in advance to discuss your dietary needs. Note that if you do want a peking duck, I believe it needs to be ordered ahead of time so don’t wait and find yourself disappointed!
Madame Fu Grand Café Chinois
- Vibe: Sophisticated 1920s Shanghai glamor
- Highlights: Elegant handcrafted dim sum
Madame Fù is a unique restaurant in a 1880s colonial building in the Tai Kwun heritage compound on Hollywood Road.
This highly Instagrammable restaurant has a pretty Verandah overlooking the Parade Ground, along with six beautiful dining rooms.
The extensive gluten-free menu at Madame Fù is larger than at many restaurants, so this is a great place to visit for a special occasion.
The choice includes a fantastic range of dim sum, soups, main courses, and western-style desserts. A gluten-free brunch menu is also available.
It’s worth remembering that dim sum is only available at lunchtime. You’ll need to contact the restaurant in advance so they can ensure gluten-free dim sum is available.
Reservations are required at Madame Fù, and diners should dress to suit the upscale ambiance.
Hutong
- Vibe: Dramatic, dark romantic ambiance
- Highlights: Iconic Peking Duck
Hutong is an upscale restaurant on the 18th floor of Tsim Sha Tsui’s H Zentre skyscraper.
As well as stunning views of Discovery Bay and Hong Kong’s skyline, it offers delicious Northern Chinese cuisine.
The restaurant is famous for its Peking Duck, which some consider to be the best in Hong Kong.
Unfortunately, that isn’t available for gluten-free diners, but the expert staff can provide delicious gluten-free options that won’t leave you feeling like you’re missing out.
Hutong is a very popular restaurant, especially at weekends, and reservations are required.
Hoi King Heen
- Vibe: Modern-meets-classic Cantonese dining
- Highlights: Creative dim sum
Hoi King Heen is a great choice when you’re craving gluten-free dim sum.
The restaurant is located inside the InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong hotel. Its decor, inspired by traditional Siheyuan courtyards, creates an elegant ambiance.
The menu features authentic Cantonese flavors and traditional family recipes. Gluten-intolerant diners can choose from a dedicated gluten-free menu offering dim sum, traditional soups, and a small choice of main courses.
Some walk-ins may be available, but reservations are highly recommended. This Hong Kong restaurant has a smart-casual dress code, so all guests should avoid flip-flops, and men should not wear shorts or sleeveless shirts.
Yardbird
- Vibe: Casual Japanese pub or tavern
- Highlights: Excellent chicken yakitori
Finally, Yardbird is a great option if you’re looking for a more casual gluten-free eaterie.
Yardbird is a relaxed Japanese izakaya or pub, located in the busy Sheung Wan neighborhood. It offers small plates, main dishes, and a wide range of chicken yakitori.
There’s also a great choice of drinks, including their own twist on classic cocktails.
Although Yardbird isn’t a dedicated gluten-free restaurant, they are good at accommodating gluten-free diners. Reservations can be made online, and it’s a good idea to let them know your dietary requirements in advance.
That wraps up my selection of the best gluten-free restaurants in Hong Kong. As you can see, this fascinating city has plenty of fantastic places to eat for coeliac or gluten-intolerant diners.
I would always recommend getting in touch with your chosen restaurant ahead of your visit. Even if you visit one of the restaurants that has a gluten-free menu, it gives you a chance to confirm that they can handle your dietary needs and mention any other special requests.
If you or a family member has recently been diagnosed with a food allergy, you’ll find more useful tips in my guide to traveling with allergies.
Which Hong Kong restaurant would you like to visit first?
