Where to eat and drink on Hong Kong’s Lamma Island, a food paradise full of great restaurants, bars and cafes

“I rise at 5am daily to make everything on-site, including the tofu and noodles,” says Wong.

It’s the sort of chilled place that draws visitors to Hong Kong’s third-largest island where, instead of cars, a fleet of VVs (village vehicles) zip around like ants.

Lamma has worn many labels over the years, from haven for hippies to home of hipsters. But today “foodie paradise” is a better fit, thanks to its rich mix of cuisines: Chinese, Indian, Thai, Mexican and Mediterranean, among others.

Hummus and kebabs

Locals love Spicy Island Restaurant & Bar (7A-B Yung Shue Wan Main Street, tel: 2982 0289), run by Deepak Singh and Anju Choudhary, and not just for the HK$89 (US$11.40) lunch sets and brandy-flavoured chicken.

The husband and wife won hearts when they delivered support meals to families affected by Covid-19.

In November, they opened Spicy Island Kebab House (25 Yung Shue Wan Main Street, tel: 2982 0077), serving curries, biryanis and its popular lamb and chicken doner kebabs. “The flatbreads are made on-site and the lamb is sourced from New Zealand,” says Anju.

Terracotta Lamma (G/F, 47 Yung Shue Wan Main Street, tel: 9176 7500) has been reeling in diners since its October opening.

Head chef Richard Solnik recommends the hummus. “I’ve been perfecting this recipe for years and I’m proud of it,” he says, adding that the signature grilled octopus is also a must try. “The charcoal gives it a beautiful smoky flavour and tender texture.”

Guests also love the roast chicken. “We brine it overnight to keep it juicy, roast it in the oven then finish it over charcoal. It’s Greek style, with spices, served with smoked labneh, pickled Greek chilli and salsa verde.”

Local Cecilie Koch Larsen, co-founder of Lamma-based Studio Amal, the design outfit behind the restaurant’s chic rustic decor, nailed her order on a recent visit.

The calamari with capers and dill had crunch and the burrata, with black plum, fennel and blueberry vinaigrette, was bang on.

Burgers, bao and Bloody Marys

In South Africa, a lapa is a place where friends gather to feast.

On Lamma, Lapa (26 Yung Shue Wan Main Street, tel: 3480 1636) fulfils that role with a menu focusing on fresh fish and meat – some locals say the Angus beef burger is the best in Hong Kong.

The all-day bao – brekkie version (egg and bacon) and oinky bao, made with slow-cooked pork belly – are also popular, says Pamela Bovitz, who runs Lapa with her husband, Ian Perrins.

“The baos are made fresh on Lamma,” she says, pouring a glass of her restaurant’s popular caipiroska slushy.

While Lapa opened just over a year ago, Banyan Bay Cafe (67 Yung Shue Wan Main Street, tel: 2982 1150) has been a fixture since 1995.

“I literally set it up – I knocked down the walls, built the kitchen, painted it,” says owner Dan James, adding that he sold it 10 years later only to buy it back in 2022.

Behind the bar is Rhodie Loden. “People visit just for my Bloody Mary,” she says of the vodka and tomato juice cocktail.

Celery salt is key, she says. Her secret ingredient is kept under wraps.

Grab a waterfront table for all-day breakfast options: Mediterranean salad with chickpeas and toasted capsicum; two kinds of vegetarian; and its big fry-up, which all have loyal fans. So do its regular acoustic jam sessions.

Next door is James’ other gig, Lamma Gourmet (71 Yung Shue Wan Main Street, tel: 2982 0865), offering spices and roast chickens. But most come for the cheese, and there’s a good variety (Brie, Comté, Pecorino, Gorgonzola) at prices that won’t break the bank.

Southeast Asian

Lamma resident Sabina Longkhao started out cooking Thai food for friends.

Word spread and now she runs Little Thai by Bee (8 Yung Shue Wan Main Street, tel: 6080 9195), dishing up traditional dishes (mince chicken salad, pomelo salad, pad Thai) and flavours from her home city of Trang, in southern Thailand.

The super-crispy southern Thai chicken with sticky rice, a family recipe, is delicious but a recommendation by Sabina’s daughter, Bionee, a bowl of soul-warming southern sour and spicy soup, steals the show.

“In Thailand we call it Muslim soup and it’s not found in many places in Hong Kong,” she says.

Try a glass of Lutra, a Thai lime leaf pale ale made by local craft brewery Yardley Brothers, and take home a tub of Thai-style chilli paste. “We call it red-eye chilli.”

Filipino, Indonesian and Thai cuisine is dished up at streetside restaurant Jez’s Corner (55A Yung Shue Wan Main Street, tel: 9439 9627).

“A favourite is the vegetarian fried noodles,” says co-owner Ensie Tamaray next to pots of her macaroni milk soup and chicken congee.

Grab a bottle of jamu, a traditional drink from Indonesia combining fresh turmeric, ginger, lemon, honey, lemongrass and tamarind. “It strengthens the immune system,” says Tamaray.

Coffee and cake

At Shelly Cake Express (shop C, 21 Yung Shue Wan Back Street, tel: 9494 0755), Shelly Chan dishes up delicious home-made cheesecake with some life advice: “Live for the moment,” says Chan, who has been in the same spot for almost 20 years.

Try the signature light and fluffy tofu cheesecake or a coffee – a rose or pandan latte for a twist – with a home-made cookie in flavours including matcha, French butter, espresso and earl grey.

Coffee Philharmonic (106 Yung Shue Wan Main Street, tel: 9363 0563), a cosy music-themed gem tucked away at the end of Yung Shue Wan’s main strip, has a range of coffees and sweets such as home-made tiramisu.

At Golden Blue (32 Yung Shue Wan Main Street), Lily Choy has been selling home-made, preservative-free condiments (satay sauce, shrimp powder, roasted garlic sauce) for 27 years, 20 from its current location. “The numbing chilli oil is a bestseller,” says Canadian-born Choy.

Pizza, bagels and nachos

Head to Lamma Grill (36 Yung Shue Wan Main Street, tel: 2982 1447) for pizza, sea views and a good selection of beers, while a table teeming with tapas and jugs of sangria sums up Dale Candela (23 Yung Shue Wan Main Street, tel: 5985 2949), where owner and chef Carlos Andres serves up Spanish dishes.

Family- and price-friendly Jaybird (15A Yung Shue Wan Main Street, tel: 6026 3693) has North American-inspired comfort food (hot dogs, Philly cheesesteaks, bagels) while Jing Jing Bar & Restaurant (54 Yung Shue Wan Main Street, tel: 6545 2447) has a good breakfast menu and selection of pasta, salads and sandwiches.

For Mexican street food (nachos, tacos, burritos and quesadillas) and a frozen Margarita or two, try Los Gangstas (91 Yung Shue Wan Main Street, tel: 6293 6176) while at the Waterfront Restaurant & Bar (58 Yung Shue Wan Main Street, tel: 2982 1168), Wednesday night Sri Lankan feasts are popular – try the poppers.

Bubble tea, beer and barbecue

The bubble tea craze arrived in Lamma a couple of months ago thanks to Bubble Up (22A Yung Shue Wan Back Street, tel: 5101 2869) – think big servings, small prices.

The Beer Shack (10 Sha Po New Village, Lamma Island Family Walk, tel: 6896 7856), where the Yardley Brothers started out, has nine taps to complement its in-house smoked American-style barbecue.

Not far along the Family Walk trail, a 5km (3 mile) route linking Yung Shue Wan and Sok Kwu Wan, is “just call me Joy”. Hailing from the Laos capital, Vientiane, she sells snacks such as shrimp crackers and pork skins.

Try the deep-fried crispy coconut lotus flowers, called dok bua in Laos. “They’re easy to make: eggs, flour, coconut milk, sesame seeds and a sprinkle of sugar and salt,” says Joy.

On the same trail, at the fork to Lamma Power Station Beach, is Kin Hing Tofu Dessert (Ah Por Tofu Fa), a family-run, open-air stall that hikers flock to at weekends for a HK$12 bowl of hot or cold tofu fa with ginger syrup.

At the left of Hung Shing Yeh Beach is Herboland (tel: 9094 6206) – a herb farm and tea garden run for the past 20 years by Gary Tse Yau-chit, who sells herbal teas (dandelion, bay leaves, honeysuckle flower).

Seafood

Seafood is served at the Sampan Seafood Restaurant (16 Yung Shue Wan Main Street, tel: 2982 2388), with its red-and-white checked tablecloths, and Sau Kee Seafood (43 Yung Shue Wan Main Street, tel: 2982 0210), where the dim sum is also popular.

But Sok Kwu Wan fishing village, on the east coast of Lamma – get the ferry from Central Pier 4 or walk from Yung Shue Wan (about 1.5 hours) – is the best spot for it.

‘I owe a lot to Hong Kong’: Mono chef Ricardo Chaneton on forging his path

On a Sunday in December, two waterfront joints – Rainbow Seafood Restaurant and Wai Kee Seafood Restaurant – are packed with diners giving major eat-and-run tour-group vibes.

The battle for the best salt and pepper squid is intense on this seafood strip, so for a more chilled experience try it at Fu Kee Seafood Restaurant (9-10 First Street, Sok Kwu Wan, tel: 2982 8516), where waiter James Lee says it’s the most popular dish.

Lamma House (1A-1B First Street, Sok Kwu Wan, tel: 2982 8338) opened in 2023, the Bali-inspired design touches luring the young Insta-savvy crowd.

The seafood-heavy set menu, perfect for groups, looks impressive.

Genuine Lamma Hilton Fishing Village Restaurant (lot 584, Sok Kwu Wan, tel: 2982 8220), with a private covered pier stretching over the water, is perfect for egret gazing and seafood gorging – the steamed garlic prawns are sublime.

Mediterranean

In Mo Tat Wan, in southern Lamma, a 20-minute ferry ride from Aberdeen, is beachside Mediterranean restaurant The Bay (7 Mo Tat Wan, tel: 2982 8186), a good spot for sunsets and corporate parties.

Now, just hop on that ferry!