Sassy’s Neighbourhood Guide to Tin Hau

A slice of calm in the middle of our chaotic city

Tin Hau is one of my favourite happenstances in Hong Kong so far. I chose a serviced apartment here (at random) when I first arrived almost two years ago and have been here ever since! Even though it’s only four MTR stops from Central and a mere five-minute walk from Causeway Bay, this laid-back neighbourhood is a world away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Located on the doorstep of the beautiful Victoria Park, Tin Hau’s Electric Road and its surrounding streets are littered with fashion boutiques, beauty salons, bars and restaurants of every cuisine imaginable – making it the perfect place to fill your boots, AND buy some!

Where to Eat and Drink:

Cafe Pumpernickel

This quaint little bakery and restaurant has a variety of dishes on offer throughout the day, not to mention a mouth-watering specials board!  They even sell their own home baked goods, which are all adorably packaged, making them a great gift idea (even if only for yourself). I rarely leave empty-handed!

Find it at 1A Lau Li Street, Tin Hau, Hong Kong, cafepumpernickel.com

Artisan Cafe

We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so I’d recommend Artisan Cafe as a great place to start. What it lacks in size it more than makes up for in taste, with a yummy breakfast selection and a decent cup of coffee. This place has a really quirky mismatched style and the service comes with a smile, which is always appreciated when I’m grumpy first thing on a Monday, and Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday…

Find it at 118 Electric Road, Tin Hau, Hong Kong, www.facebook.com/artisancafeinhk

Sister Wah

Hong Kong is known for its no fuss, no-frills restaurants serving cheap but amazingly tasty local delights, and Sister Wah does not disappoint. Packed 99% of the time, you should expect to queue if you visit close to lunch or dinner times. Fortunately, service is quick and the food is worth the short wait. Most patrons, (including my boyfriend, who they now know by name!) are here for the famous beef brisket thick egg noodle soup, but I can also vouch for pretty much ANY of the other dishes on the menu too.

Find it at 13A Electric Road, Tin Hau, Hong Kong, 2807 0181

Campers

Living up to its name, this restaurant is kitted out like a cabin in the wilderness and serves the perfect comfort food to match! Although best known for its slow cooked pork cartilage, I fell in love with the butter chicken mixed vegetable curry and the roasted chicken and mushroom Udon in cream soup (think Carbonara in soup form). If you’ve never tried Japanese curry this is a great place to start.

Find it at 127 Electric Road, Tin Hau, Hong Kong, www.campers.com.hk

Viet Square

Who doesn’t love extremely tasty food that’s also good value for money? Viet Square gives you a lot of bang for your buck and I often find myself heading there when I’m looking for something light and refreshing to eat. Be ready for a ‘point and order’ style of service, as many of the staff don’t speak English – which is never much of an issue as the menu features plenty of pictures.

Find it at 90 Electric Road, Tin Hau, Hong Kong, 2673 7981

Palki Indian

As one of my favourite Indian restaurants in Hong Kong, this fabulously authentic family-run curry house is worth heading to Tin Hau for. They’re more than happy to tailor their dishes to suit your taste, so while I’m more of a mild tikka masala kinda girl, if you’d prefer to have your mind literally blown, they’d be happy to accommodate.

Find it at G/F, Fook Wah Mansion, 2 Tsing Fung Street, Tin Hau, Hong Kong, 2566 8411

Korean BBQ

I’d be doing an injustice if I suggested only one Korean BBQ place in Tin Hau for you to visit, as it has quite a few and they all serve up the same style of tasty dishes, which you can choose to cook yourself or leave to the professionals. Conveniently for us, they are all side by side on Tsing Fung and Lau Li Street!

Find them on Tsing Fung & Lau Li Street, Tin Hau, Hong Kong

Texas Burger

Cheat days are essential to my otherwise healthy diet (for sanity purposes), and I like to spend mine at Texas Burger. Its juicy apple-wood smoked Australian beef patties and creamy milkshakes are the perfect guilty pleasure when I’m looking to indulge! There’s something for everyone on the menu, including salad, soup and pasta, just make sure you save room for dessert – warm chocolate fudge cake anyone? I did say it was for a cheat day…

Find it at G/F, 109 Electric Road, Tin Hau, Hong Kong, www.facebook.com/texasburgerhk

Sports Bars

Enjoy dinner or drinks along Tung Lo Wan Road, home of Tin Hau’s sports bars. The food isn’t fancy, but it’s still tasty and a couple of the bars have electronic dartboards, which can be a lot of fun, plus I count the cheesy out-dated music as a bonus! The sports shown at the bars is not always live, nor is it always very recent, but that doesn’t seem to matter for the hard core sports fans!

Find them on Tung Lo Wan Road (just round the corner from Market Place), Tin Hau, Hong Kong

What to do:

Slope Infinity

At the moment I tend to lean more towards “apres-ski,” but if, like me, you dream of whizzing gracefully down the slopes of Japan’s mountain range, it might be a good idea to sign up for a class or two at Slope Infinity. This indoor ski class centre is home to the world’s largest revolving carpet ski and snowboard training deck and will have you perfecting your slalom in no time. Just remember, if in doubt – snowplough, snowplough, snowplough…

Find it at 1/F, 148 Electric Road, Tin Hau, Hong Kong, www.slope8.com

Causeway Bay Wet Market

If you like your ingredients fresh from the farm then the Causeway Bay wet market is the place to go. Split over two levels, this market is your one stop shop for fruits, vegetables and meats. Prices and deals are shown in Chinese, and not many sellers speak English, but I always manage to muddle my way through. I’ve found that many of the sellers value loyalty and to thank you for your frequent custom, they’ll be happy to cut you a deal.

Find it at 142 Electric Road, Tin Hau, Hong Kong

Victoria Park

For me, Victoria Park is one of the main reasons I love Tin Hau so much. I’m lucky to have a fantastic view of the harbour and park from my window, and I often find myself watching people perform Thai-chi or spin tricks on the roller blading rink. More often than not there is an event happening on the main field; from flower and food markets, to go-karting competitions and Mardi Gras celebrations. I spend most of my time here running (plodding) along the fitness trail, swimming (flailing) in the pool or hitting the tennis courts with my friends (which are easily bookable online!). Being the island’s largest public park, there are a multitude of activities to be had within its grounds, and I’d highly recommend taking the time to explore them.

Find it at 1 Hing Fat Street (you can’t miss it), Tin Hau, Hong Kong

D’eesse

Hong Kong has many hidden gems when it comes to fashion and D’eesse is definitely one of them! This little boutique is great for bagging those ‘one off’ statement pieces for your wardrobe and jewelry box without the “exclusive import” price tag. I especially love their cute cocktail dresses, which are perfect for a weekend brunch. Happy shopping girls!

Find it at 2 Lau Li Street, Hong Kong

Pure Massage

While I love the fast-paced hectic nature of Hong Kong (don’t we all), work and life can sometimes get the better of me. When sweating it out at the gym is no longer helping me to release the tension, Pure Massage is my next stop. Its purse-friendly treatments are the perfect way to unwind and relax the mind and body. I always leave feeling very “zen” and ready to face the world once again.

Find it at Shop B, G/F Fai Hong Building, 15-17 Ngan Mok Street, Tin Hau, Hong Kong, www.puremassage.com.hk

Apple Mall

A mall of randomness! Featuring stores of every kind – food, clothing, electrical, toys, beauty (the list goes on…). I must admit I have spent more time than money here, but there are some great finds to be had if you have the time to explore this little maze of wonders.

Find it at 14 Kings Road, Tin Hau, Hong Kong

Nail Bar

With products hailing from Japan and Europe, this clean and professional chain of nail salons always delivers to a high standard. Open until 8:30pm, there’s plenty of time for an after-work pamper session before hitting Electric Road for dinner. Offering a wide selection of well-priced treatments for both men and women, this little salon can get pretty busy, so I’d recommend booking online to avoid disappointment.

Find it at G/F, 4 Lau Li Street, Tin Hau, Hong Kong, www.nailbar.com.hk

MMC

This little fashion boutique is my go-to for ballet pumps and boots! Every time I walk past ( everyday) there is a new arrival in the window display that catches my eye and draws me in. It seems strange that I always come out with more than one bag, though!

Find it at 50 Electric Road, Tin Hau, Hong Kong

Be sure to also check out our neighbourhood guides to Wan Chai, Happy Valley, Mong Kok, Sai Ying Pun, Kowloon City and Poho.

Happy exploring, girls!