The 6 most difficult tables to book in Hong Kong, from No 1 on Asia’s Best 50 Restaurants, The Chairman, to VEA chef Vicky Cheng’s newest venture, Wing

Aug 30 , 2021

As pandemic travel restrictions have made eating out more popular among Hongkongers than ever, The Chairman has become one of the most difficult restaurants to book in the city. Photo: The Chairman

Good luck tasting chef Manav Tuli’s elevated Indian street food at Chaat, or Batard’s comfort food with fine wine – both are fully booked through November 2021

Sushi Mamoru (full up until January 2022) offers Japanese Edomae omakase, while foodies stay up until midnight to book Spanish fusion restaurant Ando online

It’s no secret that Hong Kong is home to some of the best restaurants in the world. And the city’s locals have been fortunate in that, for the most part, restaurants have remained open in at least some capacity during the pandemic. Although we’ve had to bid farewell to many favourite eateries in the last two years, many fantastic new spots have opened during this time as well.

So with travel restrictions still being a thing, eating out has become even more of an obsession than normal. It’s become almost impossible to go on a night out without reservations in advance, and for the hottest restaurants the bookings date all the way into 2022 – and that is only on the back of domestic demand!

Here are the six hardest tables to book in Hong Kong right now.

Chaat

Chaat opened in June 2020, right at the crest of the pandemic’s first wave in the city. Chef Manav Tuli brought his brand of elevated Indian street food to the sophisticated palates of Hong Kong. It’s the combination of innovative touches, like baked jackfruit samosas, to excelling in classics like tandoori, that has charmed the pants off the town’s foodies. The restaurant takes reservations online through the Sevenrooms system … and is chock full until November.

5/F, Rosewood Hong Kong, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

The Chairman

The Chairman was popular with the well-heeled crowd in Hong Kong even before it received its many accolades. The modern Chinese restaurant uses traditional ingredients and methods in brand new combinations, making it a winner for both classicists as well as more adventurous diners. It wasn’t an easy restaurant at which to get a table at the best of times, especially around red-letter days such as Lunar New Year or Mid-Autumn Festival, but since it grabbed the top spot on the Asia’s Best 50 Restaurants list the bookings have already gone beyond 2021, and they aren’t taking reservations for 2022 yet.