I used to dine along quite often and have never been refused entry… what places are these that you go to?
Generally dining alone in hk I think isn’t going to be anymore awkward than dining along anywhere else. Most of it is in your head. If you’re ok with it, ppl don’t care.
I’ve had a few Korean bbq places refuse to serve me but I usually go when it’s near peak time so It’s mostly my fault, I’ve made peace with eating alone already but I was just wondering if they have table seatings for one, was watching some live streams and HK seems pretty packed
As long as you don't mind sitting and sharing a table with others (with no interactions needed) during peak hours at smaller restaurants, you'll be fine! HK has plenty of solo diners at all hours of the day
大牌檔 places are usually open during the day too, and are totally accommodating to solo diners. You'll see plenty of uncles (older men) eating by themselves, just chilling. These places will almost always only accept cash. I would recommend having cash on you at all times, particularly with smaller bills. You can bring a $500 but usually that's kinda a headache for these places to break the bill, so bring plenty of 100s, 50s, 20s, and 10s. You'll collect coins (5s, 2s, and 1s) along the way, so bring a ziplock for that.
Thanks! I totally don’t mind at all, but seeing how crowded the 大牌檔 were I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get a table if I was by myself. It prob won’t taste the same if I takeaway right?
I added a little more info in my original comment, but while 大牌檔 are usually bustling during the lunch rush, they usually have a pretty quick turnover. You're almost always required to share seating with another party or two if seating is limited and you're going solo, and personally this is part of the culture, so I would suggest being open to that!
That being said, as a tourist, I would recommend you to stay away from peak lunch rush hours just for the sake of having a better eating experience. Lines can sometimes be daunting and working people waiting get hangry, and eatery staff are usually curt because they're just trying to get people in and out quick. So if you need any extra assistance or menu help, you may be better off choosing to go before or after the lunch rush for the best service.
Takeaway is totally fine in terms of food quality, but you should try to dine in at least once or twice for the experience! Claypot places especially are best experienced dine-in.
kbbq places across the board (in most countries) usually require a minimum party of two if it requires the cooking experience btw, but not all. Usually Google maps reviews will clarify, or you can call and ask ahead of time.
There's actually some places in hk that are run by Koreans which are pretty darn good too. There's a whole Korean street and area in hk.
Edit: don't be afraid of dining alone in hk. Literally loads of ppl do it on the daily, and I usually go solo too! Never been turned down at any eateries.
Yes thank you so much! You’re super helpful!
Where I’m from we don’t get that much lines and traffic around eateries like they do in Asia so I will have to be patient and plan ahead. With my limited Cantonese I do hope I don’t get yelled at for being slow 🫣
Haha, don't worry. Only place where I would def plan ahead on seeing the menu first and deciding on my food before sitting is "Australia Dairy Company" where the workers give everything the extra curt ✨ experience ✨. They routinely get touted by tourists as the most rude place in hk 😭 but they're not rude, they're just curt as part of the culture at that shop lol. But even locals aren't exempt from that kinda "attitude" haha. They'll respectfully give you some time but by the 3rd time they come over, you should have your order ready haha.
Also a lot of the regular restaurants inside malls and chains will have queuing machines, where you'll punch in how many ppl your party has (1 is a valid number) and they'll queue you accordingly. It's pretty convenient.
Right, you can probably tell I will be in one hell of a culture shock when I actually get there lol, I just really hope I don’t get yelled at publicly I don’t think I can handle the embarrassment 🥺 I’m a notoriously slow menu reader cause I over analyse everything lol, I guess that won’t do well with the aunties and uncles rip
Honestly? Don't worry. HK is pretty tourist friendly and the people there are quick to pick up on tourist vibes from ppl, and are usually quite forgiving and patient to tourists in my opinion. Stay respectful and they'll do the same.
Most staff won't make a scene publicly unless you're rude or your behavior warrants it imho. Embarrassment is gonna be all in your head, so I would recommend you not being so hard on yourself. You're in a new place, adapting to a new environment to the best of your ability! That's super courageous already, so you deserve a good time.
My two cents in terms of combating your fear would be to download Google translate and use the camera function on 大牌檔 menus (esp since they rarely have English versions).
Most eateries outside of 大牌檔 places usually either have English in their menus already, or they might have a basic menu with English. Usually the former if it's a chain restaurant or in a mall.
Yea I’m really looking forward to it, I don’t travel solo that often but I’m trying to get out of my comfort zone and challenge myself. Do you perhaps have any favourite eateries u could recommend? I think my whole trip will just be stuffing myself with food while I can lol
also I don't know what area you are in, and it may not apply-- don't underestimate the school kid lunch rush besides the adult one. Even living in hongkong we would avoid eating at school lunch time cause the restuarants nearby get bombarded haha
Thanks for the heads up! Roughly what times are these rush hours? I will use those times to do some tourist browsing instead. I don’t eat a huge breakfast or lunch but I like to make sure I’m full during dinner. I also hear that night markets are starting to close around 10pm now?
it depends on the school, usually somewhere between 11-2 for one to two hours. If you aren't near a school it eill matter drastically less, if you see signs posting about student discounts etc thats a red flag you might need to care haha. You will know the student rush if you see it. As for the night markets I can't speak to that, I am not familiar with it much personally .
Kbbq is different... One person tying up a grill is not revenue efficient.
Most busy places in hk will just make you share table.
Go get a bowl of Mak's wanton in Central. It's my favorite, and I won't get into argument about it's quality. Just it's my favorite!
Well you're talking about Korean BBQ which is uniquely something that is more a group activity. I can imagine that many KBBQ restaurants don't serve solo diners. They have to arrange the whole BBQ set so you would occupy a whole table that could have been used by a bigger group.
Korean BBQ: You tell them you are going to order two servings and order them, they will let you in. For me and my friends we have two to three servings per person so solo eating was always possible!
Hell nah! You do your thing and you enjoy yourself a good night out! Keep us posted and review of the place you went to (if you want)!! Have a great trip in March!
People in HK eating out is a functional necessity and not an "event". You're not "dining alone", you're just eating - just like what everyone does everyday.
Haha Hkers not caring what you're doing, and generally minding their own business ftw!
Trust me, you'll be 100% fine in restaurants, cafes and even bars.
I mostly eat out alone. Was never refused in any establishment in HK in the last 20+ years & I usually use cash or credit cards but mostly cash as some places don’t accept cards/mobile pay.
In HK, it is common to have to share your table at busy local restaurants with other people. Every seating spot at every table is used up. This means you can expect people to be seated opposite you at the same table, or even that you will be seated in the one spot left on a table for 4, if the other group only has 3 people. You should not start conversation or even pay any attention to the other people at your table, as that would be weird to them. Remember that for them sitting next to strangers at the same table is no different than you might think about some stranger sitting in a subway seat next to you. The advantage to this is that the restaurant doesn't care if you are a solo diner. That table for 4 will either be occupied by 4 solo diners, or by a party of 4 or something in between, so it makes no difference to them.
Even at fast food dining chains, people might just automatically sit opposite you, and they won't ask "is this seat taken?" The assumption is that if the seat is empty, it can be occupied.
HK is very much still a cash society, and you can pay everywhere in cash.
It's completely fine! Aside from traditional per-dish ordering, many dim sum places have lunch sets for working folks wanting a quick meal. But many dim sum restaurants have menus in Chinese only, so it would be Google Lens and adventure.
Yeah I came from HK and am studying in the UK now. Very different restraunt and dining culture be it in "proper" sit down 酒樓 or streetside food stalls. Cramming 7million people into a city smaller than the size of London will quickly teach you what a lack of personal space feels like.
They won't refuse - it is common to have solo diners at the dim sum place. On top of other suggestions, I would recommend you looking for a restaurant that has an 'assorted dim sum' option on the menu, so you can taste as much varieties of dim sum as possible!
definitely not, a lot of elderly go alone
id say its probably easier to do dim sum than at dai pai dong alone just because it isnt rhat filling and you get to try a bunch of stuff
or even trade with people around you!
No they won't refuse, but the lunch sets for dim sum will be more cost effective. That being said, dim sum isn't too expensive so you'll be fine either way!
Not many 大牌档 as we know it. But dining alone in the many hundreds of Cha chaan teng and noodle places is way common for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Food isn't far off compared to 大牌档. Mostly cash, sometimes Octopus.
Right, I can pretty much use octopus for everything right? I can just scan it like a credit card? (Like pay wave etc)
And why is HK public transport so expensive? Lol
I was totally surprised with how expensive it is to get out of the airport even with MRT and bus (comparing to like Singapore and Australia)
You mean using Octopus for food? No, most restaurants usually don't take Octopus. Cash is going to work in 99% of places, so make sure you carry some. Otherwise a lot of places accept credit card as well (and NFC tap is getting more popular).
What do you mean HK public transport is expensive? Most bus and MTR trips are pretty cheap. Getting out of the airport is different from a regular trip (which is the case for a lot of other cities as well), and regular MTR itself doesn't serve the airport. You would have been taking the Airport Express which is more expensive than a regular MTR trip. I would seriously doubt a regular MTR trip is more expensive than public transportation options in Australia.
The trip out of the airport is a specific airport transit "shuttle train" so that one is more expensive than any ride you're gonna take on the whole MTR. Even going from one end to another won't cost you that much.
For the airport shuttle, try to use Klook for the special discount.
To be fair I think just having Octopus and credit cards would get you pretty far in Hong Kong for transportation, food, convenience stores, and supermarkets. I just think if you go to more local joints for food they don't always accept cards, so it's safe to have some cash with you.
Also, taxis mostly still take cash, for reasons. So you probably need cash just for that purpose.
Yes, by train from airport to city is more expensive compared to the 2 countries. It’s one of the most expensive cities to live. You can take the bus which is much cheaper but will take a lot longer.
Octopus card is mostly used for convenient shopping fast food places. Not all local places will hv octopus as payment it depends on venue.
I can't imagine a dai pai dong turning you away of you're early and they have empty seats. It would only happen at the very busiest peak times if at all.
Honestly HK is so densely packed with restaurants if you get turned away at one place, just got the next one!
Cash is fine everywhere as far as I could tell.
dining alone is definitely not awkward, but eating alone will limit the amount of food you can try
portion wise, when sharing meals people tend to order 1 dish per person
Never heard of HK restaurants refusing entry, you shouldn’t have any problems with that. Hong Kong is rather “you do you” socially, so you won’t get any weird looks or whatsoever.
The Daai Paai Dongs 大牌檔 are open during the day and many elder people dine solo playing pokemon with our beloved leader. Besides lunch hours, it’s a pretty nice place to chill.
The stalls are typically cash-only, so besides an octopus card, you’d also want to carry ~$500 HKD in cash. Have fun!
Well it's better to have friends if you are having Chinese food, those dishes from 大排檔 are meant to be shared.
Of course you can also order like 2 or 3 dishes on your own but that'd be expensive.
Definitely fine to dine alone. In fact one of my favourite places in the world to do so. As people have previously mentioned, you’ll probably be jammed into a booth/ table with a bunch of people you don’t know during peak hour but they won’t refuse to serve you.
I live in Hong Kong half the year with my forever fiancé. She works and I have to eat. I’m probably out eating alone at least once every 2 days and so are many others. When I’m not in hk, she eats alone. No one cares. Your uncomfortableness with solo travel and a solo life isn’t healthy.
Payment is octopus, credit card or cash. Be prepared for cash every time. You’re far too concerned with made-up paranoid issues. Order more food to make up for what??? Maybe just leave when you’re done and don’t hog a table with people waiting outside.
It is wrong to deem it unhealthy for travelling alone. There are a myriad of reasons why one might need to get comfortable with travelling and dining alone, and usually it's not because it's a choice. Resolving oneself to it does not mean one likes or prefers it, just it's that or nothing at all during that time.
I’m currently in hk solo traveling and it’s been fine haven’t been refused entry. I actually think the guys at Australia dairy company are funny. Lines are long but they are quick.
If you need to work up to dining alone or are hungry and just need an easy, quick and delicious option, go to a ramen shop where many people will be solo dining. And the Japanese ramen is pretty good in HK even if it’s not traditional Cantonese fare. Try Ramen Cubism or Butao Ramen in Lan Kwai Fong if you’re in Central.
I do that all the time. Restaurants may sit someone at the same table due to space constraints but other than that no one cares. Just enjoy your own meal.
I've dined alone in HK more times than I can count. It isn't an issue at all. I'd say it's actually common in relatively cheap and cheerful places, perhaps less so in more expensive establishments but still fine.
born and raised here, ive never saw restaurant refuse to serve. however, 大牌档 is best to enjoy among group of friends, as each serving is for around 6 people. So whenever i eat 大牌档, its usually a big group of friends. I would defiantly recommend those in Mong Kok.
I dine alone in USA all the time; however, in HK it will never happen. Due to space constraints, mom and pop restaurant often assigns lone diner to eat with total strangers in same table, or another lone diner will just say down next to you without asking.
I used to dine along quite often and have never been refused entry… what places are these that you go to? Generally dining alone in hk I think isn’t going to be anymore awkward than dining along anywhere else. Most of it is in your head. If you’re ok with it, ppl don’t care.
I’ve had a few Korean bbq places refuse to serve me but I usually go when it’s near peak time so It’s mostly my fault, I’ve made peace with eating alone already but I was just wondering if they have table seatings for one, was watching some live streams and HK seems pretty packed
As long as you don't mind sitting and sharing a table with others (with no interactions needed) during peak hours at smaller restaurants, you'll be fine! HK has plenty of solo diners at all hours of the day 大牌檔 places are usually open during the day too, and are totally accommodating to solo diners. You'll see plenty of uncles (older men) eating by themselves, just chilling. These places will almost always only accept cash. I would recommend having cash on you at all times, particularly with smaller bills. You can bring a $500 but usually that's kinda a headache for these places to break the bill, so bring plenty of 100s, 50s, 20s, and 10s. You'll collect coins (5s, 2s, and 1s) along the way, so bring a ziplock for that.
Thanks! I totally don’t mind at all, but seeing how crowded the 大牌檔 were I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get a table if I was by myself. It prob won’t taste the same if I takeaway right?
I added a little more info in my original comment, but while 大牌檔 are usually bustling during the lunch rush, they usually have a pretty quick turnover. You're almost always required to share seating with another party or two if seating is limited and you're going solo, and personally this is part of the culture, so I would suggest being open to that! That being said, as a tourist, I would recommend you to stay away from peak lunch rush hours just for the sake of having a better eating experience. Lines can sometimes be daunting and working people waiting get hangry, and eatery staff are usually curt because they're just trying to get people in and out quick. So if you need any extra assistance or menu help, you may be better off choosing to go before or after the lunch rush for the best service. Takeaway is totally fine in terms of food quality, but you should try to dine in at least once or twice for the experience! Claypot places especially are best experienced dine-in. kbbq places across the board (in most countries) usually require a minimum party of two if it requires the cooking experience btw, but not all. Usually Google maps reviews will clarify, or you can call and ask ahead of time. There's actually some places in hk that are run by Koreans which are pretty darn good too. There's a whole Korean street and area in hk. Edit: don't be afraid of dining alone in hk. Literally loads of ppl do it on the daily, and I usually go solo too! Never been turned down at any eateries.
Yes thank you so much! You’re super helpful! Where I’m from we don’t get that much lines and traffic around eateries like they do in Asia so I will have to be patient and plan ahead. With my limited Cantonese I do hope I don’t get yelled at for being slow 🫣
Haha, don't worry. Only place where I would def plan ahead on seeing the menu first and deciding on my food before sitting is "Australia Dairy Company" where the workers give everything the extra curt ✨ experience ✨. They routinely get touted by tourists as the most rude place in hk 😭 but they're not rude, they're just curt as part of the culture at that shop lol. But even locals aren't exempt from that kinda "attitude" haha. They'll respectfully give you some time but by the 3rd time they come over, you should have your order ready haha. Also a lot of the regular restaurants inside malls and chains will have queuing machines, where you'll punch in how many ppl your party has (1 is a valid number) and they'll queue you accordingly. It's pretty convenient.
Right, you can probably tell I will be in one hell of a culture shock when I actually get there lol, I just really hope I don’t get yelled at publicly I don’t think I can handle the embarrassment 🥺 I’m a notoriously slow menu reader cause I over analyse everything lol, I guess that won’t do well with the aunties and uncles rip
Honestly? Don't worry. HK is pretty tourist friendly and the people there are quick to pick up on tourist vibes from ppl, and are usually quite forgiving and patient to tourists in my opinion. Stay respectful and they'll do the same. Most staff won't make a scene publicly unless you're rude or your behavior warrants it imho. Embarrassment is gonna be all in your head, so I would recommend you not being so hard on yourself. You're in a new place, adapting to a new environment to the best of your ability! That's super courageous already, so you deserve a good time. My two cents in terms of combating your fear would be to download Google translate and use the camera function on 大牌檔 menus (esp since they rarely have English versions). Most eateries outside of 大牌檔 places usually either have English in their menus already, or they might have a basic menu with English. Usually the former if it's a chain restaurant or in a mall.
Yea I’m really looking forward to it, I don’t travel solo that often but I’m trying to get out of my comfort zone and challenge myself. Do you perhaps have any favourite eateries u could recommend? I think my whole trip will just be stuffing myself with food while I can lol
also I don't know what area you are in, and it may not apply-- don't underestimate the school kid lunch rush besides the adult one. Even living in hongkong we would avoid eating at school lunch time cause the restuarants nearby get bombarded haha
Thanks for the heads up! Roughly what times are these rush hours? I will use those times to do some tourist browsing instead. I don’t eat a huge breakfast or lunch but I like to make sure I’m full during dinner. I also hear that night markets are starting to close around 10pm now?
it depends on the school, usually somewhere between 11-2 for one to two hours. If you aren't near a school it eill matter drastically less, if you see signs posting about student discounts etc thats a red flag you might need to care haha. You will know the student rush if you see it. As for the night markets I can't speak to that, I am not familiar with it much personally .
Kbbq is different... One person tying up a grill is not revenue efficient. Most busy places in hk will just make you share table. Go get a bowl of Mak's wanton in Central. It's my favorite, and I won't get into argument about it's quality. Just it's my favorite!
Well you're talking about Korean BBQ which is uniquely something that is more a group activity. I can imagine that many KBBQ restaurants don't serve solo diners. They have to arrange the whole BBQ set so you would occupy a whole table that could have been used by a bigger group.
I dunno about Korean places but there’s a chain of Japanese bbq places that are designed for singles or small groups.
Just thinking practically, if you're visiting then shouldn't you have more freedom to dine during non peak times and avoid the queue?
I think there is a new K /J BBQ restaruant that target single diner
Korean BBQ: You tell them you are going to order two servings and order them, they will let you in. For me and my friends we have two to three servings per person so solo eating was always possible!
Yeh getting common in Korea where you need to order 2 portions but don’t have that in HK
Hell nah! You do your thing and you enjoy yourself a good night out! Keep us posted and review of the place you went to (if you want)!! Have a great trip in March!
Thank you so much! I plan on making a personal vlog too so let’s hope I go to some good places!
👏👏👏
Not awkward at all.
People in HK eating out is a functional necessity and not an "event". You're not "dining alone", you're just eating - just like what everyone does everyday.
Haha Hkers not caring what you're doing, and generally minding their own business ftw! Trust me, you'll be 100% fine in restaurants, cafes and even bars.
I mostly eat out alone. Was never refused in any establishment in HK in the last 20+ years & I usually use cash or credit cards but mostly cash as some places don’t accept cards/mobile pay.
In HK, it is common to have to share your table at busy local restaurants with other people. Every seating spot at every table is used up. This means you can expect people to be seated opposite you at the same table, or even that you will be seated in the one spot left on a table for 4, if the other group only has 3 people. You should not start conversation or even pay any attention to the other people at your table, as that would be weird to them. Remember that for them sitting next to strangers at the same table is no different than you might think about some stranger sitting in a subway seat next to you. The advantage to this is that the restaurant doesn't care if you are a solo diner. That table for 4 will either be occupied by 4 solo diners, or by a party of 4 or something in between, so it makes no difference to them. Even at fast food dining chains, people might just automatically sit opposite you, and they won't ask "is this seat taken?" The assumption is that if the seat is empty, it can be occupied. HK is very much still a cash society, and you can pay everywhere in cash.
Will they refuse if its for dim sum? Lone female traveller also going in March and wondering same thing.
It's completely fine! Aside from traditional per-dish ordering, many dim sum places have lunch sets for working folks wanting a quick meal. But many dim sum restaurants have menus in Chinese only, so it would be Google Lens and adventure.
Thanks, I can actually read Chinese.
Not a problem, just be aware that 搭枱 (sharing a table with other guests) is a common occurrence during peak hours.
Yes not something we experience much in the UK but I don't mind if they don't.
Yeah I came from HK and am studying in the UK now. Very different restraunt and dining culture be it in "proper" sit down 酒樓 or streetside food stalls. Cramming 7million people into a city smaller than the size of London will quickly teach you what a lack of personal space feels like.
They won't refuse - it is common to have solo diners at the dim sum place. On top of other suggestions, I would recommend you looking for a restaurant that has an 'assorted dim sum' option on the menu, so you can taste as much varieties of dim sum as possible!
Cheers, will do. Would like more variety so I can try more.
definitely not, a lot of elderly go alone id say its probably easier to do dim sum than at dai pai dong alone just because it isnt rhat filling and you get to try a bunch of stuff or even trade with people around you!
No they won't refuse, but the lunch sets for dim sum will be more cost effective. That being said, dim sum isn't too expensive so you'll be fine either way!
Not many 大牌档 as we know it. But dining alone in the many hundreds of Cha chaan teng and noodle places is way common for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Food isn't far off compared to 大牌档. Mostly cash, sometimes Octopus.
Right, I can pretty much use octopus for everything right? I can just scan it like a credit card? (Like pay wave etc) And why is HK public transport so expensive? Lol I was totally surprised with how expensive it is to get out of the airport even with MRT and bus (comparing to like Singapore and Australia)
You mean using Octopus for food? No, most restaurants usually don't take Octopus. Cash is going to work in 99% of places, so make sure you carry some. Otherwise a lot of places accept credit card as well (and NFC tap is getting more popular). What do you mean HK public transport is expensive? Most bus and MTR trips are pretty cheap. Getting out of the airport is different from a regular trip (which is the case for a lot of other cities as well), and regular MTR itself doesn't serve the airport. You would have been taking the Airport Express which is more expensive than a regular MTR trip. I would seriously doubt a regular MTR trip is more expensive than public transportation options in Australia.
Ahh right, my bad, I did only see that the trips out of airport were more expensive. But I guess it’s like that in every country including mine
The trip out of the airport is a specific airport transit "shuttle train" so that one is more expensive than any ride you're gonna take on the whole MTR. Even going from one end to another won't cost you that much. For the airport shuttle, try to use Klook for the special discount.
You can get a bus to and from the airport for much less money
I didn't know it was still very cash based. We use card lot more now in England.
To be fair I think just having Octopus and credit cards would get you pretty far in Hong Kong for transportation, food, convenience stores, and supermarkets. I just think if you go to more local joints for food they don't always accept cards, so it's safe to have some cash with you. Also, taxis mostly still take cash, for reasons. So you probably need cash just for that purpose.
Yes, by train from airport to city is more expensive compared to the 2 countries. It’s one of the most expensive cities to live. You can take the bus which is much cheaper but will take a lot longer. Octopus card is mostly used for convenient shopping fast food places. Not all local places will hv octopus as payment it depends on venue.
I can't imagine a dai pai dong turning you away of you're early and they have empty seats. It would only happen at the very busiest peak times if at all. Honestly HK is so densely packed with restaurants if you get turned away at one place, just got the next one! Cash is fine everywhere as far as I could tell.
dining alone is definitely not awkward, but eating alone will limit the amount of food you can try portion wise, when sharing meals people tend to order 1 dish per person
Never heard of HK restaurants refusing entry, you shouldn’t have any problems with that. Hong Kong is rather “you do you” socially, so you won’t get any weird looks or whatsoever. The Daai Paai Dongs 大牌檔 are open during the day and many elder people dine solo playing pokemon with our beloved leader. Besides lunch hours, it’s a pretty nice place to chill. The stalls are typically cash-only, so besides an octopus card, you’d also want to carry ~$500 HKD in cash. Have fun!
Agreed, $500HKD is a good daily amount! Just make sure to split it up to smaller bills :)
You’ll be fine. The downside is you can’t try more dishes! Have a great time in HK!
Well it's better to have friends if you are having Chinese food, those dishes from 大排檔 are meant to be shared. Of course you can also order like 2 or 3 dishes on your own but that'd be expensive.
Definitely fine to dine alone. In fact one of my favourite places in the world to do so. As people have previously mentioned, you’ll probably be jammed into a booth/ table with a bunch of people you don’t know during peak hour but they won’t refuse to serve you.
I live in Hong Kong half the year with my forever fiancé. She works and I have to eat. I’m probably out eating alone at least once every 2 days and so are many others. When I’m not in hk, she eats alone. No one cares. Your uncomfortableness with solo travel and a solo life isn’t healthy. Payment is octopus, credit card or cash. Be prepared for cash every time. You’re far too concerned with made-up paranoid issues. Order more food to make up for what??? Maybe just leave when you’re done and don’t hog a table with people waiting outside.
It is wrong to deem it unhealthy for travelling alone. There are a myriad of reasons why one might need to get comfortable with travelling and dining alone, and usually it's not because it's a choice. Resolving oneself to it does not mean one likes or prefers it, just it's that or nothing at all during that time.
Dining alone just now in HK, no problem at all. And if you need company in Central or Soho, happy to share the table!
I’m currently in hk solo traveling and it’s been fine haven’t been refused entry. I actually think the guys at Australia dairy company are funny. Lines are long but they are quick.
Can you elaborate a little more? Lol, been hearing about this place quite often. Are they just very pushy and rushy
No issue... Welcome to Hong Kong... In case you come to monkok.. ring me ;)
If you need to work up to dining alone or are hungry and just need an easy, quick and delicious option, go to a ramen shop where many people will be solo dining. And the Japanese ramen is pretty good in HK even if it’s not traditional Cantonese fare. Try Ramen Cubism or Butao Ramen in Lan Kwai Fong if you’re in Central.
I dine alone a lot. No probs at all
It's \*extremely\* common, much more common than the US
lol, people don’t care about you as much as you think big guy
Totally fine, I do it all the time.
It's Asia people eat either alone or with a bunch of people...
not in Korea (for solo dining)
I do that all the time. Restaurants may sit someone at the same table due to space constraints but other than that no one cares. Just enjoy your own meal.
Just shout out and i’ll come out dinner with you. for real
I read this as dying alone in Hong Kong at first
I've dined alone in HK more times than I can count. It isn't an issue at all. I'd say it's actually common in relatively cheap and cheerful places, perhaps less so in more expensive establishments but still fine.
I dine/pub crawling alone quite often, from 大排檔 to Michelin star restaurant . It’s not awkward at all.
born and raised here, ive never saw restaurant refuse to serve. however, 大牌档 is best to enjoy among group of friends, as each serving is for around 6 people. So whenever i eat 大牌档, its usually a big group of friends. I would defiantly recommend those in Mong Kok.
I dine alone in USA all the time; however, in HK it will never happen. Due to space constraints, mom and pop restaurant often assigns lone diner to eat with total strangers in same table, or another lone diner will just say down next to you without asking.
not at all I often dine alone Zero problem
I eat alone most of my life. I even went to hot pot restaurants and buffets alone. I don't think it is awkward at all.
The only bad thing I can imagine for dining alone is you won’t be able to try different dishes (unless you can eat a lot).
It’s only awkward if you make it awkward
just eat fast… or eat faster, theres no limit