The perfect place for a family gathering, hangout with friends, or anything, really, Pure Veggie House is a peaceful restaurant (soon to be) located on Wellington Street, Central. They offer vegan renditions of all the classic dim sum dishes—including barbecue pork buns, shao mai, sweet and sour ‘pork’, and dumplings. Unlike many vegetarian alternatives, Pure Veggie House doesn’t only use tofu and mushrooms to emulate the texture and flavour of meat. They use konjac (pictured in the rightmost image above) to create their sweet and sour ‘pork’—which actually tastes even more realistic. Although their food is quite pricey—a sharing dish ranges from about $70-$100—the portions are relatively large and perfect for when you and your party are determined to give everything a try.
Recommended dishes at Pure Veggie House:
Shao Mai: Unlike most shao mai, the ones served at Pure Veggie House are green. They are made of spinach, green onions, and a couple other vegetables. Once you bite into it, you’ll be amazed by how chewy and flavourful it is, then you’ll be reaching for the menu to order more.
Mapo Tofu: Usually paired with minced pork, Pure Veggie House imitates this by incorporating bits of ‘meat’ into their dish. The sauce that accompanies the dish is not numbingly spicy, and it is a perfect addition to any rice or noodle that they serve.
Barbecue Pork buns: Probably the best imitation pork buns I’ve had, I love how sweet and thick the filling is. The buns are also really fluffy and taste perfect when freshly steamed.
Dan Dan noodles: Although their noodle portion is smaller than desired, it’s still delicious and pairs wonderfully with the dim sum available.
Address: 6/F, M88, Wellington Place, 2-8 Wellington Street, Central
How to get there: 4-min walk from Exit D1, Central MTR Station
Opening times: Mon-Sun 9:00-16:30, 18:00-23:00
Price range: $$-$$$
2. Kung Tak Lam Vegetarian
Kung Tak Lam was one of the first Chinese restaurants I visited as a vegan, and I made the mistake of going with a small number of people as we could hardly tap into the abundance of options available. This place sells buns, noodles, and side dishes such as sweet and sour ‘pork’ and string beans (pictured above) and is more traditional than most other vegetarian restaurants in Hong Kong. Their dishes aren’t anything too unique, but they still taste delicious and accurately mimic the authentic flavours of Hong Kong cuisine. I particularly enjoyed their dan dan noodles (which only happens to appear on the menu occasionally) and their vegetable buns. The location of this restaurant also makes it super accessible and convenient for larger groups of people—which is necessary if you want to taste a bit of everything.
Address:
10/F, World Trade Centre, 280 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay (6-min walk from Exit D4, Causeway Bay MTR Station)
7/F, 1 Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui (Exit C1/ L5, Tsim Sha Tsui / East Tsim Sha Tsui MTR Station)
Opening times:
Mon-Sun: 11:00-23:00
Mon-Sun: 11:00-23:00
Price range: $$-$$$
Dim Sum From Lok Cha Tea House
3. LokCha Tea House
Situated in the tourist-filled Hong Kong park in Admiralty, LokCha Tea House is beautifully furnished with traditional decor. Perfect for tea lovers, they have dozens of flavours available to accompany your meal. There is, however, a minimum spending of $40 HKD on tea, so if you’re not willing to pay that extra cost, then I wouldn’t recommend visiting this restaurant.
As for the dim sum, they offer a vast range of dumplings and other Chinese delicacies that cater to different preferences. However, I recall that the turnip cake didn’t quite resemble the usual ones and many of their dishes were infused with mushrooms and coriander. It’s not one of my favorite vegan restaurants in Hong Kong, but if you’re planning to stop by Hong Kong park during breakfast, lunch or dinner hours anyway, it’s a perfect way to check both items off your list.
Address: G/F, The K.S. Lo Gallery, Hong Kong Park, Admiralty, H.K., Admiralty
How to get there: 10-min walk from Exit F, Admiralty MTR Station
Opening times: Mon-Sun: 10:00-20:00
Price range: $$-$$$
Links:
Vegan Egg Tarts From Loving Hut
4. Loving Hut
Loving Hut is not so much a dim sum restaurant like the previous three are, but it still boasts a wide array of dim-sum-type dishes including—but not limited to—barbecue ‘pork’ buns, ‘egg’ tarts, shao mai and dumplings. The most affordable restaurant on this list, their dishes often come in sizes that can either be shared between many or devoured by individual customers. The prices for the small appetizers never exceed $30, and you can order a set lunch for below $50 (making them a vegan cheap eat). My all-time favorite is undeniably their egg tarts (pictured left)—there’s nothing else that’s quite like them in Hong Kong, and their ‘custard’ filling pairs perfectly with the crunchy biscuit-like shell.
Barbecue ‘pork’ buns from Loving Hut
Many of their dim sum dishes are supplied by the local brand Vegelink, which can also be purchased in bulk at Loving Hut, the Vegelink store in North Point and Green Common.
Address:
2/F, Luen Tai Building, 93-99 Wanchai Road, Wan Chai (4-min walk from Exit A3, Wan Chai MTR Station)
Shop G242-245, Amoy Plaza II, 77 Ngau Tau Kok Road, Kowloon Bay (Exit A, Kowloon Bay MTR Station)
Shop G242-245, Amoy Plaza II, 77 Ngau Tau Kok Road, Kowloon Bay (Exit A, Kowloon Bay MTR Station)
Opening times:
Mon-Sun & Public holidays: 11:30-21:30
Mon-Sun & Public holidays: 11:30-22:30
Mon-Sun & Public holidays: 11:30-22:00
Mon-Fri: 8:00-18:30; Sat: 8:30-13:30; Sun & Public holidays: closed
Price range: $-$$
Links:
5. Three Virtues
After finally trying Three Virtues following many recommendations to do so, it easily became one of my favourite vegetarian restaurants in Hong Kong. The restaurant is efficient—you can expect your food to arrive in no more than ten minutes—the food is delicious, and it’s one of those few dim sum restaurants that won’t break the bank. Moreover, for those like me who aren’t a fan of mushrooms, many of their popular dishes are mushroom-free—including the turnip pastry and barbecue ‘pork’ buns pictured above and fried rice and xiao long bao below. Outside the North Point branch, they also have a small shop below the restaurant. Here, you can order dim sum to takeaway for prices as low as $6 HKD per piece!
Veggie fried rice, barbecue ‘pork’ buns, and xiao long bao from Three Virtues
Address:
How to get there:
2-min walk from Exit B1, North Point MTR Station
2-min walk from Exit A, Jordan MTR Station
1-min walk from Exit A1, Shau Kei Wan MTR Station
Opening times:
Mon-Sun 11:00-23:00
Mon-Sun 10:30-23:00
Mon-Sun: 8:30-19:00
Price range: $-$$
Links:
6. Di King Heen (Royal Plaza Hotel)
Braised bean curd balls, steamed oat buns with Omnipork, and rice rolls from Di King Heen
Although this restaurant tends towards the pricier side, you’ll have no problem finding delicious dim sum dishes at Di King Heen. While not every option is vegan, they have an entire Green Deluxe Menu, a Chinese Green Cuisine Set Menu, and several other veggie dim sum selections—including steamed rice rolls, pan-fried pepper stuffed with Omnipork and mashed mushroom, steamed oatmeal buns stuffed with Omnipork and vegetables, and pan-fried Omnipork and mushroom dumplings. The staff are also very accommodating and will clarify the ingredients if needed. The dish prices vary greatly—from the smaller orders costing $58 to the larger ones reaching $200+—but it’s a great location for a large family gathering or to celebrate a fancier occasion.
Address: 3/F, Royal Plaza Hotel, 193 Prince Edward Road West, Mong Kok
How to get there: Exit B2, Prince Edward MTR Station/ Exit B3, Mong Kok MTR Station/ Exit D, Mong Kok East MTR Station
Opening times: Mon-Sun & Public Holidays 7:30-15:00, 18:00-23:00
Price range: $$$-$$$$
Links:
If you’re not looking for the full dim sum experience but just want a taste of a dumpling or two, there are also many other places in Hong Kong where you can find veggie alternatives. This includes Bafang (super delicious and super affordable vegetable dumplings), Gaia Veggie (conveniently located in the heart of Causeway Bay), Veggle Cafe (Omnipork dumplings which can be ordered individually for $5 HKD each) and King of Sheng Jian (an affordable local chain restaurant with a branch in Causeway Bay). Depending on your preference, you can find some dim sum dishes made with regular vegetables and others that are filled with imitation meat. As for now, these are the six restaurants I have visited in Hong Kong that offer vegan dim sum. But as the number of restaurants (hopefully) increases, you can expect the list to go on.
Looking for vegan eats that won’t break the bank? Check out my recent post which covers 10 Affordable Vegan Eats in Hong Kong Below $50 HKD!