Business Traveller (Asia-Pacific)
A taste for the outdoors
Hong Kong's alfresco bars and restaurants
Hong Kong’s fast-paced F&B scene means there’s always a hot new dining venue or after-work drink spot to discover. Combine this with scintillating skyline views and you’re on to a winner. Here we look at a mixture of longstanding favourites, hidden local hotspots and cool new outdoor settings, so leave the bar crawling to the masses and elevate yourself to a rooftop hop.
CENTRAL
Let’s start with one of Central’s stalwarts, Sevva (pronounced “savour”), located on the 25th floor of the Prince’s Building. This swanky terrace attracts a wellheeled evening and weekend crowd with its signature cocktails, sweet treats (such as the legendary caramel crunch cake) and 360-degree harbour and city views, as well as indoor fine-dining options. Do expect to pay premium prices and make sure you dress to impress – strict dress code applies (25/F, Prince’s Building, 10 Chater Road, Central; sevvahk.com).
For a more relaxed front row seat to the harbour action, head to the terrace on the fourth floor of the IFC shopping mall and you’ll find Red bar. Part of the Pure Group, the restaurant focuses on healthy, diet-friendly cuisine, with an extensive beverage list. In the evening, house DJs create cool vibes to dance the night away. Insider tip: the outdoor seating area is actually a public terrace, meaning you can always “BYOB” and enjoy the spectacular views for next to nothing. Highlights include the 8pm “Symphony of Lights” laser show, and ICC’s Guinness World Record Light and Music show at 7.45pm and 9pm every night (4/F, IFC Mall, 8 Finance Street, Central; pure-red.com).
Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong’s nightlife hub, welcomed the revamped California Tower in 2015. On the top floor is Ce La Vi, which boasts a rooftop garden with comfortable sofas and a thriving cocktail culture. The hot tub has been removed, but you can still expect to find a party-loving pack. Downstairs, the restaurant serves up modern Asian cuisine, with an excellent brunch option at the weekend (25/F, California Tower, 32 D’Aguilar Street, Central; celavi.com).
It’s not just about expansive harbour views. Central is home to a plethora of intimate alfresco settings, including the lesser-known Shore in L Place, a stylish lounge that extends to an ambient, fairy-lit 170 sqm terrace on the fourth floor with sofas, high tables and canopied booths – it’s a popular haunt for after-work drinks and corporate functions. The third floor houses a high-end steak joint, which boasts the “largest steak in Hong Kong” – an 80oz double bone Tomahawk (3/F-4/F, the L Place, 139 Queen’s Road Central, Central; shore.com.hk).
If you fancy a fun, tropical flavour, try the hidden delights of Honi Honi Tiki Cocktail Lounge on Wellington Street. The Polynesian-themed experience comes complete with totem cup holders, bamboo architecture, a lush outdoor patio, tasty Hawaiian nibbles such as poké and an extensive selection of rums (3/F Somptueux Central, 52 Wellington Street, Central; honihonibar.com). (Its recently opened sister property Mahalo Tiki Lounge also offers a large alfresco terrace with city views on the 29/F of Wanchai’s QRE Plaza.)
Japanese cuisine on a spacious garden terrace comes in the form of Koko – a partnership between Kee private members club and Japanese celebrity Hidetoshi
Nakata. Located on popular Wyndham Street, the contemporary izakaya (gastropub) overlooks the historic Central Police Station, with modern Japanese fare and a premium sake menu. Patrons can also look forward to eclectic DJs and international art exhibitions (5/F, 77 Wyndham Street, Central; kokohk.com).
WAN CHAI AND CAUSEWAY BAY
Moving east, a popular spot is Wooloomooloo Steak House. The huge, open-air roof terrace teeters a whopping 31 floors up The Hennessy, a fantastic vantage point to drink in the harbour views alongside a selection of quality, classic cocktails. Definitely not one for vertigo sufferers. Downstairs, carnivores will delight in the meaty menu, pared with a fine wine list and, again, stunning floor-to-ceiling window views (31/F & Rooftop, The Hennessy, 256 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai; wooloomooloo.com). New on the scene is the Skye restaurant and bar from Park Lane, a Pullman Hotel. Head to the 27th floor to enjoy French fine dining from Chef Lee Adams and a stunning outdoor deck. The iconic illuminated bar (from the same design team as Bangkok’s famous Sirocco bar) is staffed by mixologists creating bespoke cocktails against a fabulous backdrop that includes bird’s-eye views of Victoria Park. When the sun goes down, resident DJs play chilled house music for a cool, professional crowd (310 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong; parklane.com.hk/skye.html).
Tott’s and Roof Terrace, at the top of the Excelsior hotel, is an oldie but a goodie. First opened in 1979, it was quite literally the “Talk Of The Town”, as it was then known – a glamorous disco and bar with a killer cityscape view. Nowadays the venue is more low key, but the high-class seafood and grill menu plus outdoor terrace offering 34th-floor views into the heart of the
city, keeps an enduring stream of patrons coming back for more. The free-flow Champagne Sunday brunch is an excellent way to finish off a busy week (281 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay; mandarinoriental.com). Fine dining with a fine view can be procured at
Penthouse by Harlan Goldstein, which occupies the top spot of Causeway Bay’s Soundwill Plaza II. The glass-encased New York-style interior offers up contemporary Western cuisine, while an enormous terrace with a spectacular panorama is the perfect pre- or post-dinner drink setting (30/F, Soundwill Plaza II, Midtown, 1-29 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay; penthousedining.com).
The heart of Causeway Bay, surrounded by skyscrapers, may not sound like the ideal place for a rooftop terrace (What? No harbour views?), but
Shelter Italian Bar & Restaurant is the best-kept secret in town. Located on the seventh floor of Hysan Place, a canopied restaurant leads onto an expansive terrace with teepee-like pods and soft mood lighting – an unexpected surprise in the middle of the city. Meanwhile, the sustainably minded restaurant puts great emphasis on the provenance of its ingredients, with a 42 sqm vegetable and herb garden on site (7/F, Hysan Place, 500 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay; shelterhk.com).
KOWLOON
Lotus-shaped open fires, running waterways and private cabanas await those who head to The Mira Hotel’s Vibes in Tsim Tsa Tsui – a seductive garden setting nestled in the fifth floor courtyard. Guests can wind down with drinks and bar bites, or carry on the party with live DJ music under the stars. Thursdays take on a Middle Eastern twist, with a belly dancer show,
Arabic lounge beats and mezze platters (5/F, The Mira, 118 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui; themirahotel.com/ dining/vibes).
While not technically “alfresco” (but at a dizzying 118 floors, this is probably for the best), the RitzCarlton’s Ozone bar claims the title for the highest bar in the world. Hong Kong’s neck-craning skyscrapers look like pieces of lego from such heights. It’s not the most convenient to get to (take a taxi, or head for West Rail Kowloon Station on the MTR), but it draws a buzzing crowd every night (Elements, International Commerce Centre/ICC, 1 Austin Rd W, West Kowloon; ritzcarlton.com).
Mongkok’s Cordis hotel recently unveiled a funky new alfresco space: The Garage, an “outdoor food truck destination” with two vintage Citroen vans serving up Western food truck favourites with an Asian twist alongside over 40 local and international craft beers. Decorated with a striking red-and-black design, there is plenty of outdoor furniture to lounge in the leafy setting (Level L, Cordis, Hong Kong at Langham Place, 555 Shanghai Street, Mongkok; cordishotels.com).
FARTHER AFIELD
If you’re willing to trek beyond the typical F&B trail, you’ll be rewarded with a selection of more unusual alfresco settings. Over in Taikoo Shing, close to the busy Quarry Bay commercial district, lies Sugar, a slinky bar and deck perched on the 32nd floor of Swire’s East Hotel. This cool after-work hangout offers a different – but no less impressive – harbour view, encompassing the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal (former site of Kai Tak Airport). A delicious tapas bar snack menu is the ideal accompaniment to the extensive cocktail menu (32/F, East, 29 Taikoo Shing Road, Taikoo Shing; sugar-hongkong.com).
On the opposite side of the island, Ovolo Southside boasts two alfresco venues: Cirqle, a modern European restaurant with a large, low-rise terrace; and cool, urban grafitti bar Above on the 23rd floor, with non-traditional green views over the affluent Shouson Hill residential area and Ocean Park. Located in industrial-turned-art district Wong Chuk Hang, this venue is set to gain appeal thanks to the recent opening of an MTR extension to the southern district. Live music is performed every Friday night (64 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Aberdeen; ovolohotels.com).