PACK YOUR PANTRY!
A GUIDE TO GETTING GROCERIES
OPTION A: HEAD TO A SUPERMARKET OR STORE
There are two main supermarket chains in Hong Kong where you can browse the aisles to your heart’s content: Wellcome and ParknShop. Both also offer online shopping and delivery (in certain areas), which is useful for the weekly shop and bulky items.
Wellcome
The end of the Second World War saw the launch of Wellcome in Hong Kong, and it now has close to 300 stores across the territory. It also operates two other noteworthy stores: Oliver’s The Delicatessen in the Prince’s Building is an upmarket supermarket with a good selection of imported fruit and vegetables, meat and branded goods; and ThreeSixty located in Elements, Kowloon, offers possibly the largest range of organic and natural products in the city.
A smaller chain, Market Place by Jason, also offers a decent range of Asian and Western products.
ParknShop
Opening its first store in Stanley in 1973, ParknShop also has a few hundred stores made up of its main chain and some subbranches. Of the latter, Fusion, Taste and International cater more for expats, with a larger range of imported and familiar brands from the US, the UK and Australia.
ParknShop’s flagship food hall is GREAT in Pacific Place; this is a foodie paradise, with possibly the largest range of gourmet produce in HK.
Missing your favourite foods from home? Need a Vegemite or Marmite fix, or craving a Twinkie or a wheel of French brie, perhaps? Happily, there’s a huge range of imported brands available in Hong Kong. If you can’t find what you want at any of the bricks-andmortar outlets, look for an online delivery to fill that special little corner of your kitchen cupboard.
Others
Beyond the big two, supermarket options in Hong Kong include City’Super, with branches in Causeway Bay, Harbour City, Sha Tin and IFC, stocking a range of imported brands and speciality Japanese food.
For American families, many popular brands can be found at A&M stores (Central and Stanley) and Gateway. For those from the UK, U Select is operated by China Resources Vanguard in partnership with Tesco; about one-third of its stock is Tesco products. The Marks & Spencer food halls are also great for British groceries, and the M&S Hong Kong delivery app has become especially popular since the start of 2020. Aeon is a supermarket chain offering well-priced products, and another gem is BargainMart.
You’ll also see a brand called 759 Store around Hong Kong, which offers competitive prices on select products, and another called Best Mart 360.
OPTION B: CLICK AND RECEIVE!
The online shopping industry was always set to grow, but the events of 2020 and 2021 have seen the market go from strength to strength. Here are 20 online grocers, speciality stores and other delivery options for filling your kitchen with goodies.
Bones & Blades
Supplementing Bones & Blades’ physical stores is an online shopping option, where you’ll find everything from grass-fed beef to Welsh lamb, homemade sausages and more.
bonesandblades.com
British Essentials
This is the official online retailer of Morrison’s own label groceries in Hong Kong, but offers other popular UK brands.
britishessentials.hk
Cheese Club
Founded in January 2019, Cheese Club is the biggest importer of premium European cheese in HK. Most of the suppliers are small family-owned producers.
cheeseclub.hk
Deliveroo
In June 2021, it was announced that Deliveroo had partnered with ParknShop to allow its app users s to order more than n 1,000 different t grocery items from m 50 locations.
deliveroo.hk
Farmer’s Market t
This company ships top-quality Australian meats direct from a farm to Hong Kong and delivers them to your door.
farmersmarket.com.hk
Feather & Bone
Popular for its steakhouses in several locations in Hong Kong, Feather & Bone also has a wide range of online groceries available to purchase, from meat to dairy, fresh produce, deli items, drinks and more.
featherandbone.com.hk
Fresh Grower
Stocks seasonal fresh veg from Perfect Produce Farm in NZ, online and in two stores at Wan Chai and Sai Wan.
freshgrower.com.hk
Green Common
This store’s mission is to empower the community with wholesome and sustainable plant-based choices. Five shops across HK and an e-shop offering delivery.
greencommon.com
iHerb
This online grocery retailer from the US has a large range of natural and organic food products, as well as health and baby items.
hk.iherb.com
Jett Foods
Online delivery of gourmet meat, fish, sausages and vegetables. It’s worth registering as you get 10 percent of your first order.
jettfoods.com
Jou Sun
This website stocks groceries from quality retailers, farmers and importers all over Hong Kong, and includes household items such as sustainable cleaning products.
jousun.com
Levant Foods Limited
A recent gem we’ve stumbled upon, Levant offers Greek and Middle Eastern goodies, including exceptional olive oil, as well as dips, sauces, yoghurt, cheese, wine and more.
levantltd.com
Live Zero
We’re converts to Live Zero, for its two physical stores and its online delivery of package-free food, daily essentials and other products.
livezero.hk
Mordicus
One for lovers of French food (which is pretty much all of us, right?), Mordicus efficiently delivers a wide range of competitively priced French groceries directly to the door.
mordicus.hk
Pacific Gourmet
Specialises in fresh meat and fish from Australia, New Zealand and Norway.
pacificgourmet.com.hk
Pandamart
Meal delivery providers have been branching out into grocery delivery, including Foodpanda, whose Pandamart service (accessible via the Foodpanda app) offers quick service from warehouses across Hong Kong.
foodpanda.hk
Regency Spices
For all your cooking needs around herbs and spices, this company is seriously excellent, having been in the spice industry since the mid-20th century.
regencyspices.hk
Slowood
Inspired by a zero waste community store in New Zealand, Slowood is one-stop shop for sustainable and organic products, with three physical stores and online ordering (free delivery for orders over HK$500).
slowood.hk
South Stream Market
Stocks a great range of fresh and frozen meat, seafood, bread, dairy, baby food, pantry items and eggs, plus organic fruit and veg.
southstreammarket.com
Spicebox Organics
Find a wide range of organic products and numerous gluten-free items here, along with some traditional Eastern medicines.
spiceboxorganics.com
OPTION C: WANDER INTO A WET MARKET
For a very local shopping experience, head to one of Hong Kong’s wet markets ( gaai si). There are hundreds of these, selling fruit and vegetables as well as fresh poultry, seafood, pork and beef. Some of the markets are open-air, such as the Bowrington Road markets, on the border of Causeway Bay and Wan Chai. Others are indoors in government buildings, sometimes with a cooked food centre where you can buy cheap local food. The indoor markets often house other small businesses, such as in Happy Valley, where you’ll find a seamstress who does mending.