The Michelin Guide has been foodies’ go-to handbook for cheap eats, seven-course taster menus, and five-star hotel culinary experiences ever since its inception in 1926.

Hong Kong is no stranger for attracting French eyes to the city, in the form of sneaky Michelin inspectors trawling the area in search of the freshest, most unique, and delectable eats and bites.

With 50 one-star Michelin-rated restaurants, 12 establishments with two stars, and only seven with the coveted three-star award, Hong Kong’s count is one of the greatest in the world. But the city also is a treasure trove for cheap bites recommended by the Michelin Guide for dishes and experiences under HK$100.

Lucky Indonesia

This cash-only small eatery, wedged in between factory buildings in Kwun Tong, has been serving up delectable Javanese and Indonesian fare for 20 years. With lines trailing out of the restaurant during lunch time and Sunday’s, Lucky Indonesia is a staple in the diets of Indonesian expats who work and live in Hong Kong.

Long-serving customers highly recommend Lucky Indonesia’s signature nasi goreng (fried rice with vegetables and chicken; HK$70), the selection of the restaurant’s’ satay six skewers of daging, babi, or ayam (beef, pork, or chicken; HK$75), tempe goreng (deep fried soybean; HK$55), and the infamous gado-gado (mixed green salad with peanut sauce dressing; HK$48).

The restaurant’s décor is simple and quaint, as you might find in a traditional Indonesian household: wooden furniture, traditional religious wall hangings, and the aroma of peanuts and noodles emanating from the kitchen. The restaurant received a Bib Gourmand award in 2017, a marker of “good quality [and] good value cooking.”

Location: Lucky Indonesia, 46 Tung Ming St, Kowloon

Ah Chun Shandong Dumpling

Ah Chun is one of the cheapest vendors for Michelin-recommended Bib Gourmand-awarded traditional Shangdong dumplings in Hong Kong. Flavors, furniture, and fever from Qingdao city and Hong Kong are morphed together to provide not only soft and savory meat dumplings, but a whole-bodied experience.

Their signature ten- piece set of dumplings – or five if you prefer a soup option – ranges from HK$44 to HK$54, depending on what variation. Chinese cabbage pork and leek and pork (HK$44) are both fan favorites, whilst the signature Qingdao Cuttlefish Dumpling (eight dumplings; HK$50) has endued a strong legacy for years at the store’s Lai Chi Kok location.

For those eager to savor traditional Shandong cuisine, Ah Chun’s soya sauce braised items are said to be the most authentic of dishes from the region found in Hong Kong. Michelin recommends the savory lamb foot (HK$98) and fork baked sesame pockets (HK$88), a fun dish allowing customers to scoop a mix of braised beef and vegetables into a Chinese “hot pocket.”

Location: Ah Chun Shandong Dumpling, 56-72 Lai Chi Kok Rd, Lai Chi Kok, Kowloon

Good Hope Noodle

Awarded their Bib Gourmand rank by Michelin in 2019, Mong Kok’s Good Hope Noodle has dominated the local scene for bouncy duck-egg noodles in the area for 50 years, since its founding in 1971. Ingredients are sourced locally, and noodles made fresh daily with dough kneaded repeatedly with a bamboo pole – the show kitchen at the entrance reveals how the magic is made.

The store’s noodle with Cantonese wonton in soup (HK$37) is what forms lines curling around the block at Good Hope Noodle, and what cemented the once fledging scene of bamboo noodles. The noodles are thin and bouncy to taste, wontons burst with shrimp and salt flavor once bitten into, and the soup is made from shrimp paste, pork fat, and uses scallions to add to the umami flavor. Equally, the congee with shredded salted pork and preserved egg (HK$35) has been cited as a must try by Michelin, serving original Cantonese flavours borne out of the 1960s.

Location: Good Hope Noodle, 18 Fa Yuen St, Mong Kok

Kai Kai Dessert

This desert shop located north of Jordan only serves 23 variations of a classic Cantonese desert but has endured a legacy and fandom amongst Jordan locals and sweet-toothed foodies in the city. They have been placed on the Michelin Guide of Hong Kong for four consecutive years now since 2018. The dessert shop has even been recognized by the Hong Kong government as a site of importance for food culture in the city.

We highly recommend their sesame congee (HK$22), mango in purple rice congee (HK$40) with added coconut milk for blend of sweetness, and crystalized sugar with papaya congee (HK$24), a new addition to the limited menu. The bowls of sugar and ice and cold coconut are a treat during Hong Kong’s summer's heat.

Kai Kai Dessert is open from midday to 3:30 AM every day, rain or shine. Old and young, poor and rich, students just off school and yuppies just off their KTV-binge can all be seen at Kai Kai – a cross section of Hong Kong.

Location: Kai Kai Dessert, G/F, 29 Ning Po St, Jordan, Kowloon

What To Eat

Two mothers-cum-owners of What To Eat brought their homemade recipes and Taiwanese charm of cooking across the ocean to Hong Kong to review the old name of their first bento shop in Taipei. With ingredients imported from Taiwan, their menu selection is as authentic (and inexpensive) as one could find for traditional Taiwanese cuisine on the island.

We (the author who lived in Taiwan for one year) highly recommend the Taiwanese braised beef noodles (beef rib, thick noodles, collard greens, scallions; HK$82) and Turkey with rice bowl (HK$29) for traditional central Taiwanese dishes. The crispy popcorn chicken (HK$49) and fried fish cakes (HK$38) are a must try for those hungry for Taiwan street food.

Open 12 PM to 3 PM and 6 PM to 9 PM, the store employs Taiwanese-born staff who are strict with a 45-minute sit down limit during peak hours. With food tasting identical to the egg rolls (original egg roll; HK$35) found in Taipei or milkfish from Tainan (HK$98), What To Eat perfectly emulates the whole-bodied eating experience of Taiwanese eating – rushed, hectic, savoury, and sweet.

Location: What To Eat, Shop A, G/F, Carfield Commercial Building, 75-77 Wyndham St, Central, Hong Kong

Coconut-Soup

There are only a handful of tables and a dozen seats to share in Prince Edward’s famed Coconut-Soup, but the menu and charm of the restaurant makes up for its simplicity. Only items from coconut derivatives are sold on the menu with coconut soup, ingredients and soup base served within a coconut, being the main magnet of fame and crowds to the store.

The chicken and barley soup (HK$59) is the shop favorite, finished off with seaweed and coconut milk. We also recommend the golden bamboo fungus with black chicken cup (HK$59) for touted effects such as benefiting one's qi, nourishing nutrients in the blood, and helping rejuvenate the skin.

Location: Coconut-Soup, Shop 2A, G/F, 130 Lai Chi Kok Rd. Prine Edward, Kowloon

Durian Land

A lot of people hate (with a passion) durian – the taste, smell, and sight of the fruit from Southeast Asia can induce sickness and vomiting in people. But if you’re up for trying Michelin-recommended durian desserts and creations, Durian Land in Tsim Sha Tsui serves up different types of durians grown from their own farm in the New Territories, as well as creative durian desserts.

Customers have the choice to taste Durian Land three custom-grown durian fruits. MusangKing (HK$100) is one of the higher recommended strains to try, a large yellow juicy durian with sweet and sour tones. Equally, their signature sugar-free bubble tea durian ice cream (HK$38) is as strange as is bursting with flavor, attracting internet buzz and crowds for years.

The dessert shop has been awarded Michelin Bib Gourmand awards for three consecutive years since 2019.

Location: 92 Kimberley Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon