These days, any cosmopolitan city worth its salt will have great coffee. Call it the hipster phenomenon, or simply call it the caffeine addiction if you will, good coffee is appreciated worldwide. Hong Kong has always been front of the line when it comes to urban trends, so you can rest assured that specialty coffee is readily available.
Wake up and smell the coffee in these establishments.
The Cupping Room
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This cafe serves consistently good coffee, and the regular café fare is about as exciting as café food can be. With award winning baristas in the team, it’d be hard to complain about the quality of coffee here. It’s a small café that’s always busy, so it isn’t much of a place for long leisurely chats. Prices are on the high side, but if you’re a coffee geek and you’re in the area, it might just be worth it.
Address: Shop LG/F, 299 Queen's Road Central, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
Espresso Alchemy
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You know you can trust the freshness of the coffee when the café is backed by its own roastery. There are three branches of Espresso Alchemy cafes, one of which is the roaster and concept café in the Kwai Fong, where you can see and smell your beans even before you taste them. For easily accessible branches, the Tsim Sha Tsui and Quarry Bay branches are both great places to chill with great coffee and good food. The company also conducts coffee classes that range from professional barista courses to latte art and sensory analysis.
Tsim Sha Tsui, Shop 36, WK Square, 36-44 Nathan Road,
Quarry Bay, Shop 8, 4-6 Hoi Wan Street, Quarry Bay
Unit 1, 3/F, Wing Hang Industrial Building, 13 – 29 Kwai Hei Street, Kwai Fong
Hazel & Hershey
A café and retailer situated right at the top of Soho, this place is popular with both the local and tourist crowd. Hazel & Hershey stocks a wide range of coffee accessories as well as coffee beans for you to take home. As can be expected in Soho, the coffee is pricey, but it’s one of the better bets in the area.
Shop 3, 69-71A Peel Street, Central
N1 Coffee & Co
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If you’re in the Tsim Sha Tsui area, N1 Coffee & Co is the place to get a robust cup of coffee that isn’t overwhelmed with milk. Known for really delicious coffee whether espresso-based or single origin brews, this café also serves good breakfast. The décor is cosy, cute, and manages to avoid the pretentious vibe that some hipster cafes fall for.
Shop G, 34 Mody Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Arabica
When you apply Japanese dedication to any craft, magic somehow happens. Founded by a man whose passion was coffee, founder and owner Kenneth Shoji bought a coffee farm in Hawaii, became a distributor of the best espresso machines in the world, and then set up Arabica in Kyoto, and subsequently Hong Kong. Discovery Bay seems a fitting place to go to for some coffee appreciation, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It’s open during office hours from 8 am to 4 pm.
Shop G08, Discovery Bay North Plaza, Discovery Bay, New Territories
18 grams
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Before you trawl through Mong Kong, make sure you get the buzz and the energy from some really good coffee at 18 Grams. Not only do they serve good coffee, but you can also try their coffee beer to put that extra zing in your step. Not a place to linger, but still a great place to recharge.
12 Kwong Wa Street, Mong Kok
Zai Fe
When the café’s name means ‘strong black coffee,' you know it means business. Say goodbye to bad syrups and flavors and hello to good old fresh coffee. Zai Fe uses natural and organic ingredients so you can expect quality for the price you pay. Coffee beans are sourced from all over the world, and hot chocolates and mochas are made with pure Belgian chocolate, and all takeaway coffee cups are compostable so that’s as green as you can be. If mild coffee annoys you, Zai Fe won't disappoint.
LG Millennium City 5, 418 Kwun Tong Road, Kwun Tong Kowloon