Where to get an affordable French dinner in Hong Kong?

As a French person living in Hong Kong, I miss the bistros where you can eat a rustic and traditional French meal without breaking your wallet. So I always look for French restaurants that are not too expensive here. For example, I can eat a tasty 3-set meal for 350 HKD in France, but in Hong Kong, the same is often 800+ HKD.

So here is my list of restaurants where you can find comforting French food without breaking your wallet every month:

Fleur de Sel - Causeway Bay

Budget: ~350 HKD for the main course, dessert, and a drink (10% charge included)

This is truly a hidden gem, I love this place because you can see the French chef cooking behind the bar, he would recommend some crepes and you can feel his passion for his French region - Normandy. It is like a hidden gem, you need to enter a residential building in Causeway Bay and go to the 2nd floor. They have a tiny terrasse where dogs are allowed. Their food is super authentic, you can feel the friendly environment the chef created. Every time I go there, I feel at home. Their crepes are a traditional recipe from Normandy (next to Brittany), compared to the restaurants where I ate those crepes in France, the quality is higher. I recommend the special La Normande, La Chef Complète, La Fermière, or La Périgord. For a bigger budget, you can try their weekly special written on the blackboard. They are all excellent!

Address: Po Foo Building, 2 /f J, No .1 Foo Ming St, Causeway Bay

Bouchon Bistro Français - Soho, Central

Budget: ~330 HKD for a 3-set lunch menu & a drink (10% charge included)

This place is often empty at lunch, if you work or live close by Soho it is a super bistro to have lunch for cheap, you can always take just the 2-set if you are not hungry. The food is pretty good, it is not the most amazing I had but it is equivalent to a standard bistro in France, so it is nice. At dinner, the budget will be around ~700 HKD for an appetizer, entree, and dessert + a glass of wine. For the lunch menu, I recommend taking the Pork Rillettes in appetizers, the Lamb Navarin, the confit duck leg, the steak frites, or steak tartare in the main course, and the crème brulée or chocolate fondant in the dessert.

Address: 49 Elgin St, Central

La Cabanne - Soho, Central

Budget: ~ 420 HKD for dinner main course, a dessert, and a glass of wine (10% charge included)

This bistro is more a wine bar than a restaurant but has a tiny food menu with all that is needed to feel at home, like a good beef tartare and an amazing duck parmentier. At dessert, there are only 2 choices, but not the least! Brioche Perdue salted butter caramel and ice cream or an Apple and pear crumble like my grandma does! For lunch, you can eat for an even smaller budget with a full set menu for 240 HKD + 50 HKD for the wine.

Address: 62 Hollywood Rd, Central

Le Corks Causeway Bay

Budget: ~ 440 HKD for a 3-set dinner, and a house wine glass (no charge)

I went to this restaurant to celebrate the farewell of a good friend, the atmosphere is nice, and they have a back courtyard and many small corners to feel at ease with your friends. I haven't tried the food but I got good feedback and by the look of the menu you can tell it is some authentic recipes from France. If I have dinner there I would take the duck rillette which is slow-cooked meat cut in small pieces, in its own fat, and then pressed and stored in a container, similar to the French "pâté" but more tasty. Then as the main course, I would take le Parmentier d'Agneau as it is the number one comfort food for me as it allies the smoothness of the mashed potatoes and the elegance of the layered lamb slow-cooked stew. Finally, I would take Apple Tatin tart which is part of my top 3 French desserts, it is an upside-down cooked tart that provides an amazing caramelized taste to the apples.

Address: 23 Lan Fong Rd, Causeway Bay

More to come ...

There are many other restaurants I have never tried with reasonable pricing for Hong Kong, I did a small selection with menu recommendations. The idea is to get comforting authentic French meals:

Comptoir - Kennedy Town

Budget: ~ 420 HKD for appetizer, main course & dessert (10% charge included)

I suggest you take the Burgundy Snails (Escargot) as an appetizer, the duck confit or beef tenderloin as the main course, and the chocolate mess for dessert. I couldn't find the wine menu but you can add ~90 HKD for a glass of wine on average. Again, this is for the ones who like to get the full set, but you can always just enjoy a main course and a glass of wine!

Address: 42 Forbes St, Kennedy Town

La Crêperie - Wan Chai

budget: ~170 HKD for lunch main, dessert & drink (10% charge included)

This crêperie seems really nice, but the decor seems less authentic than Fleur de Sel (the 1st restaurant from the list) from the pictures I saw on Google but the prices are slightly cheaper. They have low-budget brunch and lunch sets starting from ~130 HKD for the main, dessert & a drink. They even have a dinner set for 2 at 596 HKD, which includes the same (main, dessert, drink). The menu seems very authentic and French-like. I think I will try it very soon!

Address: 1/F, Kui Chi Mansion, 100 Queen's Rd E, Wan Chai

I will keep updating this article as soon as I discover new places with qualitative, yet affordable dining options. Don't hesitate to save this article in your notes or send it to a friend on WhatsApp to save those addresses! I regularly organize French Wine & Cheese Platter classes with a small group of 4-6 people who want to learn or practice their French in Hong Kong. Most French people gather in bistros or Wine bars around a cheese & ham platter, if you would like to feel the joy of it, feel free to contact me or learn more about it:

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