Tung Po, Hong Kong

Excellent seafood in a joyous atmosphere in another Bourdain-featured restaurant in Hong Kong

Have you ever entered a restaurant with such a happy atmosphere that made you smile? Even if you had to drink your beer from a tiny pot and the floor cracked under your feet from the water/trash where you were stepping on? All this while drooling over the dishes as they kept coming out of the kitchens? If not, then you probably haven't been to Tung Po.

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Tung Po is a seafood restaurant in Hong Kong's North Point district, it is located on the second floor of a market (Java Road Municipal Services building). From the moment you enter, a loud wave of laughs, music and happiness hits you. We arrived without a reservation (which I strongly encourage on weekends) and were seated right away. Up to this point in our trip, we had become experts at noticing the other tables' dishes and pointing at them to our waiters without any shame and here, we even dared to approach the other diners to ask them what they were eating, it was the party atmosphere going on, perhaps.

So, when our waiter came, we did some pointing and followed suggestions and this is what we got:

 

 Squid ink pasta, a signature dish, perfectly cooked and so tasty, careful when you eat it, it'll leave your mouth all black.

 Sichuan style shrimps, served over broccoli, very good and very spicy.

 

Razor clams with bean and pepper sauce, one of the best dishes we've had in the whole trip, fresh, chewy and delicious, and the sauce was a perfect match.

The waiter in the picture appears to be the star of the show, he goes around dancing and talking, joking and drinking with everyone in the tables, now that I think about it, I didn't see him carry a dish while we were there, but he certainly was entertaining to look at!

Although the place is well-know in guides such as Lonely Planet, Fodor's and almost every Asian food blog (and was featured on the No Reservations HK episode), we didn't find it touristy at all, actually we were one of the few tables of foreigners there. Probably the non-English menu or the MTR ride to get there make it a bit off the beaten path. Prices are not super cheap but not expensive either, and for the quality of the food and the fun experience it's totally worth it!

Tung Po
99 Java Road, 2nd floor

North Point, Hong Kong
Reservations: +852 2880-9399

Nearest MTR station: North Point

Mon.-Sun. 17:30-00:30