Among the rich and diverse cuisine in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Cantonese cuisine, as the most important cuisine, has been passed down for a hundred years and its charm remains undiminished. In the 2017 Hong Kong edition of the Michelin Guide, two restaurants specializing in traditional Cantonese cuisine were awarded the highest Michelin three-star rating. Hong Kong's traditional local cuisine is mainly Guangzhou cuisine, while Poon Choi is a traditional dish of the New Territories indigenous people during festivals. Due to Hong Kong's proximity to the ocean, seafood is also a common dish, and typhoon shelter dishes such as stir fried crab have also developed.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region gathers cuisine from all over the world, with some streets in Mong Kok, Causeway Bay, Tsim Sha Tsui East, and Kowloon City filled with restaurants. Restaurants full of Asian flavors are spread throughout Hong Kong, featuring spicy Thai soup, rich Indian curry, Korean barbecue, Vietnamese salad rolls, Japanese sushi and other specialty foods. Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong offer specialty dishes from various parts of China, with Guangdong cuisine being particularly popular. Other authentic dishes include Chaozhou cuisine, Hunan cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, Beijing cuisine, Shanghai cuisine, and vegetarian dishes that emphasize simplicity. There is also tea for breakfast with traditional Cantonese Dim sum.
The cuisine of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is also deeply influenced by foreign culinary cultures. The SoHo district in Central, Wan Chai, and Tsim Sha Tsui are lined with bars, and the Munich Beer Festival has been held annually on Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui since 1991. In terms of fast food, American fast food is mainly operated by McDonald's and KFC, while Hong Kong has also developed its own Hong Kong style fast food, represented by Da Jiale, Da Kuaile, and Maxim's fast food.
Traditional foods popular among the people have always been rooted in Hong Kong, suchonut piles, peanut cakes, sesame cakes, lovesickness cakes, chess pieces cakes, stir fried rice cakes, checkered cakes, peanut can as rice cakes, zongzi, fish eggs, egg tarts, small peach cakes, almond cakes, blind cakes, chicken cakes, small cocdies, bagged noodles, egg waffles, peanut beans, southern frankincense pastries, and so on.