Cheung Hing Coffee Shop

Simple breakfast place for the classic HK style breakfast: fried eggs, small sandwich or some noodles paired with HK style milk tea.
This HITW café used to get visits from famous celebrities/​people so you’ll find their autographs all along the walls.

Classic HK bakery/​sandwich/​coffee shop. With original Formica booths, wood chairs & tiled (紙皮石) walls. There are maybe 3 or 4 left in HK and would be a backdrop for a 1950/60’s period film. While classic, the portions would be meager for most western tastes, but then, so are the prices. If you’re local, this would be comfort food. I think I’m going to be a regular.

Today, I finally conquered my fear of dining solo in a hyperlocal Chinese restaurant.
I’m no stranger to eating sans plus one — it’s usually just me when I travel for work — and I actually enjoy the adventure of going at it alone. Without the distractions of conversation, I’m able to focus on the intricacies of flavor, eat at my own pace, and indulge in a healthy serving of people-​watching. Also, if I’m being honest — I’m much more likely to capture better food photos without the mounting pressure from a dining companion to ‘eat already’! Every self-​respecting lover of all the food knows that the camera eats first. Don’t act surprised; I am a Unilocaler after all!
But as an American living in Hong Kong, it feels different when checking out the local cha chaan teng (Hong Kong-​style café) without a Cantonese-​speaking friend in tow. Especially as parties of one are typically seated with strangers who may already be mid-​meal deep. But I did it, I really did… and you know what? The extremely accommodating servers at Cheung Hing Coffee Shop made it so easy and enjoyable.
First things first: Cheung Hing does offer a menu in English. But this is where it gets tricky: if you want the lunch set that consists of a spicy bowl of ramen noodles with chicken along with generously buttered toast and scrambled eggs (trust me, you do), you’ll need to tell the server as it’s only featured on the Chinese menu. You’ll also want to order an iced milk tea and maybe — if you’ve saved the precious stomach real estate — an order of the toast topped with a thin layer of condensed milk. Yes, we’re talking about a lot of carbs, but cha chaan tengs specialize in the Cantonese version of big, caloric comfort foods.
Perhaps best of all, cha chaan tengs are pretty inexpensive. Expect to pay anywhere between $ 45 – 60 HKD for a filling meal reminiscent of childhood… no matter where you come from.
Long live the traditional cha chaan teng!

Growing up in a neighborhood with a considerable expat population, Cheung Hing was (and still is) one of the few cha chan tengs in Happy Valley. Japanese restaurants and western-​style bistros dominate there, making good, old-​fashioned cha chan tengs the minority.
I grew up coming to Cheung Hing pretty often. Situated on Yik Yam Street opposite a stationery store, Cheung Hing is your typical cha chan teng restaurant. Service is efficient, the variety of food is aplenty and it’s affordably priced. Nine out of the ten times that I was there, I had macaroni in soup. You know how kids are! The macaroni was always served piping hot with a couple of strips of ham littered on top. It was, in a way, my feel-​good food — chicken (macaroni with ham) soup for the soul, if you will.
Of course, there is much more than macaroni here. Most of the times that I’m here with my family, we’re here for breakfast, so there’s always the standard cha chan teng breakfast with the scrambled eggs and sausages and the buttered toast. I normally don’t like cha chan teng food, but Cheung Hing is an exception. The food here doesn’t feel like it’s been cooked in a broth of MSG and is always served hot. I can’t comment much on the different types of food here because I haven’t had more than just breakfast food here, but I can assure you that the quality of the food here is consistent.
Now that I don’t live here anymore; I don’t come here as often. But if we happen to be in the neighborhood, we usually make it a point to have something here before we head back — may it be an iced lemon tea, French toast, or of course, my favorite — macaroni in soup!