Best Chinese Desserts in Hong Kong: Chiu Chow Hop Shing Dessert, Kowloon City
As part of the Kowloon City food tour, we stopped by Chiu Chow Hop Shing Dessert after finishing an incredible lunch of halal panfried beef buns, dumplings, and stir-fry at Islam Food (complete guide to what to order). Another local classic, Chiu Chow Hop Shing is a traditional dessert shop that still sits in its original location opened in 1955. Specializing in Chaozhou or also known as Teochew cuisine from Guangdong Province, this sweet soup shop is known for their wide range of sweet soups including black sesame, papaya coconut milk, and lotus seeds.
Chiu Chow Hop Shing Dessert has been at the same location since 1955 in Kowloon City, Hong Kong
When we arrived at the shop, it was relatively empty. The owner told us to wait for two minutes before coming in because he was just about to pay respect to Caishen, which is a traditional Chinese God of Wealth that almost all restaurants and local businesses in Hong Kong have a mini shrine with incense and offerings inside their shop. Immediately after he finished speaking, the owner dropped to his knees and kowtowed three times with large incense in his hands to Caishen! This really took me by surprise because while I know owners often light incense and put offerings near the shrine, I have never seen anyone drop to their knees and pray! After his prayer, we were invited into the shop.
Kowloon City Food Tour : Islam Food, Chiu Chow Hop Shing Dessert, and Hoover Cake Shop
The interior of the dessert shop is very simple with round foldable tables and red plastic stools or diner booths. Menus were landscaped laminated A4 paper on the tables with no photos - just the names of the dish and the prices. There were also additional menu items posted in Chinese on the walls, also no photos. The only document with photos, which I honestly believe they made for occasional expats who came out of curiosity, had only 8-10 options on display out of the 90 they had on the Chinese menu.
Glimpse of the interior of Chiu Chow Hop Shing Dessert, (合成糖水) in Kowloon City, Hong Kong
Luckily I read Chinese! But also, the item we ended up ordering was on the one-page picture menu. After long consideration, we took an order of Papaya Coconut cold dessert soup that came in a small bowl. The soup was very refreshing and sweet from the coconut milk. Chunks of papaya added to the soft texture. Very enjoyable and refreshing in the summer!
Papaya Coconut Dessert Soup at Chiu Chow Hop Shing Dessert, Kowloon City, Hong Kong
If you are in the Kowloon City neighborhood, I highly recommend checking out this traditional dessert shop that has been around for more than 60 years! The entire experience, down to the architecture, interior, service, and of course the dessert itself, is very uniquely Hong Kong and a great way to get a glimpse into its local history and culture.
