8 Free-Flow Brunches in Hong Kong to Live that Good Life Like Kanye & T-Pain
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, nothing may ever compare to a Hong Kong pastime for balding middle office Deutsche Bank muppets bursting out of their newly tailored pants, social media marketing evangelists dreaming of that next highly derivative viral Instagram reel, and [insert other self-absorbed, inconceivably, unskilled expat workers here] quite like the free-flow brunch. While I once tried to infiltrate corporate culture and was quickly spat out and sent on a dejected Charlie Brown walk out of IFC, I still pine for free-flow Aperols and sushi boats like the best (or worst) of them.
As Dr. Evil, in the G.O.A.T.’ed Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, remarked to the ultra groovy, womanizing, anachronistic, and strikingly hairy international spy himself, “We’re not so different, you and I.” So, I’ll say it. We’re not so different, you and I.
And, unlike the for-profit “foodie” magazines that churn out regurgitated gastronomic platitudes at the behest of whichever “up and coming,” Christ-like F&B gospeller has filled out their contact form and paid the troll toll, I’ve gone through and tested each of these free-flow brunches in Hong Kong for myself – multiple times over. So much so that I wrote this wondering if a gastrointestinal transplant from a cow to a human was and/or is possible.
As science still has not caught up to the highly experimental and undoubtedly dangerous medical procedures that I so regularly dream about, this was my most arduous undertaking yet. Some have compared it to Daniel Day-Lewis’s extreme method acting in his preparation for The Last of the Mohicans, minus learning how to trap animals, throw tomahawks, and build canoes, due to the physical and spiritual stress I put myself through. However, it was all worth it. At points, I actually believed I had to report to my prison cell-esque cubicle to place some insufferable French trader’s orders the following Monday.
Without further ado, here are 8 of the best free-flow brunches in Hong Kong that will have you so boozed up and full that it will inevitably spill over into a public fight with your friend with benefits on the Pottinger steps outside of Iron Fairies, karaoke-ing the rest of the night away at Junels Restobar in Sai Ying Pun, and dropping a half eaten kebab from 27 Kebab House all over your Franc Franc shag carpet.
“Welcome to the good life.”
Pale Ale Travel Note: Keep in mind that some of the menus found below are rotating, so whatever I consumed during my brunch-a-thon may not be available when you go. However, that doesn’t mean you aren’t set to eat something just as fantastic. Further, while I usually put a price range, every free-flow brunch on this list falls between HK$600 to HK$1200 depending on the package, and lasts 2 to 2.5 hours.
Zuma
What did the millennial bully say to the kid? “Hey punk, give me your brunch money.”
Website, Address, & Details: https://zumarestaurant.com/locations/hong-kong/
I can’t start this list off without it being the titan of the free-flow brunch game in Hong Kong – Zuma. This weekend boozy brunch haunt is to Hong Kong what chocolate milk by the tub full was/is to that one woman on my My 600 lb Life – a life essential. However, unlike Stephanie (who earnestly believed chocolate milk was actually healthy for her), Zuma unfortunately is not something you can guzzle straight to the dome every single day (I wish).
But that’s completely alright, as you’d probably be bankrupt, so chronically boozed up that mosquitoes who bite you have to check themselves into their nearest Betty Ford clinic, or having to negotiate beg your apathetic British boss at whatever executive search firm you work at for more than a 6% raise – and we both know that you want to talk to that guy as little as possible.
Located in Central’s consumeristic Tower of Sauron (Landmark Building) and serving up fusion Japanese izakaya-fare (one of the best cuisines out there) by the boatload – no seriously, by the sashimi boatload – brunchers will find a free-flow “free for all” of pork gyoza, shiitake mushroom croquettes, spicy fried tofu, and you guessed it, unlimited sashimi, sushi, and maki platters (along with other izakaya favorites).
But don’t forget to save room for your main (which I always forget to do), which also stays true to the fusion Japanese fare ethos of Zuma, my favorites being the spiced lamb cutlets with hatcho miso and spicy beef tenderloin with a sweet soy sauce.
Tack on a 2.5-hour free-flow package consisting of Ruinart champagne (which my French dawgz say is one of the best quality-to-value ratios for champagne in Hong Kong), house wines and beers, and spritzes, and you’re looking at a night that has long been written in the prophecy before it even began.
Oh, and if you’re more of a night owl, Zuma also boasts a rowdy 2.5-hour free-flow night brunch with all the aforementioned favorites (but also with rosé and sake).
For a full breakdown of everything I love about Zuma, make sure to check out my article ‘3:10 to Zuma: The Neverending Free-Flow Brunch of the Century’.
Pale Ale Travel Note: I mentioned this in my homage to Zuma but the staff was just so incredibly knowledgeable, friendly, and attentive that it’s no surprise why Zuma retains a certain global decorum and praise. Other than this one South African girl who used to work there and I went on a date with, after she video-called me at 1 AM in a drunken, pilled-up stupor and proceeded to coat her tongue in acrylic green paint and drink half a bottle of mustard. She can go kick rocks but everyone else at Zuma actually…rocks.
Aqua
Website, Address, & Details: https://aqua.com.hk/
There are two legends and institutions in Hong Kong’s free-flow brunch game. The first being Zuma. The second being Aqua. Together, they kind of are like that King Kong-Godzilla movie, minus all the chest-beating, infrastructural destruction, and the legendary showdown at the end. But that’s not necessary as the two exist in harmony with one another. A rising brunch tide lifts all free-flow brunch ships – which is especially needed in an F&B landscape that took it royally up the behind as a result of decisions made by someone whose name rhymes with ‘Scary Ram’.
Ultimately, the brunch destination you end up at boils down to what type of day and/or night you’re looking to have. Now and again, I find it incumbent on one’s elusive quest to maintain a positive psyche in this city to get out of the rat race of Hong Kong Island and make my way over to Kowloon. And, there’s no better view of Hong Kong Island’s skyline (the best one in the world) than at Aqua.
Billing itself as a Japanese izakaya and Italian fare hybrid, Aqua (like Zuma) serves up unlimited sashimi, maki, oysters, and sushi by the freighter load (I’m not original enough to come up with another idiom) along with highly munchable Italian favorites like burrata and tomato salads, porchetta rolls, and Margherita pizzas. If the yellowtail is on deck for the day at Aqua, this is going to be your new best friend (I also tested the mercury limit at Aqua with how much yellowtail I consumed).
Brunchers will also choose from a healthy Rolodex of mains like grilled salmon yuzu teriyaki (my go-to), Australian black angus ribeye (or wagyu if you got that chedda), and fried lamb cutlets with artichokes, which come after you’ve gastronomically tapped out on starters.
To complement this extensive fusion spread, four 120-minute free-flow packages are at your fingertips, which include prosecco, Ruinart, or even Dom (if you want to “drink the stars”). All packages include house red and white wines, sake, beer, and even Bloody Marys. Do as ‘The Revolution’ and I did and order 10 sake carafes “just because” and bring them out to Aqua’s terrace to boogie the rest of the night away at Aqua’s ‘Ritual’ – a popular rooftop party with silky smooth DJ beats overlooking Victoria Harbour.
Finally, Aqua also offers a night brunch for groups of four or more from 8:30 PM to late, with dialed-back menu offerings of their daytime brunch.
Pale Ale Travel Tip: If you’d like a full recap of when I tried to break the record for the most sashimi boats and Proseccos consumed at Aqua with my crew of French garçon (aka ‘The Revolution’), make sure to read my post ‘I Tested the Free-Flow Limit at Aqua’s Weekend Brunch’.
Madame Fù Grand Café Chinois
Website, Address, & Details: https://www.madamefu.com.hk/
Before I dive into a little backstory on this brunch, I have to first emphasize that Madame Fù’s weekend brunch serves unlimited Peking duck (and free-flow dim sum as well, of course). That’s right. You heard me. Unlimited Peking duck. As I’m not made of money and can’t afford to go to high-end Peking duck restaurants on the reg in Hong Kong, I’ve sorely missed this crispy, salty-sweet Imperial Era, Beijing culinary masterpiece.
I was invited to a free-flow brunch at Madame Fù by a group that I only vaguely knew. Well, I primarily knew one person and then was somewhat of a “plus one” of my top roll dawgs. Little did I know that I’d be walking into a battlefield with the self-anointed political intelligentsia of Hong Kong, who snuffed out that I may or may not sit on the same side of the political fence as them. I won’t divulge which side is which as this is a travel blog and not r/politics on Reddit.
The point is, as someone who ultimately ended the brunch facing the cold, cold excoriation and wrath of sanctimonious news outlet traveler writers and video editors, I had a fantastic time. By the time I realized I was in such a confusing social and political quagmire, I had already consumed roughly 6 glasses of Prosecco, 4 non-alcoholic drinks that I asked them to put copious amounts of alcohol into (primarily the ‘Chrysanthemum Bees Knees’ and ‘I’m Groot’), and 5 plates of unlimited Peking duck (and probably 15 of the paper-thin wraps), so I wasn’t particularly bothered.
At the heart of Madame Fù’s ‘Love to Brunch’ menu is Chinese tradition with a modern twist, with mains like gongbao jiding (‘firecracker chicken’), wok-fried shrimp, and shredded chicken with silver pin noodles (aka runny nose vermicelli), and bite-sized dim sum morsels like mushroom and black truffle dumplings, char siu bao (including an Iberico char siu), and vegetarian spring rolls – all of which will have you walking out doing Snoopy’s happy dance.
The free-flow booze portion is potentially the most robust (and customizable) on this list, with house spirits and well drinks spanning every type of alcohol imaginable, red and white wines, proseccos, and rosés out the wazoo, and sake, and a handful of signature cocktails (including spritzes). As noted above, by the end of it, I was just ordering signature soft drinks and dumping in whatever alcohol I thought would pair well with it.
This is the perfect brunch for anyone looking to celebrate Hong Kong’s gastronomic and cultural heritage (and Chinese heritage in general) while hitting the bottle. And, this would be the one brunch on the list that if you showed up in a qipao or changshan, you’d be very much celebrated for doing so.
Pale Ale Travel Tip: If you’re looking to continue the boozing after, the good news is that you’re smack dab in the middle of Tai Kwun. I love posting up at Armoury Terrace after with an Aperol Spritz (or even an espresso to wake me up) or heading over to the rowdy, Coyote-esque, dive bar ‘The Pontiac’ right across the street (Old Bailey Street).
Cruise
Website, Address, & Details: https://cruiserestaurantandbar.com/cruise-restaurant-%26-bar-1
- Location: 23/F, West Tower, Hyatt Centric Victoria Harbour Hong Kong, 1 North Point Estate Ln, North Point
Cruise may be the biggest sleeper on this list when it comes to the best free-flow brunches in Hong Kong. I can confidently say that it doesn’t get the attention or veneration that it deserves. Maybe that’s because it’s referred to as ‘crunch’ rather than ‘brunch’ here – a free-flow sashimi bar and skewers voyage with Southeast Asian flare. Expect Canadian lobster, Hokkaido scallops, seasonal oysters, and more sea critters than you can shake a stick at, with homemade rotis, savory and balanced curries, and creative takes on popular South Asian desserts (mango sticky rice for the win) to round things off.
I’m ashamed to admit that Cruise only first landed on my radar in October 2023, when my top roll dawg hosted his 30-ish birthday there (now that we’re in our mid-thirties, keeping it vague makes me feel a little bit better and/or delusional and in denial). It’s the real deal.
Sometimes at free-flow brunches you feel obligated to either opt for prosecco or beers because the house cocktails just aren’t up to snuff – that’s far from the case at Cruise. While both of Cruise’s free-flow packages come with your standard prosecco, champagnes, wines, and beer deals, I firmly stand by Cruise’s cocktails. I rate them as “top dog” in this free-flow brunch boozy Bible – their ‘Captain Crunch’, a citrusy, refreshing whiskey, ginger beer, lemongrass, and lime concoction being my favorite.
I don’t even smoke cigarettes but almost started because of Cruise’s rooftop terrace with views of both Victoria Harbour and Kowloon from the 23rd floor of the Hyatt. So, if you enjoy cranking a few hoons with a view, or just want to get some influencing done with one of the most scenic skylines in the world in the background, this is your spot.
The only major note I’d make about Cruise is that while the South Asian-influenced flavors remain the same, they seem to rotate their menu far more often than others on this list. Either way, I would confidently bet on an unforgettable dining and drinking experience here.
Pale Ale Travel Note: Eating lobster at Cruise did give me flashbacks to summers in New Hampshire when friends and I would post up with lawn chairs and throw a lobster bake, which would inevitably lead to me being drunk at 3 AM rifling through the fridge and cracking the lobsters with my hands. I’d wake up with my hands covered in blood and stinking of the ocean, wondering what in God’s name happened the night before.
The Optimist
As of February 2024, The Optimist has gone cashless and only accepts card and mobile payments.
Website, Address, & Details: https://theoptimist.hk/
- Location: 239號地下至, 2樓, 239 Hennessy Rd, Wan Chai
The Optimist (and Honjo, mentioned immediately after) came into my life at an interesting point. One of my best friends was taking a year-long break from work and I often found myself hanging out at rooftop shisha bars and cafes with him during the day (which was fantastic and I wouldn’t trade it for the world). We also developed a nasty yet spectacular habit of working our way through Pirata Group’s Friday 60-minute free-flow lunches, known more commonly as ‘frunches’.
We assembled a ragtag crew, consisting of my dawg and I, and a woman I had been courting at the time (it turned out that I completely misread the situation and ended up ugly crying on my dawg’z shoulder on the Castle Steps one night when it all hit me after 22 drinks) and any friends that she would round up.
The Optimist is just a free-flow haven, offering all-you-can-drink packages more days of the week than not, with Saturday and Sunday free-flow packages being my go-to’s, and an unlimited oyster night every Wednesday (starting at HK$488) when I’m feeling randy. Just make sure you don’t wear sweatpants or athletic shorts.
The Optimist was (and is) a must in the “frunch” rotation – a raucous yet elegant Barcelona tapas bar and restaurant serving up some of the best Northern Spanish dishes in the city, including a garlicky king prawn al ajillo (one of my all-time favorites), creamy bechamel octopus croquettes, and their signature juicy lobster rice.
It wouldn’t be a Spanish free-flow fiesta without gallons of sangria, Estrella Dams (one of the most sessionable beers), and assorted Spanish wines that will have you needing to see ‘The Optometrist’ by the end of the night due to the pair of drunk goggles you’ve acquired (in the best way possible).
And if you aren’t finishing your drunken frunch off with their salted caramel churros with chocolate sauce, then I don’t want to hear you complaining that you can’t ever find anywhere that serves churros in the city. I get it, you studied abroad in Spain at university and “know real churros.” Here’s your chance to eat them.
Pale Ale Travel Tip: Free-flow brunch wouldn’t be complete without going on an absolute bender after and continuing the fun. One of my go-tos after a big brunch session to keep the momentum is Junels Restobar in Sai Ying Pun. It’s a non-pretentious, somewhat hole-in-the-wall Filipino karaoke joint serving up hot Celine Dion tracks to belt to the crowd, buckets of Red Horse, and some good, greasy Filipino fare to coat the stomach.
Honjo
Website, Address, & Details: https://honjo.hk/
I must fully admit that Honjo is my least frequented brunch spot on the list, having only been twice. But that doesn’t take away from the quality, ambiance, and “send-worthy” vibe of this contemporary Japanese teppanyaki, sushi, and tempura amalgam that sits just south of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Park. Considering Dr. Sun Yat-sen went into exile in Japan, I think it’s safe to say that he would have definitely swung by Honjo for a couple of cold sake bottles if it existed in the 1800s.
You may be picking up on a theme amongst a lot of these free-flow brunch behemoths on the list – Japanese-inspired cuisine. However, after living in Japan for three months in 2023, I ain’t complaining because I legitimately consider it the most repeatable and high-quality fare out there. Also, the Japanese know their way around an alcoholic beverage or six, which makes for the perfect free-flow brunch.
Honjo’s weekend free-flow brunch (and “frunch”) stays true to the name, shipping out unlimited nigiri, maki, and sashimi boats to your table upon request (you can even kick things up a notch by going with their oyster free-flow package), along with essentials like beef tataki, edamame, yuzu-marinated prawn, and corn fritters. Mains are what I would consider on the familiar side, meaning that you can expect Japanese classics like chicken teriyaki, tempura, grilled salmon, and ribeye (with an Asian chimichurri).
One of my favorite things about the booze selection for the free-flow package is that it not only boasts several Japanese sakes, Asahi on draft (my preferred beer of choice at Japanese baseball games), house cocktails, and sparkling and red/white wines but they also have umeshu – the sweet, slightly sour Japanese plum liquor that I’d confidently declare one of the most underrated alcohol drinks out there.
Finally, if you YOLO’ed some savings into a Solana memecoin named after a dog and were one of the few who didn’t lose every cent to your name, meaning you have some money to spare, Honjo throws a monthly, sensual, baby-making, free-flow jazz night – or what I like to call ‘La La Land meets Japanese salaryman booze fest’.
Pale Ale Travel Note: The only major note I’d make about Honjo is that the two times I went there, a vegetarian was in the group, and they generally found it lackluster when it came to vegetarian options. See, I got you vegetarian fam.
La Paloma
Website, Address, & Details: https://lapaloma.hk/
La Paloma caught me off guard with just how righteous of a free-flow brunch it was. I was first exposed to this Spanish-tapas-themed restaurant at the intersection of Sheung Wan and Sai Ying Pun when the same top roll dawg mentioned above held his birthday there. He’s a free-flow brunch fiend and so am I. In my personal brunch power rankings, it very well could contend for the top spot in Hong Kong, depending on the day.
La Paloma’s bold and vibrant ethos isn’t just reflected in its colorful decor but also the food, with a glossy amber suckling pig that will have you howling ‘sooie!!!’ in Spanish (“el sooie” – I just made that up), a Harvey Dent-esque (Two-Face) multi-flavor saffron yellow and orange (or squid ink black) paella, assorted tapas that have even been certified as ‘muy caliente’ by a Spanish muchacho of mine, and unlimited pitchers of three types of highly potent sangria (with a fourth ‘virgin sangria) all ready for alimento annihilation.
I don’t even know if sangria is meant to be so strong but anytime I’ve brunched at La Paloma, it has consistently led to me having far bigger nights than I ever expected. But then again, I’m usually there for a special occasion and sometimes Nostradamus himself had seen this coming, even from the grave.
And, if you missed out on your churros at The Optimist, you’ll be ecstatic to know that chocolate churros with vanilla ice cream (along with a Basque burnt cheesecake) are there to comfort your weary drunk soul.
I have to confirm that halfway through writing this, my top dawg did make another trip back to La Paloma for a brunch date. He confirmed that the sangria is still as strong as I remember – hence a self-imposed drinking moratorium for us both these days. You are definitely going to need a siesta time after dancing with this sangria devil.
Pale Ale Travel: If you need a quick pick-me-up after your boozy brunch, make sure to head on over to ‘Mirror Burger’ in Sai Ying Pun. You can read about it more in my list of top burgers in Hong Kong.
Chaiwala
Of course, you can find chai by the bucket load here. It’s in the name, you bozo.
Website, Address, & Details: https://www.chaiwala.hk/
Upon showing up to my first free-flow Chaiwala brunch, I realized 10 minutes in that I had food poisoning from the night before. Unfortunately, I think I had received some bunk foie gras from a favorite restaurant of mine and it had me feeling crappier than a poopy-flavored lollipop. Nothing was tougher than looking three of my top dawgz in the eyes and letting them know that I had to make a B-line for the bathroom and then my apartment.
What may have been tougher, and one of the most contentious moments amongst my dawgz, was dividing up who got to take over my tandoori lamb chops – which if you don’t already know, may be a contender for the best lamb chops in all of Hong Kong. Fortunately, I recovered, returning no more than a month later for brunch redemption, hydrated and ravenous. It was well worth the wait.
Note: the tandoori lamb chops aren’t on Chaiwala’s brunch menu but can be ordered separately (which I fully recommend doing).
Located on one of the best streets for people watching post-9 PM in Hong Kong, Wyndham Street, Chaiwala serves up modern Indian cuisine in a vibrant yet slightly rustic, underground tri-space (kitchen, dining hall, and chai bar) bunker of creativity. Chaiwala is like if a 1965 Oldsmobile Cutlass and a 2021 Lamborghini Aventador had a child, raising it heavily on the classics but injecting new age-flair and rebellion.
You’ll find guilty pleasure classics like a rich, creamy butter chicken, a starchy, crispy, salty, sweet, and tangy aloo tikki chaat (I say guilty pleasures because you definitely will feel it in the waistline), and stuffed dosas the size of your head, along with an Indian cuisine roster that runs deeper than the Ganges (which upon looking that up, isn’t actually that deep). To celebrate my top dawg and his heritage, Chaiwala’s coconut and ginger-driven Kerala fish curry (with a sour and smoky kick to it) is a personal must. And, as a rice guy, you’ll always find me with a mutton biryani in tow.
Booze-wise, you’ll quickly learn that free-flow Beefeater gin and tonics and flutes of champagne are criminally slept-on when it comes to washing down a cheesy, rich, earthy saag paneer. For those not in the mood for alcohol, I highly recommend Chaiwala’s free-flow lassi option so that you can walk out of there with the best gut health of anyone in your friend group. I’ve actually selected this non-alcoholic option several times and learned that getting “probiotic drunk” is a real thing.
As a Pirata Group gastronomic titan (like The Optimist and Honjo), “frunch” is also very much an option at Chaiwala if you’re looking to meet your booze quota before the weekend officially commences. Chaiwala also hosts a bi-monthly ultra groovy 1960s hippie-themed free-flow brunch appropriately called ‘Flower Power Brunch’ for brunchers that not only love copious amounts of prosecco and chaat but free love and psychedelics as well.
Make Bombay fried chicken, not war.
Pale Ale Travel Note: I don’t even know if I have to say it but Chaiwala is, of course, a vegetarian’s brunch dream. So, if you want to ensure that all members of your brunch posse have more than a handful of options to choose from, this is your spot.
Get Your Brunch On With Your Brady Brunch
I’d first like to apologize to the demographics that I singled out in the introduction…for absolutely nothing. You’re in my world now, grandma.
Brunch should be a time when you suspend disbelief and surrender yourself to the day (and night). It should be a time to share laughs by the boatload with your “boot camp clik” of investment banking and social media marketing miscreants. And it should be a time to weaponize the ‘power of the dolla’ (50 Cent-style) to work for you in an otherwise devastatingly unaffordable city.
Hong Kong is up there with the best of them when it comes to cities to engage in this timeless and destructive pastime.
If you followed any of these recommendations, there’s a good chance that you’re (a) reading this from a Wan Chai holding cell, (b) having to fire up an online dating profile for the first time in 7 years after a nuclear breakup outside of M&S with your (formerly) betrothed, or (c) trying to fend off a debilitating headache while standing in line right behind me at the Caine Road McDonald’s. But that unlimited Peking duck at Madame Fù made it all worth it.
When you’re looking to get at it over several libations and unlimited sushi boats, tapas (‘tapas’ is already plural, apparently), and other small plates in Hong Kong, what is your favorite free-flow brunch in Hong Kong? Who has the best food and who has the best drinks? Or the best view?
Let me know your favorites in the comments or via email (info@palealetravel.com). I’m always on the lookout for new spots and I’m sure that I will be adding to this list in no time.
Eat and drink well (and responsibly) everyone,
Big Body
Big Body is a voracious lov…eater, a cowardly fighter, and a self-proclaimed curry goat BBQ-eating champion (don’t forget the donkey milk) who likes Stoicism, baseball, and writing in the third person. Having worked for himself for the last 7 years, he isn’t particularly successful but he does still drink ice-cold Sapporo draft beers with the best of them and knows his way around a Dai Pai Dong or two. He is based in Hong Kong but you can still find him in Saigon, Osaka, and Vienna for extended periods.