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Branded | 8 March 2023
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Check out Humans of Hong Kong, our newest video series focused on telling Hong Kong stories!
Header image courtesy of @hotalcolombo (via Instagram)
Weekends are for indulgence, and there’s nothing better than waking up late, then spending a good few leisurely hours eating and day-time drinking with friends. Seriously, if brunch were a sport, we would be gold medalists. For those of us without deep pockets and unlimited credit, here are some fantastic brunch options that will not break the bank—all at under $300. (Check back for our upcoming pieces on mid-range and splurge brunches as well!)
If the quirky, Wes Anderson-esque pink exterior of Hotal Colombo does not brighten up a fine weekend noon, we don’t know what will. Hong Kong has never had many options for the hearty island foods of Sri Lanka, so ditch the usual eggs benedict for something more interesting instead. For just $188 (!!!), choose from six mains and four out of eight sides. We love the cheese & pol sambol toasties with chilli potato fries and the yellow rice with brinjal moju, papadums, cucumber salad & fish cutlets. Instead of getting individual free-flow added on for $248, why not get the cocktail jug of the week ($348) to share between your table?
Hotal Colombo, 31 Elgin Street, Soho, Central | (+852) 2488 8863
This three-storey restaurant lends a touch of culinary whimsy to the area of Island East. Choose from nine different starters, seven mains, and four desserts, for $218. While it’s not a buffet-type brunch as is our usual preference, they do have an Omnipork burger which we’re quite fond of, as well as a slew of Western staples, such as French toast with bacon & maple syrup, chicken breast Cobb salad, shrimp linguine, and tomato penne. A free-flow drinks package can be tacked on for just $188.
Mr & Mrs Fox, 23 Tong Chong Street, Quarry Bay | (+852) 2697 8500
Ruam’s garden bar and expansive outdoor terrace elevate the alfresco experience of Thai street-side dining. For $248, expect five small plates to start off with (including the green papaya salad and larb gai lettuce wraps, which is always fun to eat), followed by a choice of mains. We recommend the gaeng phed ped yang, a red curry with duck served with a side of roti to mop up the sauce with. Chuck in an extra $248 for free-flow wine, Prosecco, and, of course, Singha beer.
Ruam, 1/F, J Senses, 60 Johnston Road, Wan Chai | (+852) 3160 8535
One of our favourite places to hit up when we’re feeling particularly carnivorous, Meats does traditional and unconventional cuts made special by their house-smoking and excellent marinating, then served up simply with nothing more than raw sea salt. At $248, brunch consists of a choice of starters, main, sides, and sweets. We never say no to their meatballs with cream chicken jus, roasted porchetta, or the pork chop Milanese—vegetarians in your party are also catered to with their vegetarian burger. Add on two hours’ worth of bottomless wine, bubbles, or cocktails for $180 and we guarantee you’ll stumble out feeling satisfied with life.
Meats, 28–30 Staunton Street, Soho, Central | (+852) 2711 1812
Club by night and restaurant by day, brunch at D-i will sort out any remnants of a Saturday morning hangover. After all, who can say no to bottomless, freshly made dim sum for just $258? With prices this cheerful, there is no reason not to simply order everything on their menu, but we particularly like their pan-fried turnip cakes and Omnipork & chives dumplings. If you believe in hair of the dog to cure your hangover, all-you-can-eat plus free-flow champagne comes at a packaged price of $638.
Dragon-i, 60 Wyndham Street, Central | (+852) 3110 1222
Test the limits of your trouser buttons with Mr Wolf’s all-you-can-eat Sunday roast buffet. Aside from a salad station, you can gorge yourself on as much roast rib of aged beef, crackling pork loin, and roast chicken as you can handle. Of course, let’s not forget about the essential sides of dripping roast potatoes, roast vegetables, smoked bacon, Yorkshire puddings, and our favourite truffled cauliflower cheese. Should you not be full to bursting at this point, there is also a good selection of desserts to sweeten the palate with. The buffet itself costs $288 and the upgrade to free-flow drinks is $250.
Mr Wolf, 5/F, Crawford House, 70 Queen’s Road Central, Central | (+852) 2526 0838
The Holi brunch at Chaiwala pays tribute to India’s famous festival of colours. Start off with an amazing selection from the chaat station, including palak patta and papdi, before moving on to mains. Make one selection from each category of biryani, tandoor and dosas, and curries; if in doubt, go for the murg malai tikka, and either the saag paneer or the gosht kofta curry. The meal is then rounded off with the chef’s selection of cotton candy for a touch of childhood fancy—all this for $298! We live for mango lassi so adding on the lassi free-flow for $120 is non-negotiable, but we also love grabbing G&Ts from their antique drinks trolley for $180.
Chaiwala, B/F, 43–55 Wyndham Street, Central | (+852) 2362 8988
You might want to skip even your morning coffee before hitting up brunch at Mak Mak, as you’ll truly need to maximise stomach capacity for their unlimited Thai dishes. Standouts from the selection include yum ma muong (green mango salad), phad muu ka pow (minced pork with Thai holy basil), poo nim phad phong ka ri (soft shell crab curry), and khao khluk ka pi (shrimp paste fried rice). Finish off with ice cream with a choice of coconut, Thai milk tea, or dragonfruit, or opt for the classic khao neaw ma muang (sticky rice with mango). For $298, inclusive of free-flow juices and soft drinks, this is an absolute steal; you can also opt for the $518 package which includes free-flow Veuve Clicquot, Aperol Spritz, wine, and beer.
Mak Mak, 217A, 2/F, The Landmark, 15 Queen’s Road Central, Central | (+852) 2983 1003
Tucked away upstairs in a nondescript part of Wan Chai, the flagship Pirata restaurant does a great semi-buffet brunch for $298. Help yourself to as many cold cuts, cheeses, and bread as you want at the antipasto station, then tuck into three different small plates, of which the M.M.M. (My Mamma’s Meatballs) is a standout. Choose from eight mains for the secondi course—we like the eggplant parmigiana and the lobster spaghetti—before wrapping up with dessert freshly made in-house. A kid’s brunch menu is also available for $98 and free-flow drinks can be tacked on for $180 so you can do day drinking right with peach Bellinis.
Pirata, 29/F & 30/F, 239 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai | (+852) 2887 0270
Everything’s better with pizza, and so, too, is the case for brunch. Eat your way through the salad and bruschetta bar, meat carving station, dessert selection, and—wait for it—unlimited, made-to-order pizza. Seeing as Ciao Chow is Hong Kong’s first and only restaurant to be certified by the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana, you’d better find a way to load up on those Neapolitan pizzas. The brunch buffet is $298 with free-flow drinks for an additional $198, and children below 10 years old can dine for free.
Ciao Chow, G/F, California Tower, 30–32 D’Aguilar Street, Lan Kwai Fong, Central | (+852) 2344 0005
Catharina has recently returned to her hometown of Hong Kong after spending her formative years in Singapore and the UK. She enjoys scouring the city for under-the-radar things to do, see, and eat, and is committed to finding the perfect foundation that will withstand Hong Kong’s heat. She is also an aspiring polyglot, a firm advocate for feminist and LGBTQIA+ issues, and a huge lover of animals. You can find her belting out show-tunes in karaoke, or in bookstores adding new tomes to her ever-growing collection.
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