Hong Kong chocolate shops are few and far between. But places to buy chocolate in Hong Kong? Those are all over, almost all online. After all, Hong Hong is one of the most expensive cities in the world, with a budding chocolate culture to match.
Of course, even in a city as cosmopolitan as Hong Kong, Godiva and other cheaper chocolatiers dominate the market. Rent isn't something to scoff at, and locals put imported chocolates on a pedestal.
Chocolate consumption in Hong Kong is overall very European, but craft chocolate arrived several years back and has been taking off very slowly ever since. The oldest small-batch chocolate shop in Hong Kong is only six years old, after all!
Since Hong Kong is so small & accessible (& most shops are online, anyway), I've divided the guide up by type of chocolate rather than location. Over my years writing the chocolate travel guides, it seems like more people are just looking for quality chocolate somewhere in a city.
This way everyone can find exactly what they want (and in this guide, you won't find Royce or Godiva in Hong Kong).
*If an entry is marked with an asterisk, it is primarily or only available online!
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Hong Kong Travel Tips
- Something to keep in mind, especially if you're backpacking Hong Kong or just arriving after midnight: Hong Kong is a relatively cash-heavy society, and this includes taxis. All Hong Kong taxis are cash-only, so look for an ATM as soon as you arrive at the airport. Buying an Octopus Card when you first arrive is good if you're planning to go around the entire city.
- Along the same lines, there is very little public WiFi in Hong Kong, so I highly recommend renting a wifi egg before you leave the airport; all of the stands are 24 hours, though don't forget to return it before you leave!
- Hong Kong is an extremely hilly place. When you're planning to walk around, especially downtown, always give yourself ample time to get from point A to point B, especially downtown. Taxis are a reasonable alternative, but don't forget to bring cash.
- The ferry is a very convenient and super cheap way to cross the bay from Hong Kong Island to mainland Hong Kong, and will be faster than a taxi & faster than or equally as fast as the metro.
- Lunchtime (from 1pm to 2pm) is extremely busy so avoid restaurants & cafes at those hours, if at all possible, even on the weekends.
Macao Chocolate Shops
Before I jump into Hong Kong chocolate shops, I wanted to explain why I didn't write anything about Macao chocolate shops, despite visiting the island. On my first trip there in 2017, I actually didn't have a phone or any way to communicate, yet I was still about to navigate both Macao & downtown Hong Kong with no real problems.
I find Macanese food to be absolutely delectable, especially the sweets. However, I've found that if you're looking for good chocolate in Macao, it's really only worth checking out Janice Wong's shop in the MGM Hotel, or The Mandarin Cake Shop in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
I've sampled chocolates all over the territory, and the best chocolate in Macao is by far at these two locations, though I think the best chocolates are definitely found in Hong Kong. It's worth the ferry ride, I promise.
Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Shops
The concept of bean to bar chocolate is relatively new in Hong Kong. There are technically many more craft chocolate retailers in Hong Kong than I have listed here, but most of them don't have a very wide selection.
So I've handpicked a few locations at which you can find a wide & curated offering of bean to bar chocolates from around the world.
Update: a reader has recommended Great Food Hall in Admiralty for their wide selection of craft chocolates, so if you're anywhere near Pacific Place Complex from 10am to 10pm daily, it's worth giving it a look! Another Hong Kong chocolate maker named simply "Cacao," has also entered the scene.
Hakawa Chocolate
Still the only permanent bean to bar chocolate shop in Hong Kong, Hakawa chocolate is dedicated to their craft. Using only house-made dark chocolate, the owners, Sally and Mandy, create an array of chocolate drinks, chocolate bars, and generously-coated chocolate-covered nuts.
Situated at the top of a very tall hill in Central Hong Kong, Hakawa is decidedly worth the trek.
Both of the owners speak fluent English, Mandarin and Cantonese. Their iced drinks are very popular, but note that even their sweeter ones are not particularly sweet, and that's more a reaction to Hong Kong chocolate tastes than to their own preferences.
Address: Shop1B, 49-51A Gough Street, Central, Hong Kong (at the top of a very tall hill)
Hours: 1-7pm, Tue-Fri & 12-7pm, Sat-Sun
Hushush Coffee
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This chocolate stop is a bit more out there, literally. It's located on the Sai Kung peninsula, over an hour northeast of downtown Hong Kong. But if you're willing to make the trek out there, you'll find a coffee and cacao roaster flexing their creative muscles in the form of coffee, ice cream, and inexplicably, bagels.
While their cafe is open during regular hours, their chocolate tasting menu is available by reservation only. But even if you can't snag a tasting spot, definitely head there for a bit of ice cream, perhaps Sage & Honey? Or Dark Cacao Sorbet? Or Mars Whisky?
Address: Building 58, G/F 33 Ko Fu, 72 Fuk Man Rd, Sai Kung, Hong Kong
Hours: varies; message them on Instagram to schedule an appointment
Sweet World
There are 2 locations of Sweet World, both marked on the map below. The shop's focus is definitely on the sweeter side of chocolates, as they carry a huge selection of high-end candies and treats in addition to their wall of bean to bar chocolate.
They've only rather recently they branched out into offering these craft chocolate bars, and actually have some of the best prices in the city. Makers there include Pump Street, Domori, and Rococo. Note that they carry just one local Hong Kong chocolate maker, however.
Address: Shop 343, 10 Chater Rd, Central, Hong Kong (in Landmark Prince's Building)
Hours: 9:30-7:30, Mon-Sat & 10:30-6:30, Sun
Oliver's The Delicatessen
Because Hong Kong is a metropolis, local businesses have had to get creative with their locations; Oliver's is actually located on the second floor of a mall-like building on Hong Kong Island.
It's a strange place for a deli, but the shop has lots of bean to bar chocolate options, as well as a range of other fine foods. It's like a dreamland for those with a craving for imported foods from all over, including the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas.
The chocolate selection includes much larger chocolate manufacturers like Cadbury, and mid-range makers like Michel Cluizel and Akesson's, all the way down to Hungarian brand Rózsavölgyi Csokoládé.
Address: 2nd floor, 10 Chater Rd, Central, Hong Kong (in Landmark Prince's Building)
Hours: 8am-9pm, Mon-Fri & 8:30am-8pm, Sat-Sun
City Super
City Super's chocolate aisle is a fascinating place. It includes a staggering number of international craft chocolate brands, including Timeless Chocolate, whom I interviewed in 2018, when he had zero distribution outside of Japan.
Similar to Oliver's, the chocolate selection ranges from the cheap & sugary, to some 100% chocolate bars that would shock most taste buds. Seeing as most of the locations are in malls, there's probably a City Super near wherever you're staying in Hong Kong.
It's also worth stopping by one if you're too short on time to visit one of the local chocolate makers. The address below is only for one location, but all 4 permanent Hong Kong City Supers are marked on the map below.
Address: Shop 1041-1049, 1/F, International Finance Centre Mall & Airport Express Hong Kong Station, 8 Finance St, Central, Hong Kong
Hours: 10am-10pm, daily
Hong Kong Craft Chocolate (Primarily Online)
While there are a few chocolate shops in Hong Kong, the majority of the chocolate makers in Hong Kong operate primarily online. They take orders from around the city, and ship out in the same day, something which makes sense in such a relatively small area.
This allows for a larger selection of products, and gives them the freedom to do pop-up shops, which are very popular in Hong Kong. Side note: a reader has mentioned his new chocolate business in Hong Kong, which looks delicious: Chocolates By RLF.
*Chocolate Club HK
Like many chocolate operations in Hong Kong, the Chocolate Club HK is a one-woman operation. The founder, Katie, is perhaps best known for her chocolate workshops held at venues across the city.
But her company also sells all of those chocolates in their online store, and is in fact the exclusive distributor for a number of brands. This includes Ecuador's To'ak Chocolate, known by many for being the world's most expensive chocolate.
Other chocolate brands Katie represents includes Dandelion Chocolate, Bahen & Co., and Fuwan Chocolate.
How To Order: click here for the online store
*Cult De Choco
For over half a decade, Jeffrey Lee has been supplying craft chocolate bars to the Chinese public. His online shop offers nearly a dozen international chocolate brands, shipping throughout Hong Kong.
The Cult De Choco website isn't regularly updated anymore, but he used to run chocolate workshops across the city.
How To Order: click here for the online store
*Conspiracy Chocolate
The couple behind Conspiracy started the brand just one year ago, in 2018, and have started showing at pop-up markets across Hong Kong. Their line-up is restricted to Vietnamese-origin dark chocolate only, at the moment, but their inclusions list is ever-growing and changes with the seasons.
Some recent flavored bars include pistachio, local chili pepper, and chia seeds. Right now the entire operation is very homemade, but I'd keep an eye on these two over the next few years, especially as the chocolate scene in Hong Kong continues to grow.
How To Order: send them a message on Instagram
*Dedicated Chocolate
One of the more obscure chocolate makers in Hong Kong, Dedicated actually started off as a patisserie. But in 2017, the brand expanded into craft chocolate production, at this point still making dark chocolate only.
But their lineup currently includes several different origins of chocolate bars, truffles, and French-style chocolate cakes. You can explore their selection on their Facebook or Instagram only, at the moment, as they don't have an online shop.
How To Order: Message their Facebook for the fastest response
*Chocobien
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Chocobien is one of the most complex chocolate makers in Hong Kong, at the moment. They source most of their cacao from Peru, where there's a rare local varietal of cacao called nacional, and they take that chocolate and age it. That aged chocolate is then combined with other aged flavors, and sold in exceedingly luxurious packaging.
Bars & bonbons are only available online, or from two shops in downtown Hong Kong. The boxes will also tell you basically everything you might want to know about the chocolate inside, from ageing & conching times to very specific pairing suggestions. If you're looking to impress someone with chocolates, this is the move.
How To Order: click here for the online store
Hong Kong Chocolatiers
Much better known than Hong Kong craft chocolate, Hong Kong chocolatiers are more often known by brand than by name. The most common place in which to find such shops are in malls downtown.
Most of the options you'll find are very much inspired by European techniques & flavors, though there are some completely homegrown chocolatiers in Hong Kong.
*LF Chocolates
Catering mainly to corporate clients, LF (Love & Faith) Chocolates is one of the few Hong Kong chocolatiers operating completely online, with no popup shops and no physical retail location.
But still, the brand has been around since 2013, and is still going strong, combining those European techniques most chocolatiers learn in school with the Hong Kong flavors they grew up with.
All of the regular bonbons for sale on their site are colorful, circular creations; some of the more unusual flavor combinations include Honey Yuzu, Pineapple Osmanthus, and Tangerine Pu'er.
How To Order: send them a message on Instagram
Peninsula Hotel Chocolatier
Like the hotel itself, the Peninsula chocolaterie is beautiful, but rather intimidating, not to mention very expensive. It was $265HKD (~$34USD) for 6 bonbons. The service was pleasant & the woman behind the counter spoke perfect English; they even gave me a leftover Chinese New Year gift with my purchase. But I have yet to meet the bonbon worth nearly $6USD.
The chocolates were well made, the flavors clear with each layer made to savor. But these are definitely bonbons meant for gifting, not for personal consumption. Pro-tip: enter the hotel through the basement arcade door off to the left of the main entrance, and the chocolaterie is on your left a few shops in.
Address: The Peninsula Hong Kong, Salisbury Road, Kowloon Hong Kong
Hours: 9:30am-7:30pm, daily
*Vero Chocolate
Although they're working on a physical location, as of my visit, Vero was still online-only. The company is known mainly for their bonbons, available in seasonal collections.
But in addition to those layered bonbons they also have thin chocolate squares, chocolate-covered candied hazelnuts, chocolate-covered orange peels, and layered lemon chocolates. The company has been around for quite awhile now, and offers personalized chocolates for both individuals and companies.
How To Order: click here for the online store
Mandarin Cake Shop
As the name suggests, most people come here for the cakes, which are beautiful jewels made with European ingredients in European styles. But I came for the chocolates, which come in 15 different flavors of bonbons and truffles, each described in both English and Chinese.
There was a woman behind the counter who answered all my questions in English and was overall very polite. At $204HKD (~$26USD) for box of 9 bonbons, this was a much more reasonable purchase than the Peninsula box, and I felt like the quality was just as high.
Additionally, at the Mandarin Oriental you can actually sit down with a plate of bonbons and grab a coffee, chatting with a friend or just enjoying some alone time. Overall, of the two famous Hong Kong chocolateries, I found the Mandarin to be more worth the hype.
Address: M/F, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, 5 Connaught Rd Central, Central, Hong Kong
Hours: 8am-8pm, daily (closes at 7pm on Sundays)
European Chocolatiers in Hong Kong
As discussed in the Hong Kong episode of the podcast, Hong Kong's chocolate culture is largely derived from their experience with European chocolates brought over while they were a territory of Great Britain. Therefore, the association of European chocolate with high quality is very real & very strong.
Thanks to that and relatively lenient import laws, many chocolatiers looking to expand internationally now choose Hong Kong for that first location, leading to a copious number of European chocolatiers in Hong Kong.
Venchi Chocolate
With 6 full-service locations scattered across the city, Venchi has possibly the strongest presences of Italian chocolate in Hong Kong. The company seems to be better known in Hong Kong for their gelato, but I've been buying their little trapezoidal packets of gianduja for years, and never had any idea that they also produced gelato.
In Hong Kong, however, people really love hazelnuts and chocolate, thanks in no small part to the success of Ferrero Rocher. So all of the many chocolate & hazelnut creations, as well as the coffee & ice cream concoctions, are available in neat little boxes at each of their locations, as sweet addition to any day (though healthy, it is not).
Address: 183 Queen's Road East Hopewell Centre, Hong Kong
Hours: 9am-9pm, daily (opens at 10am on Sundays)
Cova from Milan
An Italian chocolate brand in Hong Kong, Cova is best-known for their selection of pastries and coffee, and their chain of restaurants. But they also sell boxes of very sweet truffles and traditional Italian gianduja in each of their ten Hong Kong chocolate cafes.
The gianduja is nice for a little pick-me-up in the middle of the day, or as an accompaniment to a coffee, but I wouldn't go out of my way to grab some. I've only marked one location as the map, as maybe you shouldn't go out of your way, either.
Address: Shop G315, Gateway Arcade, Gateway Blvd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Hours: 7am-9pm, daily
La Maison Du Chocolat
At $27HKD (~$4USD) per piece, La Maison is not messing around with quality nor consistency. Each of their 5 Hong Kong locations sells bonbons imported directly from Paris, as well as a selection of other La Maison-branded treats (I've marked each of these locations on the map below).
Their signature bonbons & truffles feature in the center of the climate-controlled display case, flagged on the other side by their French macarons. Despite the long trip, their macarons still manage to be soft and flavorful, with clear and strong flavors holding it all together.
Pricey, but my trip there reminded me that they're one of the better chocolate imports in Hong Kong.
Address: Shop 114, First Floor, 10 Chater Road, Central, Hong-Kong
Hours: 10am-8pm, Mon-Sat.
Agnes B. Delices
The other straight-from-Paris company on our list, Agnes B is probably more familiar to you as a clothing brand. However, the designer has branched out into cafes, and in addition to the usual coffees & light cafes fare, the shops also sell small boxes of chocolate.
The two pieces I tried were both a little too sweet and very plain & one note in flavor. But they were also expensive, at $48HKD (~$8USD) for 2 pieces. I'd stop in for a pastry before I got chocolate from Agnes B, I'm sad to say.
Address: Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hanoi Rd, 18號K11 Art Mall, Tsim Sha Tsui
Hours: 11am-9pm, daily
Frederic Blondeel HK
Straight outta Belgium! There’s a reason people the world over love Frederic Blondeel's chocolate, and it's all about the flavors. Not only does Blondeel have a fabulous selection of chocolate bonbons in Hong Kong, but they craft some of their chocolates from bean to bar.
In normal times you can walk right up to their counter and choose from a couple dozen flavors of bonbons brought in directly from Belgium, with some of my favorites being their truffles flavored with praline and the jasmine baton.
Address: B2/F, K11, 18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong [not on the map below]
Hours: 10am-6pm, daily
Hong Kong Chocolate Events & Destinations
Similar to craft chocolate in Japan, Hong Kongers are willing to travel pretty far for a quality event or dish. So pop-up style markets have become a popular way to spread brand awareness and teach people about a new type of product.
But this concept has also spread to craft chocolate tasting and pairing events, as well as a couple of annual chocolate festivals. These are their stories.
Harbour City Chocolate Trail
Every year, in the few weeks before Valentine's Day, Harbour City Mall in the Tsim Sha Tsui neighborhood puts up a chocolate theme throughout the mall. Despite presenting itself as a sort of festival, there aren't really many festivities associated with the event, however there is a much more palpable commitment to chocolate.
On the basement level during the 2019 showing, there was a "Craft Chocolate Convenience Store," in which craft chocolate brands & items form around the world were presented to the public.
But in general, it just seems like the event is intended to make it easier for Hong Kongers to find chocolate gifts and desserts for Valentine's Day.
The event is held every February.
Hong Kong Chocolate Shops Map
If you found this helpful, pin it for later!
Have you ever visited a chocolate shop in Hong Kong?
Charles Gomersall
Liked your article but a bit disappointed that you didn't include our company (Cacao) on your list. We are both chocolate makers and chocolatiers, starting with cocoa nibs and finishing with bonbons, bark and bars. We are committed to ethical sourcing and environmentally friendly practices and great taste. We believe freshly made chocolate and pralines taste best, so largely make to order.
Max
Looking at your Facebook page, it seems you weren't very active in February 2019, when I was last in Hong Kong, probably because your business was still very new. But I'm happy to mention your shop in the introduction section for bean to bar. Good luck with everything, and have a lovely week! 🙂
Nora Vano
Does anyone know if you can get Pineapple Lumps from NZ/Aust in Hong Kong. Its a Pascall brand. Thank you
Max
Let's see if anyone can answer this for you...
Lowe (aka Chocofiles)
That is a fantastic list Max! I love Hong Kong! But I didn't know about artisan chocolate when I lived in Asia. (Or to be correct, the bean to bar movement in America had not yet started back then.) I can't wait to get back and visit some of these places.
Max
Thanks, Lowe! You know you're the one who finally convinced me to start this site, right? I'm glad you can benefit from it in some way, and I hope you're staying safe wherever you find yourself!
Ryan L Foote
Hi Max
Great list!
but sadly our Chocolate shop is not on the list 😉
we did have a few pop up shops Over Christmas to valentines day but down now that its getting hotter.
Please check us out on instagram. @chocolatesbyrlf
keep up the awesome work
regards Ryan
Max
Ryan,
Apologies for the delay in approving this comment; everything's been crazy the last couple of weeks. I hope you're all staying safe in HK. I've mentioned your company in the appropriate section, but I guess I'll have to wait until I'm back in Asia to try some. Best of luck during this tough time!
-Max
Mimi K
I found your amazing blog while looking for chocolate makers in Vietnam, but I'm actually based in Hong Kong so I'm delighted to see this! I hadn't heard of several of these places. Will be stopping by Hakawa today.
Another grocery store that has a decent selection (Michel Cluizel, Akesson's, Amedei, etc.) is Great Food Hall in Admiralty.
Two minor corrections on your article:
1) The transportation card is Octopus.
2) The cross-harbor ferry goes to the mainland of Hong Kong.
Max
Oh, I'm so glad to help! Please tell Sally & Mandy I said 'hi." I'll look into Great Food Hall right now, and thank you for the corrections— I think I chose to write Mainland China because that's the large mass to which "mainland" HK is attached, but you're right that Mainland Hong Kong is the correct characterization.
Happy chocolate exploring!~