The 10 best cha chaan tengs and Hong Kong cafes in Manchester

Just over the way from another Manchester’s Finest favourite Ornella’s Kitchen, Denton Delights brings the Hong Kong cafe to the heart of one of Greater Manchester’s burgeoning foodie suburbs. With a menu that covers both sweet and savoury favourites, this bright and modern corner cafe is a hit with the local Hong Kong community and people who are trying the cuisine for the first time, and it’s usually packed out. The corned beef and fried egg hits a satisfying note, and the Shanghai hot and sour soup does exactly what it says on the tin. Best enjoyed washed down with flagons of hot milky tea.

This spot is the biggest of its kind in town, located right by Chinatown’s iconic ‘paifang’ or ornamental gate. These guys are serious about the art of all things cha chaan teng, and their menu is as extensive as it is authentic. Firstly, they import their tea directly from Hong Kong, meaning it truly is the real deal. Appetisers include the likes of soups, ribs, prawn toast and wings, which are indulgently savoury but fresh too, while sharing plates are heaped high with vibrant combinations of roast meats and veg. Where the magic really happens is on the all-day breakfast menu.​ Try the tangy, baked pork chop rice, or the coconut-infused Portuguese-style chicken, a culinary creation borne from when Hong Kong’s neighbour Macau was a Portuguese colony.

Located, like all good things are, across the road from Strangeways Prison (looking at you Hidden, The White Hotel, Private White V.C. et al). But take a walk up Great Ducie Street in pursuit of culinary delights rather than hedonistic or sartorial ones, and you’ll find Happy Valley. The inside is delightfully kitsch – the walls are covered in cheerfully cartoonish murals, and the food is just as bold and homely. Some dishes are purely Cantonese, while others are decidedly ‘fusion’, like cheese and kimchi noodle soup, beef in satay sauce with macaroni, and baked cheese chips. With a cluster of pavement tables and price points that mean you can try lots of different dishes, you can happily spend an afternoon at Happy Valley and go exploring without leaving your seat.

Less of a cafe and more of a pub, Harcourt is a neon-lit bar opened by Hong Kong natives who were lured to Manchester because of their love of all things craft beer. The result is a compact little spot that is cool but welcoming too. Prop up the bar or grab an intimate table and work your way through the menu of craft beers from revered indie brewers like DEYA and Cloudwater, and innovative micro operations like Glasshouse Beer Co and Rivington Brew Co. Hong Kong-style snacks like irresistible salted egg prawn toast, perfectly crispy typhoon shelter wings and French toast with condensed milk make for perfect bar snacks – hot, fresh and ideal for sharing.

Hong Kong Choi state that they ‘aim to be a modern cha chaan teng’, and this is true of their bright and airy decor as well as their menu. The latter includes classics of the genre like milky Hong Kong tea – one taste of which apparently has time-travel properties, whisking anyone who drinks it right back to the 1960s. They also serve more modern creations which stick to the formula of blending British staples with Cantonese flavours like a lobster bisque with a puff pastry lid or stir-fried prawns with scrambled egg. Don’t skip the drinks menu either. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, the creamy red bean and vanilla ice cream drink isn’t to be missed.

All mid-century decor, teak panelling and indoor street lamps, Salford’s Sakura is definitely the most stylish cha chaan teng on our list. Though true cha chaan teng goers will tell you that the swankiness of a Hong Kong cafe has no bearing whatsoever on the quality of its offering. That said, Sakura absolutely measures up on both the aesthetic and culinary fronts. There’s the ubiquitous French toast complete with perfect tiny squares of melting butter and the mapo tofu comes highly recommended too. They also serve bowls of spicy instant noodles, but not like you’ve ever experienced before. It’s no surprise that locals and food critics alike flock to this place.

The people of Altrincham are spoilt for choice when it comes to Hong Kong cafes. Temple Street Claypot Rice is located out of the town centre, close to a strip of Manchester Road businesses which includes one of our other favourites, Asuke Sushi. Temple Street specialise in steaming hot rice dishes cooked in the traditional claypot method with toppings like minced pork with salted egg and chicken with numbing-levels of spicy sauce. The brisket noodle soup hits all kinds of satisfying notes too. For the adventurous, the fried frogs with cayenne pepper make for a bold alternative to your regular lunchtime fare.

Another excellent Salford spot on the list. Yuppie Mom Kitchen may have a delightfully irreverent name, but there’s no messing around when it comes to the food. They serve huge bowls of broths of all spice levels loaded with adornments like tender brisket, fresh seafood and a colourful array of vegetables. We’re especially intrigued by the secret coconut chicken soup.

Operating out of Ardwick’s intriguingly-named Ghost x Kitchen (a complex of purpose-built commercial kitchens for takeaways to operate from) Hong Kong Boy have been making their mark on the Manchester food scene. Serving a mix of dry noodle dishes and more soupy numbers, it’s all about the quality and authenticity. Fish balls are a particular speciality – appearing in multitudinous forms (salt and peppered, in broths, done Hong Kong ‘extreme’ spicy style) throughout the menu. One to try if you’re looking to broaden the options on your Deliveroo rotation.

More of a takeaway curry house than a cafe, we simply had to include this Eccles spot on our Hong Kong roundup. The owners opened up in 2022, and have family links to the Sun King Yuen restaurant in Hong Kong which is renowned for its pork chops. Popchop serve several versions of this dish – chops with curry sauce and rice, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that people queue down the street for it. If their signature dish isn’t for you, there’s an all-killer, no-filler menu of pan-Asian favourites like salt and pepper wings and Pad Thai, but be warned, they can run out of dishes ridiculously early due to sky high demand.