Top late-night dessert spots in Hong Kong

You’ve lapped up the last drop of rich broth from your bowl, split the bill for hot pot dinner with your friends and spilled out onto the street. But the night is still young, and none of you are in the mood for a strong drink. Where to now?

Luckily, Hong Kong is home to myriad dessert shops that are open late – despite the average Hongkonger’s preference for foods that are not too sweet. Here’s where to get late-night desserts in the city, from classic “sweet soups” and pillowy shaved ice to soy-based snacks and frozen yoghurt.

Where to go for traditional Hong Kong-style desserts

Tsui Yuen Dessert

This modest chain serves affordable Hong Kong-style sweet soups: thick black sesame paste, walnut paste, sweet potato and red bean soup, the list goes on. Their cashew nut paste, available only on weekends, adds a hint of saltiness and is well worth a try. Tsui Yuen also offers steamed milk pudding made with egg white, in case you missed it at Australia Dairy Company. Whatever you choose, you can also add tong yuen (glutinous rice dumplings) to your order for an extra indulgent treat. 

Various locations including: G/F, 83A Percival Street, Causeway Bay, 2892 8899

Tei Mou Koon Dessert

Bowls of sesame-filled tong yuen, fragrant black sesame paste and almond tea at this Chinese dessert chain don’t just taste good, they look good too. The carefully curated tableware, the illustrated menus, the décor and even its Instagram profile evoke artsy vibes. The offerings are also incredibly diverse – you’ll find ice cream topped with grass jelly and mango alongside the more traditional red bean and split pea coconut pudding, often served warm. 

Various locations including: 47 Fuk Lo Tsun Rd, Kowloon City

Auntie Sweet

This trendy dessert shop ’s mango-themed dessert bowls have become a staple in Hong Kong’s dessert scene – many people can picture a “Mango Orchestra” when it comes up in conversation. These vibrant mango desserts feature a variety of toppings like dried mango strips, nata de coco, grass jelly or glutinous rice dumplings on top of an icy mango purée. The menu also includes the beloved mango pomelo sago, and even Western-style desserts such as banana splits and molten lava cakes. 
 
Various locations including: Shop C, 31 Yin Chong St, Mong Kok

C Dessert

A spoonful of C Dessert ’s signature longan sorbet with nata de coco is a refreshing combination of textures – the chewiness of sweet fruit, the crunch of shaved ice and the eventual give of sago as they pop between your teeth, leaving you wanting the next bite. Comforting hot desserts are also available, including coconut milk with taro, which comes with varying textures of its own, from the firmness of the purple rice to the chewiness of the taro glutinous rice balls. 

Shop 1D, G/F, Newman House, 35-45 Johnston Road, Wan Chai, 2493 3349

Nam Shan Bak Jup Bing

Expect queues at this hidden shop tucked away at the residential Nam Shan Estate in Kowloon. Its signature item – mango in vanilla ice with sago (listed on the menu in English as Vanilla flavour shake ice with sago and mango juice) – is well worth the wait, whether it’s for the generous chunks of mango or the satisfying scoop of the flavoured shaved ice. Add your favourite toppings, like crystal jelly or tofu pudding. 

Shop CCC9, Podium, Nam Shan Shopping Centre, 111 Tai Hang Tung Road, Shek Kip Mei, 6705 8185

Kai Kai Dessert

Few reasons are needed to convince diners to pay this beloved and understated establishment a visit. The first two: their velvety smooth black sesame paste and the toasty walnut paste, which you can combine into one bowl for the best of both worlds. It’s also Michelin-recommended and well known among local dessert enthusiasts for good reason. 

Various locations including: G/F, 121-123 Parkes Street, Jordan, 2384 3862

Where to go for soy-based desserts

Yan Wo Dou Bun Chong

Its Mong Kok branch is open 24 hours and serves soy-based sweets including tofu pudding and soy milk, in addition to other snacks: tempting pan-fried tofu with fish filling sizzling on the iron griddle. You can add flavour to your soy milk or tofu pudding with options like red bean, chocolate or sesame, or go for more creative combinations that surprise and delight adventurous dessert lovers. 

28 Mong Kok Rd, Mong Kok, 2395 9867

Where to go for other types of desserts 

Drool Froyo

Serving Instagram-worthy frozen yoghurt in a clear cup or on a waffle, this takeaway shop brings the trendiest dessert of the 2010s into the aesthetic-obsessed present with flavours like tiramisu or coffee, the latter of which comes with a Lotus Biscoff and a drizzle of cold brew syrup. 

Various locations including: Wai Yuen Building, Elgin Street, Central

Snack Baby

This gelateria serves a rotation of popular gelato flavours including matcha, yuzu ginger, pistachio and more, with most made using animal-free or lactose-free ingredients. The pretty pink-tiled counters, vintage slotted menu board and comfy seating are a bonus for friends wanting to extend their hangout, snapping photos for social media in the process. 

93-95 Hollywood Road, Central