Guide Delivered! You Must Bring These Souvenirs Home from Hong Kong!
When it comes to 'souvenirs,' I believe many people first hear this term with a blank look. In Hong Kong, 'souvenirs' are gifts you casually pick up when returning from a trip.
So what gifts are suitable to casually bring for your friends and family? Since you've made the trip to Hong Kong, where should you buy souvenirs?
If you don't want the usual run-of-the-mill items and only want to take away local specialties or signature products, even if it means wandering through alleys and queuing up with uncles and aunties, then these shops are definitely for you.
01 Hong Kong Royal Patisserie (香港皇玥)
As a local brand, Hong Kong Royal Patisserie has its own factory in Hong Kong, offering a variety of products such as butterfly cookies, egg rolls, crispy sticks, and cookies, all with stable quality. It's common to see uncles and aunties queuing up to buy, which explains why there are nearly forty branches—truly winning the hearts of Hong Kong people.
[Hong Kong Royal Patisserie Storefront]
[Uncles and Aunties Queuing to Buy]
Their product range includes butterfly cookies, egg rolls, crispy sticks, etc. Around Mid-Autumn Festival, they also offer limited-edition molten egg custard mooncakes, a favorite among Hong Kongers.
The most famous is the classic Hong Kong-style pastry, the butterfly cookie, available in flavors like Earl Grey, original, coconut, and hazelnut. Made with French butter, it's crispy and fragrant.
[Royal Patisserie Earl Grey Butterfly Cookie]
Additionally, the honeycomb egg rolls from Royal Patisserie are also worth mentioning. They use butter and fresh eggs, and incorporate ingredients like fresh ginger juice, coconut milk, and Musang King durian to create different flavors.
What's most impressive is the craftsmanship. Unlike traditional single-layer egg rolls, Royal Patisserie's egg rolls have a honeycomb texture, making them more crumbly and layered, truly melting in your mouth.
[Royal Patisserie Coffee Egg Roll]
Address: Branches are located in Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, New Territories, and other areas. Search 'Hong Kong Royal Patisserie' on the map for navigation.
Transportation: Accessible by MTR or other public transport.
Business Hours: 11:00-21:00
02 Mo Fung Old Shop (么鳳老店)
Hidden in the bustling area of Causeway Bay, there is an old shop selling preserved fruits, well-known among locals. In Cantonese, preserved fruits are called 'hau lap sap' (口立濕), meaning that after eating such fruit snacks, saliva secretion increases.
[Mo Fung Old Shop - Image: agnes storytelling]
This is a very small shop, but if you ask nearby residents, they will know it. It is filled with various preserved fruits, including the signature three treasures: aged mandarin peel, winter ginger, and preserved plums, as well as sweet plums, eight-immortal nut kernels, pork floss, and more.
[Preserved Fruits - Image: agnes storytelling]
Address: G/F, 3 Foo Ming Street, Causeway Bay
Transportation: Accessible by MTR or other public transport.
Business Hours: Normally open from 11:00 during the day.
03 Mannings Supermarket (萬寧超市)
As a worker in the Greater Bay Area, my home medicine cabinet always has a stock of commonly used medicines. Mannings, the drugstore chain in Hong Kong, is one of my must-stock choices every time—the products are generally excellent.
[Mannings Supermarket - Image: Baidu Baike]
The list of medicines I buy every time definitely includes these: Wong To Yick Medicated Oil for soothing muscles and joints; Double Flavour Medicated Oil for relieving itching and fatigue, and easing motion sickness; Salonpas Pain Relief Patch for strong and fast pain relief, easy to apply and remove.
Common ones also include Mopidick, Anbeilin, Panadol, Wu Wu Gong Cough Pills, Oronine Ointment, Seirogan, and more.
[Various Medicines - Image: Mianmian Sauce]
Address: Branches in various districts, search on the map for navigation.
Transportation: Accessible by MTR or other public transport.
Business Hours: Normal daytime hours / follow the mall's operating hours.
04 Tai O Shrimp Paste (大澳蝦醬)
Tai O is located on an outlying island of Hong Kong, a century-old fishing village that still retains its ancient fishing village charm, a place full of traditional Hong Kong fishing village characteristics.
[Tai O Fishing Village - Image: Baidu Baike]
Being by the sea, the most famous product is Tai O shrimp paste. There are many souvenir shops on the island, such as Cheung Choy Kee. The shrimp paste has a rich umami aroma and is very smooth, with a strong flavor. Shrimp paste is more natural and lighter; if you dip blanched squid in shrimp paste, it's a perfect match!
[Shrimp Paste - Image: Baidu Baike]
Address: Outlying Islands District
Transportation: Accessible by MTR or other public transport.
Business Hours: Normal daytime hours.
05 Shiu Shing Hong (兆成行)
This is a shop selling essential oils. You might think, what's so special? But 'this shop looks ordinary, but the essential oils they sell are the best in Hong Kong'—this quote comes from the goddess Shu Qi.
[Shiu Shing Hong - Image: Ink Fragrance Life]
Different essential oils have different effects. It's advisable to ask the boss when buying. Surprisingly, the store's scents, when blended, are said to be no different from those in major star-rated hotels.
[Various Essential Oils - Image: Fish Lala]
Address: G/F, 130A Jervois Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong (Exit B, Sheung Wan MTR Station)
Transportation: Accessible by MTR or other public transport.
Business Hours: Monday to Saturday 9:30 AM - 5:30 PM / Closed on Sundays.
Hong Kong souvenirs are not just casually picked-up gifts; they represent an understanding and appreciation of local culture, as well as a tradition. Every time I go to Hong Kong, these are the souvenirs I must bring back. I hope you who have read this will also like them. If you have more recommendations, feel free to add them~
