Happy Vegan Cook Blogger BoBo Chow’s Top 5 Lunch Spots

My name is BoBo Chow and I am the founder of Happy Vegan Cook. I became a vegan in March of 2016, after I lost my father to suicide. It was the darkest time of my life, I almost gave up…but I received support from all directions and people told me about the concept of Parīnāma, which led me to become a vegetarian. A month later, after I watched “Earthlings” on YouTube, I couldn’t continue to contribute to other beings’ suffering any longer and I became vegan.

Veganism brought positive energy and peace into my life. I let go of the guilt I felt because I had not been able to stop the tragedy, and I let go of the negativity and anger I was hanging on to. I shared my story with my support group and the counsellor encouraged me to start blogging to help more people who may be going through a similar experience. I called it “Happy Vegan Cook” because to me, veganism is not a sacrifice, it is happiness.

Many readers say to me “I want to go vegan but it’s so difficult in Hong Kong!”- but actually, it’s not that difficult. Join the Hong Kong Vegan group on Facebook, it’s a very supportive and informative community of people who can help answer all your questions and share resources. You can also go to my Facebook blog to learn how to cook vegan using local ingredients- there’a also a list of fully vegan restaurants in Hong Kong if you’re not into cooking. Another great resource is Green Queen 🙂 I was so happy when they got in touch and asked me to share my favorite new Hong Kong vegan lunch spots. There is so much happening in the city’s vegan eating scene and I am glad to showcase these newer places as we must support them! Below are my top 5 plant-based picks!

1. The Vegvolution Kitchen – Causeway Bay

It’s a new Italian-style vegan cafe opposite Lee Garden. The food is nice, reasonably priced (HKD78 including a soup and a main dish, HKD98 for a full set). I recommend their vegan cheesy pizza, especially as there are not many fully vegan pizza places in Hong Kong that provide vegan cheese, and it comes with a side of sweet potato fries!

For more information, visit Vegvolution’s Facebook page.

March 2019 Update: The Vegvolution Kitchen has now closed. 

2. Vegtopia Cafe – Kwun Tong

Vegtopia is a fully vegan Vietnamese- and South East Asian-style cafe. The food is cheap, tasty and quite healthy. I recommend their Vietnamese cold rice vermicelli, young coconut rice and Tom Yum Soup noodles. Note: they are only open from 12PM to 6PM Monday through Saturday.

November 2017 Update: Vegtopia now operates as a private kitchen serving dinner- they no longer do lunch. 

For more information, visit Vegtopia’s Facebook page.

3. Green Common – Mong Kok

Okay so you might already have heard of Green Common, and you have been to one of their grocery shops but have you tried their new Mong Kok spot? It located in the new trendy and sporty mall on ‘Sneaker Street’, it’s close to where I do yoga (can’t beat the address) and they have a good menu of local Cantonese vegan food. I like their Beyond Burger, the new spicy Sichuan style “chicken”, and I also love to stock up on my favourite vegan cheese (Miyoko’s Creamery) and plant-based milk (Califia Farms) here.

For more information, visit  Green Common Mong Kok’s Facebook page.

4. Dining At Murasaki – Causeway Bay

Dining at Murasaki is a beautiful Japanese restaurant in Sino Plaza, it’s a good place for a business lunch as the restaurants affords privacy and has lovely interiors. It’s not a fully vegetarian restaurant but they have a very good vegan sushi set and vegan tempura set.

For more information, visit Murasaki’s Facebook page.

5. The Joomak – Tsim Sha Tsui

Joomak is a non-vegan restaurant but they have a huge vegan menu. I like the food, the harbour view and the vibe of this place, ideal for hanging out with friends- they have a long alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink list. I recommend their Korean vegan chicken with ginseng soup, kale and peach salad, and the kale special drink.

For more information, visit Joomak’s Facebook page.

About Happy Vegan Cook

BoBo Chow is a vegan cook, food blogger, consultant, animal rights activist, translator and language teacher in Hong Kong. She is passionate about sharing her vegan recipes with her local community. Follow BoBo on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with her vegan cooking and eating journey. 

All photos courtesy of BoBo Chow, except for Vegvolution, courtesy of Lilygogreen.