Green Queen Guide To Raw Vegan Resources In Hong Kong

As the healthy dining options in our fair city continue to grow at an exponential rate, the raw vegan culinary scene has been blossoming of late. This once niche cuisine is becoming more mainstream thanks to efforts from some fantastic local foodpreneurs. Below is an updated version of our popular raw vegan resources guide from a couple of years ago. It goes without saying that all of the following options are raw and vegan, not to mention as delicious as they are nourishing!

December 2016 Update: Anything But Salads and Sommer Life has closed down. 

August 2017 Update: Maya Cafe, HOME Eat To Live, Earth Balls, POG Kitchen and Pressed Juices have all closed down. 

December 2017 Update: Raiz The Bar and MANA Raw have closed down.

Raw Snacks

Looking to stock your pantry with oodles of yummy guilt-free goodies? POG Kitchen creates an array of gourmet-forward sweet and savoury snacks like their chocolate kale chips, eggplant ‘bacon’ and ‘pepperawni’ crackers.  Raiz the Bar takes raw chocolate (and chocolate in general) to another level,  end of story. It also happens to be ethically-sourced, organic and produced right here in the good old 852. We are also fans of Foodcraft‘s addictively good selection of raw snacks from their cacao & goji berry macaroons, to their umami-tastic kale chips to their coconut crips that we swear taste just like Cinnamon Toast Crunch (not that we have had any of those in decades!) Sow Vegan has a lovely selection of dehydrated fruit crisps (think dried dragon-fruit and pineapple) as well as beetroot ginger and zucchini walnut crackers. Possibly Hong Kong’s most famous raw snack, the ‘Rawnola’ from Anything But Salads has helped put them on the map, but don’t forget to try their Sicilian Pizza Flax crackers and raw truffles. Need a little pick-me-up or post-workout refuel? Earth Balls makes for a great snack that is packed with energy.

Raw Grab-and-Go

Looking for a bite whilst on the go that won’t leave you regretting your choices later? Genie Juicery offers make-your-own smoothie bowls, raw salads, zoodles (zucchini noodles) with both raw pesto and ‘bolognese’ sauce as well as raw chia pudding and coconut yogurt cups. New kid on the block Home Eat to Live caters to raw food diets with build-your-own salad bar (make sure to add their daily seasonal fermented vegetables) and collard greens wraps, plus they have sweet goodies like energy balls and granola. Nood Food serves up a buffet of rotating prepared salads, which you can accompany with raw coconut yogurt parfaits, ‘Maca Bars’ and crispy kale chips. Pressed Juices‘s selection includes mango acai bowls, coconut yogurts and zucchini pastas in gorgeous glass jars. For the acai-obsessed among us, make sure to visit Be-Juiced and their incredible 16+ toppings bar (note to Hong Kong restauranteurs: we need more toppings bars in our lives). You can also pick up a salad, bowl of kelp or zucchini noodles or a ‘Red Bell Pepper Raw Wrap’. Make sure to check out the offerings at Anything But Salads Cafe including coyo rawnola pots, raw coconut wraps and gluten-free pancakes. 

Raw Sitdown Dining

In terms of eateries that are exclusively dedicated to the raw cause, Hong Kong boasts charming Greenwoods Raw Cafe run by a passionate team of raw foodists who create beautiful seasonal menus with produce from local organic farms. They serve lunch and afternoon tea and their raw sushi and tree nut cheeses are a must try! Maya Cafe is another raw food stalwart with an entire menu of raw vegan dishes. In fact Maya holds the distinction of having the largest a la carte raw food menu in town. We recommend their  ‘Portobello Burger’ and their ‘Raw Risotto Milanese.’ Maya Cafe also hosts private kitchen dinners for those who want a more intimate option. Grassroots Pantry‘s menu is another that reliably caters to the raw vegan crowd. For breakfast try their raw banana crepes, for lunch their ‘GP Signature Salad’ with macadamia nut cheese and sprouted seeds or how about their raw ‘Raw Spicy Temaki’ served with homemade sriracha. For special occasions, a private dinner at POG Kitchen makes for a truly memorable event thanks to Chef Gee Wong’s raw vegan magic! We recently had the pleasure of trying her cooking and she is talented beyond words! Not to mention that the omnivores in our party absolutely loved it, which is saying something. Good to know: for larger groups,  Sow Vegan hosts private dining events.

Raw Desserts

Dying for a piece of raw vegan cake? Despite being just a few weeks old,  Home Eat to Live has what is probably the largest selection of raw cakes, tarts and truffles in town. We recommend the ‘Chocolate Banana Cake.’ You can always visit Grassroots Pantry for selection of raw bonbons including their irresistible salted raw vegan caramels. Additionally,  Mana! Fast Slow Food has cakes, pies and truffles on offer. Planning a birthday party and are looking for a raw vegan creation? Sommer Life Raw Food has all your raw cake and tart needs covered.

Raw Cooking Classes

Looking to recreate raw food chez toi? There are some very helpful instructors around that train you in the basics of raw food cooking techniques. Lantau Mama offers a great session about dehydration, teaching you the basics of using a dehydrator and showing you how to make raw pizza bites, kale chips, vegetable wraps, raw tortilla chips and much more. Sesame Kitchen hosts popular aw vegan snack classes where you will learn to make raw granola and cookies (they also have raw chocolate making classes sometimes but check with them for schedules). Sommer Life Beach Retreat is committed to teaching you to prepare healthy, delicious and easy raw vegan meals at home: you will come out knowing how to make quinoa san choi bow, kelp noodles pad thai and cashew parmesan. Looking for a class in Cantonese? Angie Lam’s RawMe Tofu is the teacher for you. Finally,  i-Detox organizes superfood evenings and healthy breakfast inspiration classes that are a great primer for those just starting out on a raw vegan eating journey. 

Where To Shop For Raw Food

Hong Kong now has loads of health food shops that stock raw vegan groceries but if you are looking for a larger range of raw products and ingredients, try i-Detox, SpiceBox Organics, and Just Green.

Images courtesy of POG Kitchen (lead photo), Earth Balls, Genie Juicery, Greenwoods Raw Cafe, Home Eat to Live and Angie Lam’s RawMe Tofu.