Many say 旺角 Mong Kok is where Hong Kong shows itself from its purest side. Pronounced ‘Wong Gok’, it means ‘prosperous point’ or ‘corner’ and it truly lives up to that name. It is definitely one of the most crowded places on the planet, and with about 130,000 inhabitants per square kilometer maybe even the most densely populated. It has some of the most exciting malls and markets of Hong Kong, has the best restaurants and with red minibuses (such as the Midnight Deathwish Ride) going to any place on the territories it marks the unofficial transportation hub of the city.

About everyday, Mong Kok is full with shoppers, workers, employees, commuters, students and tourists. The streets are always crowded with people, buses and trucks. I love the place because it is so easy to just let yourself drift with the masses of people, waiting to be washed up in some new, exciting place.
Today I am writing about the street food in one particular corner of Mong Kok. The area is about half a square kilometer large, making it very easy to wander around and explore in its fascinating detail.
I will describe to you my favorite 7 places for take away food, but I do encourage you to keep an open eye and try out the plenty of other surprises that this area holds for you.

To get there, take the MTR to Yau Ma Tei station, get out at exit A2 and walk north to Dundas Street. Once you take a right into Dundas, you will quickly notice the many small shops selling all forms of fats, sugars and carbohydrates. I prefer late afternoons and early evenings for this journey, though i prefer this time of the day for everything.

We start at Tim Ho Wan, the famous Dim Sum Restaurant owned by Mak Pui Gor, who made himself a name as the dim sum master of the Four Season’s hotel. I know it’s not technically street food, but tonight we’re going there first to drop a small order of take-away that we will later consume in Sai Yee Street Garden. The line for take away is only a fraction of that for dine in, and 7 eleven has a much better drink selection anyway.

A) Tim Ho Wan [Openrice]
2-20 Kwong Wa Street
10am to 10pm
English menu: yes, on demand
Shrimp dumplings (4@ 19$), BBQ pork buns (3@ 14$), glutinous rice in lotus leaf(16$)

From here we will go back to Dundas street to pick up an order of fries. What makes this place special is the endless varieties of sauces and powders.

B) Ireland’s Potato [Openrice]
43P-43S Dundas Street
English menu: yes
Fries with wasabi mayonnaise and honey mustard (25$)

We go a little further along Dundas to the corner of Sai Yeung Choi Street.
This is a typical Hong Kong style street food stall that fills your everyday cravings for lobster and fish balls, fried tofu and assorted vegetables.
I love this place for its grilled octopus with spicy sauce. The fried squid is also wonderful, though it often is cold and a little too salty.

C) Streetfood Tat Lee Building
Sai Yeung Choi St S 2
open until around midnight
English menu: No menu at all, point at things you think look good!
Grilled octopus (13$), deep fried squid (16$)

Going north on Sai Yeung Choi Street, we turn right at Soy Street and follow it to the crossing with Fa Yuen Street. At this corner, on our right is Tokyo Station, a marvelous Japanese street food place with plenty of stuff for the grill.

D) Tokyo Station [Openrice]
33 Soy Street
open ’til late
English menu: No, but it’s easy to point at things
Grilled beef with chili sauce (13$), grilled mushrooms with beef (18$)

From here we go south along Fa Yuen Street. Just one block ahead is a Taiwanese place that sells fried and cooked dumplings. Unfortunately they have a minimum order of 5 for each sort of dumplings, so do bring friends so that you can eat yourself through the menu without filling yourself up!

E) Taiwanese Wonton/Dumplings [Openrice]
Fa Yuen St 18
open until midnight
English menu: yes
Fried leek dumpling (5@ 12$), cooked pork dumplings (5@ 12$)

It’s probably time to pick up the Dim Sum from A) Tim Ho Wan.
A great place to enjoy these and the dumplings from E) is the Sai Yee Street Garden. Even at times when Mong Kok is packed, this little park will be a nice refuge. There are two 7 elevens around and public restrooms.

When you feel like dessert, check out these two places:

Just next to Sai Yee Street Garden is a Hui Lao Shan, the popular mango dessert chain.
They are found all over Hong Kong, and this particular place is as good as the others, and also as pricy, at least compared with the other great food on our tour.
I also really enjoy Ocio Waffle, though I have nothing in particular to say about it.

F) Hui Lao Shan [Openrice]
Soy Street 60
English menu: yes

G) Ocio Waffle [Openrice]
Kwong Wa Street 1
English menu: yes

I hope you enjoyed the food as much as I usually do! Again, if you have a favorite place in this area, leave a note in the comments! And if you still have a little energy and are not too full, check out the arcade above F) Hui Lao Shan! My favorite game is OutRun 2, one game is only 2$ and it’s great fun!

Update Feb 15: English menu information added, thanks Sharad!