Three Hong Kong Cafés Whose Appeal Goes Beyond the Menu

Across Hong Kong, a new café culture is emerging, focusing on visual, acoustic and tactile elements to create the ultimate café experience. Carefully curated interiors now rival avant-garde coffee and tea profiles, leaving lasting impressions beyond the cup. These are cafés that allow for momentary pauses to absorb and observe, to appreciate all the sights, sounds and emotions not listed on the menu. It is a space so appealing that it distracts you away from laptops, phones and conversations. A welcoming space that can take away the rushing minds and structured schedules replacing them with calmness — and a new creative vitality when you leave.

A texting-stopper of a mural

One of these places is Dozy. The North Point location is found at the end of Kam Ping Street, commanding the corner position of the Tung Fat Building. The double glass door entrance is bold, tall and vastly open — openness being a signature feature in all three Dozy locations across Hong Kong. Cylinder track lighting bounces off naked concrete walls and exposed metal ceiling plumbing in alternating directions allowing just enough artificial light to brighten the space. A selection of carefully positioned potted plants and vintage themed leather couches coupled with bare wooden chairs and rounded tables enhance the Japanese influenced aesthetic. 

Like most establishments in Hong Kong, creating the illusion of space is a carefully and creatively constructed challenge, thus giving rise to the popularity of the minimalist, uncluttered look. There is a dynamic contrast of movement and seated stillness as customers come together to fill the space with a flow that is both calm and energetic. The layout is clean and unobstructing; heightened ceilings, and the interconnectedness to the outside environment providing multiple viewpoints for gazing.

One wall in particular stands out with an exquisite mural imagined and brought to life by Hong Kong illustrator and muralist Kristopher Ho. Using a black alcohol based ink marker, Ho has masterfully drawn intricate lines curving and threading around organic shapes and form over both glass and bare concrete. The result is mesmerising. Ho’s delicately drawn linework captures a raw and natural beauty in the graphic imagery of flowers and fauna spanning across the entire wall. 

Ho expresses an intent to invoke strong philosophical and introspective themes. “I always consider the relationship of the artwork with its surroundings and the importance of context behind the artwork,” he writes on Instagram. The artwork should always reflect the aesthetic of the artist as well as the story of the space.’’ This mural piece is no doubt the focal point of Dozy; a “texting-stopper” and a laptop-closing wonder not found on the menu.

A hip hop library

The Park by Years in Sham Shui Po is a contemporary styled vegetarian café with curated wall objects and a stylish and minimalist interior. Similar to Dozy, Years has multiple establishments throughout Hong Kong, all with equally impressive interior design. The bold café frontage presents passers by with a powerful and encouraging sentiment: “Stay Strong,” voicing the brand’s evolving urban code and directive as more than just a coffee shop. 

Inside, wood benches and tables hug the wall underneath a row of softened circular lighting. Along the white wall, words painted in black announce, “I’ll be there for you,” hinting at another aspect of the Years brand identity. The Park is more than just a café; it is also a platform for creative community events, with a focus on sustainability, corporate social responsibility and empowering youth culture. 

On the opposite wall, shelves are filled with various books, candles and craft objects. But what takes centre stage is the impressively designed and curated Hip Hop 101 collection of books assembled by Hong Kong musician and artist MC Yan. This is a space where great vibes and accompanying texts are enhanced further by hip hop, rap and breakbeat melodically chiming through the air. This is a headphone-free zone: trust the playlist and simply relax. The ambiance is young and unfiltered.

A space to re-energise

Heading back over to Hong Kong Island and into Sheung Wan is Hara Kako, a café with a strong Japanese aesthetic and philosophy. The frontage resonates with clean Japanese minimalist design; exposed wooden beams connecting a large glass plane unveiling a glimpse of a modern interior ball lighting on the first level is a memorable first impression. The ground floor level, though small, has effective interior architectural elements: rustic concrete wall panels, visible painted ceiling plumbing and eclectic chair and furniture design in an array of arrangements for solo and couple gatherings. The ground floor is an open and vibrant, welcoming space with a strong flow of energy bringing the urban exterior world into the cafe ambiance.

As you make your way up the stairs to the first level, you push through a creaky door leading to a contemporary space with distinctive furniture, art and lighting arrangements. The conceptual genius behind this design is Hong Kong based designer Alexis Dupont, who wanted to create a dynamic reflection and representation of rural Japanese style. Japanese ornamental accents and objects abound, creating an attractive, soothing ambiance infused with hip hop and rap beats and melodies. Soft modular lighting gives rest to the eyes from a blue light screen to instead absorb the surrounding artworks. This is a space to refuel and relax, to reload and re-energise one moment at a time.