The last time I visited The Chairman was February 2022. It was at their original location in Central, and the pandemic era restrictions were still in full effect. In fact, at that time (February), Hong Kong’s rules only permitted two people to dine together. I still remember four of us coming to the restaurant, sitting at a round table with a plexi-glass “shield” separating Bryan and me from our other two friends. At the time, Bryan was enjoying his “nice last HK meal for a bit” because he was heading for Spain, and then needed to quarantine for two weeks after returning to Hong Kong.
Then things went crazy. Later that year, The Chairman moved to a swankier but slightly smaller space in Central. This made it even harder to book. The Chairman has had a Michelin star for over a decade, but high rankings in the World’s 50Best and Asia’s 50Best list continue to raise its profile. In 2023 it made it into San Pellegrino’s World’s Top 50 Restaurants (at number 50). In Asia, it topped the 50Best list in 2021, and in 2025, it holds the number two spot in Asia and number 26 in the world. In 2024, Chef Danny Yip got the Icon Award from Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants.
To get a Booking . . . .
Needless to say, it’s been pretty impossible to get a booking at this restaurant, and I almost think back sentimentally back to when we first moved to Hong Kong, where we were able to get reservations at The Chairman relatively easily when our parents came to town to visit us in Hong Kong.
BUT . . . I have a friend who watches those reservations like a hawk. He has no special privileges, no special connections, but he books SUPER EARLY. He’ll grab a table for four without knowing who he will go with, confident he can find someone. Sometimes he’ll physically stop by the restaurant during the day to ask the front desk about available bookings. He’s tenacious, he keeps trying, and he gets reservations.
So, one day in August 2023, our friend messaged us and asked if we were free to go to the Chairman. He had booked so far in advance he had forgotten about the reservation. Poor Bryan had a business trip and couldn’t go, but I immediately jumped at the chance to try this newly revamped Chairman.
There were four of us, and my friend had already pre-ordered all the dishes (which is fine by me!).
Classic starters elegantly executed
The best steamed fish head I’ve ever had (it’s MASSIVE)
Some say this is the best clay pot rice in Hong Kong . . .
It was sooooo good and I was thrilled to have a plateful of it!
The Chairman Hong Kong – General Thoughts
What can I saw? Food was phenomenal, and I still think back to some of those amazing dishes like the grouper head and the clay pot rice. I wish I could come back with Bryan, but I just haven’t had the energy to try and fight for those reservations. I miss the days when it wasn’t so impossible.
It’s more fun to come with a bigger group. There are so many fun dishes to try! Additionally, it’s hard to enjoy the larger format dishes otherwise.
The Chairman Hong Kong
3rd Floor, The Wellington
198 Wellington Street
Central, Hong Kong
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