Got mylk: 5 new Hong Kong cafes with milk alternatives

Whether you’re lactose intolerant or switching to a plant-based lifestyle, Hong Kong’s newest coffee haunts have you covered. 

Artista Perfetto

If you’ve ever been cafe hopping in Taipei, you might recognise this name, as it’s one of Taipei’s OG latte art-centric cafes. But lest you think they’re just about the pretty patterns on top of your coffee (which they can make with both dairy and oat milks), they’re serious about the coffee itself too, with two blends on offer, both featuring specialty beans. If weather permits, take your coffee (espresso-based drinks, pourover, cold brew), cascara tea, or chocolate and chill on the bench outside. If you’re feeling nibbly, don’t miss the old-school Chinese pastries like wife cake and egg yolk pies – they’re supplied by a local artisan.

Artista Perfetto, Shop 2, 3A Sharp Street West, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, facebook.com/artistaperfettohk

Levain Bakery x Coco Espresso

When two local heroes come together, magic happens – or at least, breakfast happens. Each a pioneer in their own right – Levain was one of the city’s first sourdough bakeries, and Coco Espresso was a very early player on the third-wave coffee scene – their collaboration is a blessing for Wanchai’s carb and caffeine aficionados. There’s a glorious display of loaves as well as smaller buns, viennoiserie and goodies like canele, plus a straightforward coffee menu, with soy and oat milk options. 

Levain Bakery x Coco Espresso, Shop A, G/F, Tung Sing Building, 138-144 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai (entrance on Ship Street), Hong Kong, facebook.com/Levain-Bakery-x-Coco-Espresso

Rapha

If you’re keen on cycling (or just keen on bike shorts), you’ll know the super-sleek cyclist’s apparel brand Rapha. Their Hong Kong shop, which also serves as a clubhouse for their members, houses a petite cafe that offers a succinct coffee menu, as well as sweets to go along with it, such as tarts and ice-cream from award-winning Filipino brand Carmen’s Best, which can be made into their version of an affogato, the Raphagato. For non-dairy drinkers, there’s soy milk, and beware that the weekend-only coconut coffee isn’t made with coconut milk – it’s a milk-based coffee with coconut water. 

Rapha, 56 Sai Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, rapha.cc

Nood Food 

The grab-and-go favourite of fitness folk has launched a two-storey flagship cafe inside Star Street Precinct’s new Pure Yoga, serving a made-to-order menu, and even a full brunch on weekends. Although nood food is probably best known for their juices and smoothies, they also serve Fairtrade coffee, for which you can choose regular and skim milk, and in keeping with their usual diet-friendly offerings, almond, oat and soy milks for no extra charge, a rarity in this city. 

Nood Food, 3-19 Wing Fung Street, Starstreet Precinct, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, allnood.co

Reaction Coffee Roasters 

Happy Valley residents have always loved the village atmosphere of the neighbourhood, and adding to that village vibe is this cosy cafe, opened by local coffee roasters Reaction. The indoor-outdoor seating portion of the cafe is a hit with dog owners, as pooches can sit with their owners while they sip on a latte or single origin batch brews. Oat milk is on offer for those who can’t take cow’s milk. They also have a food menu, so whether it’s weekend brunch or a quick coffee-and-scone meeting, they have you covered.

Reaction Coffee Roasters, Shop B&C, 67 Shing Woo Road, Happy Valley, Hong Kong, reactioncoffee.com.hk