Mak’s Noodle vs Tsim Chai Kee – We Tried These Two Famous HK Wonton Noodles and This is Our Verdict

When planning our trip to Hong Kong, I kept coming across two famous wonton noodles shops: Mak’s Noodle and Tsim Chai Kee. And interestingly, these two eateries are located directly opposite each other along Wellington Street in Central. Both shops each have their own passionate advocates, and it was hard to tell which one was truly “better”. Therefore, I decided that I would play the role of an investigative food blogger and try out both so that I can share my verdict with you guys.

Tsim Chai Kee

The first shop I went to was Tsim Chai Kee. Compared to the venerable Mak’s Noodle which was founded in 1920, Tsim Chai Kee is a relative newcomer that only set up shop in 1998.

It caused quite a stir during its opening, because its wontons were almost twice the size of Mak’s but it only charged HKD10 per bowl of wonton noodles. Since then, the price has steadily increased by over threefold, though it is still cheaper than Mak’s and the portion remains as big.

Walking into the small eatery, I was led by an unsmiling auntie to share a table with another diner.

Tsim Chai Kee is a no frills establishment with plain wooden chairs and marble tables. But they are very proud of their Michelin accolades, as evidenced by the many Michelin plaques and certificates I saw in the shop. This is because Tsim Chai Kee has been on the Michelin Bib Gourmand list every year since 2009.

I ordered the signature King Prawn Wonton Noodle 招牌云吞面 (HKD31). After reading so many positive reviews online, I had high expectations of the noodles here. However, my first taste of the soup left me sorely disappointed. It was quite bland with very weak flavours.

The noodles didn’t fare well too. It had a coarse texture along with a bitter alkaline aftertaste.

The chunky wontons were decent and I enjoyed the juicy shrimp fillings. But they didn’t blow me away.

Tsim Chai Kee is also known for its fish balls and sliced beef, but I didn’t get to try these.

Mak’s Noodle

Next, I walked across the street to the famous Mak’s Noodle, ardently hoping that I would have a better wonton noodles experience over here.

This eatery was started by Mak Woon Chi almost one century ago in 1920. Since then, his descendants and disciples have opened many other “Mak” restaurants across Hong Kong.

Mak’s Noodle was once a Michelin starred restaurant but is currently no longer on the Michelin list (2018).

The restaurant even has a branch in Singapore at The Centrepoint, but it has received generally negative reviews.

Walking into the restaurant alone, I was led by an unsmiling old uncle to a small table, which I would later share with another diner.

I ordered the Signature Wanton Noodles (HKD42), which came in a small bowl that looked more like a large teacup. But I was fine with this small serving because I was going to check out other eateries later on anyways.

I scooped up a little soup to taste, hoping that it would fare better than Tsim’s. This time round, the soup tasted decent but sadly it wasn’t very savoury.

Next, I had the noodles, which were actually quite well-cooked with a smooth and springy texture. Unfortunately, there was a slight alkaline aftertaste which distracted from my enjoyment of the noodles.

The redeeming factor was the four succulent wontons, which had very smooth wonton skins that felt really good in my mouth. The shrimp fillings were very chewy and juicy too.

Conclusion

On the whole, I had quite an underwhelming wonton noodles experience at Wellington Street. Tsim Chai Kee’s version was very disappointing, with bland soup and coarse bitter noodles. Their big wontons were decent but not fantastic. Mak’s Noodle had decent soup and springy noodles, but the noodles had a slight alkaline aftertaste. But I have to say I enjoyed their succulent wontons which were quite delicious. In conclusion, if I HAD to choose one winner, I would say Mak’s Noodle edges out, though to be honest their wonton noodles were not very impressive too.

Tsim Chai Kee
What to order: King Prawn Wonton Noodle (HKD31), Three Toppings Noodle (HKD41)
Address: 98 Wellington St, Central
Directions: Seven-minute walk from Sheung Wan station
Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 10pm
Phone: +852 2850 6471

Mak’s Noodle (Main Branch)
What to order: Signature Wanton Noodles (HKD42)
Address: 77 Wellington St, Central
Directions: Seven-minute walk from Sheung Wan station
Opening Hours: Daily 11.30am to 9pm
Phone: +852 2854 3810