Tim Ho Wan Olympian City: Michelin-Starred Dim Sum in Hong Kong

For travelers searching for authentic Hong Kong dim sum without the formality of a luxury hotel restaurant, Tim Ho Wan at Olympian City offers a taste of one of the city’s most famous culinary success stories.

Tim Ho Wan carries the legacy of a brand that began in 2009 as a tiny 20-seat dim sum shop in Mong Kok. Founded by Chef Mak Kwai Pui and Chef Leung Fai Keung, Tim Ho Wan was created with the idea that expertly made Cantonese dim sum should be accessible rather than reserved for expensive restaurants.

Mak had previously worked at the three-Michelin-starred Lung King Heen at the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, where he developed his expertise in traditional dim sum. Within a year of opening, the original restaurant earned a Michelin star, turning the humble neighborhood eatery into an international phenomenon. The original Mong Kok shop has since closed, making the Olympian City branch one of the places where visitors can experience the restaurant’s enduring Hong Kong legacy today.

 

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Its most famous creation is the baked BBQ pork bun, a Tim Ho Wan signature distinguished by a lightly crisp, crumbly exterior surrounding sweet-savory char siu filling. The menu also includes steamed shrimp dumplings, pork and shrimp siu mai, fried bean curd skin with shrimp, steamed egg cake, pan-fried turnip cake, steamed chicken feet with black bean sauce, and traditional sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf.

Chef Mak’s philosophy has always centered on making each piece of dim sum fresh and serving it at its best, with the restaurant’s kitchens preparing dishes to order. That attention to timing is particularly important with the baked BBQ pork buns, whose pastry is intended to be enjoyed hot and freshly baked. The result is food that remains unmistakably Cantonese while being approachable enough for a quick meal rather than a formal dining occasion.

Today, Tim Ho Wan Olympian City occupies a very different setting from the tiny shop that first made the restaurant famous, but the underlying philosophy remains remarkably consistent.