Restaurant in Hong Kong, Hong Kong
May Chow's gastropub: drinks and food, done right.
Second Draft is the gastropub that Causeway Bay has been missing at a serious level — OAD-ranked three years running (Casual Asia #116 in 2025), with a 4.4 across 708 reviews. May Chow's Fashion Walk operation is loud at peak hours but earns its reputation. Easy to book, no need to plan far ahead.
If you've been to Causeway Bay before and written off the area for serious eating, Second Draft is worth a second look. May Chow's gastropub at Fashion Walk has appeared on the Opinionated About Dining Asia rankings three consecutive years — Recommended in 2023, Leading Restaurants in Asia in 2024, and #116 in the Casual in Asia ranking for 2025 — which puts it in a different tier from the average bar-kitchen in the neighbourhood. With a 4.4 rating across 708 Google reviews, it holds its ground consistently. Come for a casual weeknight drink and you'll likely stay for food.
Second Draft operates as a gastropub, which in Hong Kong's context means a venue where the drinks programme and the kitchen carry equal weight. This is not a restaurant that happens to serve beer, nor a bar that offers perfunctory snacks. The Fashion Walk address puts it in a shopping-adjacent strip that skews younger and more casual than the fine-dining corridors of Central or Wan Chai, and Second Draft leans into that positioning without apologising for it. The room's energy during peak hours , Friday evenings, Saturday afternoons , runs warm and loud. If you're planning a long conversation, arrive before 7 pm or manage expectations about the noise floor.
For a first-timer, the format is worth understanding before you go. This is a counter-and-table operation built for groups who want a proper drink alongside food that takes the kitchen seriously. The gastropub category in Hong Kong doesn't have many genuine reference points, which makes Second Draft's OAD recognition more meaningful , the panel behind that list is specific about what earns a spot. Comparing it against international gastropub peers like The Jugged Hare in London or Gilt Bar in Chicago, the category standard is high, and Second Draft is evidently meeting it on a regional level.
Causeway Bay is one of Hong Kong's densest dining districts, but much of what's on offer there skews toward chain operators, quick-service Japanese, and mid-range Cantonese. Second Draft occupies a specific gap: a venue with a credible food programme in a neighbourhood that doesn't have many of them at this level. Fashion Walk itself is a pedestrian-friendly stretch that makes it easy to arrive without thinking too hard about transport. If you're coming from Central, the cross-harbour journey is direct on the MTR. If you're already on Hong Kong Island for the day, Second Draft works well as a destination in its own right rather than a detour.
As a neighbourhood anchor, it serves a dual purpose. Locals in the Causeway Bay catchment use it as a reliable regular; visitors who know the OAD list use it as a deliberate stop. Both groups are right to do so. There are very few gastropubs in Hong Kong with this kind of sustained critical recognition, and that scarcity matters when you're deciding where to spend two to three hours on a given evening.
Second Draft opens at 3 pm Monday through Friday and at 12 pm on weekends, closing at midnight every night. The weekend lunch window is the most practical entry point for first-timers who want a quieter introduction to the room. Booking difficulty is low , this is an easy reservation to secure, and walk-ins are plausible on weekday afternoons and early evenings. No price range data is available in our records, but the gastropub category and Fashion Walk setting point toward mid-range spending. Chef May Chow is the name attached to the kitchen.
For a broader picture of where to eat, drink, and stay around Second Draft's neighbourhood, see our full Hong Kong restaurants guide, our full Hong Kong bars guide, and our full Hong Kong hotels guide. If you're building a wider itinerary, our Hong Kong experiences guide and wineries guide round out the picture.
Quick reference: Fashion Walk, Causeway Bay , open daily from 3 pm (12 pm weekends) to midnight , easy to book , OAD Casual Asia #116 (2025).
Booking difficulty is low. A day or two of advance notice is sufficient for most evenings, and walk-ins are realistic on weekday afternoons and early in the evening. Weekend lunch slots from 12 pm tend to fill faster given the shorter window, so a same-day reservation is the safe move on Saturdays and Sundays.
Gastropubs in general handle groups well by format, and Second Draft's Fashion Walk location suggests standard table configurations that work for parties of four to six. For larger groups, contacting the venue directly before your visit is advisable. No private dining or specific group booking policy is available in our records.
Specific menu data isn't available in our records, so we can't point you to individual dishes. What the OAD Casual Asia #116 ranking (2025) tells you is that the kitchen is performing at a level the panel considers among the strongest casual operations in the region. Order what's seasonal and ask staff for current recommendations , the programme is the point, not any single item.
Lunch is the better call for a first visit if you want to assess the venue without the noise and crowd that come with weekend evenings. Saturday and Sunday lunch from 12 pm gives you the full kitchen programme in a more manageable atmosphere. Dinner on a Friday or Saturday is a different experience , louder, more energetic, better for groups who want that dynamic. Weekday evenings from 3 pm are the sweet spot if you want the kitchen at dinner pace without the full weekend volume.
This is a gastropub with genuine critical standing , OAD has recognised it three years running, most recently at #116 in Casual Asia for 2025. Arrive knowing it will be loud at peak hours. The format rewards ordering broadly across the menu rather than treating it like a restaurant where you pick a main. Causeway Bay is well-connected by MTR, so getting there is simple. Booking is easy, which removes any pressure to plan far ahead.
Bar seating at gastropubs is typically part of the experience by design, and given Second Draft's format and OAD Casual recognition, bar dining is likely both available and appropriate. No specific seating policy is confirmed in our records. If bar seating matters to your group, ask when you book or arrive early enough to secure the position you want.
If Second Draft has you exploring what Hong Kong's food scene offers at different price points, the city rewards looking further. For fine dining, Amber and Caprice represent the French Contemporary top tier, while Ta Vie and 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana cover the Japanese-French and Italian ends of the high-end market. For Cantonese, Forum is the reference point. If you want something more casual before or after, Le Salon de Thé de Joël Robuchon at ifc mall in Central is a practical stop. See our full Hong Kong restaurants guide for the complete picture. For international gastropub context, Nowon in New York City, Damn the Weather in Seattle, Camden Spit & Larder in Sacramento, High West Distillery & Saloon in Park City, and Mad Dogs & Englishmen in Tampa show the range the category covers globally.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Second Draft | — | |
| Ta Vie | $$$$ | — |
| 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana (Hong Kong) | $$$$ | — |
| Feuille | $$$ | — |
| The Chairman | $$ | — |
| Neighborhood | $$ | — |
A quick look at how Second Draft measures up.
A few days in advance is usually enough for weeknight slots, but weekend lunch fills faster given the shorter weekly window — Saturday and Sunday are the only days service starts at noon. Second Draft has held OAD Casual Asia ranking since 2023, so demand is real. Book at least a week out if you have a specific weekend time in mind.
Fashion Walk venues tend to have tighter floor plans, so larger groups are worth contacting ahead rather than assuming availability. For groups of six or more, reach out directly before booking. Smaller groups of two to four have the most flexibility across the week.
Second Draft is a gastropub where the drinks programme carries as much weight as the kitchen, so ordering only food or only drinks misses the point. The venue is chef May Chow's project, which signals the kitchen is taken seriously — OAD's recognition of it in both casual and broader Asia rankings backs that up. Lean into the pairing approach rather than treating it as a drinks-only stop.
Weekend lunch is the more practical entry point — it's the only time the venue opens before 3 pm, and the noon start gives you flexibility that weekday evenings don't. Dinner suits anyone who wants the full gastropub atmosphere at pace. If you're visiting Monday through Friday, you're only getting an evening option regardless.
This is May Chow's gastropub at Fashion Walk, Causeway Bay — not a fine dining room, and not a straight-up bar. The OAD Casual Asia ranking (currently #116 for 2025) is the most useful signal: it means the food clears a real bar without demanding a formal dining commitment. Come with the expectation of a serious kitchen inside a relaxed format, and you'll calibrate correctly.
Given the gastropub format, bar seating is a natural fit rather than a fallback — ordering food at the bar aligns with how the venue is designed to operate. If you're a solo diner or a pair who wants to eat without a full table booking, the bar is a reasonable route in, particularly on weeknights.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
