Restaurant in Hong Kong, Hong Kong
OAD-ranked Cantonese, away from Central crowds.
Sha Tin 18 is an OAD-recognised Cantonese restaurant in Sha Tin that punches above its out-of-Central location. Chef Ho Chun Hung runs a consistent kitchen that ranked #268 in OAD's Asia list in 2024, with a 4.1 Google rating across nearly 900 reviews. Booking is easy, making it a practical alternative to harder-to-secure Cantonese peers in Hong Kong.
If you have already eaten at Sha Tin 18 once and enjoyed it, this is the kind of Cantonese restaurant worth returning to with intention. It suits a mid-week dinner for two who want serious Cantonese cooking without the Central price premium, or a weekend dim sum session for a small group willing to travel to Sha Tin for quality that rivals what you find closer to the harbour. It is not a special-occasion splurge destination in the way that Lung King Heen or Lai Ching Heen are, but it delivers the kind of consistent, considered Cantonese output that earns a place in your rotation.
Sha Tin 18 has held a spot on the Opinionated About Dining Asia rankings for two consecutive years, reaching #268 in 2024 after earning a Recommended listing in 2023. OAD rankings are sourced from experienced diners rather than a single critic, which makes them a useful signal for cooking consistency rather than a single exceptional meal. A Google rating of 4.1 across 869 reviews reinforces that picture: this is a restaurant that performs reliably across a broad range of visits, not just for reviewers. Under chef Ho Chun Hung, the kitchen is producing Cantonese food credible enough to hold its own in a city where the category is fiercely competitive.
The Sha Tin location, on the fourth floor at 18 Chak Cheung Street, puts it outside the immediate orbit of Hong Kong Island's fine-dining corridor. That works in your favour on booking difficulty: getting a table here is direct compared to the weeks-out waits at The Chairman or the premium-hotel dining rooms in Central. If you are already on the Kowloon side or planning a trip to the New Territories, the case for including this in your itinerary is clear.
Cantonese food, as a category, has a more complicated relationship with off-premise dining than most cuisines. Roasted meats, cold cuts, and braised dishes tend to travel acceptably. Wok-fired dishes lose their wok hei within minutes of leaving the kitchen, and anything steamed — including most dim sum — degrades quickly in a takeout container. The absence of delivery platform data in Sha Tin 18's record means we cannot confirm whether they offer formal delivery, but based on what the OAD recognition signals about the kitchen's priorities, this is a restaurant where the experience is designed around dine-in service. If takeout is your primary need, you will get more from the meal by eating on-site. The weekend brunch hours (from 10:30 am on Saturdays and Sundays) make a sit-down dim sum session more practical than trying to replicate it at home.
Sha Tin 18 runs a split-shift format seven days a week. Monday through Friday, lunch runs 11:30 am to 3 pm and dinner 5:30 to 10 pm. On weekends, the kitchen opens slightly earlier at 10:30 am for lunch, with dinner still at 5:30 pm. Booking is easy relative to comparable Cantonese restaurants in Hong Kong; booking a few days in advance should be sufficient for most visits, though weekend dim sum slots fill faster than weeknight dinners. No formal dress code is on record.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sha Tin 18 | Cantonese | Not listed | Easy | Sha Tin, New Territories |
| The Chairman | Cantonese | $$ | Hard | Central |
| Lung King Heen | Cantonese | $$$$ | Moderate | Central |
| Lai Ching Heen | Cantonese | $$$$ | Moderate | Tsim Sha Tsui |
| T'ang Court | Cantonese | $$$$ | Moderate | Jordan |
Sha Tin 18 sits within a strong regional context for Cantonese cooking across Greater China. If you are travelling elsewhere in the region, comparable OAD-recognised Cantonese kitchens include Chef Tam's Seasons in Macau, Jade Dragon in Macau, and Le Palais in Taipei. For Cantonese in Shanghai, 102 House, Bao Li Xuan, and Canton 8 (Huangpu) are worth knowing. In Singapore, Summer Pavilion is a reliable benchmark. For more on eating in Hong Kong, see our full Hong Kong restaurants guide, and if you are planning a broader trip, our Hong Kong hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide cover the rest. Other Hong Kong Cantonese institutions worth knowing include Forum and Rùn. For something different in the same city, Le Salon de Thé de Joël Robuchon Hong Kong in Central offers a sharp change of register.
No specific dietary restriction policy is on record for Sha Tin 18. Cantonese kitchens in Hong Kong typically use shellfish, pork, and poultry across much of the menu, and sauces often contain oyster or shrimp paste. If you have serious allergies or strict dietary requirements, contact the restaurant directly before booking to confirm what the kitchen can accommodate. The absence of a listed phone number on our record means your leading approach is to reach out via the venue directly when making your reservation.
For Cantonese at a similar everyday price point, The Chairman is the most talked-about alternative, though it is significantly harder to book and located in Central. If you want a step up in formality and are willing to pay $$$$, Lung King Heen and Lai Ching Heen are the benchmarks. Forum and T'ang Court are also in the conversation for traditional Cantonese with serious credentials. The main trade-off with Sha Tin 18 relative to these alternatives is location: you need to come to Sha Tin, but the booking is easier and the room is less formal.
Booking is easy relative to most OAD-ranked Cantonese restaurants in Hong Kong. A few days in advance is typically sufficient for weeknight dinners. Weekend dim sum slots, particularly Saturday and Sunday morning from 10:30 am, are more competitive and worth booking at least a week out. This is a considerably easier reservation than peers like The Chairman, where waits of several weeks are common.
No specific private dining or group capacity information is on record. Cantonese restaurants of this profile typically have round-table configurations that work well for groups of six to ten, but you should confirm directly with the restaurant when booking. For large group Cantonese dining in Hong Kong, venues with documented private room availability , such as Lung King Heen or Lai Ching Heen , offer more certainty. Sha Tin 18's easy booking makes it a lower-risk option for small groups of four to six who do not need a private room.
It works well for a celebratory meal with family or a small group where the focus is on good Cantonese food rather than formal ceremony. The OAD recognition gives it credibility as a considered choice, not just a convenient one. For a milestone anniversary or a dinner where the room and service polish matter as much as the food, Lung King Heen or T'ang Court set a higher bar on occasion dressing. Sha Tin 18 is the better call when the guest of honour cares about the cooking and you want a reservation you can actually secure.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sha Tin 18 | Cantonese | Easy | |
| Ta Vie | Japanese - French, Innovative | $$$$ | Unknown |
| 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana (Hong Kong) | Italian | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Feuille | French Contemporary | $$$ | Unknown |
| The Chairman | Chinese, Cantonese | $$ | Unknown |
| Neighborhood | International, European Contemporary | $$ | Unknown |
A quick look at how Sha Tin 18 measures up.
Cantonese cooking relies heavily on shellfish, pork, and meat-based broths, so vegetarian and allergy-specific requests can be limiting at kitchens in this category. The restaurant's OAD-recognised standing suggests kitchen competence, but dietary requirements should be communicated directly when booking. Do not assume flexibility without confirming in advance, as no specific dietary accommodation policy is documented for Sha Tin 18.
The Chairman in Central is the reference point for considered Cantonese in Hong Kong and draws a more internationally recognised crowd. Neighborhood offers a different angle — more produce-driven and less format-bound. For Cantonese at a comparable neighbourhood-specialist level, Sha Tin 18's two consecutive OAD Asia appearances make it a genuine alternative to better-known Central options, particularly for locals or visitors willing to travel to Sha Tin.
Book at least one to two weeks ahead for weekday lunch, longer for weekend dim sum sessions, which start at 10:30 am on Saturdays and Sundays. The restaurant runs split shifts seven days a week, so there are more time slots than a single-seating format, but OAD recognition for two consecutive years means demand outpaces what the address in Sha Tin might suggest. Weekend dinner is likely the tightest window.
Cantonese restaurants in Hong Kong are generally well set up for groups, with round-table formats and shared dishes built into the cuisine's logic. Sha Tin 18's address at 4/F, 18 Chak Cheung St suggests a dedicated floor-level space, which typically allows for larger party configurations. check the venue's official channels to confirm private room availability or minimum spend requirements for groups of six or more.
Yes, with a practical caveat: the Sha Tin location means it works best as a destination choice rather than a convenient drop-in. For guests who know Hong Kong's Cantonese category, an OAD Asia-ranked restaurant two years running carries real weight as a special occasion booking. If central location matters as much as the meal, The Chairman or a Central-based alternative may suit better — but for food-first guests, Sha Tin 18 delivers the credentials.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
