Canadian Girl visits Hong Kong’s OLDEST dim sum restaurant & tea house: Luk Yu Tea House

Hey there foodies, this is Eunice here. Step into Hong Kong's time capsule at the Luck UT House where 1930s colonial charm meets legendary dim sum. Join me for a 10-minute feast that includes crispy bites, silky soups, and stories from this iconic spot. If you're looking for something more authentic to Hong Kong with old-school vibes, definitely stick around. This 10-minute feast will have you booking a table. We're diving into a little piece of Hong Kong history today in Central. This spot isn't just a restaurant, it's one of Hong Kong's oldest and a Michelin-selected icon where tycoons, celebrities, and everyday foodies rub elbows. Located on Stanley Street, it is the Luck UT House. Their dim sum is priced slightly higher than most but for good reason. I'll share why and include my top favorites here. Now let's yum cha like the locals do. Hello! So today we're at Luck UT House. It was established in 1933. One of the oldest traditional tea houses. So Luck UT House has three levels. We were just at the ground floor. The first two levels are usually much easier to book. Sometimes this one is also one of the oldest tea houses in Hong Kong as well. To order, you're given a nostalgic piece of menu paper. A sheet that feels like a relic from the colonial era. Fun fact, the building survived fires, renovations, and even a dramatic triad fight in the 90s. Today it is a protected heritage site drawing crowds for dim sum that changes weekly. Pro tip, arrive early as the first floor is unofficially reserved for regulars. Before we dig in, here's a backstory of the restaurant. Opened in 1933, it is named after the Tang dynasty poet Lu Yu. Back then it was a hub for intellectuals and merchants in colonial Hong Kong, blending Chinese traditions with British flair. Next up, the signature double boiled pig lung soup. One of Luck UT's most tedious yet iconic dishes. Slowly simmered for hours with almonds, dried bok choy, and mandarin peel, it transforms humble pig lungs into a fragrant subtly sweet elixir that's nourishing for the soul. Our mom said at 150 Hong Kong dollars for a small pot, you're paying for a hug in soup form. And may I add, it is cleaned meticulously to leave no weird aftertastes. Here we have two signatures, a double boiled pig lung soup here, and we also have another signature of theirs, their shrimp toast. Very rich and creamy. Next, we have shrimp toast or 蝦多士, a Luck UT staple and one of my personal favorites, especially here. Why? Well, you get a whole butterflied prawn on top of a crunchy and crustless slice of white bread. First bite! Then it's battered and fried to crispy perfection. Dip it in their house-made sweet and sour sauce and it's a textural masterpiece in your mouth. Next, we have the 鹹水角, which literally translates to salty water corner in Cantonese. Don't ask me why, but I would actually say it's more savory than salty. It is a beloved deep fried glutinous rice dumpling. Inside is usually ground pork with dried shrimps, mushroom, and green onions for that umami flavor. It's like a crunchy and gooey love child of a spring roll and mochi. Then, we have the lotus leaf rice or 糯米雞, a sticky glutinous rice mixed with dried shrimp, mushrooms, and the best part, the slices of Chinese sausage. Wrapped in fresh lotus leaves during its sauna time, it infuses everything with an earthy and floral scent, one of my favorites. There you go. Let me know in the comments down below if you guys like to have your dim sum one by one or if you like it to arrive all at once like we did. For something hearty, try the 叉燒包, a fluffy steamed mantou bun encases with diced caramelized pork. Bread glaze is steamed to pillowy lightness. No dim sum skips 蝦餃, the crystal shrimp dumplings that scream luck you quality. These bite-sized beauties wrapped fresh prawns in chewy wee star skin, steamed to glossy perfection for their signature bounce, a teahouse essential. We are just leaving Columbia and um, goodbye. I'm sad for dessert, huh? And also, like, interesting fact that I wanted to let you guys know is that I found very interesting while the theme for breakfast we ate was, it was, uh, something that said egg, but because the owner's pie was too complicated for an egg, it was very hard to arrange, so the cream was never made up. To sweeten the end, we had egg tarts, buttery shortcrust cradles, silky egg custard baked to a slight wobble. These exploded in Hong Kong teahouses like Luck You, becoming a global icon of the city's east meets west story. This restaurant is not just about the food, it's that electric buzz of history in every single bite. And there you have it, Luck You Teahouse, where dim sum dreams and dim sum history collide. From shrimp toast to egg tarts, it's a must for any Hong Kong food pilgrimage. This is our dim sum, and um, we're walking back down to the two stories, so it was interesting to know that, um, the food that we had was different. It changes about every few weeks. So, what's your go-to dim sum spot? Drop it in the comments below, thumbs up if you're hungry, and subscribe if you want to see more Hong Kong hidden gems. Thanks for joining my foodie friends, let's eat our way through more adventures. See you next time!