SOHO in Hong Kong ~ The Hong Kong Chapter #1

Guest Post post by Payal Biswas and part of The Hong Kong Chapter Series 

Nestled in the heart of the Hong Hong city is the fascinating district of SOHO, which gets its name from South of Hollywood road. Starting from Central District of Hong Kong, it extends all the way up to Robinson road. This district is one of the liveliest and is a bustling nightlife district in Hong Kong. At night time the atmosphere is fun and festive and you just get carried
away by it.

The whole area of SOHO is a varied mix of multicultural restaurants, fashion boutiques, and antiques stores. I started my journey from Elgin road and because I was famished,  hopped into a restaurant which looked inviting and charming with its bright blue picket fences. It’s a Greek cafe called Santorini which is located right next to Central mid-level escalators. 

I selected the set lunch which had corn soup and salad for starters. I chose sole fillet with a rich creamy sauce for my main and there was a Greek desert to finish the sumptuous meal. Like all the other restaurants, the cafe had a great view of the road and the steady stream of passersby.

After my lunch I rode the escalators up all the way to Robinson road.  Now, the SOHO has mid-level escalator systems, which are the world’s longest outdoor covered escalators with a series of 20 escalators and walkways. The unique feature is that the escalators travel downwards from morning 6 to 10 which enables office goers to reach their offices. After 10 the flow is reversed till midnight. After scaling to the top i started my descent using the steps right next to the escalators. The steps were packed with people chilling out in the open with beer can in their hands.  

I ventured into the quaint boutiques. HK has a host of these boutiques but there are exorbitantly priced. But once in a while you do find something which doesn’t make a hole in your pocket. Nevertheless I would definitely recommend you to check them out. There are many antiques stores on Hollywood Road where you will find a wide array of knick-knacks. You should definitely indulge in a traditional Chinese tea-set. That is how I concluded my tour of one of the most intriguing places in HK.

How to get there: You can start your trip at Queen’s road central and take the mid-levels escalators.

Must visit: Elgin road, Staunton road, Hollywood road and Shelley road.

Restaurants I swear by: Linguini Fini , Oolaa, Posto Pubblico, Santorini