The Puzzling Charm of The Cha Chaan Teng

There is almost nothing that symbolizes Hong Kong culture more than the beloved cha chaan teng (茶餐廳 caa4 caan1 teng1). Cha chaan teng means “tea restaurant” in Cantonese, and has actually been added to most major English dictionaries, so I guess it is an English word too! A lot of foreigners in Hong Kong call them CCTs for short, much to the bewilderment of locals. In turn, many foreigners are not exactly sure why so many souvenirs are based on CCTs. You want me to send a postcard of iced lemon tea or baked pork chop rice? Why?

It takes some digging to really understand them. 

Maybe it will help if you know I like to call them Hong Kong diners. Diner is a pretty good word for it, although it still doesn’t completely capture the feeling of cha chaan teng. They are down-home restaurants. The traditional ones haven’t changed for half a century. Old furniture, cracked tile floors, fading posters curling at the edges. Decades-old teacups and bowls. In a city of constant motion and change (including hopelessly fickle food trends), there is something anchoring in these diners. Fixtures in neighborhoods. After discovering your favorite Japanese restaurant didn’t make it or after trying a disappointing viral bakery, you can always go home to your neighborhood cha chaan teng and know there will be some hot milk tea waiting for you, the same milk tea you’ve been drinking since you were a kid. 

The service is usually “brisk,” ranging from efficient and no-nonsense to surly. Foreigners might be shocked when asked to share a table with strangers or when their plates are whisked off the table the moment the last bite is in their mouth (or sometimes before…). Hong Kongers shrug. What do you expect when there is a line of people out the door waiting to eat and get back to work? Hong Kongers love efficiency, so these things are taken in stride. Even lackluster service is not a big issue. As long as the food is good and fast and cheap, who cares if the waiter doesn’t smile and spills a little of your soup onto the table when they plunk your dishes down in front of you? Sometimes it is even endearing. 

Like all good diners, their dishes are comforting. Although now we definitely consider cha chaan teng food a part of Hong Kong cuisine, they were originally Chinese Western restaurants, the counterpart to American Chinese restaurants. They took Western food and put a Chinese twist on it, adapting dishes to local tastes. Many of my British coworkers did not care for Hong Kong-style milk tea. It is a far cry from their “proper” tea with milk, but my American taste buds love the punch-you-in-the-face flavor. Baked cheesy rice dishes coexist with fried rice and braised pork belly. For afternoon tea (another British tradition), you can have your choice of French toast or soup noodles. It’s a win-win. 

A lot of modern cha chaan tengs have been popping up. Often big chains, they are usually more spacious, bright, comfortable, clean, and insanely popular. They serve up the same dishes and afternoon tea deals as traditional CCTs but with padded booths instead of creaky stools. They don’t have the nostalgia factor of the more traditional shops, but they are smart for repackaging the CCT in a way that appeals to even more people. 

That is one of the greatest things about cha chaan tengs: they really are for everyone. Rich or poor, young or old. You will see business men in suits next to construction workers, retirees, moms with their little kids, and young guys covered in tattoos. All segments of the population walk through their doors and drink their tea. In an often divided and tumultuous world, everyone can agree that after a rough day, nothing quite hits the spot like a freshly baked pineapple bun with butter. The only question is, milk tea or lemon tea?