Food delivery in Hong Kong has changed dramatically over the past two years. What was once a three-way race between Foodpanda, Deliveroo, and a handful of smaller players is now essentially a two-app market. If you are new to the city or simply trying to figure out which app deserves space on your phone, this guide breaks down everything you need to know.
The Current Food Delivery Landscape in Hong Kong
Hong Kong was a surprisingly late adopter of food delivery by app. The city’s dense network of restaurants, affordable street food, and compact geography meant most people simply walked to pick up their meals. As recently as 2022, food delivery penetration in Hong Kong sat at roughly 3 to 5 percent of all restaurant transactions, compared to around 30 percent in Mainland China.
That started to shift in May 2023 when Keeta, the international brand of Mainland China’s dominant delivery platform Meituan, launched in Hong Kong with aggressive pricing and free delivery campaigns. Within a year, Keeta had captured an estimated 44 percent of the market by order volume, reshaping the competitive landscape entirely.
Uber Eats had already left Hong Kong at the end of 2021. Deliveroo, which had operated in the city for nine years, announced its exit in March 2025 and ceased operations in April 2025. That leaves two major players standing: Keeta and Foodpanda.
For expats, this simplifies the decision considerably. You really only need two apps, and in many cases one will cover most of your needs. Both platforms have invested heavily in English-language support, recognising that Hong Kong’s international community is a valuable user base. Whether you are ordering from a local cha chaan teng or an Italian restaurant in Central, the ordering experience is smooth in English on both apps.
Keeta: What You Need to Know
Keeta is backed by Meituan, the company behind China’s largest food delivery and local services platform. It launched in Hong Kong’s Mong Kok and Tai Kok Tsui districts in May 2023 and expanded to cover all 18 districts by October of the same year. The app is available in both English and Traditional Chinese, which makes it accessible for expats from day one.
The platform lists over 10,000 restaurant partners across every cuisine you would expect in Hong Kong, from Cantonese dim sum and cha chaan teng staples to Japanese ramen, Thai curries, Korean barbecue, and Western options. Since mid-2024, Keeta has also partnered with convenience stores including 7-Eleven, so you can order snacks, drinks, and basic grocery items alongside your meals.
One of Keeta’s standout features is its on-time delivery guarantee, branded as “準時保” in Chinese. The platform promises an average delivery time of around 27 minutes, and if your order arrives more than 15 minutes past the estimated latest delivery time, you receive compensation in the form of discount coupons. Keeta reports an on-time rate above 98 percent.
Perhaps the biggest draw for budget-conscious users is Keeta’s membership-free model. Unlike Foodpanda’s paid subscription approach, Keeta offers free delivery and promotional discounts without requiring a monthly fee. New users typically receive welcome coupons worth up to HK$300, which makes the first few weeks of using the app extremely affordable.
Keeta accepts Visa, Mastercard, AlipayHK, WeChat Pay HK, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. The average order value on Keeta tends to sit around HK$100, reflecting the platform’s popularity among solo diners ordering individual meals.
The app’s interface is organised around a home feed that surfaces nearby restaurants, trending dishes, and active promotions. You can filter by cuisine type, delivery time, and price range. Keeta also features a “group order” function that lets multiple people add items to the same cart using a shared link, which is handy for office lunch orders. The app’s built-in tracking shows your rider’s location in real time, and customer service is accessible through an in-app chat function if anything goes wrong with your order.
Foodpanda: What You Need to Know
Foodpanda has operated in Hong Kong since 2014, making it the longest-running food delivery platform in the city. It partners with over 14,000 restaurants and shops, giving it the broadest selection of any delivery app in Hong Kong. Beyond restaurants, Foodpanda operates pandamart (its own grocery delivery service) and pandamart XL for larger household orders, plus a marketplace called foodpanda mall that connects users with retail shops.
The app is fully available in English and offers a clean, intuitive interface that most expats find easy to navigate. Coverage extends across all of Hong Kong, including outlying islands like Lamma, Cheung Chau, and Lantau, which is a notable advantage over Keeta in areas with lower population density.
Foodpanda’s subscription service, pandapro, costs approximately HK$65 per month (or around HK$630 per year with promotional pricing). Subscribers get unlimited free delivery on restaurant orders of HK$120 or more, pandamart orders of HK$280 or more, and foodpanda mall orders of HK$280 or more. If you order delivery more than a few times per month, pandapro pays for itself quickly.
Standard delivery fees without pandapro start at around HK$15 and can go higher depending on distance and demand. Foodpanda also offers a pickup option where you order through the app and collect the food yourself, saving the delivery fee entirely.
Payment methods include Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, PayMe by HSBC, AlipayHK, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and cash on delivery. The cash option is particularly useful for expats who have just arrived and may not have set up local payment methods yet.
The average order value on Foodpanda tends to be higher, around HK$170 to HK$180, reflecting its popularity for family orders and combined food-plus-grocery baskets.
Foodpanda’s interface includes a “Cuisines” filter that lets you browse by food type, and a “Popular Near You” section that highlights well-rated restaurants in your area. The app also supports scheduled orders, so you can place a dinner order in the morning and choose a specific delivery window for the evening. Customer ratings and reviews are visible for each restaurant, which helps when you are trying a new place for the first time. Foodpanda’s customer support is available via in-app live chat and generally responds within a few minutes.
Head-to-Head Comparison
| Feature | Keeta | Foodpanda |
|---|---|---|
| Parent Company | Meituan (China) | Delivery Hero (Germany) |
| Launched in HK | May 2023 | 2014 |
| Restaurant Partners | 10,000+ | 14,000+ |
| Coverage | All 18 districts | All areas including outlying islands |
| English App | Yes | Yes |
| Avg. Delivery Time | ~27 minutes | 20 to 40 minutes |
| Delivery Fee | Often free (no subscription needed) | From HK$15 (free with pandapro on qualifying orders) |
| Subscription | None required | pandapro ~HK$65/month |
| Min. Order (Free Delivery) | Varies by promotion | HK$120 (pandapro restaurants) |
| Grocery Delivery | 7-Eleven, convenience stores | pandamart, pandamart XL, foodpanda mall |
| Pickup Option | No | Yes |
| On-Time Guarantee | Yes (compensates if 15+ min late) | No |
| Payment Methods | Visa, MC, AlipayHK, WeChat Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay | Visa, MC, PayPal, PayMe, AlipayHK, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Cash |
| Cash Payment | No | Yes |
Which App Should You Download First?
Both apps are free to download and create an account on, so we recommend installing both. That said, your starting point depends on your situation.
If you have just arrived in Hong Kong, start with Keeta. The welcome coupons (up to HK$300 worth) make your first several orders significantly cheaper, and the free delivery model means you will not pay extra while you are still getting settled. The English interface is clean and the app is straightforward to set up.
If you order for a family or household, Foodpanda’s pandapro subscription and grocery delivery capabilities make it the stronger everyday choice. Being able to add pantry items from pandamart to the same order as your dinner saves both time and delivery fees.
If you live on an outlying island, Foodpanda is your primary option. Keeta’s coverage in lower-density areas like Lamma Island, Cheung Chau, and parts of Lantau is more limited in terms of restaurant availability.
If you are budget-conscious and ordering solo, Keeta’s lower average order values and membership-free discounts make it consistently cheaper for individual meals. Many solo diners find complete meals delivered for under HK$80 after applying available promotions.
If you prefer paying by cash, Foodpanda is the only option that supports cash on delivery.
In practice, most regular users in Hong Kong keep both apps installed and compare prices, delivery times, and available promotions before placing each order. Restaurant menus and pricing can differ between apps, so a quick check on both often saves money.
Other Food Delivery Options Worth Knowing
While Keeta and Foodpanda dominate the market, a few smaller services fill specific niches.
OpenRice Delivery integrates with Hong Kong’s most popular restaurant review platform. If you already use OpenRice to find restaurants, ordering delivery directly through the app can be convenient, though the restaurant selection for delivery is smaller than either Keeta or Foodpanda.
OOHK (Order Out Hong Kong) focuses primarily on Kowloon and parts of the New Territories. It is a smaller platform but sometimes features local restaurants that are not listed on the major apps.
Direct restaurant apps from chains like McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, and PHD (Pizza Hut Delivery) often offer exclusive deals that are not available through third-party platforms. If you order frequently from a specific chain, their own app may offer better value.
HKTVmall is primarily a grocery and household goods delivery platform, but it also partners with some food vendors. It is worth knowing about for grocery delivery, though it does not compete directly with Keeta or Foodpanda for restaurant meals.
Tips for Getting the Best Deals
The food delivery market in Hong Kong is intensely competitive, which works in your favour as a consumer. Here are practical ways to save.
Compare both apps before every order. The same restaurant often appears on both Keeta and Foodpanda, but menu pricing, delivery fees, and available promotions can differ. A 30-second comparison can save HK$20 to HK$40 per order.
Use Keeta’s new user coupons strategically. The welcome package is generous, but the coupons typically have minimum spend requirements and expiry dates. Plan your first few orders to maximise the value, ideally on orders that are just above the minimum spend threshold.
Consider Foodpanda pickup for nearby restaurants. If a restaurant is within walking distance, ordering through the app for pickup lets you skip the delivery fee while still taking advantage of any in-app promotions or discounts.
Check credit card tie-ups. Several Hong Kong banks offer periodic promotions with food delivery apps. Citi, HSBC, and Standard Chartered have all run campaigns offering cashback or additional discounts on Foodpanda orders. These rotate frequently, so check your bank’s rewards page.
Set multiple delivery addresses. Both apps let you save multiple addresses (home, office, etc.), which makes reordering faster and ensures you see the most relevant restaurant options for your current location.
Order during off-peak hours when possible. Delivery times are fastest and surge pricing is lowest during mid-afternoon (2pm to 5pm) on weekdays. Lunch rush (12pm to 1:30pm) and dinner peak (6:30pm to 8pm) often mean longer waits and fewer available promotions.
Rate and review your orders. Both apps factor your activity level into the promotions they show you. Active users who leave ratings tend to receive more targeted discount codes. It takes a few seconds and can improve the deals you are offered over time.
Watch for typhoon and rainstorm surge pricing. During Signal 8 typhoons or Black Rainstorm warnings, delivery fees on both platforms spike significantly and wait times stretch to over an hour. If a storm is forecast, consider ordering earlier in the day or stocking up from pandamart before the warning is issued.
