La Taverna: Hong Kong’s Best Italian Since 1969

There is a restaurant on Ashley Road that has been serving pasta before most of the buildings around it existed. La Taverna opened in 1969. That makes it 57 years old, which in Hong Kong restaurant years is practically geological. The city has torn down entire neighbourhoods and rebuilt them twice over in that time. Shopping malls have risen, collapsed, and been replaced by newer shopping malls. And through all of it, this Italian restaurant on the ground floor of the Astoria Building has kept its doors open, its Chianti bottles hanging from the ceiling, and its risotto alla Milanese on the menu.

You walk in and it hits you immediately: this place is not trying to be modern. The low stone arches, the warm amber lighting, the hundreds of straw-wrapped Chianti bottles suspended overhead like some kind of beautiful, boozy stalactite formation. It looks like a trattoria you would stumble into on a back street in Bologna, except you are standing in the middle of Tsim Sha Tsui with a Sasa and a 7-Eleven visible through the window.

The Room That Time Forgot

La Taverna was Hong Kong’s first Italian restaurant. Not the first fine-dining Italian, not the first pizzeria. The first. Period. When it opened in 1969, the idea of eating Italian food in this city was genuinely exotic. Most of Hong Kong was eating Cantonese, maybe some British pub food if you were feeling adventurous. La Taverna introduced spaghetti Bolognese, osso buco, and tiramisu to a generation of diners who had never encountered any of it before.

The interior has been refreshed over the decades, but the bones are the same. Original Italian furniture sits under those famous arched ceilings. The Chianti bottle collection, which started as decoration and has become something closer to an art installation, covers nearly every inch of overhead space. A deli counter near the entrance sells imported Italian goods. There is even an outdoor terrazzo now, added during a more recent renovation, giving you the option of eating al fresco on Ashley Road, which on a good evening feels surprisingly European for a street in Kowloon.

The place was also a filming location for Bruce Lee’s Game of Death. That is the kind of historical footnote that most restaurants would plaster across their signage and social media. La Taverna barely mentions it. When you have been open for nearly six decades, you do not need to name-drop.

What to Order

The menu is Northern Italian with a few concessions to what Hong Kong diners have come to expect. It is not cheap, but it is not Central prices either. For Tsim Sha Tsui, the value proposition holds up, especially at lunch. Starters run from around HK$168 for the carpaccio di capesante with citrus caviar to HK$188 for the beef tartare. Both are clean, precise, and beautifully plated on branded ceramics that make you feel like the restaurant cares about presentation without making a performance of it.

The pastas are the heart of the menu. The tagliatelle alla Bolognese (HK$248) uses Wagyu beef, and the richness of the ragu is noticeable from the first forkful. The veal tripe tagliatelle (also HK$248) is unusual for Hong Kong and worth ordering if you are the kind of person who appreciates offal done properly: tender, slow-braised, with a depth of flavour you rarely see on this side of the Mediterranean. The squid ink pasta comes loaded with octopus and has a briny, almost oceanic intensity that pairs well with the house wine list.

For risotto, the alla Milanese with osso buco (HK$268) is the signature. Saffron rice, properly creamy with the right amount of bite still in each grain, served alongside a cross-cut veal shank that has been braised until the marrow practically slides out. It is the dish that RedNote reviewers keep coming back for, and the one that earned a 1,200-like post from a blogger calling it the most impressive risotto in Hong Kong. The red prawn risotto (HK$268) is the lighter alternative, with a clean tomato base and prawns that still have some snap to them.

The Bigger Plates

Main courses go from HK$288 for the scaloppine al Marsala (pan-fried chicken fillets in Marsala wine) up to HK$328 for the grilled lamb chops. The T-bone steak is the showstopper: a thick, properly aged cut served with roasted garlic cloves and a simplicity that lets the quality of the meat do the talking. It arrives on a wooden board, still sizzling, and you can smell it from two tables away.

The weekend brunch (Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays from 11:30am) draws a different crowd: families, couples on lazy late mornings, groups of friends who are in no rush to be anywhere. The set lunch on weekdays is the best value play if you want the La Taverna experience without the full dinner price tag.

The Sweet Finish

Finish with the tiramisu (HK$88). It is traditional, unapologetically coffee-soaked, with mascarpone that tastes like it was made this morning. The pistachio coconut panna cotta (HK$78) is the lighter option if you want something sweet without the richness. Both are good. The tiramisu is better. In a restaurant that has been making it for over half a century, you would hope so.

Cocktails start at HK$118, mocktails at HK$78, and the wine list leans Italian, which is exactly what you want here. The markup is reasonable by Hong Kong standards. You can have a proper bottle of Chianti at the table for less than you would pay at most Central wine bars, and there is something satisfying about drinking Chianti underneath a ceiling of Chianti bottles.

The service deserves a mention. The staff are efficient without being rushed, attentive without hovering. Some of them have been here for years. There is a warmth to the service that feels Italian in the best possible way: they want you to eat well, drink well, and leave happy. Booking ahead is smart, especially for dinner on weekends. Walk-ins are possible at lunch on weekdays, but do not gamble on Friday or Saturday evening without a reservation. You can book via phone or WhatsApp.

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