For all its rooftop cocktail bars and hidden speakeasies, Hong Kong still runs on the pub. It's where the after-work crowd lands, where the football gets watched, and where a homesick expat finds a proper pint of Guinness and a plate of fish and chips at 11pm. The good ones have outlasted every trend the city has thrown at them.
This is my pick of the best pubs in Hong Kong for 2026 — six institutions that pour a serious pint, feed you well and show the match, from Central to the far side of the island. And the timing is good: with the Hong Kong Football Festival filling Kai Tak in late July and the new European season from August, half the city is about to go looking for a screen and a stool. Every address below was checked against venue listings in July 2026 — but pubs change hands, so confirm before a big night.
In This Guide
Central & Sheung Wan
The Globe — the original gastropub
If you visit one pub in Hong Kong, make it The Globe. Three decades on Graham Street have made it the city's benchmark: the biggest craft-beer selection in town — a rotating wall of world styles plus local taps — alongside genuinely good British classics: pies, fish and chips, bangers and mash. It shows most football and rugby fixtures on a big screen (book the sofa area for a marquee match), and its 9am–8pm happy hour is the longest in the city. More of the beer world in our craft beer guide.
Tsim Sha Tsui
Delaney's — the Kowloon Irish classic
Two decades in, Delaney's is the definitive Hong Kong Irish pub: a properly poured pint of Guinness or Tetley's, dark wood, and enough room to watch a match with a big group without fighting for a sightline. It's not the cheapest round in town, but for craic and comfort on the Kowloon side it's hard to beat. There's a Wan Chai sibling too, if you're island-bound.
Ned Kelly's Last Stand — pints and live jazz since 1972
A genuine time capsule. Ned Kelly's has poured beer on Ashley Road since 1972, and its house Dixieland jazz band still plays nightly to a packed, cheerful room. It's an Aussie-styled pub with dependable grub and zero pretension — the antidote to Hong Kong's polished cocktail scene, and one of the last of its kind.
Wan Chai
Trafalgar — the football headquarters
If the match is the mission, Trafalgar is your pub. This English-style bar high above Lockhart Road runs two 120-inch outdoor projectors and eight indoor screens, which means there's no bad seat for a big fixture — and a rooftop-ish terrace to cool off between halves. Traditional pub food, a solid draught line-up, and the loudest cheer in Wan Chai when the goals go in.
The Pawn — the heritage gastropub
For something a notch smarter, The Pawn occupies a beautifully restored 1888 pawn-shop building on Johnston Road, with a Botanicals Bar on the first floor and a kitchen above. It's more gastropub than boozer — think elevated British plates and a good terrace — but it keeps the pub soul, and the heritage setting is one of Wan Chai's best. Open from noon (11:30am Sundays) to 10pm.
Also on the Wan Chai strip: The White Stag is a long-running Lockhart Road pub with live sport and a genuinely broad beer list (Belgian, British, American, Japanese and local draught), and The Queen Victoria keeps things no-frills with fresh, fast pints and European football on the screens — both a two-minute walk from Wan Chai MTR.
Beyond the city
Smugglers Inn — the Stanley institution
Worth the ride south, Smugglers Inn has poured pints in the same beam-ceilinged room on Stanley Main Street since the early 1980s — a salty-dog local a stone's throw from the beach, where signed banknotes paper the walls and the welcome is warm. Pair it with a Stanley market wander and a seafront lunch for one of the island's best lazy days out.
Where to watch live football over a pint
It's a big stretch for football fans. The Hong Kong Football Festival brings Manchester City, Inter Milan, Chelsea and Juventus to Kai Tak Stadium from 31 July to 5 August, and the new European league season kicks off through August — so the pubs will be rammed. For screens, Trafalgar is the specialist (two 120-inch projectors), while The Globe and Delaney's are the reliable all-rounders; book ahead for marquee kick-offs, especially late-night ones.
Want the bigger picture of a night out? Our Hong Kong nightlife guide maps the wider scene, the happy hour guide tells you when drinks are cheapest, and the 50 best bars pick up once you've had your fill of pints. For independent picks, Time Out's sports-bar guide and Foodie's pub round-up are both worth a look.
The cheat sheet
Best pubs in Hong Kong at a glance (checked July 2026)
| Pub | Area | Best for | MTR |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Globe | Central | Beer list & pub grub | Central |
| Delaney's | Tsim Sha Tsui | Irish pints, group sports | Tsim Sha Tsui |
| Ned Kelly's Last Stand | Tsim Sha Tsui | Live jazz, heritage | Tsim Sha Tsui |
| Trafalgar | Wan Chai | Live football (big screens) | Wan Chai |
| The Pawn | Wan Chai | Heritage gastropub | Wan Chai |
| Smugglers Inn | Stanley | Seaside-village pub | Bus from Central |
One tip from years of Wan Chai Wednesdays: pubs fill fast when there's a big match on, so arrive an hour before kick-off or call to reserve. And if you're pacing yourself, ride the happy hour first — most of these pubs run one — then settle in for the game.