Terrace Boulud Hong Kong: Daniel Boulud's Rooftop Brasserie Lands in Central

For two years the most-photographed rooftop in Central sat dark. When SEVVA closed in May 2024, it took with it one of Hong Kong's great views — that giddy, eye-level sweep of the HSBC building, the harbour and the Peak from the top of Prince's Building. The question was never whether someone would take the space. It was who could possibly be worth the address.

The answer turned out to be Terrace Boulud. The Michelin-starred New York chef Daniel Boulud has opened his first restaurant in Asia up there, in partnership with Mandarin Oriental — and in doing so handed the hotel its first dining room beyond its own walls. Here is what has actually landed 25 floors above Chater Road, and how to make the most of it.

When Did Terrace Boulud Open?

Terrace Boulud opened in March 2026 on the 25th floor of Landmark Prince's (Prince's Building, 太子大廈) in Central, taking over the rooftop that SEVVA vacated in 2024. Three months on, it has settled into the rhythm of a proper Central fixture rather than a launch-week curiosity — which is exactly when a restaurant like this is worth writing about.

Two things make the opening genuinely notable beyond the view. First, it is the first Terrace Boulud anywhere in Asia, the latest stop in a global group that runs from Boulud's New York flagship outward. Second, it is Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong's first dining concept located outside the hotel — the grande dame of Hong Kong hospitality extending its name across the street and up into the skyline. For a city that measures itself partly by its restaurant openings, that combination is a statement.

Who Is Daniel Boulud?

Daniel Boulud is one of the most decorated French chefs working in America. Born near Lyon, he built his name in New York, where his eponymous restaurant Daniel has long been a fixture of the city's fine-dining top tier, and he now lends his cooking to venues across several continents. A Hong Kong outpost has been a long time coming, and he has chosen a rooftop rather than a hotel basement to make the entrance.

Crucially, Boulud is the name and the vision, not the chef standing at the pass every night. The kitchen here is led by Executive Chef Aurélie Altemaire, whose résumé runs through Michelin-starred kitchens in Paris and a decade alongside the late Joël Robuchon in London. That matters for honesty's sake: this is a Boulud restaurant in concept and quality control, executed daily by a serious resident team.

What's on the Menu?

The cooking is built around what the restaurant calls Boulud's four culinary muses: La Tradition (French classics), La Saison (specialities of the market), Le Potager (vegetable-forward dishes) and Le Voyage (flavours borrowed from the world's great cuisines). In practice that means brasserie anchors done properly — pâté en croûte, vol-au-vent, roast poulet and a raw bar with seafood from the grill — rather than fireworks for their own sake.

The most Hong Kong thing on the menu is a fifth idea bolted on top: DB x MO Dim Sum, a collaboration that puts French technique into conversation with Cantonese tradition. Reported highlights include Hong Kong shrimp dumplings with a ginger-and-scallion XO dip, Lyon-inspired pig-trotter-and-truffle soup dumplings, and a New York pastrami bao with cabbage and sweet mustard. It is a wink at the city rather than a gimmick — and a neat counterpoint to the classic dim sum houses a tram ride away.

Drinking is taken just as seriously. The list runs to more than 300 wine references, with magnum pours offered by the glass, while the cocktails rework classic templates through Asian flavours. If your interest is the bar more than the table, it sits comfortably alongside Central's best rooftop bars and cocktail rooms.

The Room, the Terrace and the Night

The space was designed by Malherbe Paris, and it leans into the romance of train travel — a sculptural green-onyx bar gives way to the dining room and then the open terrace, with digital "windows" running landscapes as if you were gliding through them. The point of the whole thing, of course, is the open-air rooftop: harbour on one side, the towers of Central pressing in on the other.

It also shifts gear as the evening goes on. Mandarin Oriental lists dinner from 6pm to 10pm and terrace and bar drinks from 3pm until midnight, and the later hours bring DJs and live performers to set the mood — closer to a smart night out than a quiet hotel dining room. Lunch and afternoon tea are part of the offering too, so confirm daytime sittings when you book.

Where Is It, and How Do You Get There?

Terrace Boulud sits at the top of Landmark Prince's — the retail name for Prince's Building (太子大廈), 10 Chater Road, Central — directly across from The Landmark and the Mandarin Oriental flagship at 5 Connaught Road Central. Head up to the 25th floor; the lift and arrival sequence are part of the experience.

The nearest MTR is Central Station, and Exit K puts you within a two-to-three-minute covered walk. Because Prince's Building is wired into Central's network of elevated walkways, you can reach it dry-shod from The Landmark, Chater House and the wider Central core — handy in a Hong Kong summer downpour. It is also an easy add-on to an afternoon of luxury shopping in Central before dinner.

If you are working through the season's arrivals, this is the grand end of a busy run — our round-up of new restaurants opening in Hong Kong this June maps the rest, the cult bakery Manteigaria covers the cheap-and-cheerful end a few minutes away, and the YumChaNow venue directory tracks where to eat and play across town.

How to Book — and Is It Worth It?

Reservations run through Mandarin Oriental's SevenRooms page or by phone on +852 2522 0111. The dress code is smart casual; all ages are welcome before 9pm, after which the room is for guests aged 12 and over (for food and non-alcoholic drinks). For a prime-view table, book ahead — a rooftop this rare fills its window seats fast.

Is it worth it? For a special occasion, an out-of-town guest you want to impress, or a serious wine night with a view, this is one of the most compelling new tables in town — the pedigree is real and the setting is genuinely hard to beat. It sits naturally on a shortlist with the city's Michelin-starred dining rooms and the grand hotels behind Hong Kong's best luxury stays. Just go in clear-eyed: this is fine-dining territory, not a casual weeknight, and it rewards a booking made with intent.

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