Honolulu Coffee Shop was filled during Friday’s lunch rush, with long, winding queues stretching along Hennessy Road as patrons waited to get in, according to the South China Morning Post.
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Customers queue up outside Honolulu Coffee Shop’s Wan Chai store on Feb. 13, 2026 before its planned shutdown on March 1, 2026. Photo courtesy of Honolulu Coffee Shop |
The Hong Kong-style eatery said on a Facebook Thursday that it would shut its long-running store on March 1 “after careful consideration,” leaving only one outlet remaining in the Hang Hau area.
Diners expressed regret over the impending loss of the decades-old shop, recognized for its grey-and-yellow facade and the smell of freshly baked 192-layer egg tarts drifting from its ovens.
One customer, a man surnamed Leung in his sixties, said the closure was unfortunate as he had been visiting the restaurant since his youth.
The retiree made a special trip to Wan Chai for a final meal and bought four pieces of the French dessert mille-feuille, among his favorite pastries, to take away.
University researcher Pearl Yun recalled regularly visiting the bakery during her teenage years while studying and playing sports with friends at nearby Southorn Stadium.
“Honolulu Coffee Shop is the collective memory not just of Wan Chai, but of Hong Kong Island,” she said. “The flavor here is linked to my childhood.”
“Many places serve Hong Kong-style milk tea, including fast food restaurants, but the taste is not the same,” she said.
Demand for its signature egg tarts was so strong on Friday afternoon that staff tried to discourage more people from lining up, informing them that all egg tarts had already sold out.
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The famous egg tarts of Honolulu Coffee Shop. Photo courtesy of Honolulu Coffee Shop |
In its closure announcement, the restaurant thanked customers for their “immense love and support.”
“Since the 1940s, the Honolulu brand has accompanied the people of Hong Kong for over 80 years, becoming a classic memory in the hearts of many,” it said.
“We welcome everyone to visit us … to relive our classic flavors and bid us a fond farewell.”
The restaurant appeared in the 2010 Hong Kong romantic comedy Crossing Hennessy. Situated near one of Wan Chai’s busy MTR exits, the shop has been a popular breakfast destination since relocating from Lockhart Road to Hennessy Road in the 1990s.
Honolulu Coffee Shop previously closed its Stanley Street outlet in Central in 2017, but that same year expanded into Singapore to significant fanfare.
After seven years, the franchise exited the market, closing its final Singapore outlet in October 2024.
Despite the Wan Chai shutdown, the restaurant suggested a possible return, saying it promised to meet diners again “in a better form in the near future.”
“We look forward to reuniting with you at a new location to continue enjoying the classic taste of Honolulu,” it said.
The closure adds to a growing list of restaurant shutdowns over the past two years as consumer spending habits shift, including more residents traveling across the border for leisure.
