Monday night saw the unveiling of the 100 Top Tables Guide 2026, published by the South China Morning Post (SCMP). Now in its 14th year, the publication is an annual independent guide to the best fine dining restaurants and bars in Hong Kong, Macau and the wider Greater Bay Area (GBA), as judged by the SCMP’s dedicated food writers. The new edition features 100 Hong Kong restaurants, 25 distinguished Macau establishments, 10 outstanding restaurants from the GBA, and 25 of the most noteworthy bars from across the region.

The 2026 launch took place at Popinjays at The Murray, overlooking Central and Mid-Levels, and was supported by Standard Chartered Priority Private, as well as drinks sponsor Moët & Chandon.

The ceremony spotlighted the 160 recognised establishments, with the venue filled with hundreds of chefs, restaurateurs and industry luminaries from across Hong Kong, Macau and the GBA.

Cat Nelson, editorial director of Specialist Publications at SCMP, addressed the audience, acknowledging that while diners are inundated with restaurant guides and recommendations, 100 Top Tables offers something “distinctly different” and distinctly Hong Kong – “a view through the eyes of people who live here and from an institution with a legacy of 123 years in the city”.

With the guide reaching its 14th edition, content director Douglas Parkes, editor of the publication for the past three years, trumpeted 100 Top Tables’ ongoing success and continued growth, highlighting the inclusion of restaurants from the Greater Bay Area for the first time and its largest bar section to date.

“The guide is the biggest it has ever been,” he said. “This year, we have 160 establishments featured, making the name 100 Top Tables less appropriate than ever. And those 160 establishments come from four Greater Bay Area cities. I can proudly stand here and say 100 Top Tables is no longer just a Hong Kong guide – it is now a truly regional publication.”

As in previous years, the evening featured 10 special awards, celebrating individual and institutional excellence beyond the 160 recognised establishments.

The first award of the night, for Best New Interior Design, was presented to Roganic Hong Kong for its new home in Lee Gardens. Owner Marcel Ngan said staying in Causeway Bay was a core priority: “We’ve spent five years building a community here, and that’s not something I wanted to walk away from. So we knew wherever we went next, it had to be in the neighbourhood.”