Is HK Express the Best Low-Cost Airline for Food and Shopping?
By Airline Ratings Thu Sep 17, 2026
Anyone who flies low-cost around Asia knows the usual choice, which is a foil tray of grey teriyaki chicken glued to a block of rice or a nasi lemak that gave up somewhere over the South China Sea. HK Express, the World’s Best Low Cost Carrier*, has taken a different route by building its menu around the city it calls home, serving dishes that come from restaurants people already queue for on the ground. It also offers an exciting in-flight shopping menu especially if you're a fan of airline merchandise, JOGUMAN and collectables in general.
Read on for our look at the food and shopping options, or, if you’re short on time, watch our resident aviation aficionado, Ronnie, take you through some of the highlights.
Hk Express; it starts with the Hong Kong street food
The snack list keeps you firmly on the streets of Hong Kong. The HK Style Street Food Combo at HKD 65 pairs curry fish balls with fish siu mai and a carton of the much loved Hi-C lemon tea. The rice noodle rolls at HKD 35 come with sweet sauce, sesame sauce and soy sauce the way the stalls serve them, and the same HKD 35 also buys a pineapple bun filled with barbecued pork.
Personally, this editor’s favourite dishes on board are the siu mai, which are so good you should order two, the Soup Bursting Pan-fried Pork Bun, and the curry fish balls. For tourists, it’s a great introduction to the flavours of Hong Kong, while for locals, it offers a welcome taste of home.
Whilst you’re always welcome to start with dessert, if you do choose to go savoury first, be sure to save room for the egg waffle, or gai daan jai. The original version has the golden honeycomb shell and chewy, eggy centre that street stalls are known for, while the new banana chocolate version adds chocolate chips through the bubbles, turning it into a proper dessert.
It is made for sharing, as the bubbles tear off one at a time, although we wouldn’t blame anyone for keeping the whole thing to themselves. This editor is the perfect example of someone who chose not to share.
The rice dish that delights
The main meal to order at the moment is the Satay King White Curry Lemongrass Pork Chop Rice. A golden, crumbed pork chop sits on steamed rice with a silky white curry sauce that is mild, fragrant with lemongrass and a long way from the gluey sauces that usually arrive in a foil tray. Satay King is a Hong Kong institution, and HK Express describes the dish as a childhood favourite for generations, which helps explain why it joined the menu on 1 July 2026, alongside its own themed restaurant in Kowloon Bay.
Tsui Wah, the cha chaan teng chain many visitors will know from Central, supplies a beef brisket curry with rice at the same price, while A-1 Bakery contributes a carbonara pasta that is surprisingly delicious. Celebrity cake artist Jimmy Lau rounds things off with a gluten-free Pandan Basque Cheesecake.
The shop: blind boxes, collectables and a folding umbrella
Once you've eaten your way through the menu, the next thing to do is go shopping . The star is the "Hang On to Your Journey" plush keychain blind box at HKD 90, a set of six designs that includes an aircraft window, a catering trolley, a skewer of fish balls, a pineapple bun and a secret edition that nobody knows until the box is open. Aviation fans can pick up an A321neo brick set for HKD 168, cabin crew and pilot character keychains for HKD 60 or a gel pen with a pullback plane on top, while parents can dress the next generation in oh so adorable crew uniforms for HKD 120.
HK Express has also teamed up with JOGUMAN, the popular Korean dinosaur character brand, on a range that covers the practical side of travel. The folding umbrella and 160cm blanket cost HKD 120 each, while the LCD colour drawing board is HKD 80 and, for families, is probably the best-value entertainment on the aircraft. My advice, though, is to get one for each child because they are unlikely to want to share!
It’s worth noting that the range is limited, so stock can vary by flight.
The gadget page adds a Vinnic smart tag for tracking luggage at HKD 95, Monster true wireless headphones at HKD 180 and an AIRSIM reusable travel SIM at HKD 105, with 20% off for anyone who spends HKD 800 on that range.
The in-flight menu and shopping catalogue runs to 40 pages, so we can’t show you everything here. There’s plenty to look through, so have a browse of the full range here or take a look at the video below.
On board ordering and celebrations
HK Express is rolling out a system called Cabin Connect across the fleet, which lets passengers order food and drinks, shop, track the flight and request a seat upgrade from their own device before the crew deliver everything to the seat. Travellers who plan ahead can pre-order meals at up to 28% off, although pre-booking closes 24 hours before departure. Onboard, the airline accepts Visa, Mastercard, JCB and Octopus cards, while debit cards are not accepted. It is also worth knowing that HK Express does not allow outside food or drink to be consumed onboard, which makes a good menu matter even more. Anyone marking a birthday or honeymoon can pre-order an Inflight Party Celebration Set with a blueberry cheesecake, greeting card, two drinks and a surprise gift on flights departing Hong Kong.
HK Express: A Low-Cost Menu Done Properly
HK Express has put considerably more thought into its food than you might expect from a low-cost carrier. Rather than simply offering cheap, forgettable meals, the airline has built its menu around the flavours and food culture of Hong Kong, working with well-known local brands to bring familiar dishes onboard. The result is food that feels considered, distinctive and genuinely enjoyable, rather than an afterthought. For us, that makes HK Express’s onboard menu one of the strongest we’ve come across in the low-cost airline space.
AirlineRatings editors have chosen HK express as the Worlds’ Best Low Cost Carrier for 2025 and 2026
Have questions or want to share your thoughts?
