Godenya

Godenya occupies a discreet upper-ground-floor space on Wellington Street in Central, its entrance tucked into Kau U Fong and accessible only to those who know to look for it — the restaurant provides a passcode through its social media to confirmed reservations, preserving an air of exclusivity that has defined Godenya since it opened the Hong Kong branch in 2015 (having originated in Tokyo's Oshiage and Kyojima). Chef-owner Goshima Shinya is a dual practitioner: a kaiseki-trained chef and a deeply knowledgeable sake sommelier who designs menus in which the food and sake are conceived as inseparable, each course matched to a specific sake chosen to amplify the dish's flavours. This philosophy — rare in Hong Kong's restaurant landscape — earned Godenya its Michelin star and, in 2024, the prestigious MICHELIN Sommelier Award for Goshima-san personally. The counter accommodates six guests in the main room, a table for two, and a private room for up to eight, making every service feel like a private event. The sake-focused course runs at HKD 2,100–2,300 and is one of the most distinctive dining propositions in the city.