Petit Jardin Review: Xiao Long Bao at the Peak Tower, Hong Kong (and How to Skip the HK$80 Ticket)

The short version: Petit Jardin is the xiao long bao place inside the Peak Tower at Victoria Peak, the casual spin-off of Jardin De Jade. Its Wan Chai restaurant held a Michelin star for eleven years. The dumplings are good, with a nub on top you can pour the soup out of, but a sharper taste than Din Tai Fung. The drunken chicken is the dish to get, and both chickens come with bones. The room is big and mostly doesn’t get the view, the service is direct and fast, and it’s a touristy spot you’d only go to because you’re up at the Peak. About HK$686 ($88) for three, or HK$229 ($29) a head. A decent, convenient dinner after the view, not a destination, and I wouldn’t go back for it.

I had dinner at Petit Jardin with two family members on a Sunday in November 2026. We paid for everything ourselves.

Pros

• Good xiao long bao, soft, with a nub on top to pour the soup from
• The drunken chicken in Shaoxing wine: 7.5 out of 10
• Fast, and every order came out right
• A big room, so you can get a table while the Peak is packed
• A free viewing terrace right outside, so you can skip the HK$80 Sky Terrace ticket

Cons

• Most tables don’t get the view
• A touristy spot; you wouldn’t come up here just to eat
• The dumplings and the ginger-scallion chicken have a sharper taste than Din Tai Fung
• Both chickens come with bones
• Service is a bit direct, not very warm
• The bathroom is outside the restaurant

Getting there

Petit Jardin is inside the Peak Tower, the building with the escalators up to the Peak. We took an Uber up and walked from the drop-off, went into the building and up the escalators; a standee inside shows the restaurant’s xiao long bao, and it’s on the left. It’s a fairly large place. One tip worth the trip on its own: when you come out of the restaurant there’s a small free viewing area. You don’t need to buy the Sky Terrace ticket, which is HK$80 per adult. The bathroom isn’t inside the restaurant; go back out past the entrance, and it’s on the left, behind a steel door you wave to open.

The Peak itself

We were staying on the Kowloon side, so the Uber up took about 30 minutes, then dinner, then photos at the top. The Peak is very cool, but it’s touristy and possibly a bit overrated, because there are so many people. It’s also very sunny up there, so wear sunscreen or take an umbrella, and the sun makes it harder to get good pictures even if that’s what you came for. The view is very good, but you can get that view from other parts of Hong Kong too; you don’t have to be here for it. The free deck outside the restaurant does the skyline at dusk.

The better stop is one most tourists skip: Mount Austin Playground, a small park about a 10-minute, fairly steep walk up from the Peak Tower. Go at night. It’s beautiful, with a view of the city and the hills around it, in a very affluent part of the Peak, so it’s clean and nicely kept, with bathrooms, and it feels a bit glamorous. The climb could be an issue for older people, but it’s worth it. We didn’t take the tram down.

The setting: 7 out of 10

Not as high as you’d expect for a restaurant at the Peak. We got a window table with no wait. We arrived around 5 and the room was still fairly empty when we left at 6:30, so I don’t think you need a reservation, at least that early. It’s a big, bright room with a honeycomb wood ceiling, blue chairs, and a line-drawing mural of Jiangnan farms and rivers along one wall. The windows open onto the viewing deck, and it does have a nice view. The trouble is that most of the room doesn’t get it; only the tables along the windows do, and the people outside on the deck are looking in at you. It’s also a touristy area, so you probably wouldn’t come here unless you were visiting the Peak anyway.

The food: 7 out of 10

Pretty tasty overall, with one caveat: the flavors are a bit sharper than at Din Tai Fung, which was the one thing I didn’t love. If it’s xiao long bao you’re after, I’d pick Din Tai Fung; the closest branches are in Tsim Sha Tsui (Silvercord on Canton Road and Mira Place on Nathan Road) and Causeway Bay.

Xiao long bao: 7 out of 10. Six to a bamboo basket, everything soft, with a little nub at the top you can pour the soup out of before you eat the rest. Good, but with that sharper taste. HK$128 for six.

Drunken chicken with Shaoxing wine: 7.5 out of 10. The one in the white bowl, cold, in a wine reduction. I liked this one; it’s the dish I’d order again. HK$98.

Chicken with ginger, soaked in spring onion oil: 6.5 out of 10. The one in the black bowl, under a pile of scallions. Tasty, but with a sharper taste that won’t be for everyone. HK$98. Both chickens come with the bones in, which is normal here but worth knowing if you’re a tourist expecting boneless.

Beef with leeks: 6.5 out of 10. Tender, but I’m not a fan of this style of beef in a glossy sauce, and it could use more flavor.

The menu also has a crab roe section (gold-leaf crab roe xiao long bao at HK$98 for four, crab roe with scrambled egg white at HK$138). I skipped it this time and would try it next, since November is the season for it. There’s also a Shanghai assorted basket at HK$128, wontons in chilli vinaigrette and the usual Jiangnan cold appetizers.

Service: 6.5 out of 10

A bit direct and not overly friendly, but fast: they took the order quickly, got everything right, and the food came out in good time. Prices carry a 10% service charge.

What it cost

For three people, two baskets of xiao long bao, both chickens and the beef: $87.94 on the card statement, about HK$686, with the service charge and everything else included, or about HK$229 ($29) a person. I don’t have the receipt, so that’s the statement total.

Value: 6 out of 10

Not terrible, but not good either. HK$229 a head for dumplings, two chickens and a beef dish is on the expensive side for what you get. In Hong Kong there are a lot of other options with better service, a better setting and better food for the same money, Sen-ryo and Din Tai Fung among them. The other problem is that it’s far from everything; you’d only come here if you were at the Peak. To be fair, I haven’t tried the other restaurants up here, so I can’t say how it compares to its neighbors. The food is still pretty good, and if you’re at the Peak it’s convenient.

Who it’s for

• Anyone doing the Peak who wants a sit-down dinner without leaving the building.
• Families and groups: it’s big, so you’ll get a table when the Peak is crowded.
• Xiao long bao fans who want to compare it with Din Tai Fung.
• Not for anyone looking for a destination restaurant; it’s a convenient one. If you’re not going up to the Peak, don’t make the trip for it.

Tips if you go

• Ask for a window table; most of the room doesn’t see the view. At 5 pm there was no wait.
• Skip the Sky Terrace ticket and use the free viewing area right outside.
• Order the drunken chicken over the ginger-scallion one, and expect bones in both.
• Pour the soup out of the nub on top of the dumpling first.
• The bathroom is outside: back past the entrance, on the left.
• Go at dusk; the free deck gives you the skyline lighting up.
• After dinner, walk up to Mount Austin Playground for the night view; it’s steep but quiet.
• Bring sunscreen or an umbrella for the Peak in the daytime.

Verdict: 6.5 out of 10

A decent restaurant whose main strong point is that it’s at the Peak. The food was pretty good and I had no real complaints; it’s more that there are other places in Hong Kong that are better, or better value, so I wouldn’t come back for it. If you’re going up to Victoria Peak anyway and want a sit-down dinner, it’s worth considering. Would I go back? No.

FAQ

Where is Petit Jardin?

Inside the Peak Tower at Victoria Peak, up the escalators and on the left. It’s the casual brand of Jardin De Jade, the Shanghainese restaurant whose Wan Chai branch held a Michelin star from 2013 to 2023.

How much does Petit Jardin cost?

Our dinner for three, with two baskets of xiao long bao, two chicken dishes and the beef, came to about HK$686 ($88) with the 10% service charge, around HK$229 a head.

Do you need a Peak ticket to eat at Petit Jardin?

No. It’s inside the Peak Tower, and there’s a free viewing area right outside the restaurant, so you can skip the HK$80 Sky Terrace ticket.

Is Petit Jardin better than Din Tai Fung?

Not for me. The dumplings are good and soft, but the flavors are sharper, and I’d pick Din Tai Fung. Go to Petit Jardin for the location, not for the dumplings.

Do I need a reservation at Petit Jardin?

We walked in at 5 pm on a Sunday and got a window table; the room was still half empty at 6:30. Later in the evening may be different.

What should I order at Petit Jardin?

The drunken chicken with Shaoxing wine (7.5) was the best thing we had; the xiao long bao were a 7.