Hong Kong seems to be full of new Italian joints this month. If you missed Ask for Alonzo‘s grand opening party, head to Quarry Bay now for the trattoria and bar’s cold cuts, carpaccio, meatballs, and carefully crafted pasta dishes. For dessert, take your pick (or picks) from a rich chocolate custard layered with caramel (Bunet, $58), a vanilla pannacotta (raspberry or chocolate, $58), and a classic tiramisu ($68).

Ask For Alonzo, 18 Hoi Kwong Street, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong, 2856 2911, www.askforalonzo.com

For an authentic craft tea experience, head to Wan Chai for clean-grown, single-origin, and responsibly sourced brews. BASAO is committed to creating a community of tea-lovers and environmentalists and has developed a strong relationship with the people who create its blends. It just opened a physical tea bar on Moon Street, offering beautifully cultivated drinks including Seaside Honey (Dah Yeh Oolong) and Kukicha (Green Tea). You can find out more about its signatures here.

BASAO, 17 Moon Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, 3752 3800, www.basaotea.com

Set to open on Wyndham Street this month, Taipei’s Draft Land is bringing its famed #CocktailsOnTap concept to Hong Kong. Serving garnish-free and pre-batch-only drinks, the team aims to create high quality and affordable concoctions that promise to deliver. There will also be street food style snacks served on skewers. If you get impatient waiting for cocktails to be made to order, then this no-fuss bar is for you!

Draft Land, 63 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong, www.facebook.com/draftlandhk

Inspired by New Jersey’s Italian American dining scene, this red sauce bar and restaurant is casual and cool. It spans two-storeys at the Wyndham Street and Arbuthnot Road junction. Frank’s Italian American promises to be unfussy and cosy, featuring easy on the pocket cocktails and classic dishes such as Zuppa di Mare and Chicken Parm. 

Frank’s Italian American, 79 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong, 9097 9730, www.frankshk.com

With a grand promise to be ‘Hong Kong’s Coolest Pizzeria’, Homeslice (how cute is this name?) will deliver Neapolitan-style pizzas topped with artisan ingredients. The menu features “Mediterranean bites” such as a Galician Octopus ($188), and pizzas made from Antico Molino Caputo flour from Naples and San Marzano DOP tomatoes. Desserts include a spiced pear calzone with crème fraiche ($138) and a cherry and ricotta cannoli ($88). Opening soon, daily, lunch til late.

Homeslice, Shop 3, 321 Des Voeux Road West, Sai Ying Pun, Central, 3619 4026, www.homeslice.com.hk

This ‘hotal’ (the phonetic spelling of the local pronunciation) is gorgeous and vibrant, inspired by eateries that spill onto the streets all over Colombo. Featuring an open kitchen, Hotal Colombo is a roadside joint reminiscent of everyday Sri Lankan canteens. Head Chef Gisela Alesbrook will deliver sharing plates, promising to be ‘true to the soul of Colombo’. Eats include Pol Roti ($28) fried on a tawa, Fish Kari ($108), and this writer’s go-to – Masala Dosa ($78).

Hotal Colombo, 31 Elgin Street, SoHo, Central, Hong Kong, 2488 8863, www.hotalcolombo.com