Hong Bao is a pop-up dim sum stall tucked inside Sarona Market, beside the Aloha branch. Its chef and owner, Hao Chang Che, arrived in Israel from China roughly 25 years ago, married an Israeli, opened a sushi restaurant in Zichron Ya’akov, and later qualified as a licensed tour guide — spending years leading Chinese visitors around the country. When inbound Chinese tourism collapsed after October 2023, Hao returned to his first love, cooking, and began folding dumplings by hand at a single steamer in the middle of the market.

The name is a bilingual pun: bao is the steamed bun, and hóngbāo (红包) is the red envelope of lucky money handed out on birthdays and Chinese New Year. The menu is small but covers four dumpling shapes — bao, gyoza, shumai, and a transparent tapioca-dough crystal dumpling that is gluten-free — across fillings of beef, chicken, lamb, shrimp, fish, and vegetable. Everything is pleated to order, steamed or pan-crisped in front of you, and served with house-made Chinese pickles. Wonton soups with bami noodles, wakame, and coriander round out the list; there is no kitchen beyond the steamer and no alcohol.

Since opening in August 2025 the stall has picked up loud praise: Haaretz declared it the best dumplings in Tel Aviv, and Time Out placed it in its top-21 Asian restaurants in the city. Per-piece prices (22–28 ₪ for two units) make it one of the more accessible Asian openings of the year. Non-kosher; vegan-friendly fillings are clearly marked. Go for the shrimp shumai and the beef bao.

Address: Sarona Market, Aluf Kalman Magen 3, Tel Aviv

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