Walking through the new Hysan Place mall in Causeway Bay, it’s hard to imagine how a building that didn’t exist last month can now be as crowded as a Hong Kong shopping center during the Christmas rush. Open a little over two weeks, the forty-story building that replaced Mitsukoshi is packed.
With seventeen floors of retail space, Hysan Place contains several exclusives that are worth checking out. The following are a few of the standouts.
Eslite bookstore
The most notable newcomer in Hysan Place is the arrival of the Eslite bookstore chain from Taiwan. Occupying floors eight through ten, the well-stocked bookstore also contains an exhibition space, multiple sections selling accessories, and a cafe.
Eslite is open twenty-four hours on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, providing local bookworms with a new haunt.
At a glance, the selection appears to be good in both English and Chinese languages. Prices also seem to be somewhat lower than other premium book sellers in the city.
Worth a browse!
eslite book store
Floors 8/F to 10/F
(Tip: if you want to get in a view on your way up to eslite, take the lengthy express escalators on the Hennessy Road side of the shopping mall.)
The *super* long escalators are smartly incorporated into the design of the building.
In addition to the interesting zig-zag pattern they make on the exterior of Hysan Place, they provide much needed transport between the lower areas and higher floors of the shopping center. Think of them as sort of like an express, rather than a local.
Shel’tter
Fans of Japanese brands Moussy and SLY may be interested in the new SHEL’TER store, which is a Hong Kong first. Part of the family of labels under the Baroque parent company, they carry multiple brands by the group. Three new exclusives include the Shel’tter signature line, as well as Rodeo Crowns and Rienda. Shel’tter occupies a large store on the fourth floor.
Shel’tter
Shop 405-407
T Galleria
The international DFS Group has taken over two floors of Hysan Place, creating a sub-branded shopping experience called the T Galleria. One floor consists of luxury watches and a second contains beauty and cosmetic products.
This is the DFS Group’s first presence on Hong Kong Island, which is interesting considering that Duty Free’s been operating in Hong Kong since 1960!
Mega-sized cosmetics and beauty sections seem to be the trend as of late. Shopping malls The One in Tsim Sha Tsui, Lab Concept in Admiralty, and now Hysan Place in Causeway Bay all host similar large-scale areas devoted to beauty and cosmetic brands. Perhaps buyers enjoy the ability to have multiple brands all under one roof in order to mix and match their selections or comparison shop.
Hysan Place has its own MTR exit, direct from the Causeway Bay MTR station. Exit F1 opens into the watch floor of T Galleria.
T Galleria
B1 Watches
G Shops 04-33 Cosmetics and Beauty
New Eating Options
Hysan Place is home to many new restaurants, a food court, and food stands for a quick bite. Most of the restaurant options are located on the upper floors, on levels eleven through fourteen.
The food court is located on the eleventh floor. Pepper Lunch, which is new to Causeway Bay, seems to be the most popular of the stalls so far.
Floors fourteen, thirteen, and twelve, are all filled with individual restaurants. Japanese food dominates the selections, with offerings including sushi, ramen, curry, and Okinawan cuisine.
Apple Store – coming soon!
Bamboo scaffolding prepares for the Apple Store’s window installation
One of the anchor tenants of Hysan Place has yet to open. The Apple store takes up a multi-story location on the high foot-traffic Lee Garden Road corner of the building. The store placement is as much prime billboard as shop, and guarantees that passing pedestrians will catch a view.
Apple Store, Hysan Place
Ground floor (Lee Garden Road)
Jasons Food & Living
Sprawled out over 20,000 square feet in level B2 of Hysan Place, Jasons Food & Living is an impressive modern supermarket with features not normally found in Hong Kong.
In addition to wider aisles, Jasons also includes a self-checkout lane, which may be a first in the city.
You can use the self-checkout for purchases under $500 HKD, using Octopus or Visa payWave.
The supermarket features a large number of Japanese products, as well as a superior selection of Wagyu beef from Kagoshima.
Fast Eats!
Jasons also includes a number of options that are ideal for a quick bite. In addition to the Urban Bakery, which offers tantalizing sandwiches, cakes, and salads, Nakajima in the far left corner, offers fresh sushi to go.
Hong Kong’s first branch of Japan’s Baikohken ramen is another option and a good alternative to the food on the upper floors. It’s easier to get in and out, especially for a solo lunch or take away. Hidden in the far back corner is also a Starbucks.
Jasons Food & Living
Level B2, one floor below the MTR entrance
Parking
Hysan Place offers free parking for three hours during weekdays, or two hours on weekends, with purchases of over $200. The parking garage, which is still not open, is accessible via Hennessy Road, coming from the Tin Hau direction.
Hysan Place
500 Hennessy Road (Causeway Bay MTR Exit F1)
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Pepper Lunch used to be my favourite Japanese eaterie, but it declined in recent years and I very rarely eat there now. I’ve not sampled the HK branches…the only other one I know of is in Mongkok and I always ate in Mos when I was in the area – not often – though after the girls made me walk over to the door and collect my burger rather than carrying out to me I haven’t returned.
Thanks for the pics and downlow on the mall. I always check your blog before I travel to HK