Mak's Noodle

Mak's Noodle is a Hong Kong Cantonese restaurant brand associated with compact servings of wonton noodles, springy egg noodles, shrimp roe noodles, and a concentrated savory broth. Its history traces back to a Guangzhou eatery established by Mak Woon-chi before the Second World War. The family later carried the noodle tradition to Hong Kong, where Mak Woon-chi's son Mak King-hung, known by the nickname Mak Ngan because he was very thin as a child, established an open-air food stall in Central in 1968. The stall's noodles were prepared by Mak King-hung's younger brother and became the foundation of the later Mak's Noodle business. The operation changed form several times as Hong Kong's food-stall licensing system and the family business evolved. In 1983, Mak King-hung retired and surrendered the food-stall licence in exchange for compensation from the Hong Kong government. His eldest son, Mak Chi-chung, subsequently opened Chung Kee Noodles in 1986. In 1989, Mak King-hung and his son-in-law revived the original business as a restaurant on Wellington Street. Mak King-hung personally ran the restaurant until retiring again in 1996, after which the business passed to his second son, Mak Chi-ming, who is identified as the current proprietor in the reference material. The brand's identity is built around continuity of family technique. Mak's Noodle has claimed that its recipe has remained substantially unchanged since the grandfather's time, and the business presents its noodles as a traditional Cantonese preparation rather than as a broad modern restaurant concept. Its signature dish is wonton noodles, generally served with small dumplings and thin noodles in a clear, strongly seasoned broth. Shrimp roe noodles are another associated offering. The restaurant's appeal rests on the combination of family lineage, restrained portions, quick service, and a recognizable Central Hong Kong setting. After establishing its Wellington Street presence, Mak's Noodle expanded beyond its original location. Hong Kong outlets were reported at Olympian City, China Hong Kong City, Causeway Bay, and Jordan, while the brand also opened a restaurant in Macau. It later entered Singapore, first at The Centrepoint on Orchard Road and subsequently at Westgate Shopping Mall in Jurong East. The Singapore operation was eventually withdrawn: on 21 December 2020, the company announced that its Centrepoint outlet, described in the reference as its last remaining Singapore location, would close on 28 February 2021. Mak's Noodle is therefore best understood as a Hong Kong restaurant brand with a family business history extending from pre-war Guangzhou through post-war Hong Kong street food and into overseas mall-based expansion. The available material does not establish a complete current outlet list, corporate ownership structure, financial performance, or a formal international franchise system. Its documented significance lies primarily in its association with Hong Kong's Cantonese noodle culture and the intergenerational transmission of a wonton-noodle recipe and restaurant identity.

Mak's Noodle belongs to a Cantonese restaurant tradition whose documented roots reach back to a Guangzhou eatery founded by Mak Woon-chi before the Second World War. The family's food business later moved into Hong Kong's street-food economy. Mak Woon-chi's son, Mak King-hung, established an open-air food stall in Central in 1968, with his younger brother responsible for cooking. The nickname Mak Ngan, associated with Mak King-hung's childhood thinness, became part of the identity later connected with the restaurant. The business was shaped by the transition from licensed street stalls to permanent premises. Mak King-hung retired in 1983 and surrendered his food-stall licence, receiving HK$36,000 in government compensation. The next generation then developed separate and shared branches of the family noodle tradition. His eldest son, Mak Chi-chung, opened Chung Kee Noodles in 1986. In 1989, Mak King-hung partnered with his son-in-law to recreate the original operation as a restaurant on Wellington Street. He ran that restaurant until another retirement in 1996, when responsibility passed to his second son, Mak Chi-ming. Under Mak Chi-ming, Mak's Noodle continued as a Central Hong Kong restaurant and expanded to additional locations. Reported Hong Kong outlets included sites at Olympian City, China Hong Kong City, Causeway Bay, and Jordan. The brand also opened in Macau and later tested overseas expansion in Singapore, with locations at The Centrepoint on Orchard Road and Westgate Shopping Mall in Jurong East. In December 2020, the company announced that the Centrepoint outlet would close at the end of February 2021; the announcement identified it as the last remaining Singapore branch. The restaurant's historical positioning depends on continuity rather than reinvention. Mak's Noodle is associated above all with wonton noodles, using thin Cantonese-style noodles, small wontons, and a savory broth. Shrimp roe noodles are another recognized offering. The business has claimed that its recipe has remained unchanged since the founder's generation, although the available reference does not provide a technical recipe or independent verification of that claim. The surviving record also does not specify a formal incorporation date, a complete present-day branch list, financial results, or the corporate structure behind the outlets. The documented current proprietor is Mak Chi-ming, making the brand an intergenerational Hong Kong noodle business whose history connects pre-war Guangzhou cuisine, Central Hong Kong street food, and later shopping-mall expansion.

• 2020

  Singapore withdrawal announced

  [1]Mak's Noodleen.wikipedia.org

  Mak's Noodle announced that its Centrepoint outlet in Singapore would close on 28 February 2021.

• 1996

  Second-generation succession

  [1]Mak's Noodleen.wikipedia.org

  After Mak King-hung retired, the business was succeeded by his second son, Mak Chi-ming.

• 1989

  Wellington Street restaurant established

  [1]Mak's Noodleen.wikipedia.org

  Mak King-hung partnered with his son-in-law to revive the original business as a restaurant on Wellington Street.

• 1986

  Chung Kee Noodles founded

  [1]Mak's Noodleen.wikipedia.org

  Mak Chi-chung, the eldest son of Mak King-hung, opened Chung Kee Noodles as a separate family noodle business.

• 1983

  Food-stall licence surrendered

  [1]Mak's Noodleen.wikipedia.org

  Mak King-hung retired and gave up the food-stall licence in exchange for HK$36,000 in compensation from the Hong Kong government.

• 1968

  Central Hong Kong food stall opened

  [1]Mak's Noodleen.wikipedia.org

  Mak King-hung opened an open-air food stall in Central, with his younger brother serving as chef.

• Family noodle business established in Guangzhou

  [1]Mak's Noodleen.wikipedia.org

  Mak Woon-chi established a Guangzhou eatery before the Second World War, creating the family tradition from which Mak's Noodle later developed.

• Expansion beyond the original Central location

  [1]Mak's Noodleen.wikipedia.org

  The brand established additional Hong Kong outlets, a Macau restaurant, and later two reported Singapore locations.

Traditional, heritage-oriented Cantonese noodle restaurant offering concise, premium-priced servings in a fast-casual setting.

• Noodle soup

  Wonton noodles

  The restaurant's signature offering is a Cantonese wonton-noodle bowl combining thin egg noodles, small wontons, and a savory broth. It is the dish most closely associated with the Mak family story and the brand's traditional positioning.

• Dry noodle dish

  Shrimp roe noodles

  Shrimp roe noodles are an additional offering associated with Mak's Noodle. The dish reflects the restaurant's emphasis on Cantonese noodle preparations and seafood-based seasoning rather than a broad contemporary menu.

• 2020

  Exit from Singapore after Centrepoint closureStrategy

  Background

  Mak's Noodle had expanded into Singapore with outlets at The Centrepoint on Orchard Road and Westgate Shopping Mall in Jurong East. By December 2020, the Centrepoint branch was described as the brand's last remaining Singapore outlet.

  Action taken

  The company announced on 21 December 2020 that the Centrepoint outlet would close on 28 February 2021.

  Aftermath

  The available reference records the closure announcement but does not establish the brand's subsequent Singapore operating status or the reason for the decision.

  Source

• 2020

  Mak's Noodle announced closure of its Singapore Centrepoint outlet[1]Mak's Noodleen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  On 21 December 2020, Mak's Noodle announced that its outlet at The Centrepoint mall on Orchard Road would close on 28 February 2021. The outlet was described as the brand's last remaining Singapore location.

1. 1Mak's Noodleen.wikipedia.org
2. 297 Reasons to Love Hong Kongtime.com