Hong Kong's Kai Tak neighbourhood has a new draw for the brave: the Disgusting Food Museum, a touring exhibition of the world's most challenging foods, now open at AIRSIDE's GATE33 Gallery until 26 November 2026.
This isn't a diorama-only affair. The show packs in more than 80 foods from around the world across five themed zones covering food traditions, cultural differences and sustainable nutrition. Expect real and replica exhibits, video and scent stations, and interactive displays — plus a vomit bag handed to every visitor on the way in.
Fermentation gets star billing. There's surströmming, the Swedish fermented herring infamous for its smell, Icelandic fermented shark (hákarl), and kiviak, Greenlandic fermented seabirds. On the more ethically uncomfortable end sits Peruvian frog juice, made by blending raw frogs with carrots, maca root and honey. If cheese and wine sound safer, think again: the versions here are Sardinian maggot cheese and Chinese mouse wine, steeped with baby mice.
By contrast, cricket snacks, sauerkraut juice and Australia's Vegemite come across as fairly tame — though taste is subjective, as the museum is keen to point out. Anyone willing to sample the lot can earn the title of "Taste Bud Adventurer."
The exhibition isn't new to controversy. Previous stops in Berlin, Los Angeles and Taipei have drawn over half a million visitors combined, making it one of the more successful novelty museum exports of recent years.
Practicalities: the museum runs midday to 8pm Monday to Thursday, with weekday adult tickets at HK$68 (about €7.75). Weekends and public holidays cost more — HK$88 (roughly €10) — with shorter hours, 11am to 9pm. Children under four enter free, and group tickets are available. If the exhibits leave you craving something genuinely appetising, chef Masahiro Tanabe takes up a four-night residency at MINATO in Wan Chai from 7 to 10 October 2026, serving an 11-course menu that pairs seasonal Japanese produce with classic French technique.
Who's this for? Travellers who like their sightseeing with a side of shock value, food-curious visitors hunting something beyond the usual dim sum itinerary, and anyone who's ever argued about whether pineapple belongs on pizza. It's cheap, quick (a couple of hours will do it), and conveniently located inside AIRSIDE, a modern mall at the Kai Tak development with plenty of other reasons to linger. Just maybe don't plan a big lunch beforehand.
