Private kitchen (Chinese: 私房菜, 私家菜, 私宅料理), also known as a speakeasy, is a term in referring to an unlicensed, restaurant-like establishment, most common in Hong Kong. Some of the perceived problems with running a restaurant in Hong Kong—high rents and the common practice of landlords extracting profits from restaurants through clauses in tenancy agreements—have led to the establishment of this type of eatery. Owners also have the additional benefit that many government regulations concerning restaurants can be avoided.
A typical private kitchen will be based in an ordinary apartment in a block of flats. Customers gain access by ringing the bell before the door is opened from the inside. Inside, the flat will be set out as a simple restaurant. Usually, it provides not only quality home-made food and drink, but a sense of being at home. Advertising is usually by word of mouth—it's often not possible to have prominent signs outside to advertise the business' presence as with a normal commercial establishment. Some private kitchens make it compulsory for patrons to phone ahead first to book.
In Spanish speaking countries, this type of eatery is called a puerta cerrada, literally "closed door".
The English term "speakeasy" originally referred to illegal establishments serving alcohol during Prohibition in the United States in the 1920s.