HONG KONG FLOATING RESTAURANT JUMBO KINGDOM: HISTORY, MENU, PRICES & HOW TO GET THERE

One of the most unusual restaurants in Hong Kong and its ancient landmark is the Jumbo Kingdom floating restaurant in Aberdeen Harbor. It hosted Queen Elizabeth II, Tom Cruise, David Bowie, Gong Lee, Stephen Chow, and Bruce Lee, among other celebrities. Some call it "a tourist trap," while others marvel at the authenticity of its Chinese cuisine and traditional decor. Anyway, no doubt that the floating restaurant looking like a Chinese temple is definitely worth a visit.

In this blog post, you will find practical information for visiting the floating restaurant Jumbo Kingdom in Hong Kong: the history of the ship restaurant, what dishes to try, price of the menu, excursions and tours of Aberdeen Harbor, and information on how to get there.

The Hong Kong floating restaurant Jumbo Kingdom was opened in 1976. And all these years its popularity has only grown.

Its creator, Hong Kong and Macau tycoon Stanley Ho, invested HKD 30 million in the construction, and the decorations and murals alone were worth HKD 6 million.

The Jumbo Kingdom is popular with local and foreign business people and celebrities. Queen Elizabeth II, Tom Cruise, David Bowie, Gong Li, Stephen Chow, and Bruce Lee were hosted here. The floating restaurant has appeared in Jackie Chan and James Bond films, in the reality-show The Amazing Race, and even in video games and anime episodes.

In 2003, Jumbo Kingdom underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation and turned into a theme park with an entertainment center, a Chinese cooking school, and a Chinese tea garden.

The ship's design is amazing. From a distance, it resembles a huge Chinese temple, as the ship was designed to mimic the imperial Chinese architecture.

You can feel the traditional Chinese style in every detail.

There is even an imperial throne in one of the halls where you can take a photo in a Chinese national costume for HKD 50  and feel like the first person of China. 

Traditional Chinese dragons and pagodas adorn the façade.

The floating restaurant Jumbo is huge. It is 76 meters long and three stories high and is the largest floating restaurant in the world.

Can you imagine, Jumbo restaurant can accommodate more than 2000 visitors at the same time? 

Jumbo Restaurant in Hong Kong consists of two floating barges: the huge Jumbo restaurant, decorated in the style of a luxury Chinese palace, and the smaller Tai Pak restaurant. It looks especially impressive at night when its lights and neon signs are reflected in the water.

Along with the architecture, the cuisine of the floating restaurant Jumbo is also impressive.

The seafood menu costs HKD 1080.

Seafood and Crab Soups: HKD 80 - 130.

Swallow's Nest Soup: HKD 440

Be prepared that the tip will be automatically added to the bill in the amount of 10 percent of the total order value.

Therefore, the additional tip is at your discretion. Even if you leave nothing to the waiter, no one will look at you crookedly.

In addition to this, the invoice includes a cover fee of HKD 18 per person.

For those looking to get the most out of their visit of the Jumbo Kingdom, there is a VIP offer: a dinner and a private cruise on a traditional Chinese boat.

The dinner includes a 7-course menu with unlimited free drinks from the open bar.

During the sunset cruise, you will watch Hong Kong light up with millions of lights and neons. This sight is impressive, especially from the water.

You will stop at the observation deck in the middle of Victoria Peak that offers crazy views of Hong Kong at night.

If you are not planning to dine at a floating restaurant but still want to visit this extraordinary landmark of Hong Kong, I recommend joining the Aberdeen Harbor Boat Tour.

On this boat trip, you will visit the sites that represent each era of the floating village in Aberdeen Harbor. Learn the history of local Hong Kong fishermen and visit a traditional Chinese houseboat.

Address: Shum Wan Pier Drive, Wong Chuk Hang, Aberdeen, Hong Kong

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday from 11:00 to 23:30, Sunday and holidays from 9:00 to 23:30

As you can see on the map, the Jumbo Kingdom floating restaurant is located in the south of Hong Kong Island.

Since it is on the water, the restaurant provides all visitors with a free ferry transfer to Wong Chuk Hang Shum Wan Pier that runs approximately every 20 minutes.

Here is the location of this pier: 

It is convenient to get to the Jumbo restaurant-ship by metro and taxi.

1. Take the MTR South Island Line

2. Get off at MTR Wong Chuk Hang Station

3. Take the Exit B

4. Walk to Shum Wan Pier and take the free ferry to the restaurant ship.

In most cases, the Jumbo Kingdom Floating Restaurant will reimburse you for the taxi costs.

The maximum discount a restaurant can give on a taxi ride is HKD 80, on the condition that you spend at least HKD 600.

To receive this discount, you must present the original taxi receipt. The taxi exit time must be within two hours of arrival at the Kingdom of Jumbo restaurant.