Family Friendly Restaurants Hong Kong Island

Zuma

Not to be confused with either the Spanish word for juice or the former South African president, this Zuma offers Japanese food.  The best time to go is for Sunday brunch.  There’s a soft play area and kids under 10 eat free.

Zuma, Landmark Level 5 &6, 15 Queen’s Road, Central +852 3657 6388

The Flying Pan

Hong Kong’s The Flying Pan has two locations.  Hearty all day breakfasts and generous portions are their calling card.  You kids will go bananas for their pancakes and quirky retro decor.  Grown-ups, you’ll surely appreciate their bottomless coffee to get you through a day of wrangling your kids whilst exploring Hong Kong.

Find them at:

G/F 9 Old Bailey Street, Central or 1F/L David House, 27-39 Lockhart Road, (Enter on Fenwick), Wan Chai

Dan Ryan’s Chicago Grill

This one’s a crowd-pleaser, with American style dining and three locations across Hong Kong.  High chairs and balloons are readily available. The Kowloon Tong branch at Festival Walk has a train track, and buffalo on the wall, easily missed by adults but always spotted by the kids!

Locations include: Tsim Tsa Shui, Kowloon Tong and Hong Kong Island.

Dragon Noodles Academy

Watch your dragon noodles being hand pulled in the open kitchen.  Quite literally a feast for the eyes.  The kung-fu decor is eye catching and families are welcome.

Des Voeux Road Central, Central

Izumi

Although this is a chain of Japanese curry restaurants, you’ll find the food at Izumi is not too spicy. Kids will love the anime themed decor and the generous portion sizes should fill the hollowest of legs.

Crystal Jade

Hong Kong and dim sum are intimately connected.  Dim sum is Cantonese for ‘touch the heart’ offering small portions of delicious treats.  Traditionally, eating dim sum is a family affair here in Hong Kong and is often a leisurely group dining experience washed down with plenty of tea. Crystal Jade is a popular dim sum chain operating in a number of locations throughout Hong Kong. Check out their restaurant locator to find your nearest branch.

Bubba Gump

Famous for shrimp and award winning baby back ribs, these guys have got surf and turf down pat.  With 44 locations world wide and loosely themed on the Forest Gump movie, it’s not going to be an authentic Hong Kong experience.  However, the big draw has to be the location. Perched on the Peak, be sure to book early to bag a window seat with panoramic views over Victoria Harbour.  There is a dedicated kids menu, but you’ll find the adult menu will appeal to older kids with bigger appetites.

Bubba Gump, Shop 304 & 305, Level 3, The Peak Tower, The Peak, Hong Kong

Family Friendly Restaurants Kowloon

We’ve already detailed Izumi, Crystal Jade and Dan Ryan’s in the Hong Kong Island section, but all have outlets in Kowloon.

Yum Cha

There are various locations across Hong Kong, with two restaurants in Kowloon. This restaurant is famous for their iconic buns with facial features which are just a small selection of the novelty dim sum available at Yum Cha,. Kids will also devour the pineapple pastries shaped like birds and served in bird cages, piggy shaped char siu buns and hot dogs, as well as a delicious a la carte menu. For added fun, guests can put on giant “bao” heads for optimal photo taking opportunities!

Locations include: Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok, Central and Causeway Bay.

Hutong

Hutong is renown for excellent views and great food.  If you’re looking for family friendly dining, their weekend Feng Wei brunches are a great option. In addition to delicious Chinese food, Hutong offers brunchtime activities that will keep the kids occupied. The activities vary from week to week and could include anything from dim sum making to calligraphy or from fan painting to puppetry. Although this is best suited to families with older children, it’s worth noting that under 12’s dine free.

28/F, One Peking, Tsim Sha Tsui +852 3428 8342

Dockyard

The beauty of dockyard is that it’s cashless and there is something for everyone. Download the app and then select what you want from the various food kiosks. Kids want burgers? No problem. You want Thai food?  No problem. Your friend wants a salad?  Easy. Everything will be delivered to your table, basically it’s an upmarket version of a food court with table service. If you don’t want the hassle of working out how to split the bill with other families, you order independently from your app and it’s all done automatically. Highchairs are available. If there is live music, choose seats away from the stage so that you can still enjoy conversation. After you’ve had a bite, catch the nightly light show from the Hung Hom promenade outside.

Dockyard, Level 1, 38 Hung Luen Road, Hung Hom Bay, Kowloon +852 2252 5228.

Family Friendly Dining New Territories

Zak’s, Discovery Bay, Lantau

This family friendly restaurant offers sea views and plenty of space for growing legs to run around. Additional bonus is that you can redeem a free ferry ride back to Hong Kong Island. If you’re there at the right time, you should be able to see the Disneyland fireworks.

Zak’s, Shop G04, Block A, Discovery Bay Plaza, Discovery Bay, Lantau Island +852 3018 0189.

Sai Kung Square, Sai Kung

Hong Kong’s seaside town of Sai Kung has a small central square dotted with restaurants. Older children can dip in and out of eating and play in the square.  There will always be someone to play with, a new friend to make, leaving parents to enjoy a more leisurely dining experience.

TikiTiki Bowling Sai Kung

With a range of dining and drinking options combined with family-friendly bowling, you’ll be bowled over by this fun option.  Probably unsuitable for small babies due to noise levels.  For further information on the myriad options available, visit TikiTiki’s website.

Meraviglia, Science Park

Hidden away in Science Park, Meraviglia offers Italian food. It’s on the pricey side, but does have a nice play areas (both indoor and outdoor).  Small children will need to be supervised as the play area adjoins an artificial lake. The restaurant is close to the cycle path that runs between Shatin and Tai Po, there is also a lovely wide promenade to take a stroll after lunch. Look out for the Guan Yin statue across the harbour.

Meraviglia, S040 G/F Lakeside 2, No. 10 Science Park West Avenue, Hong Kong Science Park, Phase 2, Pak Shek Kok, Shatin, New Territories +852 2210 7168.

The Salted Pig, Shatin

Hidden away on the top floor of New Town Plaza, the Salted pig serves up generous portions and family friendly sharing platters. With a couple of quirky plastic pig murals on the wall and silly porcine themed plates, the one that states “I like pig butts and i cannot lie” is sure to raise a titter from older kids.

Opposite the restaurant is a rooftop garden.  It’s closed during bad weather, but otherwise it’s a handy option for kids to let off some steam while their waiting for their food.  We even spotted a rooftop miniature golf course, but we think you’d need to bring your own clubs and balls.

After lunch take a stroll through Sha Tin park, head to the Heritage museum or if you have tots, drop by Snoopy World, a small and free theme park just outside New Town Plaza mall.

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Golden Week is a busy busy time in Hong Kong.  Because of this, some of our clients have asked whether or not this is a good time to join us for a private tour in Hong Kong.  The short answer is YES it is.

This week in Hong Kong 2 of our (very generous) 17 public holidays fell in one week. Firstly, China National Day is on October 1st.  We celebrated the 68th Anniversary of People’s Republic of China (PRC) with a 23-minute firework display costing around $13 million HKD ($1.6 million USD). Secondly, my favourite, the Mid Autumn Festival fell on 4th October.  This is where we celebrate the full moon with our families, by hanging lanterns, often eating outside under the moonlight. Oh and we eat a ton of delicious moon cakes!

Golden Week

Have you heard of the term “Golden Week”?  No? What on earth is Golden Week? Well if you are from China, you could have enjoyed an extended 8-day holiday period this year covering both these holidays (1st – 8th October). It was estimated around 710 million people from the PRC were on the move to domestic and overseas locations, including Hong Kong. Unfortunately, Hong Kong locals only get the two public holidays, not the full week!

Mid Autumn Festival

Mid Autumn Festival is celebrated with lantern displays in many of the major parks.  The verdict is in for this years best Mooncakes. The best one was considered to be Maxim’s lava egg custard mooncake (whoop! Maxim’s Palace happens to be one of our favourite restaurants). I did get to try one and it was probably better than my choice from Kee Wah Bakery (pictured right), but they are still all gone and were enjoyed immensely.

Skip the Line on your Private Tour of Hong Kong

We hosted a number of private tours this week.  We guided visitors from Worcester and Croydon in the UK and California and Alaska in the USA. Even though it is busier than usual during Golden Week, as private guides we have a few tricks up our sleeve.  For example, Charlee and Cooper (pictured above) were incredibly thankful for our skip-the-line access for the Ngong Ping cable-car to the Big Buddha.  The queues were so busy during Golden Week they went all the way back to the train station!

Radio Star!

I was also invited onto the local radio station RTHK 3 with Peter Lewis.  We chatted about what to do over the holiday period and what other people were doing. Watch the Facebook Live video of my interview below.

Here are some links to some of the things I spoke about with Peter.  We highly recommend all of them.

• The Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery
• Smooth Ride Cycle Tours
• Container Port Tour
• Lantau and Tai O Tours
• Star Ferry to Hong Kong Disneyland
• 3-hour cruise to Joss House Bay

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All tour guides need a break sometimes! Usually we are busy guiding our clients around Hong Kong and know well the benefits of hiring a professional.  So when we were lucky enough to spend a week in Bali with our family, naturally we did our research to find a great family tour guide in Bali.

We find especially when we have children in tow, taking a family tour smooths the way to a happy holiday.  Children can easily get tired, hungry or bored.  By booking a family tour guide in Bali, we were able to ensure that our children enjoyed all the activities did and sights we saw.

Our Recommended Family Tour Guide in Bali

Huge thanks to Gede and Ketut from Bali Taxi Driver and Tour Guide for making our stay so terrific. We would 100% recommend their service to anyone wanting a driver or guide when they visit Bali.

Family Friendly Accommodation

No holiday is possible without a place to lay your head after a busy day at the beach or exploring the other delights of the island.

We stayed at the Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa and give it a huge thumbs up.

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What a beautiful blue-sky day, it’s exactly what you want for a visit to the Tian Tan Buddha.  That being said, he also looks mysterious and is equally photogenic when swathed in mist on his hilltop perch. Did you know that the Tian Tan Buddha is often referred to as the Big Buddha?  This statue was officially established in 1993, making him still a young man.

You will find the Tian Tan Buddha on Lantau, Hong Kong’s biggest island.  It also happens to be one of our favourite places in Hong Kong and we love taking our guests there.

Lantau Highlights

Take the Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car to see the Tian Tan Buddha

To reach the famous Big Buddha, take the 24 minute Ngong-Ping cable car ride from Tung Chung. If you are put off by those long lines… we will help you beat the crowds with our skip the line access.

As you ride the cable car from Tung Chung, you’ll get a great look at Hong Kong’s airport.  It’s built entirely on reclaimed land.  You will also see the new bridge that connects Hong Kong to neighbouring Macau and then on to mainland China.  Keep your eyes peeled for waterfalls and hillside tombs below.  The views are stunning.

A Few Fun Facts about Hong Kong’s Tian Tan Buddha

• The Big Buddha is the second largest bronze seated Buddha statue in the world.
• He faces North towards Beijing.
• He is 34 Metres tall.
• You need to climb a whopping 268 steps to get up close to this magnificent statue.

Tai O Fishing Village

From the Tian Tan Buddha take a bus or taxi down towards Tai O.  This tiny island, just off Lantau, is accessed by a footbridge.  The quaint stilt fishing village is a rare and fast closing window to Hong Kong’s past.

Hong Kong’s Other Big Statue

As a side note, many visitors don’t know that Hong Kong also boasts another extremely large statue.  The lesser known Guan Yin statue, which you can read more about here, is up in the Northern New Territories and faces the Big Buddha down on Lantau.

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Yuen Po Bird Garden, also knows as the Bird Market

This friendly cockatoo came to say “hello” to Michelle on our tour of the Yuen Po bird garden Hong Kong today. The garden and market is located between Boundary Street to the north and the Flower Market to the south.  It has many bird species and bird paraphernalia to purchase, including anti-depressant bird feed for when your bird is not in full song!

Even if you’re not looking to buy a bird, the bamboo cages are quite striking and could be repurposed to make unusual lighting features for example.  If you are particularly interested in birds, do read our post about bird watching in Hong Kong.

The Flower Market

This consists of approximately two blocks of flower shops. A fragrant riot of colour will meet you.  If you want to enjoy this in peace, drop by in the morning.  It gets busier as the day goes on and is busier yet at weekends.  In the days leading up to Chinese New Year when it feels as if the entire population of Hong Kong comes to this small area to shop for plants and flowers for their homes.  So depending on your point of view this can be the best or worst time to visit.

The Ladies Market

This doesn’t really get going until around midday.  Mongkok’s Ladies Market is your one stop shopping street for cheap and cheerful souvenirs.  It’s a bit of a misnomer as it certainly not ladies-only.

From magnets, to t-shirts, chopsticks to tea sets and all sorts of quirky items, you can surely find a little something suitable for your nieces and nephews or your parent and friends.  Be sure to check the quality of glue, stitching etc as once bought you’ll struggle to find where you bought it.  Friendly haggling is encouraged, especially if you are the first customer of the day.

The Goldfish Market

Whether you just want a run of the mill goldfish or something more exotic, this is the place to come.  Even if you’re not in the market for a fish, terrapin or crab, it’s a interesting sight.  Small shops display their wares in clear water filled bags.  There are also tanks, fish food and all manner of decorations (from plastic castles to small water plants) to customise your fishy friends’ home.

Boundary Street

Okay, so this isn’t a market, but we thought it was worth a mention.  It’s a ruler straight street just beyond Mongkok’s bird market, delineating the boundary of land ceded to the British 1860.  South of the street was ceded in 1860 under British Colonial Rule, and land leases exist for up to 999 years. North of Boundary Street (what was termed New Kowloon and the New Territories), they will all expire on July 1, 2047, when the Basic Law’s “one country, two systems” arrangement is set to end. This seems to present a bit of a land crisis as this date draws nearer!!

So as you can see Mongkok’s markets offer a wide range of goods and all are family friendly. 

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A Trip to Remember

A Hong Kong helicopter tour must be the ultimate way to truly appreciate our city.  Getting such a bird’s eye view is both thrilling and incredibly special.

This lucky family got to see Hong Kong from this unique perspective, and what a great day for it! Happy 70th birthday grandad!!

Hong Kong HeliServices

Our guests used Hong Kong HeliServices who operate from the famous Peninsula Hotel in Tsim Tsa Shui, Kowloon. You may see the helicopters landing every so often above the 28th floor.

… if you’re feeling frivolous and fearless and want a truly unique view of Hong Kong, you can book your helicopter tour via Hong Kong HeliServices website here.  Alternatively, please don’t hesitate to contact us to see how we could work this thrilling experience into a complete itinerary for your stay in Hong Kong.

Alternatives Ways to View Hong Kong

Helicopter Tours are of course both pricey and not for the faint of heart.  But don’t worry, there are plenty of other wonderful ways to see Hong Kong.  If you want to get close to a bird’s eye view, head up the Peak to take in a more earth bound, yet impressive panoramic view of our city.  Stroll along the promenade in Tsim Tsa Shui or hop on the iconic Star Ferry to cross the harbour.  Both of these options offer a splendid view of our famous skyline.  If you’re feeling active, Hong Kong also has abundant hiking trails, many with stunning vistas.  The Lion Rock hike in Kowloon offers a great escape from the buzzing city with alternative far reaching views.

Alternative Hong Kong Tours

A helicopter tour only lasts 15 minutes, but the memories will last a lifetime.  However, if you have a little more time to fill, we offer a wide variety of tours here at Hong Kong Greeters.  Our private walking tours are popular, but we understand that it can be hard going, so we offer tours by car.  You’ll be happy to know that our outings can be customised to accommodate your interests and are family friendly.

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