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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Shenzhen is just across the border that separates the Special Administrative Region that is Hong Kong from Mainland China.  At 15 million, its population if pretty much double that of vibrant Hong Kong.

Things to do in Shenzhen

Visit Splendid China

With miniature models of China’s greatest architecture this presents lots of great photo opportunities.  For further details and up to date pricing, click here.

Shop until you Drop

Buy a knock off Gucci bag or order affordable spectacle lenses.  Have a tailor made suit or dress run up.  Or if you’re living in Hong Kong, you can customise furniture and soft furnishings and have them delivered to you in Hong Kong.  If you head on to Da Fen village, artists there can copy artwork for you from a photograph. The options are mind boggling.  We found this handy article which breaks down some of the shopping options for you.

There are plenty more things to do and see in Shenzhen, but if it’s just a flying visit, these are our two top highlights.

How to get to Shenzhen

The MTR East Rail Line goes all the way there.  Take a train to Lo Wu.

If you’re only going to Shenzhen, you can get a visa at the border.  You should be prepared to queue.  Note a visa on the day allowing you to enter Shenzhen will not suffice for travelling on wards and further into China, you would need to apply in advance for a visa to Mainland China.

Macau

Similar to Hong Kong, neighbouring Macau is also a Special Administrative Region of China.  With an interesting mix of Chinese and Portuguese architechture and culture and a phenomenal gambling scene, it’s also worth a visit.  Find out more about our tours to Macau here.

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