Cover Photo: Courtesy of Michal Osmenda

Shut since 2020, the traditional Cantonese banquet venue and tourist landmark is due to leave the city entirely

Celebrated by locals and tourists alike for over four decades, it has been announced that the iconic Jumbo Kingdom—the world's largest floating restaurant with 45,000 square feet of space—will vacate its home in Aberdeen harbour this month, definitively ending the era of floating restaurants with a legacy to remember.

Shut for business over the course of the pandemic, the maritime structure was donated by parent company Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises to Ocean Park under the government's Invigorating Island South initiative—though with the huge impact the coronavirus has had on the tourism and F&B sectors, the funds to maintain Jumbo Kingdom's high operating and maintenance costs never materialised.

Having accumulated losses of over HK$100 million, Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises has also stated that it will not be able to carry out Jumbo Kingdom's triennial large-scale inspection. With the restaurant's license due to expire in June, and the absence of willing buyers, it will be sailed out of Hong Kong waters to an as-yet-undecided berth.

See also: The Secluded Hong Kong Restaurants Worth Trekking To

Tatler Asia
Jumbo floating restaurant, Aberdeen Bay. (Photo by Edgar MC TRESSIN/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Above Photo by Edgar MC Tressin / Getty Images

Jumbo Kingdom's colourful history all began with 1952, when renowned herbal tea brand Wanglaoji’s founder Wong Lo-Kat opened Tai Pak Floating Restaurant, which was destroyed in a fire in 1971. In October 1976, Stanley Ho founded the Jumbo Floating Restaurant, spending millions over the construction of the landmark with style inspired by Imperial Chinese art murals, dragon statues and pagoda structures throughout the venue. In 1987, the original Tai Pak Restaurant joined Jumbo Kingdom at the height of its popularity, while both restaurants have undergone renovation and refurbishments in 2003 for a renewed image.

See also: 6 Lesser-Known Boat Rides for a Unique Hong Kong Getaway

Frequented by locals, Jumbo Kingdom was a multi-purpose venue that covers fine dining establishment Dragon Court, a cooking academy, and Top Deck, a rooftop bar and restaurant formerly operated by Café Deco Group. Its multi-purpose function rooms and large banquet halls remained a favourite for esteemed banquets, parties and events such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) Art Basel party in 2018. The iconic venue has also been featured in numerous Hong Kong movies including Infernal Affairs II and Stephen Chow’s The God Of Cookery

The floating restaurants announced its suspension of service on March 1, 2020, ending its legacy in local Chinese banquet-style fine dining after more than four decades.  

This article was originally published on March 3, 2020 and was updated on June 1, 2022.

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