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Most of us are already familiar with Starbucks and its signature location-specific products, and while Hong Kong branches certainly stock a coveted collection, the San Francisco coffee chain’s new home inside the Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) promises one-of-a-kind merchandise alongside beverage experiences that are fit for an emperor. Now open to the public, Starbucks’ new concept store brings tea-centred new menu items to an interior inspired by the museum’s Ming and Qing collections.
The HKPM branch is the only Starbucks location in Hong Kong to sport a traditional Chinese calligraphy shop sign. The sign is modelled after those found on high streets during the Ming and Qing dynasties, with the coffee brand’s Chinese name artfully crafted by local calligrapher Westley Wong. Other design highlights include a mural by local artist Elsa Ngai, depicting the life cycle of a coffee tree in detail through mineral pigments and clay-based paints, as well as installations by local sculptor Leo Wong that interprets the humble coffee plant with traditional shan shui painting styles.
These fitting additions to the café are accompanied by an exclusive plum-flavoured beverage line. Using sweet and sour plum sauce and whole plums as bases, visitors can pair this traditional Chinese flavour with Starbucks’ coffee or oolong tea and enjoy it warm or iced as a tonic. Another exclusive menu item, the Turmeric Oatmilk Latte, similarly incorporates oriental flavours into a beloved drink.
Meanwhile, those visiting the Starbucks’ WestK location on or after February 20 can enjoy two exhibition-exclusive items designed for the HKPM’s latest (and in our opinion, greatest) showcase, ‘Ancient Egypt Unveiled: Treasures from Egyptian Museums’. The Golden Pistachio Pyramid Cake and Mummy’s Secret Roll sausage roll playfully pairs ancient Egyptian icons with viral food trends to create delectable bites that visitors to the exhibition won’t want to miss.
Beyond the food and beverage programme, visitors will find two exclusive Hong Kong Palace Museum collections at the Starbucks concept store. One takes ancient Egyptian iconography as inspiration for a series of demi mugs, tumblers, passport holders, and other lifestyle goods, while the other references the museum’s collection of imperial treasures from the Ming and Qing dynasties in its product design. Plus, HKPM’s Starbucks is the first concept store in Hong Kong to offer engraving services, so you can make your new travel mug purchase uniquely yours.
This special Starbucks is located at G/F, Hong Kong Palace Museum, 8 Museum Drive, West Kowloon Cultural District, Tsim Sha Tsui.
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