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Header image courtesy of 喜來稀肉 Seorae (via Facebook)
Originally published by Catharina Cheung. Last updated by Celia Lee.
The sizzle of fresh meat as it hits the hot grill, the savoury and spicy sauces to dip them in, the seemingly endless supply of side dishes, the smoky smell hanging in the air—ah, Korean barbecue, how we love you. As the temperature dips, KBBQ makes for a cosy and hearty meal to be enjoyed in small groups, so here are Hong Kong’s best joints to hit up.
The Seorae chain already has approximately 300 restaurants across South Korea, so you can be assured that their delicious presence in Hong Kong is here for good reason. Gather around the tables, each with their own grills, and tuck into the grilled beef Seorae style and the famous samgyeopsal (삼겹살; pork belly) . Seorae’s grills are also surrounded by a little trench, into which the staff will pour plain or cheesy egg batter, kimchi egg batter, and garlic, into three separate sections. Mouth-watering!
If you’re looking for an authentic barbecue experience, Jeonpo Meat Shop takes you straight to the streets of Korea with its décor, food, and service. A designated server will be by your table to help you cook the various meats you’ve ordered, just like in many BBQ restaurants in Korea. Signature items include the beef ribs, steamed eggs, and butter fried rice prepared on the barbecue pan, talk about dinner and a show!
A Koreatown restaurant where there’s always good times to be had. While not really a traditional KBBQ in the grill-in-table sense, the staff at Dalin will bring your table a hot plate on a portable stove, and pop by regularly to help with your cooking—great if you can’t handle heat or simply can’t be bothered. The star of the show here is the Mega Dalin BBQ skewer, a huge hanging skewer strung up with pork belly, seafood, and various vegetables and fruits—definitely not an endeavour to undertake by yourself. No visit to Dalin is ever complete without copious amounts of alcohol, so line your stomach and crack open those soju bottles!
Dalin Pocha, 78–81 Kimberley Road, Tsim Sha Tsui | (+852) 2658 9382
Another authentic KBBQ joint, we like this place for its delicious and incredibly generous samgyeopsal set for two. Not only does it come with top quality samgyeopsal piled into a mountain on a plate, but also a wide selection of banchan for you to pair with your main. If you’re dining with a large group, pick from their range of traditional Korean dishes, from different jjigaes, to a variety of gimbaps, noodle dishes and tteokbokki, and upgrade your KBBQ feast. You’ve been warned, this menu is deliciously overwhelming and will render you an indecisive mess—in a good way.
K-Palace, Shop D, G/F, On Wing Building, Whampoa Estate, 41–47 Man Tai Street, Hung Hom | (+852) 2334 5633
The Charcoal Room sets itself apart from Hong Kong’s plethora of KBBQ joints in that it is the only one to use oak charcoal grills. Cooking on a charcoal flame instead of your usual gas grill will apparently seal in the meat’s juices and essences using the shortest amount of time, as well as give your food a smoky flavour. Go for the prime chuck tail flap or the Jeju eel, though we must say their Wagyu tenderloin sandwich is also superb, with four thick, juicy A5 Kumamoto beef cuts toasted to perfection.
The Charcoal Room, locations across Hong Kong Island and Kowloon
If you’re looking for a restaurant for a no-fuss KBBQ night with some friends, Seoul Night is the place to be. Offering a range of meats for grilling, signatures include the authentic, long cut beef ribs and pork shoulder butt. Look out for their 1+Korean Beef menu offering jet-fresh hanwoo! Items are limited so be sure to get your orders in early. If a plain BBQ is too boring for you, try out their popular soy-marinated crabs (게장; gejang).
Seoul Night Korean Restaurant, G/F, Prat Building, 13–15 Prat Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui
Pyeong Chang is an authentic KBBQ joint with interiors that resemble a down-to-earth pocha. On the menu is a selection of meats perfect for grilling, from beef and pork to seafood and chicken, complete with veggies so you can feel better about your meat feast. If putting together a BBQ combo is not your forte, dine with one of Pyeong Chang’s three dinner sets and sample across the selection. For something more filling, give the japchae (잡채; stir-fried glass noodles with veggies) and mulnaengmyeon (물냉면; cold buckwheat noodles) a try.
Pyeong Chang, 13/F, CTMA Centre, 1 Sai Yeung Choi Street, Mong Kok
Offering city dwellers in Hong Kong a taste of authentic Jeju cuisine, you can try one of the island’s many specialities, black Iberian pork, at your next BBQ feast at Jeju Bulgogi. A selection of premium cuts is available, but we do recommend the samgyeopsal set and the assorted platter. Banchan and grill-side eggs and cheesy corn are available for unlimited refills, so don’t be shy and ask your server for more!
Catharina has recently returned to her hometown of Hong Kong after spending her formative years in Singapore and the UK. She enjoys scouring the city for under-the-radar things to do, see, and eat, and is committed to finding the perfect foundation that will withstand Hong Kong’s heat. She is also an aspiring polyglot, a firm advocate for feminist and LGBTQIA+ issues, and a huge lover of animals. You can find her belting out show-tunes in karaoke, or in bookstores adding new tomes to her ever-growing collection.
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