Korean bbq platter at Jin Luo Bao

6 of the Best Korean BBQ Restaurants in Hong Kong For the Meat Gang Gang

Korean BBQ, aka KBBQ, has become somewhat of a storied pastime for the dawgz and me. It’s the de facto Thursday through Saturday night dinner option when we want to get a few drinks in us, put the ole Marks & Spencer belt to the test, and cut loose without losing anywhere close to the amount of dignity we would at Maggie Choo’s trying to parle Français with Parisian models while double-fisting the cheapest bottled beers on the menu. 

It’s also somewhere I find myself going on one-on-one “bro dates,” where we abstain from alcohol and focus on the other two important things for men in this cold, cold world – meat and emotionally opening up to your dawg. Something about several platters of marinated short ribs and pork belly just primes the soul for heartfelt reflection and armchair psychoanalysis of everything from the ages of 5 to 8 that has led to your emotional immaturity at the ripe old age of 34. 

The point is, “I just want to go to the rooftops and scream, ‘I love Korean BBQ!.’” If you caught where that quote draws inspiration, then props to you (hint: Superbad). I can’t think of a single style of cuisine in Hong Kong that delivers on so many fronts – the quality front, the camaraderie front, the booze front, the vibe front, the front front. The latter, I’m unsure of what it means but if it’s a thing then KBBQ delivers. 

Korean BBQ is the adult equivalent of having your very own backyard campfire, minus the mosquitos and having to share a tent with Aidan, something I think most of us have forgotten in this bizarre Never-Never Land big city delusion and pursuit of milk and honey. 

So, without further self-deprecation, here are 6 of the best Korean BBQ restaurants in Hong Kong that you need to add to your eating Rolodex ASAP – all of which I’ve eaten at a dozen times over (each). 

Pale Ale Travel Note: Look, I could spend four paragraphs on each restaurant describing the exact taste of the marinated beef or pork belly and the emotions, physical reverberations, and memories it imparted to my taste buds but that’s not going to get us anywhere. These are the cold hard marinated, flame-grilled facts about each restaurant. I’ve also included my “must-order” items. 

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beef brisket sandwich at Rossi's Pizza and Smoked Meats

Ballin’ on a Brisket in Sai Kung: Rossi’s Pizza & Smoked Meats

At first, I had written several paragraphs on how brisket was at the heart of the American identity. Frankly, it was superfluous. I took a step back, looked at my scraggly Scorcese eyebrows in the mirror, and realized that brisket is a universal language and that there was no need to complicate great food with patriotism, geopolitics, and intersectional social justice. 

In Asia, you can find BBQ. Can you find great BBQ? Not often. And when you do, there’s a high probability that whatever restaurant it is, doesn’t serve brisket. There’s a labor of love and a high margin of error when it comes to smoking it, primarily due to space and time (sung like Mos Def in ‘Travelin’ Man’) requirements. 

Having lived in Hong Kong for over six years now (and experienced the city at various stages of its political decline), there has been very little in terms of reliable, high-quality BBQ. Sure, you can get a rack of ribs and some cornbread, and it feels familiar – but how often do you walk away actually (a) full, (b) satisfied, (c) not broke, and (d) feeling it was done proper justice? Rarely.  

But then I ate at Rossi’s Pizza and Smoked Meats in Sai Kung. And to quote my dawg T-Pain on Maino’s hit song, ‘All the Above’. Rossi’s checked off…All. The. Above. I always naively assumed that the apex of Western cuisine in Hong Kong was typically situated on Hong Kong Island (or in the likes of one of the five-star hotels in Tsim Sha Tsui). But this article is written to shatter that misconception and to cartoon Batman-slap myself back into reality. 

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Everyday Mookrata meat platter

All Day Mookrata, Everyday Mookrata: A Korean BBQ & Chinese Hotpot Love Story

I can’t believe that I had lived 32 years of my life never having heard of mookrata (also known as ‘mu kratha’). I love Korean BBQ. I love Chinese hotpot. I love Japanese motsunabe. Mix them all together and you have an unrivaled Frankenstein’s monster of flavor (and fun) that the villagers aren’t chasing out of the village with pitchforks.

Instead, they’re cozying up to this gastronomic monster, giving it the love that Victor never did.

So, you can bet I was in for a huge surprise after being recommended a popular mookrata haunt not far from the eastern bank of the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok – Everyday Moo Krata & Cafe. “Like a virgin, grilling for the very first time.” Plus, I went with one of my best roll-dawgs which is how mookrata should be enjoyed. 

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BBQ restaurants Saigon

4 of My Favorite Saigon BBQ Restaurants

BBQ and beer are probably my two favorite things ever. Well, cheese is also up there in my food power rankings. After moving to Saigon, you can bet your bottom dollar I made sure to explore as many Saigon BBQ restaurants as I could. 

This list is going to be a mix of Asian and Western BBQ restaurants, because after all, they are both incredible and worth writing about. BBQ restaurants in Saigon also happen to be absolutely everywhere, so you’ll never be scrambling to find great ribs, goat, or meats in general. 

Important Note: I had actually included TnT BBQ in the original list, but I’ve come to find out they closed September 30th. You can still find most of their BBQ over at Malt South (according to their Facebook).

Now, let’s get started with the best BBQ restaurants in Ho Chi Minh!

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