Yuk Mi Jeong Dam
Photograph: Ann Chiu
Photograph: Ann Chiu

11 Best yakiniku restaurants in Hong Kong

Huddle with friends and family for this heartwarming Japanese delicacy

Ann Chiu
Translated by: Time Out Hong Kong
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Aside from huddling around a savoury hot pot, you can gather your group for yakiniku – derived from the words grilled (yaki) and meat (niku) – an authentic Japanese barbecue dining experience, to indulge in premium-cooked meats over a flaming charcoal grill. Hong Kong has plenty of fantastic yakiniku joints to offer, and we’re here to help you pick out the best of them.

RECOMMENDED: Enjoy a meal at the best new restaurant openings in April!

Top joints for Japanese grilled meat

  • Japanese
  • Sha Tin

Tucked away in Sha Tin is the futuristic, space-themed yakiniku joint Yakiniku Tabeyo, a new restaurant that just opened its doors late last year. Delivering food to your table via spaceship-like capsules, Yakiniku Tabeyo offers a whole variety of meats and cuts for you to grill at your table, including lavish combos like their Miyazaki Wagyu set – encompassing servings of A5 Wagyu rib eye, A4 Wagyu short plate, and A4 Wagyu chuck roll – for $178 per 100g or $268 per 200g.

  • Japanese
  • Sheung Wan

Created by the team behind Wagyumafia, Shinjuku’s Yakinikumafia has extended its reach beyond Japan to Hong Kong with its first overseas location in the world. Just like its older sibling, the restaurant carries its signature Ozaki beef from Miyazaki, where beef cattle are fed 15 different kinds of natural feed with no preservatives or antibiotics whatsoever, earning it a reputation often considered even more esteemed than A5 Wagyu. On top of just yakiniku, Yakinikumafia also offers the Hokkaido Jingisukan-inspired Wagyujiska experience, consisting of rare cuts of Ozaki Wagyu that offer marbling ranging from fine (shimofuri) to medium to coarse (akami). After grilling, you can even add soup to the stove for shabu shabu, giving you the best of both worlds.

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  • Japanese
  • Wan Chai

Taiwan’s popular Japanese yakiniku restaurant, Yakiniku Luigi, has opened their first overseas branch in Hong Kong. This venue offers a wide range of premium cuts of A5 Wagyu beef directly imported from Japan, which can be enjoyed in set menus or ordered a la carte. Highlights on the menu include Japanese A5 Wagyu steak cubes, thick-cut Wagyu beef tongue slices, grilled sashimi-grade scallops topped with sea urchin, and seafood donburi topped with assorted sashimi. Pair your grilled meats with dipping sauces of your choice from Luigi’s self-service condiment table, with options including salted Japanese kelp, Italian black truffle sauce, and mentaiko.

  • Korean
  • Kowloon City

Busan-based Korean barbecue restaurant Dong Baek has finally arrived in Hong Kong. The store's interior combines traditional Korean elements with modern design, offering diners a sleek and spacious environment to enjoy their meals. To ensure a high-quality barbecue experience, Dong Baek meticulously selects all of their ingredients. Try their signature flower pork belly slices, which are thinly sliced to ensure they cook quickly, and are rich and fatty with a touch of sweetness. As for other pork cuts, be sure to leave room for the Jeju Iberico pork butt (shoulder), which has a perfectly even ratio of fatty to lean meat. When it comes to beef, Dong Baek also offers cuts of premium Hanwoo and Wagyu such as sirloin, ribeye, and beef belly.

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  • Japanese
  • Central

Thanks to Hong Kong’s culinary management group Global Link, those in the city can now enjoy the flavourful offerings of the 30-year-old Tokyo yakiniku staple Yakiniku Jumbo in Central’s Man Yee Arcade. The restaurant holds a capacity of roughly 50 seats, and its menu evolves daily featuring the highest quality of Wagyu sourced locally by its Japanese headquarters and then flown to Hong Kong. For dinner, guests can enjoy a nine-course omakase ($1,280) menu that includes a starter, six to eight different cuts of meat, and dessert.

  • Japanese
  • Wan Chai

Niku G is one of the latest yakiniku additions to Wan Chai's neighbourhood. The atmospheric spot offers an omakase dining experience featuring a unique selection of seafood like oysters and lobsters sourced from Japan’s Mie Prefecture. Niku G promises only the highest quality grade of meat to diners offeringA5 Wagyu beef, flown directly to Hong Kong from Japan. When you’ve had enough yakiniku, the restaurant offers shabu shabu and sukiyaki too.

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  • Japanese
  • Central

A Kobe import, Yakiniku Ishidaya places a strong emphasis on sourcing premium Wagyu from the region of its origin, especially through farms that have earned Kobe’s notorious purple chrysanthemum mark – a qualification only Tajima Wagyu cattle of pure lineage and born in Hyogo Prefecture can receive. Aside from 15 different varieties of A4 and A5 Wagyu, Yakiniku Ishidaya also offers a whole host of other meats and seafood, including cuts of pork and chicken, as well as their own homemade sauces.

  • Sheung Wan
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

Originating from Japan’s Tochigi Prefecture just north of Tokyo, Yakiniku Great opened its first overseas location in Hong Kong back in 2015 and has since become one of the most popular yakiniku restaurants in town. The venue serves the usual cuts of meat you’d expect, such as chuck, rib-eye, and beef tongue, but it also sources rarer cuts including misuji, a definite highlight of their menu that offers a rich umami flavour and exceptionally fine marbling. As with most other yakiniku restaurants, customers can choose from an a la carte menu, a set menu, and various omakase courses.

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  • Japanese
  • Tsim Sha Tsui

Over at Tsim Sha Tsui’s H Zentre, book a table at Saburo Japanese Yakiniku, a luxurious yakiniku restaurant providing an excellent selection of meats, including Iga beef, Himeji beef, Miyazaki beef, and Kagoshima beef. Special yakiniku and sashimi sets are available during lunch hours from $580, while the omakase menu with five different courses start at $680 to $1,480. The sets also feature starters, seasonal sashimi, seafood, soup, drinks, and dessert which you can enjoy in Saburo’s spacious 3,000sq ft space.

  • Tsim Sha Tsui

Located in K11 Musea, Yakiniku Jikon is helmed by yakiniku expert chef Hiromi Nomura, who combines the elegant art of kaiseki with grilled meat to create a truly unique dining experience. The menu spotlights premium A5 Wagyu sourced directly from Kagoshima which boast a ‘Wagyu golden ratio’ – the perfect balance of meat, fat, and umami.

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  • Japanese
  • Sheung Wan

Yakiniku Like is a hitori yakiniku, or solo barbecue restaurant that allows you to eat to your heart’s content without having to share. The Japanese barbeque restaurant offers a myriad of quality cuts of meat on their menu at affordable prices, and customers can order their choice of items a la carte, or enjoy them in set menus that come with rice and a bowl of soup. With several locations within the city, Yakiniku Like is a great option if you need to grab a quick bite by yourself.

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