Texas Meets Hong Kong at Hon’s BBQ – But Does It Work?
Texas Meets Hong Kong at Hon’s BBQ – But Does It Work?
Hon’s BBQ brings Texas smoke and Chinese flavours to Hackney Wick
Texas barbecue and Hong Kong flavours might sound like a fusion concept dreamed up for TikTok, but at Hon’s BBQ there’s a more convincing story behind it.
Founder Man Hon Luk fell for smoked meat in Texas, before returning to learn the craft properly and eventually bringing his own version of it to Hackney Wick. The result is a menu where brisket, short rib and smoked lamb sit alongside five spice, Sichuan chilli oil, pickles and other Chinese flavours.
After a run of pop-ups, Hon’s BBQ opened its permanent Hackney Wick restaurant last month, and I’d been keen to see whether the hype was justified. More importantly, does combining Texas-style barbecue with Hong Kong flavours actually make the food better, or is the concept more exciting on paper?
Turns out, when Hon’s BBQ gets it right, it really works (although not everything on the menu works quite as well).
Quick info on Hon’s BBQ in Hackney Wick
- Restaurant: Hon’s BBQ
- Where: Hackney Wick, London
- Cuisine: Texan barbecue with Chinese influences
- Must order: Duck pancakes, Xi’an lamb breast, mango coconut pudding
- Good to know: The smoked meats are sold both by weight and by portion, and the restaurant recommends about 300g per person
- Price: Around £70 per person
- Details: Party of 2. Meal paid for by us independently
Find out more in the full Hon’s BBQ restaurant review below.
The Hon’s BBQ menu takes a minute to understand
Before you dive into the Hon’s BBQ menu, it’s worth taking a moment to understand how it works.
Unlike most barbecue restaurants, not every meat comes as a standard portion.
Instead, some cuts are sold by weight, in 100g increments, while others arrive as fixed portions. Alongside those you’ll find starters, vegetables, rice dishes and a single dessert, all designed to build your meal around the smoked meats.
It’s a brilliant way of ordering, because you can mix and match different cuts and portion sizes without committing to enormous portions of everything.
My advice would be to go with a starter to share, choose a couple of smoked meats between the table, add a side or two, and then see how you’re feeling before ordering anything else.
Trust me, it’s easy to get carried away with the Hon’s BBQ menu.
Don’t skip the duck pancakes
Ironically, my favourite dish of the entire meal at Hon’s BBQ doesn’t even come from the smoked section.
It’s the duck pancakes. Five soft pancakes arrive alongside sliced smoked duck, glossy hoisin sauce and neat piles of shredded spring onion, ready for a bit of DIY assembly.
They’re absolutely superb.
The duck has this incredible smoky depth that’s immediately followed by a rich, gently gamey flavour. It’s much more interesting than the crispy duck pancakes you’ll find in most Chinese restaurants, but still wonderfully familiar once it’s wrapped inside the pancake with sweet hoisin and crisp spring onion.
If I came back tomorrow, I’d happily order one portion just for myself. For me, they’re an absolute must-order from the Hon’s BBQ menu.
The smoked meats are where Hon’s BBQ earns its reputation
Of course, you’re here for the barbecue – and next come the smoked meats, which we order to share between the two of us.
First up is the Xi’an lamb breast, which we order by weight. We settle on 200g, and it turns out to be exactly the right amount for two people to share.
At first bite, it’s easy to see why this dish has become one of the restaurant’s signatures.
The lamb is gloriously rich, with soft meat wrapped in pillowy curls of rendered fat that almost melt the moment they hit your tongue. There’s a proper lamby funkiness running through it too, which only adds to its appeal.
The smashed cucumber is a clever addition, helping to cut through the richness of the meat and fat, and add wonderful texture.
Next comes the ox cheek, and for this we opt for just 100g between the two of us, which is the right call.
Where the lamb is all about bold flavour, the ox cheek wins on texture.
It simply falls apart in the mouth, collapsing into soft, gelatinous ribbons that remind both of us a little of pastrami. Fragrant five spice gently perfumes the meat, while sharp pickled onions rein in the richness.
It’s subtler than the lamb, less gamey, but delicious nonetheless.
The beef short rib is built for sharing
Then comes the beef short rib, which is the dish we’d been most looking forward to.
Unlike some of the other smoked meats, this one isn’t sold by weight. Instead, it arrives as a single, hefty portion (roughly 300g) and when it lands on the table, we can see that it’s enormous.
Interestingly, when we order it, we’re told we might want one each. I’m very glad we ignore that advice, because one between two people is more than enough.
The meat itself is beautifully smoked and impressively tender, sliced neatly and served on the bone. Each piece is capped with a thin layer of rendered fat, fried garlic, Sichuan chilli and fragrant peppercorns, giving the first bite a brilliant combination of richness, smoke and warm, lingering heat.
The problem is that most of that seasoning sits on the surface.
That first bite, with a little of everything, is excellent. But as you work your way through the thicker slices, it becomes harder to get the garlic, chilli and peppercorns into every mouthful, and the meat underneath can feel comparatively muted.
It’s still very well cooked, but the dish never quite matches the impact of that first intensely seasoned bite. With so many other excellent meats on the menu, this is probably the one I’d skip next time.
Don’t expect much from the rice
To accompany everything, we order the beef dripping scallion oil rice. Sounds great, right? Beef. Dripping. Scallion. Rice. Wow.
I’ll be honest, I’d skip this next time. I’d imagined something much beefier and more savoury from the name.
At just £4, I probably should’ve guessed it wasn’t going to be the star of the meal. It’s essentially a small bowl of rice, perfectly decent, if entirely forgettable.
Save room for dessert
By this point, we’re convinced we’re completely full. Still, we’ve got to try the dessert – the only one on the menu by the way.
The mango coconut pudding turns out to be exactly the ending this meal needs.
And even more miraculously, we find room to eat it.
The coconut pudding, like a panna cotta, is beautifully soft, almost wobbling across the plate, while a generous scattering of desiccated coconut adds just enough texture to stop everything becoming too silky.
It’s wonderfully judged. And, after all that rich, smoky meat, it feels incredibly light and refreshing.
Is Hon’s BBQ worth the money?
Our lunch comes to around £70 per person, including roughly 300g of smoked meat each, the duck pancakes and dessert to share, and two soft drinks each.
It’s a little more than we’d expected.
That said, smoking meat for up to twelve hours isn’t exactly cheap, and compared with other premium barbecue restaurants in London, the pricing doesn’t feel wildly out of line.
What I would say, though, is don’t feel pressured into ordering more than you need.
The menu is unusual, and because some meats are sold by weight while others come as fixed portions, it’s easy to assume you’ll need more food than you actually do.
Take the short rib – when we’re told we might want one each, I do worry that we’ve under-ordered.
Looking back, ordering two would’ve been a complete disaster.
One short rib between two or three people is absolutely plenty. It’s incredibly rich, and by the time you’ve also worked your way through duck pancakes, lamb, ox cheek and a side, you’ll be grateful you showed a little restraint.
My advice would be to start slow and add more if you need it. It’s harder to undo over-ordering once the barbecue starts arriving.
Final thoughts on Hon’s BBQ in Hackney
So, does Texas barbecue meet Hong Kong cooking successfully at Hon’s BBQ? For the most part, absolutely, and it rarely feels like fusion for fusion’s sake.
The best dishes use smoke, fat, spice, acidity and sweetness in a way that makes both sides of the concept feel necessary. The duck pancakes are an easy must-order, the lamb is packed with flavour and the ox cheek delivers the sticky, gelatinous richness you want from slow-cooked meat.
Not everything is exceptional – the rice is forgettable, and despite being beautifully cooked, the short rib could be improved.
Ordering carefully matters too. Some of the portions are more generous than you’d expect, prices add up quickly and you probably need less meat than you think. Particularly if you want enough room for the excellent dessert.
We spent around £70 per person, and while that isn’t cheap, the cooking at its best feels distinctive enough to justify the visit.
Just don’t forget to order those amazing pancakes.
Read more
20 Must Eats in London
Hon’s BBQ restaurant review
Address – 1st Floor, Unit 7, The White Building, Queen’s Yard, London E9 5EN
Nearest Tube – Hackney Wick
