Honey-lacquered Cantonese roast pork with a sticky mahogany crust and pink-tinted interior, sliced over rice or piled in a bun. Hong Kong's defining siu mei piece, hung in every roast meat window from Kam's to Joy Hing.
Where to eat it: 5 restaurants across 1 city.
Char siu (literally fork-roast) is one of the four pillars of Cantonese siu mei, hung over a charcoal pit on long forks since at least the Qing dynasty. The signature mahogany glaze comes from maltose, honey, hoisin, and red fermented bean curd. Joy Hing on Queen's Road East has roasted char siu in the same shop since 1888; Kam's Roast Goose is the current Michelin-starred reference.
Common allergens: Soy, Gluten
Tip from the editors. The strips must be thinner than a pork loin (5cm); thicker and the maltose burns before the interior cooks. Pork shoulder (not loin) gives the marbling for proper char siu fat caps.
Kam's Roast Goose in Wan Chai is the third generation of the Kam family roast meat tradition, with a Michelin star, juicy crisp skinned goose and decadent.
Signature: Roast goose, Roast suckling pig, Goose blood pudding
Order: Roast goose plate with goose blood pudding.
Tip: Take a number at the door and expect 30 to 60 minutes; the goose blood pudding is a sleeper pick that locals order.
Joy Hing Roasted Meat on Hennessy Road in Wan Chai is a Bib Gourmand Cantonese siu mei shop, roasting char siu and duck in pre war ovens since the turn.
Try: Char siu and roast duck over rice
Order: Char siu over rice with extra fatty cut.
Tip: Order char siu mixed with siu yuk; the fat to lean ratio is the room's signature glaze.
Yat Lok on Stanley Street in Central plates Michelin starred roast goose on rice until late evening, the canonical Hong Kong post bar Cantonese carb.
Try: Roast goose on rice
Order: Roast goose lower thigh on rice.
Tip: Order the lower thigh with extra plum sauce; it is the local nightcap.
Tim Ho Wan in Sham Shui Po opened in 2010 and was once famed as the world's most affordable Michelin star room, now holding Bib Gourmand status.
Signature: Baked char siu bun, Steamed shrimp dumpling, Beancurd skin roll with shrimp
Order: Three baked char siu buns with sweet polo crust.
Tip: Order at the entrance via paper slip; the baked char siu buns sell out by mid afternoon.
Ho Lee Fook on Elgin Street runs a modern Cantonese weekend brunch under chef ArChan Chan, leaning on Black Sheep's signature char siu and cheung fun rice.
Order: Char siu Kurobuta pork and steamed rice rolls.
Tip: Book the chef's counter to see the wok station; brunch tickets often sell out by Wednesday.
More cities are in research. Want char siu (cantonese bbq pork) covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.