As an intellectual property attorney, it blows my mind that a city of Hong Kong can have two completely unrelated restaurants with virtually the same name (Smoke and Barrel versus Smoke and Barrels), both serving American BBQ, and located in Central. If this happened in the US, one party would certainly be suing the other for trademark infringement, arguing a “likelihood of confusion.”
And yet in Hong Kong, these two BBQ restaurants can happily co-exist, both still doing good business (presumably). If the public gets confused, they’ll sort it out, I guess.
Bryan and I visited Smoke and Barrel, a restaurant in Hong Kong’s Central district specializing in Texas style barbecue. The large restaurant (formerly Flying Elk) has an open kitchen that houses a huge authentic wood-fired smoker imported from Missouri.
The food is very good, definitely on par with excellent BBQ that you’d find in the States.
Shrimp & Grits is a classic Southern favorite, and the one here is very good. The grits are rich and creamy, and include a deeply flavor shrimp ”head” sauce that’s fancier than a typical version I might see in the US.
We enjoyed both the All American Brisket (200g for HKD228 or 400g for HKD418) and the pulled pork. The jalapeno cornbread with honey butter (HKD68) was fantastic and one of my favorites of the night. The Brussels sprouts were fine.
Jalapeno Cornbread
Dessert was soft serve ice cream served with ”de-constructed” waffle cone pieces. I specifically asked for the caramel on the side since I don’t like things that are too sweet.
Smoke & Barrel Hong Kong - General Thoughts
Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised that Hong Kong would have at least a couple high quality American BBQ places. There’s probably enough Americans here to meet that demand. I found the brisket to be at least as good as the best BBQ I’ve had in Boston. I haven’t had the best BBQ in Texas, so I can’t comment on that comparison. Still, I think the barbecue here is certainly legit, and I’d come here if I had a BBQ craving!
