Cult east London barbecue joint Uncle Hon’s finally has its own permanent space. Though he’s now dropped the ‘Uncle’, grillmaster Hon has been plying Londoners with slow-cooked meats since 2022. After various pop-ups and residencies, he’s now moved into an east London site dutifully crowdfunded by the restaurant’s biggest fans.
Taiwanese pork belly is enough to send me into a frenzy
Would we even be in Hackney Wick if the building wasn’t covered in graffiti, and the interior wasn’t chicly industrial? The spacious white restaurant (once home to the super sustainable Silo) has polished concrete floors, vaulted ceilings with exposed insulation and ceramic light fixtures. In the centre, a sleek red counter surrounds an open kitchen where calm chefs cook on a grill that licks our dinner with ferocious flames. Moody techno plays over a high-spec soundsystem and the waiters look like they’ve stepped straight out of the streetwear dons SSENSE’s Instagram page.
Hon’s cooks meat the Texan way – low and slow – and then bombards it with Chinese-inspired flavours. Here, you order your carnivorous feast by weight. Three-hundred grams per person is the recommended amount, if you were wondering. So while I had previously believed that weighing food was something only protein-crazed gym freaks did, this is how I find myself sharing a dinner comprising 100 grams of ox cheek, 100 grams of lamb breast, 100 grams of pork belly and 300 grams of beef short rib. And I’m not mad about it.
But before I consume my daily macros, starters. Duck pancakes are non-negotiable for me at any Chinese meal. The meat is perfectly pink, but the portion could be more generous – by the fifth pancake we’ve got no more spring onion or cucumber, and only one small piece of poultry. A spiced tomato and melon salad however, is appealingly refreshing.
Then it’s time for the main event. The Taiwanese pork belly alone is enough to send me into a frenzy. The ultra soft and melty meat dissolves in my mouth, and the sauce – the perfect blend of sweet, salty and sour – is so good I would have accepted it intravenously. Every morsel, and I mean every, is unbelievably tender. Buttery beef ribs come piled with crispy golden garlic, chargrilled chillies and a glossy dousing of satisfyingly-numbing Szechuan peppercorn sauce. Cumin-laden, salty lamb is served with tangy chunks of pickled cucumber. Ox cheek – cooked for eight hours – falls apart instantly, and is flavoured with fragrant five spice and pickled onions. All this decadence is balanced with bright and crunchy grilled green beans and sticky rice enhanced with beef drippings and scallion oil.
For dessert we pick at a mango coconut pudding which has a gelatinous consistency that isn’t my favourite, but fans of panacotta might love it.
There is loads of love about Hon’s BBQ. It’s cool but not intimidating. It’s in a fun part of town. But most of all, the meat dishes that gained this smokehouse its loyal fanbase are most definitely worth the hype.
The vibe A spacious Hackney Wick grillhouse.
The food Impeccably smoked meats with bold Chinese flavours.
The drinks A compact wine and cocktail list curated by Brat sommelier Oliver Dibben.
Time Out tip Meats are available until they sell out, so get your order in early doors.