Date of visit Feb 18th 2026
CHINESE BBQ IN LONDON is growing in popularity. Meats on skewers; charcoal BBQ delights, with beer from any frosted glass container, is that thing we need to connect.
Pierce almost any food stuffs with something sharp enough to go through it, while safe enough to eat off. Use that to turn it over a charcoal BBQ station; serve it any which way with a cold beverage, people watch. You’ll see phones being put aside; people lean in to each other, relaxed gluttony.
A Quick Guide On Regional Chinese BBQ Cooking Styles
North East Chinese BBQ skewers (shaokao) shed a new light on London’s Charcoal BBQ delights for me. China Town, London, is where to go for roast meats: Regional Cantonese Chinese GuangDong BBQ.
Cantonese BBQ aficionados craving siu mei (燒味) specialities; roast duck, goose, char siu – pork belly, siu yuk – crispy pork belly. East London takes grilling skewers over charcoal seriously, as can be seen here. Totally different from North Eastern Chinese BBQ methods.
North East Chinese BBQ (Dongbei Shaokao) is grilled over charcoal. At Charcoal Champ Chinese BBQ, the variety of skewered on offer all went well with beer. The atmosphere is as lively as it is casual: its a street food from the region of Dongbei, China. If I didn’t know this, Id’ feel it. As soon I walk in, the chatter; aromas, warmth from torrential rain we escape from, I feel welcome. No reservations: bliss.
Charcoal Champ Chinese BBQ – A Restaurant Review
First to arrive are the prawns. Phew! They work up a thirst. As drinks arrive well before any chargrilled morsels of food, it’s not ideal. Humouring me is their tidy drinks menu. Basically, bottled beer starting at £4.50 a pop, excluding service charge. That, or lethal spirits; clear Chinese wine. Ask for glass; a banana yellow, child-sized plastic mug appears.
Charcoal grilled skewered prawns are dusted in salt, msg or bouillon. Eating the entire prawn shell-on is, apparently, the way to go. The body was tiny and hard to detach from its exoskeleton. Smoky (white?) pepper came next, stabbing the back of the throat. Munching through, I race my pace to find a tamale stuffed prawn head. If any sweetness were to balance salty spice, I figure I’ll it find it here. Shell, eyeballs and all.
Unfortunately, there was none, or it evaporated in the charcoal smoke, which came through and was lovely. Next bites were smothered in salt; pepper, chilli, garlic, amplified by persistence to take on that tough shell, which wasn’t as thin or as crispy as I hoped.
Charcoal skewer grilled Pork Intestine – Dongbei Style
Grilled pork intestine stuffed with a partially cooked through garlic clove: yes, please. We’re talking teeth sinking into textural wonderlands. It’s saliva inducing. The slightly salty fat spills uncontrollably as you burst through the every layered bracket before hitting the middle sweet, plump garlic clove.
Charcoal BBQ Oyster Mushrooms at Charcoal Champ Chinese BBQ
The smoky skewers umami: oyster mushrooms are seasoned to the max. Salt, garlic powder, cumin, chilli powder. Looks-wise, they can pass for taste. In fact, they’d confuse a carnivorous BBQ expert in a blind-folded taste test.
Dry rub flavours don’t compare to Cantonese Chinese BBQ pork belly or char siu (叉烧) in Cantonese (cha shao in Mandarin). They’re like night and day. Easily accessible in China Town – Cantonese Chinese BBQ is famous for its sweet BBQ glaze. Hoisin sauce and Chinese five spice powder. It doubles down hard on that sweet-savaoury flavour profile, remiss of Cantonese cooking I’m accustomed to.
Roasting, nutty sesame aromas are enhanced by oil blooming dry spices, in this Dongbei style of BBQ. Whereas glossy sheens saturate finished products of tasty, Cantonese BBQ roast meat flavour. Charcoal-grilled Dongbei or North Eastern Chinese BBQ skewers scream smoke and salt by comparison.
Lamb Skewers at Charcoal Champ Chinese BBQ
Just when you see yourself at the finish line, flat as a starfish on the sofa, the richness dissolves. Then it’s round two. Sweeping skewers of charcoal lamb and beef appear. Fragrant, nutty, meaty bites. Delivered directly to mouth by barely a toothy tug. Char, chew a plenty: as you see from the ten small lamb skewers (above). Those juicy squirts from rendered fat snap you back to task. Keep going.
North Eastern Chinese BBQ Beef
Skewering, by alternating meat and fat, seems held off a tad on this beef version. Traditionally, the BBQ method closest to Dongbei style; Xinjiang-style shaokao method embraces it.
It could be more rendered due to palate preference, beef quality (which is more likely given the beef skewer price). As discussed below, vehicles can cut through it, making the overall dining experience more moreish.
Chinese BBQ Chicken Wing Skewers
Each charcoal barbecued chicken wing is a majestic, juicy, dark poultry present, wrapped in umami crunch and BBQ smoke. The bones feel non-existent – they’re that good.
BBQ Chinese Chives
The charcoal Chinese chives are leek-like, with a toned down fresh young garlic savouriness. The spice blend measure out to balanced sweet and salty side dish. A bit more chewy than I would like – but a much needed break in colour scheme of stacked skewers.
Chinese BBQ side dishes
Roast, toasty skewered rice cakes bring diversity to the mouthfeel and flavour. This version tramples upon any monotonous, gummy, single flavour profile I’ve experienced with tteokbokki (Korean rice cakes). The cheesy sweetcorn was a much needed respite from the spice for my dining companion, who devoured them with enthusiasm. Apparently, if you catch a member of staff to make a note before you place your order, you can ask for milder spicing.
A pairing of a pickle or two wouldn’t go amiss. Something zesty, cooling, to cut through the elements. Rich BBQ pork intestine; rendered lamb fat on the lamb skewers, for instance. Or the monotony of bite after same bite of meat. I’m nitpicking, at this point: I prefer it, particularly alongside cold beer. Fresh chilli to crunch into, to aid the hunkering down to an education in dry spice flavour, in a single sitting. Unless you eat raw garlic, with as much gusto as proper piquant pepper, this may be a step too far here.
With a dry rub skewered affair, I’m partial to a side of salt and pepper in a dipping bowl. To make up my mind and scald myself for it, regarding how much salt, please and thank you. A bit or crushed cumin, some chilli flakes to dip into. That kind of thing. Find my rhythm, rather than committing right away.
Charcoal Champ Chinese BBQ Review
A NOTE REGARDING VALUE FOR MONEY: These prices are extremely reasonable for London, with some caveats. Those being; limited drinks options, with them being served typically immediately, on ordering, well before any food arrives. We requested tap water but it did not arrive, so I cannot comment. This is a thirst quenching meal with no options but to buy bottle after beer bottle. A service charge is applied, in spite of orders being made by mobile device. It’s applied each time you place an order, which can add up. Be prepared or enquire with the staff further about it if you’re not sure how much to order.
Ratings!
Food – 7.2/10
Value for money 7.8/10
Vibes and service – 8/10
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