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Hong Kong’s roast meat chains expand as recovery in shop markets remains uneven

Tourism rebounds as a simple operating model fuels demand for shops, while areas relying on local consumption remain mild

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People have meal in a restaurant at Causeway Bay. 18AUG25 SCMP / Sam Tsang
Peggy Ye
Hong Kong’s roast meat restaurant chains are emerging as one of the more active tenants in the city’s street-shop market, expanding in tourist districts even as the broader retail property recovery remains uneven and vacancy rates stay elevated in some areas.
The number of siu mei restaurants – eateries specialising in Cantonese roasted meats such as roast goose, pork and duck – across Hong Kong’s four core shopping districts of Mong Kok, Tsim Sha Tsui, Central and Causeway Bay has risen from about 25 in 2022 to nearly 40 this year, according to real estate firm Midland Realty.

The trend is reflecting growing demand for prime street-level shops from operators serving both tourists and local diners.

This expansion has arrived despite continued pressure on much of Hong Kong’s restaurant sector from residents spending across the border in Mainland China.

Analysts say roast meat operators have benefited from changing visitor spending patterns, with mainland tourists increasingly seeking local dining experiences rather than luxury shopping.

Official data showed visitor arrivals to Hong Kong rose 14 per cent year on year to about 22.9 million in the first five months of 2026, providing another tailwind for operators.

Unlike cha chaan tengs, Hong Kong’s traditional all-day cafes that serve extensive menus blending Cantonese and Western dishes, “roast meat shops typically offer a much narrower selection”, Stanley Poon, managing director at Centaline Commercial, said.

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