Beefbar

A Michelin-Starred Outpost of a Global Steakhouse Franchise in Hong Kong

Original starting in Monte-Carlo, Monaco, Beefbar is an luxury steakhouse franchise that has global reach. Founded by Riccardo Giraudi, often called "The Beefboy," the heritage of Beefbar comes from a family with over 50 years in the meat import/export business. Riccardo joined the family business in the early 2000s and created Beefbar to showcase rare and exceptional beef cuts sourced globally, breaking traditional steakhouse norms with a modern, cosmopolitan approach. The concept emphasizes simple yet flavorful dishes, street-food-inspired items, and a focus on beef from aroud the world: the US, Australia, Korea, Japan, and beyond.

Starting as a single location in Monaco, Beefbar expanded rapidly into a global franchise with outposts on nearly every continent, opening in Paris (2018), Hong Kong (2015), Milano, Mykonos, Cannes, London, New York (2024), and even partnerships onboard cruise ships. In 2025, Beefbar continues to grow, with recent additions like Gordes in France and Egypt.

The Hong Kong location opened in 2015, marking one of the brand's early expansions into Asia. The restaurant quickly gained acclaim for its focus on exceptional meats and innovative dishes, earning its first Michelin star in 2017—a distinction it has maintained through 2025.

Its history reflects Beefbar's global ethos: starting as a showcase for premium beef breeds, as well as different regional preparations highlighting the meat - from traditional grilled steaks, wagyu pasta sauces and Japanese teppanyaki, it evolved to include creative "street food" elements like ceviches, crunchy tacos with scallops and white miso, and tartares with tuna, oysters, and caviar.

The current executive chef at Beefbar Hong Kong is Ivan Chan, who took the helm as the brand's first Asian executive chef worldwide. With over 28 years of culinary experience, Chan is a Hong Kong native renowned for his expertise in premium meats, seafood, and innovative flavor pairings. He began his career in hotel food and beverage operations, building a foundation in diverse settings like coffee shops, banquets, and fine-dining Chinese restaurants.

The amuse bouche was a mini tostada topped with cauliflower puree and caviar. It was exactly what I expected - a bit of earthiness and nuttiness from the cauliflower, a kick of salt from the caviar, and satisfying crunch from the tostada.

As we had a late night reservation, my companion and I arrived starving we finished multiple serving of piping hot bread - arriving straight out of their oven, and served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

I’ve been to Beerbar many times before, but rarely ever for food. They have a great rooftop patio upstairs, and usually we’re grabbing after work drinks as a communal watering hole near the central business district in Hong Kong.

This time, we went with two cocktails before settling down the with menu for appetizers. We decided to go A La Carte, as they had many specials they were running for the 18th anniversary of their parent group, Lai Sun Dining, and for appetizers, we went with the beef tartare, tuna tacos and the wagyu pappardelle.

I’d heard that the beef tartare at Beefbar was legendary. Perhaps an expectations management issue, but I was quite disappointed. It’s almost as if they whipped it up in a blender until it was a paste. Completely lacking in texture, severely under seasoned, with a dollop of mustard on top and adding insult to injury, served without any accompaniment. Frankly, I think the best beef tartare in Hong Kong was at the now defunct La Brasserie.

The tuna tacos were slightly better. Three mini tacos with an avocado paste and loosely chopped tuna tartare on top. A bit under seasoned, but otherwise uneventful.

Next a dish that was very well executed, the wagyu beef ragu pappardelle, incorporating 36 month aged Parmesan. Warm, fatty, rich, with a bit of funkiness and umami from the cheese. Pasta cooked perfectly al dente, this was definitely a highlight of the meal.

The steak came next - half a kilo of boneless Australian Black Angus ribeye. Done to perfect temperature, and perfectly seasoned for a change. The steaks came with a variety of accompanying sauces - particularly good was the signature Beefbar sauce, as well as their béarnaise.

Unique to Beefbar, they have five different kinds of mashed potatoes - from the classic mash, to ones with jalapenos, cheese, mushrooms and black truffle. We were feeling particularly decadent, and went with the Comte cheese mash, with a bubbling layer of Comte cheese broiled above our mash.

One thing I always found objectionable in Hong Kong - they seem to really whip the sauces until they’re smooth and paste-like, and this mash was no exception. I like my mash loose and chunky, and they definitely whipped this one in a blender. Same thing with guacamole. Must be a regional thing, as nearly every restaurant in Hong Kong does it that way, but I’m not a fan.

The steak and mash was pretty heavy, so we decided to skip dessert and jump straight to the cheque. We were surprised by the petit four: two small cream puffs filled with chilled mascarpone cheese. A tiny bite of dessert to end the meal.

Overall, Beefbar gets a resounding “meh”. Among the many other steakhouses in Hong Kong, like the Steak House at the Regent or Grand Hyatt Steakhouse, there really wasn’t anything spectacular or unique to point to. Everything was fine, nothing amazing or terrible, except maybe that abysmal beef tartare. Just a very mediocre “fine”. A bit sterile, a bit of a cookie cutter experience, I’d probably take a pass on this one next time around.

Total damage: 1900 HKD/2 people.