Kao Dry Cup Loses to Meat Square! The Most Popular BBQ Chain in Taiwan Is This Brand: Melt-in-Your-Mouth Beef Tongue and Outstanding Service

Birthday celebrations, family dinners, and post-work hangouts—barbecue has become a common dining choice in Taiwan. From high-end brands emphasizing Japanese wagyu and tableside grilling to individual grills, all-you-can-eat formats, and affordable yakitori, businesses continue to expand stores, launch collaborations, and run limited-time events to capture market attention. This ranking is based on the 'Barbecue Chain' online buzz volume from the past month, compiled by Network Temperature DailyView, with data collected between June 28 and July 27, 2026. The rankings reflect online discussion volume during the specified period and do not equate to actual revenue, market share, sales volume, or customer satisfaction. From budget yakitori to premium wagyu, which brands are capturing the most online attention? Here is the full ranking.

No.10 Pindu Yakitori Stall Pindu Yakitori Stall ranked tenth with 812 online mentions, with positive sentiment at 66%, neutral at 16%, and negative at 18%. The brand follows a common Taipei urban model of affordable yakitori, offering meat skewers, vegetables, and drinking snacks selected on-site. Its official social media emphasizes no reservations—customers must arrive in person and wait, creating a lively, spontaneous roadside stall atmosphere.

In recent years, the brand has expanded from its Zhongxiao Taipei store to locations in Banqiao, Xinzhuang, Keelung, and Xizhi. The Xizhi branch recently opened for indoor dining, promoting yakitori paired with craft beer, offering northern Taiwan consumers a new after-work gathering option.

No.9 Lao Jing Premium BBQ Lao Jing Premium BBQ accumulated 888 online mentions, with 52% positive, 39% neutral, and 9% negative sentiment. In addition to offering set meals with meat, seafood, and tableside service, the brand has recently increased buzz through cross-store point collection and cross-industry collaborations. The 'Lao Jing BBQ Run' event, launched at the end of April 2026, ran through July 31. Customers collected stamps at different branches and could redeem meat, set meals, and membership discounts based on progress, transforming regular dining into a cross-store challenge.

Checking Google reviews, users praised: 'Lao Jing’s handling of meat and seafood is top-tier for its price point,' 'First time dining here—the staff and food were delicious and attentive,' and 'They can grill meat to your preferred doneness. The meat and seafood quality is excellent, the lighting and ambiance are great, and the restrooms are luxurious.'

No.8 Tea Six BBQ Hall Tea Six BBQ Hall ranked eighth with 1,286 mentions, with sentiment distribution at 43% positive, 42% neutral, and 15% negative. The brand operates multiple outlets in Taichung, featuring high-ceilinged spaces, dark wood decor, and large dining areas. Its set menus focus on beef, pork, seafood, and group-sized combinations, targeting family, friend, and holiday gatherings. As of July 2026, its official social media lists locations in Taichung’s Xinchao-Fu, Gongyi, Zhongqing, Dongshan, and Changhua’s Lugang.

During the analysis period, Tea Six launched a weekday-only promotion from July 1–31: ordering a set meal allowed customers to add a plate of soy-sauce-braised pork belly for just NT$1, attracting discussion through low-barrier meat upgrades.

User reviews highlight: 'All ingredients are fresh and delicious,' and 'The portion is generous—three people can be full with two-person sets plus a few extras. The tomato plum is a must-order every time.'

No.7 Meat Square BBQ Buffet Meat Square BBQ Buffet, a buffet brand under the Wazawa Group, ranked seventh with 1,384 mentions, with 42% positive, 31% neutral, and 27% negative sentiment. It has the highest negative sentiment among the top ten, indicating more polarized opinions, though the cause—price, wait times, service, or other factors—cannot be determined from sentiment alone.

A key topic during the analysis period was the opening of its Taoyuan Zhongzheng store on July 1, 2026. Initial promotions included discounts for two-person dining, with Taoyuan residents receiving black tiger shrimp at designated stores. Extended 3-hour dining options during certain periods helped spread both store opening news and promotions.

Additionally, from July 1 to August 31, 2026, the brand offered free Argentine squid for two-person visits. The keyword 'Wazawa' directly references its parent group, and store openings, membership events, and group dining news frequently link the two, contributing significantly to its buzz.

No.6 Hutong BBQ Entering Hutong BBQ, old doors, window lattices, lanterns, and dark wood elements create a space evoking traditional Chinese alleyways, while the cuisine follows Japanese BBQ style, emphasizing meat preparation, charcoal grilling, and tableside interaction. Hutong earned 1,533 mentions in this ranking, just 3 behind fifth place, with 87% positive, 7% neutral, and 6% negative sentiment—the second-highest positive sentiment among the top ten.

The keyword 'Teishoku' refers to the July 16, 2026, collaboration with Teishoku 8. Together, they launched the 'Flame BBQ Feast,' integrating BBQ elements into Japanese set meals, running through September 30. Customers who joined Hutong’s membership program received coupons and crab miso kara-yaki redemption vouchers. This collaboration extended the brand’s image—traditionally focused on group dining with staff-assisted grilling—into the affordable set meal scene, offering a new dining experience.

No.5 Yakiniku Smile (BBQ Smile) Previously, solo diners were often deterred by seating arrangements, set portion sizes, and minimum spending. BBQ Smile positions itself around 'one person, one grill,' allowing individual customers to grill at their own pace. The brand ranked fifth with 1,536 mentions, just 3 ahead of Hutong, with 75% positive, 18% neutral, and 7% negative sentiment.

The popular keyword 'Zhujian' comes from its affiliation with the Zhujian Dining Group. Group membership, store events, and brand promotions consistently expose both names. On July 17, 2026, BBQ Smile partnered with Honda Motorcycle, displaying models like the Monkey, Super Cub C125, and MSX GROM at four stores: Shulin Showtime, Zhubei Enjoy Square, Taichung Wenshin Showtime, and Kaohsiung Tainan Aluminum. Customers purchasing collaboration meals received stickers, and completing tasks allowed redemption of meat vouchers and entry into raffles. This cross-industry pairing generated buzz beyond the food industry.

No.4 Dagu Aged BBQ Specialist Dagu Aged BBQ Specialist focuses on aged beef and Japanese sake. Officially, the brand positions itself as a themed BBQ restaurant combining Japanese wagyu, aged meat, and sake vending machines. Meat is aged to enhance aroma and tenderness, then paired with different cuts and sake varieties. It accumulated 1,796 mentions, with 4% positive, 94% neutral, and 1% negative sentiment—neutral discussions significantly higher than other listed brands.

Actual diners commented: 'A great choice for a refined BBQ meal with tableside grilling and no lingering smoke smell,' 'High-quality meat, professional and friendly staff, coin-operated sake and plum wine to choose from—the 18-slice beef tongue grilled by professionals is delicious, the best beef tongue,' and 'Ingredients are high-standard—beautiful marbling, tender and juicy texture, fresh and sweet seafood. Every bite reflects the restaurant’s dedication to ingredients.'

No.3 Morimori Yakiniku Morimori Yakiniku ranked third with 2,151 mentions, with an exceptionally high 90% positive sentiment, 9% neutral, and 1% negative—the highest positive sentiment among the top ten. A key feature is that each branch adopts a unique space theme, and anime elements have previously been incorporated, making the dining environment a social media photo hotspot beyond just the food.

The keyword 'Grill Festival' directly links to the 2026 Taichung Hot Pot & Grill Festival. Throughout July, the brand encouraged voting via Facebook and Threads. Customers showing their voting screen received a Prime boneless ribeye. The campaign turned online voting into in-store rewards, encouraging screenshots, shares, and tagging friends. Voting info, free meat, and social media raffles dominated exposure during the analysis period, making the grill festival one of Morimori’s clearest recent buzz drivers.

No.2 Kao Dry Cup Kao Dry Cup ranked second with 3,856 mentions, with 39% positive, 56% neutral, and 5% negative sentiment. Unlike budget or all-you-can-eat BBQ brands, Kao Dry Cup focuses on Japanese wagyu, rare cuts, and tableside grilling, with staff controlling doneness based on thickness and fat content, targeting high-average-spending occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, and business dinners.

On June 24, 2026, the brand launched a new menu, introducing Miyazaki, Sunflower, Hokkaido Saroma, and Furano wagyu. Through whole-carcass procurement, it offers rare cuts like Senbon-suji and Tengu. The NT$1,980 'Master Set' includes 15 dishes with full tableside grilling, making new items, pricing, and sourcing key discussion points.

After the transition, some regulars expressed disappointment on Google reviews: 'Only two pork options remain on the new menu, one of which is out of stock. No Iberico pork—options for non-beef eaters are too limited. As a long-time fan, I was disappointed this time.' However, others supported it: 'Overall, a consistently high-end BBQ experience. The environment is comfortable,'