Fook Mei.

Fook Mei

Johnny Chung cooked Hong Kong food out of a converted newsagent kiosk opposite the Barrowland for two years, then took the unit across London Road so he could finally use proper equipment.

Why go

Johnny and Lee Chung are married, both sets of their parents came from Hong Kong, and before any of this they ran a fish and chip shop in Airdrie. Ho Lee Fook, the kiosk, opened at the Barras and built a following on Japanese-style sandos. Fook Mei, which translates as luck taste, took the London Road site that used to be the brunch place Scran, and Lee Chung explains the move plainly: We didn't really know what to expect when we first opened by The Barras, but now that Asian street food has blown up we wanted to continue that here. A proper sit down place (GlasgowWorld). The cooking is Chinese at its spine with Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese threads, and the menu got shorter rather than longer in the move, because they kept only what they had perfected. Johnny now does the prep for both sites from this kitchen while Lee runs the Gallowgate kiosk.

Order this / avoid

• Order: the chicken wings at GBP 10. They are the dish Johnny Chung singles out as the hardest to land, That took me a long time to get right but I'm very happy with how they have turned out, and Jay Thundercliffe called the result an addictive sweet-salty Vietnamese-inspired caramel fish sauce2. Then the biang biang noodles at GBP 10, which he called excellent, with big, thick hand-cut noodles doused in spicy Szechuan sauce. The scallion wrap with egg, chashu pork belly and chilli oil is GBP 12.50 and works at lunch.
• Avoid: treating it as a sit-down dinner. Thundercliffe's caveat is the practical one: "with stool seating, this isn't really a spot for lingering," and food arrives as it is ready rather than in courses. The kiosk's chips and K-pop fries did not survive the move.

What locals & experts say

• The List (Jay Thundercliffe, December 2025): the spring rolls are super-crunchy, the pork dumplings carry a satisfying meaty hit inside, and the karaage has juicy meat inside its crispy coating. About GBP 20 for two courses.2
• Johnny Chung, on what he added for this room: I have started making scallion pancakes, which you see a lot of street food traders making in Taiwan.1
• Lee Chung, on the two logos: If you look at the sign, Ho Lee Fook is an angry Asian, then the logo for here is the grumpy one, so I think the first one is me and this one is Johnny.1
• GlasgowWorld (September 2025), on the noodles: a reason to visit either site on their own, with the writer admitting to walking from town more than once for a portion.1
• Local rec: Jeff's save. He left no note on it.

Good to know

• Timing: as published at opening, Thursday noon to 3pm, and Friday through Sunday noon to 3pm then 5pm to 8pm. Four days a week with a split service, so check before travelling.
• Booking: walk-in only.
• Where: 239 London Road, beside the Barras. The original Ho Lee Fook kiosk is around the corner on the Gallowgate at McFarlane Street, opposite the Barrowland Ballroom.
• Seating: counters around the edges and one big sharing table, all stools.
• Dessert: a chilli oil brownie made with Bronde Bakery, their neighbours.
• Hygiene: the Food Hygiene Information Scheme rates the address a Pass, inspected 23 October 2025. Ho Lee Fook also holds a Pass.5

Verdict

should-visit — Johnny and Lee Chung spent two years cooking Hong Kong food out of a converted newsagent kiosk opposite the Barrowland, then took the unit across the road so Johnny could cook with real equipment. The wings in caramel fish sauce are the dish he says took him longest, and The List's reviewer called the sauce 'addictive sweet-salty Vietnamese-inspired'. Biang biang noodles hand cut and dressed in Szechuan sauce at GBP 10, a prawn ebi katsu sando, a chilli oil brownie made with the bakery up the road. Two courses runs about GBP 20. It is four days a week, walk-in, stools only, which is the only thing keeping it off the top rung.