Yat Lok
Yat Lok's cooks put each goose through more than 20 steps of preparation before they chargrill it.
Why go
The Chu family has roasted geese under the Yat Lok name since 1957, first in Fanling and then in Tai Po. A younger brother of Chu Kin-wah, the Tai Po chef, runs this shop on Stanley Street, open since 2011.21 The Tai Po shop closed in May 2018. The television chef Anthony Bourdain ate at Tai Po, so his praise belongs to a room you can no longer visit.3 Bernice Chan reported in the South China Morning Post that year: Some roast goose connoisseurs believe it's not as good as the Tai Po restaurant was, but there isn't much choice now.
2 The MICHELIN Guide has given the Central shop a star every year since 2015.11
Come for the goose, and order it by the quarter. The MICHELIN inspectors wrote that it is best enjoyed with a bowl of lai fun noodles in clear broth with a drizzle of goose fat.
1 The Bangkok chef Thitid Tassanakajohn named that pairing of goose and lai fun (thick rice noodles) his favorite dish in Hong Kong in 2022.10 The chef May Chow, who named this Stanley Street shop for its roast goose in 2017, told Foodie in 2018: Probably, and I say this a lot, Yat Lok for roasted goose.
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The leg is the dearest cut.7 The Filipino blogger Enzo Cortes had a whole goose leg over rice in March 2025 and called it the best dish of his trip: It's so succulent that every time I chew it, it bursts with juices!
5 Not everyone loves it. The travel bloggers at Will Fly For Food found the goose juicy and very flavorful, although perhaps a touch on the greasy side
in 2016. The Singapore blog live2makan compared it with Kam's in 2024 and found it saltier although the skin is crispier and less oily.
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Expect a queue. Amalissa Hall wrote in Tatler in 2024 that the shop still attracts long queues daily,
so arrive five to ten minutes before it opens and be ready to share a table.34 Order fast, too: Cortes was seated at once on a Tuesday lunch and wrote, We ordered very quickly for fears of getting scolded.
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Order this / avoid
- Order: the roast goose. theRantingPanda, June 2023:
the glistening skin was really crispy and delicious.
4 - Order: the goose leg over rice. Cortes, March 2025:
The skin is shimmering, fatty, and has a slight crisp.
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What locals & experts say
- theRantingPanda (2023), on the char siu (barbecued pork):
good, but not exceptional for me.
4 - live2makan (2025):
The service is absurdly rude, and the overall dining experience is not worthy for the price we paid.
6 - Will Fly For Food (2016):
It's popular with both locals and in-the-know tourists alike.
7 - Award: MICHELIN one star, every year since 2015.11
Good to know
- Price: HKD 84 for char siu and roast goose over dry noodles, or HKD 168 with the goose drumstick, in June 2023.4
- Payment: cash or Octopus card only.11
- Timing: open every day, from mid-morning into the evening.11
- Booking: none. Queue, and share a table.4
- Where: G/F, Conwell House, 34-38 Stanley Street, Central. Kam's Roast Goose in Wan Chai is a different shop.1
Jeff's take (his words)
- Note: "Popular but touristy given location"
Verdict
should-visit — Come early for a plate of roast goose, crisp-skinned and sold by the quarter, with lai fun in clear broth. Expect a queue and curt service at a shop that has held a MICHELIN star every year since 2015. A goose and char siu plate over noodles cost HKD 84 in June 2023.