Review: New concept from HK, Bari Bari Steak, gets the steaks right — just not the sides

Singapore’s appetite for overseas F&B brands shows no signs of slowing. From viral noodle joints to cult dessert labels, the city has become a vibrant testbed for brands looking to expand regionally, as well as to prove that their brands have a wider appeal beyond their home turfs.

The latest to join in the migration of brands into Singapore is Bari Bari Steak — a Hong Kong-born teppan steakhouse by the En Group, which has a presence in both Singapore and Hong Kong. Concepts you might recognise from them, across both countries, include Tempura-En and Aburi-En. 

Though Bari Bari Steak seems to be a relatively new brand which came about in mid-2025 in Hong Kong, it now has three outlets in the city, and its latest Singapore outlet is not only its fourth, but also its first overseas one. 

The backstory

From the time it began in Hong Kong, it was clear that Bari Bari Steak wasn’t gunning for the white-tablecloth prestige associated with more traditional steakhouses. 

Instead, the concept, which features Australian and Japanese steaks, wants to lean into something more fun. 

It specialises in what it calls: “Japanese-style teppan cuisine”, serving steaks that are first pre-seared on an iron griddle, and then served to you on a hot stone pellet that’s been heated to 300°C so you can finish off your steak to your desired doneness, teppan-style. 

Every purchase of its teppan set grants you access to a free-flow salad bar loaded with fresh vegetables, a variety of dressings, simple carb options, and cut fruit.

Part theatrical, part practical, Bari Bari comes across as an easy go-to for casual dinners, where everyone can enjoy quality cuts without the intimidation (or price tag) of a traditional steakhouse.

Its Singapore outpost at Tampines 1 opened here in December 2025, and it’s safe to say the formula translates neatly to our dining scene: Singaporeans are no strangers to interactive dining — we love a good hotpot or K-BBQ hangout — and Bari Bari Steak’s entry now adds a “steak” option to those who enjoy the concept of DIY meals.

Our verdict

To be frank, there is little to fault about a concept which offers hearty teppan steak meals from $22.90, and includes access to the free-flow salad bar, all-in.

Aside from beef steaks, it also serves teppan-style plates with wagyu hamburg, chicken leg, pork loin, and salmon.

If you’d rather not deal with the fumes from a sizzling plate in your face, there are also plenty of donburi (rice bowls) to choose from, ranging from spicy chicken don ($12.50) to premium buta don (pork bowl, $16.90). 

But it bears noting that the donburis do not come with access to the free-flow salad bar, but access can be added on at S$12.90 per diner. If you dine during weekday lunch, you get 50% off the top-up price, bringing it down to S$6.45. 

Our Australian sirloin steak teppan (S$27.90 for 160g) also arrived medium-rare, which didn’t give us much room nor time for us to cook it further on the hot stone, since we like our steaks medium-rare — but we recognise this could be entirely a matter of preference. 

Bari Bari Steak also has weekday drink offers such as 1-for-1 highballs (U.P. S$11 for one), which is a pretty sweet deal, especially after a long work day. These promotions do change from time to time, so stay tuned to its socials if you’re looking to dine there soon. 

Minor misgivings aside, its biggest drawback is probably that you’ll leave smelling just like a steakhouse after dining here. Granted it’s an unavoidable aspect of dining in a DIY-style spot, but Bari Bari’s ventilation system doesn’t seem to be able to handle all the smoke that’s emitted when the outlet is at capacity. 

So, don’t say we didn’t warn you on this before you head down — or save your shower for after the meal. 

What it’s good for

With Bari Bari Steak being a teppan steakhouse, it’d be foolish of us not to order a steak teppan set for our first taste. 

If you’re feeling spendy, there’s the A4/A5 Miyazakigyu teppan (S$58 for 160g), which can be a bit pricey for the average person after a casual meal. 

However with its positioning as a casual joint and its debut location in the heartlands, we were inclined to believe that Bari Bari’s cheaper cuts would fare decently, and opted for the Australian sirloin steak teppan (from S$27.90 for a 160g steak).

The sirloin steak arrived medium-rare on a hot plate, accompanied by a hot stone pallet. The steak had a charred crust, and sat on a bed of sliced raw white onions, accompanied by a handful of wedges

While we would have preferred our steak to be served rare so we can get our preferred medium-rare doneness down to a T, we can understand how it might pose a food safety concern to any misinformed diners who might not be aware that they need to further cook their steaks tableside. 

Since we preferred our steaks a little more pink, we just briefly tapped the steak slices, which we sliced as we dined, on the hot stone pellet for a light sear and cook. 

The resulting steak wasn’t too chewy, and went down easily, though its seasoning was quite light-handed so that’s probably where the right salad bar selections can come in clutch.

To get a true sense of what Bari Bari Steak offers on a whole, we also ordered the premium mentaiko buta don (pork bowl with cod roe in mayonnaise, S$17.50).

Served with grilled chestnut pork loin and flame-seared mentaiko cheese, with an onsen egg, this dish delivered savoury satisfaction.

What stood out in this buta don was its aromatic char, which honestly kept us hooked bite after bite. The pork loin was tender with just the right amount of chew, and made even better with the silky onsen egg.

Because it wasn’t a teppan set, one of us had to pay for the free-flow salad bar add-on at the full price of S$12.90. 

To accompany our mains, we loaded up mini bowls, which are passed to diners once orders have been placed, with a selection of salad bar greens and dressing for the steak. 

While the selection at the salad bar is seasonal and subject to availability, if you do see the ginger shoyu (ginger soya-sauce) dressing at the condiments section, make a beeline for it as we did. 

It’s a light, bright number that carries a good balance of savoury and tartness.

Of the other items, which included salad mixes, sauces, rice, pasta, and fruits, the one that stood out to us most was the Bari Bari yuzu wasabi cold soba. 

The zing of the yuzu and wasabi cut through the steak’s fattiness, and for a “free” side dish which we had unbridled access to, it felt all the more satisfying. 

There are other carbs, yes, such as the potato croquettes, aglio olio-style pasta, and macaroni cream, but we’d say: Don’t expect much flavour coming from these; they truly are meant for bulking up your meal. 

However, if we had to pick another carb besides the stellar soba, it’ll be the potato croquettes —- crisp on the outside, super fluffy on the inside, and hard to fault for what it is.

What it could improve on

Since we’re fans of chicken nanban (S$9.90), which is essentially fried chicken dipped in a tangy-sweet soy-vinegar sauce, topped with a rich, creamy tartar sauce, we ordered it as a side to share, and to add protein to the table.

However, while the menu images of the dish held much promise, its execution was a let-down. The chicken on its own was a tad too plain, and probably needed a bit more salt in its batter to make it more enjoyable.

The accompanying tartar sauce also tasted too watered-down and plain. A good chicken-nanban tartar sauce would typically have a good amount of chunks of egg, onion, and cucumber, with some seasoning, including vinegar. 

Poorly seasoned chicken cutlets and tartar that seemed more like plain, goopy mayonnaise did not make for the robust meal accompaniment we had hoped for.

On the salad bar, for what it offered when we were there, we found the full top-up price of S$12.90 a tad excessive, given that one could easily spend that extra cash on a whole side dish and more. (For example, an ika karaage or crispy deep-fried squid dish goes for just S$7.90.)

This is not withstanding the fact that we also struggled with the taste and overall selection of items there. In fact, the last item we decided to try (to see if it might redeem the experience), the coffee jelly, didn’t fare too well on the taste front either. 

Granted, the access to the salad bar comes free if you order a teppan set, and it is half-priced if you come at lunch, so dining under these conditions might help cushion one’s expectations overall. 

However, for an unwitting first-time diner who opts to pay full price of S$12.90 for access to the salad bar for a comprehensive dining experience, we think that this current iteration of a salad bar at Bari Bari Steak definitely falls short. 

A little more salt and pepper here, a touch of curated carbs there, and perhaps a few more dessert options (say, cakes or puddings?) would’ve helped boost the perceived value of the salad bar, and maybe even entice consumers to purchase a teppan set if they weren’t already.

All things considered, Bari Bari Steak isn’t all bad; it just needs some fine-tuning and thoughtful considerations, especially if its free-flow salad bar is intended to be one of the brand’s selling points. (And we know it’s not a hard ask, considering that a certain hotpot chain has built up a whole reputation thanks to the quality of its condiments and side dish bar.) 

Bari Bari Steak’s mains are affordable, really satisfying, and hard to beat for the price. And for that, I think it’s worth a quick meal in the area when you have a serious steak craving. 

Our quick takes

Is it conducive to conversation? We could barely hear the music in the background, but it gets a little noisy with other diners’ conversations and the loud sizzling plates, so it’s not exactly a dining spot made for intimate conversations.

Is a reservation necessary? They don’t take reservations, unfortunately. However, if you’re planning to dine here with a group of four or more, we suggest coming on a weekday to avoid the crowds. 

How to get there? Bari Bari Steak is a two-minute walk from Tampines MRT Exit B.

HungryGoWhere paid for its meal at this restaurant for this review.

For the latest eats, read our story on Studio Frond, a weekend-only botanical bar at Joo Chiat, and find out more about these must-visit speciality coffee spots in Tokyo.