Shanghai Lawry's Launches BBQ Brunch, But the Real Star Is That Crispy Pork Belly

The silver trolley rolls out, and this time it's piled with an entire spread of BBQ instead of the usual prime rib — that's the twist Lawry's The Prime Rib Shanghai is playing with in its new summer brunch.

Crispy roasted pork belly, pork sausage, squid ink sausage, chicken wings, teriyaki chicken skewers with pineapple, plus grilled clams — even grilled corn and zucchini get thrown into the mix. The one that keeps people coming back for seconds and thirds is usually the pork belly. It's cooked closer to a suckling pig style, with skin that crackles audibly and borders on theatrically crispy. Still, pork belly is pork belly — the richness catches up fast, so pace yourself.

The salad bar leaves some room to breathe: heirloom tomatoes with fresh mozzarella, mango and bell pepper with baby squid, chicken breast and apple salad in a light peppered mayo, plus a build-your-own DIY station. The potato and egg salad tossed in mayo is carb-heavy but hard to resist, and there's also skewered grilled shrimp and caramelized bananas. Desserts come in small portions, rounded off with fresh fruit.

The brunch is priced at ¥398, including one main course, unlimited selected BBQ, the salad bar, fruit and dessert, plus one drink (choice of coffee, tea, soft drink, or juice) — available only through the end of August.

For the main course, you'll obviously want the Lawry's Classic Prime Rib, carved tableside from another silver cart. The brunch price already includes the Jade Cut — at 110 grams cooked weight, it's more substantial than you'd expect, but you can upgrade too: add ¥168 for 170 grams, or ¥298 for 280 grams. It comes with the signature mashed potatoes, creamed corn or creamed spinach, a generous pour of au jus, plus a classic Yorkshire pudding and horseradish cream.

For something you can eat by hand, add ¥58 to swap in the Prime Rib French Dip — thinly sliced prime rib stuffed into a baguette with caramelized onions and Swiss cheese, plus a touch of horseradish to cut through the richness. It comes with a small pot of au jus for dipping, alongside hand-cut salty crisps — the move is to stuff the chips right into the sandwich.

If you don't want prime rib every time, there's the Salmon Florentine for an extra ¥58 — tender pink salmon with a creamy sauce, spinach, and cherry tomatoes. It's a straightforward preparation but it works, and it's worth grabbing the neglected Yorkshire pudding on the side to soak up the sauce. Another option is the Crab Cake Benedict, built the same way as the signature crab cake but reworked into brunch form. It looks small but is quite substantial — the hand-picked crab meat is fluffy, tossed in a tartar-style mayo sauce, topped with a soft-poached egg and hollandaise.

If you're drinking, the ¥188 free-flow runs from 11am to 3pm — a full four hours — and it's available every day, not just weekends. It includes red and white wine, sparkling wine, three flavors of Spritz, Asahi beer, and house cocktails. Still feels worth it by your third glass.

On weekdays, Lawry's also offers a three-course lunch starting at ¥188, including an appetizer, soup, main course, and one drink. All prices above are subject to an additional 10% service charge.