There is a moment, somewhere between your second plate of crispy roast duck and your first sip of chrysanthemum tea, when Richardson stops feeling like a suburb and starts feeling like a city with real culinary ambition. That moment, for me, happened at First Chinese BBQ on Greenville Avenue — a no-frills, absolutely essential Cantonese roast meat institution that has been quietly doing extraordinary things for decades.
First Chinese BBQ sits in a shopping center near the intersection of Greenville and Beltline, in the heart of Richardson’s vibrant Pan-Asian corridor. The exterior is modest, the signage is matter-of-fact, and the parking lot is perpetually full — all excellent signs. Step inside and you are greeted by gleaming lacquered ducks hanging in the front window, glistening char siu pork stacked behind glass, and the kind of purposeful kitchen energy that tells you immediately: the food is the point here, and the food delivers.
The specialty, as the name promises, is roast meats. The roast duck is a revelation — crackling mahogany skin giving way to meat that is rich, fragrant, and deeply savory. The char siu, that iconic Cantonese barbecued pork, arrives with caramelized edges and a sweetness that never tips into cloying territory. Order the roast pork if the belly is on — the skin shatters like a cracker and the fat beneath melts without apology. These are not approximations of great roast meats; they are the genuine article, the kind you would stand in line for in Hong Kong without a second thought.
The menu extends well beyond the roasting racks. House-made wontons swim in a clean, deeply flavored broth. The congee is silky and comforting, exactly the thing on a slow Saturday morning when you want something warm and restorative. Stir-fried vegetables arrive properly wok-charged — you can taste the high heat and the seasoning is confident without being aggressive.
What makes First Chinese BBQ special beyond the food is the community it anchors. On weekend mornings especially, the dining room hums with multigenerational families, groups of friends catching up over tea, regulars who have been coming here since the restaurant opened. It is the kind of place that feels lived-in and essential rather than trendy and temporary. The service is efficient and friendly, the prices are remarkably reasonable for the quality, and the portions are generous in the way that good neighborhood restaurants understand generosity should work.
If you have never visited Richardson’s Greenville Avenue dining corridor, First Chinese BBQ is an ideal starting point — and probably a destination worth coming back to week after week. Arrive early on weekends, go hungry, and order more than you think you need. You will not regret a single plate.
