Taiwan is the perfect place to go on a gastronomic trip with all the delicious food they have. But if we were to tell you three dishes you shouldn’t skip when exploring the country, it would be their beef noodle soup, stinky tofu, and bubble tea!
Taiwan’s beef noodle soup, or niu rou mian, is a comforting bowl of noodle dish consisting of slightly spicy broth made flavorful by aromatic herbs, fresh noodles, braised beef, and topped with vegetables, usually blanched bok choy. This bowl of soup first surfaced in 1949, often sold as street food. Now, you can have this hearty beef noodle soup in most roadside eateries, fast food, and even in high-end restaurants.
Curious about what Taiwan’s beef noodle soup tastes like? Slurp away in these must-try places for the ultimate cool-weather meal.
Lin Dong Fang Beef Noodles
Lin Dong Fang is the go-to place of the locals when it comes to beef noodle soup. It looks simpler compared to other beef noodle varieties, but once you get a taste of it you’ll be surprised by how flavorful it is. Lin Dong Fang’s version has huge portions of beef chunks, a light but flavorful broth, and chewy noodles topped with freshly chopped vegetables that give the aroma.
Location: No. 322, Section 2, Bade Rd, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan
Yong Kang Beef Noodles
Established in 1963, this noodle shop has been a local favorite for its spicy beef soup. What customers love about the dish is the soup itself, packed with flavors of bone broth and condiments combined. They use thick slabs of Australian beef for their meat, which are very tender and tasty. It’s awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand, so it’s one of the most value-for-money noodle shops you should try in Taipei.
Location: No. 17, Lane 31, Section 2, Jinshan S Rd, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan
Website: http://www.beefnoodle-master.com
Gang Yuan Beef Noodles
Another place that serves affordable yet satisfying spicy beef noodle soup is Gang Yuan Beef Noodles, located in Kaohsiung City. They use dry noodles for their dish, which gives them a slightly different texture. The highlight, however, is their melt-in-your-mouth beef, that’s truly tender and packed with umami flavors. Add more chili sauce and garlic sauce to your liking for a more flavorful noodle soup!
Location: No. 55, Dacheng St., Yancheng Dist, Yancheng, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Liu Shandong Beef Noodles
This modest noodle shop, also a Michelin Bib Gourmand awardee, is one of the oldest noodle eateries in Taipei which opened in 1951. It started as a hole-in-the-wall eatery that sold beef noodles but what made it special were its loyal customers who kept coming back for more because their noodle soup had that “taste of home.” The dish’s flavors come from its meaty Shandong-style braised beef, perfectly complementing the chewy thick noodles. You have the option to add chili oil, chili paste, or chili black beans if you want it spicier.
Location: No. 2, Lane 14, Section 1, Kaifeng St, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan
Chef Hung Taiwanese Beef Noodles
Chef Hung is an award-winning international chain of restaurants for its version of beef noodles. They take pride in their fine marbled premium beef, a secret soup recipe, and bouncy noodles, which altogether create a full-bodied noodle soup with a balanced sweetness and freshness. Although it’s on the pricier side compared to other noodle stalls on the list, their noodle dish is still worth every slurp.
Location: No.72 Taipei Jiang Guo Road North, Zhongshan District Changchun intersection, Zhongshan District, Taipei, Taiwan
Niu Dian Beef Noodle
You can sample Niu Dian’s signature beef noodle in three: just choose your cut from the shin, tripe, or tendon. But if you want all three, get their Man Han Beef Noodles which bursts with flavors from the juiciness of the meat. On the other hand, their noodles are slightly thinner than udon and are just as tasty and chewy as their beef. If you want an extra kick of spice, get their Hong Shao or the red braised beef noodles.
Location: No. 91, Kunming St, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan
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