A big chunk of Taiwan’s population traces their ancestry to Fujian province in China. Therefore, many of the foods we consider Taiwanese today actually originated in Fujian.
In this article, I will introduce some Chinese restaurants in Taipei specializing in foods from other areas of China, including Guizhou, Shaanxi, Guangdong, Sichuan, and Shanghai.
Before moving to Taiwan, I lived and traveled extensively in China, and I loved the sheer variety and quality of food there.
You can find many Chinese foods in Taipei city, but they aren’t always exactly right. They are often modified (usually made blander) for Taiwanese taste, or dishes from different places may be combined on one menu (for example, Yunnan and Thai food or Shanghai and Cantonese).
Nevertheless, I really enjoy seeking out Chinese restaurants in Taipei, and now, I’m happy to share them with you!
Oriental Cuisine Guizhou
One of my best Chinese restaurant finds in Taipei is Qing Tian Xia (東方饌黔天下貴州主題餐廳, or “Oriental Cuisine Guizhou Theme Restaurant”), found here.
As the name indicates, this restaurant features food from Guizhou province in southwestern China, including dishes associated with the Miao ethnic minority.
Guizhou cuisine is known for its spiciness (Sichuan and Hunan are right next door), sourness, pickled or fermented grains and vegetables (醃菜), and beautiful presentation.
One of my Taiwanese friends, who is a handcore foodie and works for Taipei Tourism Bureau (so she really knows her stuff!), first introduced my wife and I to this restaurant many years ago.
Located at the far northern end of Dihua Street, often called “Taipei’s oldest street”, the restaurant is in a newer building but designed to match the historic look of the street. Even the interior has a historic feel to it, with wooden benches at the tables and the menu written on bamboo panels on the wall.
I spent much our time inside watching the idyllic countryside scenes from a Guizhou tourism video played on repeat on the television in the dining area.
As for the most important part, the food, we had to get their signature dish, Miao Dried Chicken with Vegetables (苗寨乾鍋雞). The picture-worthy dish of chicken, bean sprouts and other veggies is served in a large wok lined with slices of potato, a dish not commonly used in Taiwanese cooking.
I was just as impressed with the Miao Peeled Fish (苗家手撕魚), which is split into sections, battered, deep fried, and topped with copious spices.
And for that classic Guizhou spicy/sour taste, we went for the hot and sour sweet potato noodles (黔式酸辣粉).
I mentioned that my friend is a serious foodie – she had even pre-ordered us a massive pot of Chicken Soup in Medicinal Herbs (鎮店盜汗雞, TWD 2080) for our table. An entire chicken is slow-cooked in the pot for two full days!
See the full menu at Oriental Cuisine Guizhou, including English, and book a table here.
Qin Wei Guan (Shaanxi Restaurant)
Another of my favorite regional Chinese restaurants in Taipei is Qin Wei Guan (秦味館), which is here near Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei’s Dongqu (Eastern District).
Shaanxi (陝西) is a province in northwestern China, not to be confused with the adjacent Shanxi. The shan in the former is 3rd tone while the shan in the latter is 1st tone (learn more about tones in my Mandarin guide for travelers). In English, they add an extra ‘a’ to Shaanxi to differentiate the two.
Shaanxi food is known for lots of noodle dishes, lamb/mutton, spices like cumin, vinegary dishes, and little use of sugar (except for their awesome dessert, which I’ll get to below!)
Stepping into Qin Wei Guan, it’s a little cavernous inside, with walls covered in writing, and actually feels like a restaurant in China to me.
A nice starter is the sour Pounded Cucumber (爽綠脆瓜). Then, every time my friends and I go here, our #1 most essential main dish is the Vinegar Potato Strips (酸嗆土豆絲).
My meat loving friends will then also choose one of the lamb dishes, such as Xinjiang Lamb Skewers with Cumin (新疆香酥肉串) or Spicy Fried Lamb (辣炒羊肉).
For noodles, you have to try their super wide Flat Noodles (油潑麵), which are nice and chewy and come with veggies and a mala (spicy) sauce.
Last but not least, we could never go here without ordering the Mongolian Fried Tofu Pastries (蒙古炸奶豆腐) for dessert. The pastries are stuffed with cheese and covered in powdered sugar – so delicious!
See the menu at Qin Wei Guan (Mandarin only, take screenshots and import to GoogleTranslate images for translation) and message them on Facebook to book a table.
Note: there is very similar and related restaurant in Taipei called Shao Shao Ke (勺勺客陝西餐館) near Shandao MRT. They have some of the same dishes, but some are different.
Jin Shi Lou Dim Sum
There are numerous excellent dim sum restaurants in Taipei. Some very popular and highly rated ones include City Star Restaurant, Sen He Yuan, Hollywood Street, and Ya Yuen Restaurant.
For vegetarians, there’s also the excellent Yang Shin Vegetarian Restaurant (book a table far in advance for that one and see my other favorite vegetarian restaurants in Taipei).
However, for my dim sum pick in Taipei, I’m going with an older and most classic institution, Jin Shi Lou (金獅樓), which is here in Ximending.
To me, Jinshilou has the most legit, old-time dim sum restaurant vibe, complete with big round tables, steamed push carts (a rarity nowadays) with dishes to choose from, and Cantonese roasted duck station.
As for what to order, you can expect the usual array of dim sum classics. My personal favorites include Hong Kong Chow Mein (香港炒麵), shrimp rice rolls (蝦腸粉), and custard buns (奶黃包).
The menu is all in Mandarin, but for dim sum, you can just choose items off the cart.
Restaurants like this are best for larger groups so you can order and share many items.
Not everyone will agree with my choice here – if you prefer a newer and nicer dining environment, then go for one of the other dim sum places I mentioned above.
Jinshilou is on the 10th floor of a department store, so you’ll need to search around inside for the elevator to go up.
Chuan Wei Er Sichuan Restaurant
Finding legit Sichuan food in Taipei can be tough – there are many supposed Sichuan restaurants but the flavors and spice level are often dialed way down.
One of the best we’ve found is Chuan Wei Er, whose Chinese name is Lao Tan Sichuan Restaurant (老罈香川味兒, here). At least some of their dishes are properly spicy and mouth-numbing, thanks to the liberal use of chilis and Sichuan peppercorns.
Some stand-out dishes here include Saliva Chicken (口水雞), a cold dish of chicken in a pool of spicy and sauce topped with scallions and sesame seeds. The name means that it’s so good it will make you salivate.
Other items I recommend are deep Fried Egg Tofu (老皮嫩肉), Garlic Paper-Wrapped Fish (蒜香紙包魚), Toothpick Lamb Pieces (牙籤羊非常), and you can never, ever go wrong with Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐).
However, some of the restaurant’s best dishes have to be pre-ordered. These include the Signature Sichuan Fish (招牌諸葛烤魚), which comes in a huge pan with potato, lotus root, corn, tofu skin, chilis, and more (see below image).
Check the menu images on GoogleMaps (scroll through to find English ones) and book your table here. The closest MRT station is Songjiang Nanjing.
Another restaurant with pretty legit Sichuan food in Taipei is 川渝小吃坊 (here).
Dragon Restaurant
Dragon Restaurant (龍都酒樓, here) is another nostalgia-inducing dim sum restaurant in Taipei, running strong since the early 1980s.
The restaurant itself has old school dim sum restaurant vibes – one reviewer compares it to the setting in a classic 1990s Hong Kong martial arts film.
This one is specifically known for its Cantonese/Peking duck (I’m no expert about these differences between the two, but most reviewers refer to it as one or the other).
Either way, several foodies I know agree that Dragon has the best Peking duck in Taipei.
The restaurant’s ducks are sourced and carefully selected from a duck farm in Yilan. The meat is tender and juicy, with crispy skin, and comes with cucumbers, chilis, hoisin sauce, and thin breads.
A minor complaint is that they don’t serve it with scallion, but if you’d like that, just ask.
It’s very important to note: you have to order the duck when making your booking. Click here and explore the drop down menu in the 3rd header of the main menu to explore the dim sum menu, which can be ordered in-restaurant.
You’ll have to book the old fashioned way, by calling them at (02)2563-9293.
Kao Chi Shanghainese Restaurant
Taiwan’s most famous restaurant, Din Tai Fung, specializes at a Shanghainese dish called xiaolongbao (小籠包) or “soup dumplings”. However, they are a Taiwanese version of xiaolongbao and the restaurant as a whole is not authentically Shanghainese.
For a more legit Shanghai restaurant in Taipei, I recommend Kao Chi (高記 or gao ji) here near Da’an Park.
Besides xiaolongbao, the menu at Kao Chi includes other Shanghai dishes like Pan Fried Buns (生煎包), Drunken Chicken with Shaoxing Wine (紹興香酥雞), Braised Pork Pelly (東坡肉 or dongpo rou), Steamed Abalone (蒸鮑魚), and Shanghai Rice (上海菜飯).
Half the menu is dim sum, so I can’t argue that Kao Chi is prely Shanghainese, either. Still, this is one of the better places to enjoy a good range of Shanghai classics in Taipei.
There are three locations of Kao Chi in Taipei. Besides the original here by Da’an Park, there’s one here just a few blocks away near Yongkang Street and one with a nicer interior here on Nanjing E Road.
You can find the full menu here with English and make your booking by calling.
Besides Din Tai Fung and Kao Chi, there are many other famous xiaolongbao restaurants in Taipei, including Hang Zhou, Su Hung, Jinan Fresh Steamed Dumplings, Dian Shui Lou, and Paradise Dynasty.