Open 24 hours a day！The only beef soup in Anping – get free pork fried rice with your soup

Text & Photos /Shao Sheng

Beef soup is one of Tainan’s most iconic and representative breakfasts. Contrary to what you might expect, most people in Tainan actually have beef soup for breakfast—it fuels their energy for the whole day.

Located in Anping, Ah Cai Beef Soup is the only beef soup spot in the downtown area. It sits right across from the third-grade historic site Miaoshou Temple on Gubao Street, next door to Dongxing Oyster Fritters—which we’ve introduced before. When I brought my dad here to try the beef soup, he recalled how as a child he used to sit around Miaoshou Temple listening to elders tell stories. Back in those days in Taiwan, that was a rare form of entertainment and a precious memory unique to him.

Ah Cai Beef Soup has been operating in Anping for a long time and is now run by the second generation—three sisters. The shop is open 24/7, just like 7-11. The beef is freshly delivered daily from areas such as Shanhua and Xinhua, which is a major feature of Tainan beef soup. That means no matter when you come, you can always enjoy the freshest beef soup.

For dipping sauce, it's self-service—you can help yourself to ginger strips, soy paste, or green onions and onions with soy sauce.

Aside from beef soup, ordering a bowl here also gets you a free bowl of pork fried rice. As someone who loves pork fried rice, I couldn’t miss out—especially since beef soup alone doesn’t quite fill you up. A bowl of pork fried rice adds some extra satisfaction. Considering you can get pork fried rice with a NT$100 bowl of beef soup, Ah Cai Beef Soup is pretty good value.

The pork fried rice—although it’s free, the pork lard topping is definitely not skimped on. There’s plenty of it. Traditional Tainan pork lard is made mainly with diced pork fat, melt-in-your-mouth and savory without being greasy. The texture is quite good. Though compared to other versions, the broth isn’t as aromatic, it’s still quite decent.

Beef Soup (NT$100): Not long after ordering, a steaming bowl of beef soup arrives. The hallmark of Tainan beef soup is slicing fresh beef and placing it in the bowl, then pouring over carefully brewed bone broth. This simple yet extraordinary combination is the distinct taste of Tainan.

The meat slices, blanched by the hot broth, are about 3–5 minutes cooked—displaying a lovely pink hue that’s mouthwatering. I like to take a bite first to enjoy the tender, chewy flavor in its pure form, then dip it in the sauce to explore different tastes. Just note that if the beef slices sit in the broth too long, they can become overcooked. The broth itself is very refreshing, with a sweet, rich umami flavor from the bone stock that pairs perfectly with the beef.

Ah Cai Beef Soup really delivers. In addition to the beef soup, there are plenty of other beef dishes to enjoy, but since I was there alone this time, I didn’t try the others. Also, unlike typical beef soup shops that only operate in the morning, you can come here anytime—no need to worry about crowds and enjoy an authentic meal in peace.

Ah Cai Beef Soup
Address: No. 5, Gubao Street, Anping District, Tainan City 708
Phone: (06)226 1252

Shao Sheng’s Wandering Journey
Every journey, every trip, is a quest. Though I’m not entirely sure what I’m searching for, what I end up gaining is often more than I imagined. And so, my wandering journey will continue endlessly.