Penghu Food Guide: Cactus Ice, Tender Grass Jelly, and All Kinds of Seafood

Text & Photos /Maji Xiaotu

I’ve been to Penghu several times and have tried my best to eat as much as possible, but you can only eat so much in three meals a day. I just eat whatever I come across. Friends who plan to visit Penghu often ask me for food recommendations, so I’ve compiled a list of Penghu dishes I’ve tried to share as a reference.

Just to emphasize… this article is based on what I’ve personally eaten. Of course, I haven’t tried everything, and I know there are still many delicious foods I haven’t had the chance to taste. So if you see any dishes not listed here, feel free to recommend them—I’ll take notes seriously and try them next time I go.

However, the flavors of Penghu cuisine are quite similar to those of Tainan—refreshing and not overly heavy. Of course, seafood is an absolute must, which is why it suits my palate so well. That’s why I’m particularly fond of Penghu food. Friends planning to visit Penghu should definitely stay a few extra days and make the most of the food scene there.

%Although the portion is quite large and the taste is rich, the price is a bit high. The environment is good, but most people still go for the beef offal soup.
In 2010, I bought super cheap king prawns (banana prawns), shrimp, and squid at the Makung Fish Market. We asked the homestay owner to blanch them for us—delicious and affordable. At the Makung Fish Market, prices are calculated by weight. We got two big plates of shrimp, totaling one kilogram, for just NT$120—that’s really cheap.

%Jia'zhong xin xun? Mo xu, bei qiang zi yu pei shou wo men jiang? Zhu zhi? Ke bu huang, xie xian xian ta ta, yi wei dao kou wei cheng, qi wei bu tong, ye neng xue dao de duan lian, zhe mei chang? /p>

%It's very popular with regular customers. The owner said it’s best to come early because otherwise it might close.

%Jikuohuaihuo?Huo?Chixie.?You can also take a bus to the back of the market, and many tourists have already lined up early.

After exploring the early morning fish market, let’s start with breakfast.

%Jizhentunxianfenggu's jiaojixiqu menu/span>
I’ve stayed at the Makung Hetian Hotel before. Their breakfast offers both Western and Chinese options, and both the breakfast and the environment are great. The restaurant is called Hehe Western Cuisine, and they serve Western and Italian dishes for lunch and dinner—which are also very tasty. I’ll introduce the dinner options later.

%Jicai? Flying around the food streets a lot, (description possibly about food streets with lots of choices)
Exiting Hetian, walk along Minquan Road and you’ll find this Fresh Fish Congee shop—it’s refreshing, highly recommended. The shop uses different types of fresh fish depending on the season. This time, I had red grouper... (a luxury). You can also add an egg crepe—love this flavor. The broth has fried shallot oil, and the taste is similar to Tainan’s milkfish congee or grunt congee, just with different fish. You can add youtiao (Chinese cruller), and the almond tea is also great.

%Concerning the taste of their desserts here
On the streets of Makung, there’s a super famous breakfast street. Its entrance is on Minsheng Road, called Wenkang Street. The street gathers over ten various breakfast shops, making it hard to choose—but there are still a few especially popular spots that I’ll introduce shortly. The tricycle tofu pudding auntie has been selling traditional tofu pudding on Makung Street since 6 AM—if you spot her, grab a bowl.

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The most popular spot on the breakfast street is the famous “Beixinqiao Beef Offal Soup.” It opens very early in the morning until 11 AM. I came at 6 AM and the beef soup sold out already—the most commonly ordered item is the beef offal soup.

%Compared to some other seafood hotpot options, the prices here are quite reasonable. If you want to eat seafood, you’d have to spend a lot more elsewhere. We also looked at other options, and the prices were quite a bit higher.Also, if you come after 8 AM, be prepared to wait—the popularity speaks for itself.

% level? Pan...? beef... kitchen...?... (untranslatable fragment with missing or corrupted Chinese text)
I’d also recommend a rice ball shop near the entrance of the breakfast street, next to Erxin—it’s very popular among locals. The glutinous rice they steam in wooden barrels is not only fragrant, but their cooking method and rice selection are top-notch. The rice balls are fluffy, soft, chewy, and super delicious. After trying them the first time, I went back and bought them several more times—they’re really amazing. A big recommendation for all rice ball lovers.

%Considering how busy it gets here,
This is a pork ball shop I always visit every time I come to Penghu—even eating here daily never gets old. These are steamed Pingtung-style pork balls, but the wrapper is Q (chewy), not too soft, and very elastic. The filling pork is also firm and juicy. If you’re a fan of steamed pork balls, don’t miss this stall. PS: I know some prefer fried pork balls and aren’t fans of steamed ones, so don’t think I’m exaggerating… I just really love them.

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This is a seafood restaurant that opened in 2011—a rare place where you can enjoy sea views. The first time I was invited here, I was almost moved to tears—it was that good. Every dish could only be described as amazing. A whole table of lavish seafood cost just NT$5,000—that’s incredibly generous.

%Considering: The freshness of the seafood goes without saying.The best dish is the lobster congee—so delicious it’s heavenly, similar to milkfish congee. Reservations are needed, or you’ll wait a long time. On my second visit, there happened to be horse dung sea urchins. As someone who had never dared to try sea urchins before, the first bite of such fresh, delicious, sweet, and non-fishy raw sea urchins was like tasting the ocean itself. I couldn’t help but cry—where had all the other sea urchins I’d eaten before gone? Eating that sea urchin truly brought tears to my eyes...

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As long as you come to Magong, this is a must-visit popular eatery. The grass jelly shaved ice that you can't find in Taiwan—be sure to try the mixed grass jelly shaved ice. I really want to come here every day; it’s just too delicious. Must-eat rating: 100 points!

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This was from a trip to Penghu this year, where my friend Xiao Guai took us. Oh my… as someone who loves sticky rice sausages, how could I miss out… The handmade sticky rice sausage is fragrant and chewy, and the sausage itself is also great. Just looking at the huge crowd waiting outside shows that it's definitely a must-try!

%The scallion pancakes at the entrance of the Zhongxing Temple diner
The first time I had it without cucumber, it tasted really good. The second time with cucumber, though refreshing, the fragrance of the scallion pancake was a bit overpowered by the cucumber. Everyone can choose whether to add it or not and give it a try.

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This snack shop may not be very fancy, but its seafood and stir-fried dishes are really good. Most importantly, the prices are very affordable, so I highly recommend everyone to come here and try it.

%A few seafood hotpot places, compared to this one, the prices are quite fair. So if you want to eat a good seafood meal without breaking the bank, this is a good choice.

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The tea eggs boiled in exclusive traditional Chinese medicine broth are very popular, and the flavor is quite fragrant. It's worth trying. After all, one egg doesn’t take up much stomach space… XD

%Including altering the meal portion or adding side dishes,
The famous char siu rice shops on Magong Street are Zange and Maluyi. But according to a local friend, the place next to Zange is actually pretty good too. Char siu rice comes in grilled and fried versions. The fried char siu rice I ordered actually tasted a lot like pork chop rice… @@”, but Zange’s squid steak is thick and substantial, much better than Maluyi’s.

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Maluyi is only open at night and serves char siu rice, squid steak, oyster omelet, fried noodles, seafood congee, stinky tofu… and a whole lot more. Business is booming, but the squid steak is quite thin and mostly breading. Other dishes are okay, and the seafood congee is also pretty good. The most unique is the oyster omelet—the method is different, kind of like an egg fried rice, except the rice is replaced with oysters, so it’s egg-battered oyster omelet. It’s pretty tasty, but the texture is completely different from regular oyster omelet.

%Considering the young chef's skills
After eating your fill, have a glass of lemonade. I didn’t try it myself, but my classmate recommended it. Other friends said it was pretty good. I was too full to drink it, but I’ll come back and try it next time.

% What is the identity of this person who appears to be a flight attendant?
Besides seafood, Penghu also has some local traditional home-style dishes that you rarely get to eat in Taiwan. Flower Dried Vegetable is a local dish from Penghu—it’s not only unique but also delicious. It’s highly recommended to try when you’re in Penghu. As soon as you’re seated, they’ll serve you Fengru tea, a local brew here, which is really good—refreshing and cooling.

%Familiar shop features? The place has great local dishes, a mix of spicy and mild flavors, also offers local drinks, etc…

%Friends say the oyster vermicelli, braised pork rice, and century egg congee... all amazing!

%Zai zhe li de ren sheng ti yan hen duo, xing qu bu tong, wo tui jian ni ke yi fen bie zai bu tong de ji jie lai, neng ti yuan dao tai wan bu tong de feng qing. /p>

%There’s also a Western-style food spot called “Kouhe”.
Located on the first floor of the Wada Hotel, this restaurant mainly offers Italian and Western cuisine. During my business trip, one day I was too tired and ended up having dinner at the hotel. I ordered the seafood rice set, which was fragrant and not greasy, and had plenty of seafood. They also offered red wine and cocktails. If you check in on Facebook using your phone at the venue, the side soup is instantly upgraded to a crispy pastry soup. If you’re in Penghu and want to try some Western food, this restaurant is a great choice.

%For those who usually seek spicy flavors, you can choose a variety of spicy levels when ordering hot pot. There are many levels available, almost covering all degrees of spiciness. If you are okay with this level of spice, there is also a milder option or other choices for those who cannot handle too much heat. You can refer to the options when placing your order.

Next up are the foods you can try on a one-day trip to the northern loop and Siyu, usually included in one-day tours. There are lots of delicious eats along the way, many of which I haven’t tried either. Let me first introduce the ones I’ve eaten—Up!

%It's just a small stall.
Cactus ice is everywhere in Penghu. The most recommended spot is the cactus ice stall on the way from Tongliang Big Banyan Tree to the Cross-Sea Bridge. They also sell snail meat. I compared it with other shops, and this one is truly delicious. Locals also recommend it, so just be careful not to get the wrong one.

%Ji?
Gucuo:Xingrencha
This almond tea shop uses traditional methods, resulting in a fragrant and mellow taste. It’s also a very popular spot.

%Level: Pumpkin | Mushrooms | Abalone | Scallop
This was the first place I discovered by chance when I first came to Erjia. There’s still a main stall on the street now that makes dishes with pumpkin—like pumpkin fritters. I’m not sure how to describe them exactly, but they’re really something special. They’re soft yet not sticky, and every time I come to Erjia, I recommend their pumpkin fritters.

Pumpkin fritters: crispy outside, soft inside In addition, the shop also sells small squid rice noodles (soup) and pumpkin stir-fried rice noodles. The small squid are caught fresh by the owner in the morning—the soup is delicious, and the pumpkin rice noodles have a comforting sweetness. Both dishes are highly recommended. If you visit Erjia around mealtime, you can sit down and enjoy them. The current stall is run by an elderly lady who even puts out cute pufferfish to attract customers. The pumpkin fritters are definitely one of the highlights of this spot.

Recommended dishes: small squid, oysters, sea urchins
This time, it was Xiao Guai who personally led the group, and it was my first time visiting Xiaomen. The small squid rice noodles here are very famous, and if the season is right, you can even get horse dung sea urchins. We had a fantastic meal that wasn’t expensive at all—a whole table of great food for just over a thousand NT. Penghu is truly a seafood paradise. Xiao Guai especially recommends the first shop you see when entering the village (he always eats there), and their fried rice is also delicious. There are many other shops in the village, including some featured on “Food Hunter.” But honestly, they’re all pretty similar, so you can choose whichever you like.

Recommended first shop in the village
This place was recommended to me by the owner of North African Garden last year. Their crystal small squid left an unforgettable impression on me. This year when I came back to Penghu, I even brought friends here to try it. For the beef noodle soup, I prefer the dry version—they make a beef stir-fry with plain noodles, and it’s absolutely delicious.

A trip to Penghu wouldn’t be complete without an outer island tour. This year, I went on a long-awaited one-day trip to the coral reef uninhabited islands in the South Sea with my classmates. It was a fantastic itinerary. Here’s a quick rundown of what we ate.

During the boat ride, the crew served us fresh sashimi, which looked really fresh and tasted even better. The sashimi here is different from what you usually get—it’s incredibly fresh.

Lunch on the boat: seafood bento
The instructor had a seafood bento specially made by a nearby island’s seafood shop. Everything used was super fresh—seafood, dried fish, and so on. It was a very satisfying bento.

Boat lunch provider: Hai Er No. 2
This place was recommended to me back then, either by the homestay or a local. The seafood dishes were decent overall, but the prices weren’t very reasonable, so I’d say it was just okay. Nothing particularly stood out to recommend.

Tentative conclusion:
There are still many other delicious foods I haven’t introduced, mostly because I couldn’t find photos—I’m not even sure why. Things like Laifu Seafood, Changjin Seafood, Sea Ranch Seafood, brown sugar shaved ice… there are quite a few. Of course, there are also many things I haven’t tried myself. For those I haven’t introduced but have photos of, I’ll add them later. As for the ones I haven’t tried, I’ll just have to keep working on it on my next trip to Penghu. I hope this food guide can serve as a helpful reference for everyone.

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