So quirky and fun—a retro-style noodle shop with super-popular Japanese and American figurines!

Text and photos byOld K

One day, university classmate Mr. Wang told Old K, "Let me introduce you to a noodle shop that tastes a lot like A-Tian Noodles, and might even be a bit better." The moment he said this, Old K was intrigued. A-Tian Noodles is already a pretty delicious old-school noodle joint, so he never expected another shop like this to exist. Without hesitation, he headed straight there.

Nong’an Yi Noodle Shop is located on Nong’an Street—but not the one near Qingguang Market. It’s the one past the Xinxing Overpass. This area is a bit less bustling. There’s a temple right next to Nong’an Yi Noodle Shop, so it should be pretty easy to spot.

Even though it was a little past one in the afternoon when we came for a meal, there were still quite a few people. As soon as Old K walked in, he really liked the place—because they have air conditioning here. In the summer, that alone puts them ahead of many others XD

Glancing at the menu on the wall, the offerings are almost identical to those at A-Tian Noodles—just simple plain noodles, wheat noodles, and rice noodles. Both dry and soup versions are available, and you can also add wontons, pork loin, and braised duck eggs.

Previously, at Shuanglian A-Tian Noodles, you just ordered directly, but here you can tick your choices from a menu. To compare how they differ, Old K ordered the same things as at the other two A-Tian Noodle shops, only switching from a small bowl to a medium one.

The boss seems like a figurine collector—he’s got a bunch of them, both Japanese and American cartoon characters. Seeing these in a café isn’t that unusual, but in an old-school noodle shop? That’s pretty rare XD Taiwan probably doesn’t have many noodle shops like this. It’s actually pretty nice to enjoy noodles while admiring the figurines!

Wonton noodles with pork loin and braised duck egg (NT$90)
The noodles look pretty similar to those at A-Tian Noodles.

Take a sip of the broth first. The flavor is indeed quite similar to A-Tian Noodles, yet with some subtle differences. Compared to Shuanglian A-Tian Noodles, it’s less greasy, but compared to Sanchong A-Tian Noodles, it’s slightly milder in taste. Old K thinks they’re all delicious—it just depends on whether you prefer something richer, lighter, or more intense. The differences are actually pretty small. He suspects these three shops might come from the same origin, and have since evolved differently.

The wheat noodles are just regular ones, cooked just right—they’re pretty tasty. The portion size for the medium bowl here is pretty generous.

Although it’s pork loin, it’s neither tough nor rubbery. For boiled pork loin, it’s quite good.

The wontons are silky smooth, and you can definitely taste the sweetness of the fresh meat. The flavors of all three shops are really quite similar!

Just look at the color of the braised duck egg—it’s obvious it’s been braised for a long time. The egg white is super bouncy. It’s a tasty braised duck egg.


Old K’s little tips:
Nong’an Yi Noodle Shop is a place that surprised Old K a bit—he never expected the noodles to be just as delicious as A-Tian Noodles. Plus, you get to look at the figurines. For Old K, the ranking of the three would be: Sanchong A-Tian Noodles, Nong’an Yi Noodle Shop, and Shuanglian A-Tian Noodles—but the differences between them are small. Maybe your rankings will differ from his. If you’re into this kind of old-school flavor, you should definitely try all three. But Nong’an Yi Noodle Shop has one major advantage—it has air conditioning. So in the summer, Old K will probably only come here XD


Old K’s personal rating (out of 10, higher is better)
Taste: 8.2
Value for money: 7
Dining environment: 5
Price: 7

Nong’an Yi Noodle Shop
Address: No. 83, Nong’an Street, Zhongshan District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2596-1183
Business hours: 11:30–19:30 (open weekdays only, closed on holidays)

Old K
Keep the noodle journey going, Old K!

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