Passed Down with Love: A Heartwarming Family-Owned Pork Chop Noodle Shop on Jinshan Old Street

▲ The noodle shop run with heart by Chef Xu’s family offers great ingredients, delicious flavors, and warm service.

Intern Reporter Li Jiarong / Reported and photographed in New Taipei City

Looking for high-value, delicious food while traveling along the Northern Coast? Located in the historic Jinbao Li Old Street in Jinshan, there’s“Chef Xu’s 121 Pork Chop Noodle Shop”, offering both a “taste” and “visual” feast. Fifty years ago, the pork chop noodle shop was run by an elderly woman and her son. Later, thanks to the success of the younger generation, it came under the stewardship of current chef and owner Xu Conghua, affectionately known as Shuiwei’s Chef Hua. Having previously worked away from home, he has now returned to his hometown to run the shop with his wife and daughter.

▲The eldest daughter, who started helping out right after graduating from high school, is not only sweet and sensible but also very beautiful.

Chef Hua, who has been running the old noodle shop for five years, has inherited the traditional flavors from the elderly woman. Adapting to modern health trends, he now uses vegetables and fruits to make the broth. After many adjustments and refinements, he found the taste that best suits the locals. In the beginning, he faced challenges such as burning the steamer basket and criticism from customers. Despite the hardships, he humbly accepted the feedback. Shop owner Wang Yuli recalls those tough times with a smile, noting how those difficult days have since turned into sweet rewards. Getting up at 3 a.m. every day to prepare ingredients has become routine.

▲ Freshly steamed pork chops and winter melon, the aroma hits you instantly.

Pork Chop Crispy Noodles
At just NT$65 per bowl, the craftsmanship is meticulous. The owner insists on hand-mixing the ingredients to preserve the texture of the meat. The pork chops are coated in a sauce made from a blend of Chinese herbs and spices, then wrapped in a thin layer of batter. Featuring both cartilage and tender meat, the pork chops are first deep-fried and then steamed, resulting in a melt-in-your-mouth texture paired with smooth winter melon. Simple ingredients create a burst of happiness, and the amber-colored broth is sweet and refreshing. The owner offers customized services, with eight types of noodles for customers to choose from. Running the shop from the customers’ perspective, despite the hard work, brings great satisfaction.

▲ The shop’s signature pork chop crispy noodles feature fresh, tender meat and a sweet, savory broth.

▲ The shop offers eight types of noodles, and the customized service is both unique and thoughtful.

Handmade pickles, pickle noodles
The shop exclusively makes three types of handmade pickles: Korean-style, golden pickles, and flying fish pearl pickles. The owner’s wife modified the Korean pickles to suit Taiwanese tastes and added them to the shop’s pickle noodles. The sweet broth blends with the slightly sour pickle juice, delighting the palate. The greener napa cabbage is used to make golden pickles, mixed with minced carrot paste and fermented tofu, creating a rich, layered texture with a mild flavor that melts in your mouth, making it addictive.

The shop also offers noodle dishes with pickles. Dry noodles with golden pickles are a must-try, featuring hand-stirred minced pork, bean sprouts, and bok choy, topped with a secret sauce for a salty-sweet flavor that’s unforgettable. Flying fish pearl pickles are only available during the flying fish season from May to June. The crunchy texture of the flying fish roe pairs perfectly with the golden pickles, like a symphony playing in your mouth.

Making pickles is time-consuming and labor-intensive, taking a day or two from chopping vegetables to pickling, making, and finally sealing the jars. From having no customers at first to now having more demand than supply, Wang Yuli hopes to maintain high quality and earn the recognition of locals.

▲Golden pickles seasoned with fermented tofu offer a smooth texture and lingering fragrance.

▲ Pickle noodles with Korean pickles offer a sweet and sour taste that’s unforgettable.

The family-run noodle shop aims to bring guests a sense of “home.” This place has made their family closer and more complete. With shared goals and the power to unite as a family, even though the journey has been tough, having loved ones by their side gives them the motivation to keep going.

▲ The various side dishes are also shop staples. Flavorful marinated duck eggs, kelp, and intestines are customer favorites.

Chef Xu’s 121 Pork Chop Noodle Shop
Address: No. 121, Jinbao Li Street, Heping Li, Jinshan District, New Taipei City (next to the entrance of Jinbao Li Old Street)
Phone: 02-2498-4525
Business Hours: Weekdays 06:30–14:30, Weekends 06:30–18:30, Closed Wednesdays and Thursdays