The crispy outside and soft inside texture will make you fall in love with it！ Here's intel on 6 carbon-grilled sandwich spots across Taiwan

▲ Toast grilled over charcoal has that distinctive smoky aroma. (Photo / Yu T-Ru)

Reporter Huang Shiyuan / Special Report

Toast grilled over charcoal has a crispy exterior and soft interior — the texture is simply different from that made by regular toasters. Take, for example, the well-known Fengsheng Hao and the increasingly popular Gao San Xiao. But beyond these two, the carbon-grilled sandwiches at Keelung’s F Mei Breakfast, Stall No. 9 at Miaokou, as well as Carbon Home at Taipei’s Yonghe Fourth Park are also very popular. And don’t miss Grandma’s Carbon-Grilled Sandwich in Tainan — a must-try breakfast when you’re in the city.

▲ Fengsheng Hao in Taipei’s Shilin District is a representative spot for carbon-grilled toast, and it gets packed every holiday. (Photo / Huang Shiyuan)

Fengsheng Hao Carbon-Grilled Toast
If you’re a fan of brunch, you’ve probably heard of Fengsheng Hao. There’s always a long queue every morning, and you might have to wait 1–2 hours on holidays to get their carbon-grilled sandwich. The founder, Xu Minhong, comes from a bakery family, and this particular toast was specially developed by his family bakery for the business. It uses natural butter and Ruei Suei fresh milk, delivered daily from Pingtung to Taipei. Xu explained that he opted for carbon-grilled toast because of its unique aroma. However, grilling over charcoal is more challenging — the heat must be precisely controlled to achieve the perfect toast. That said, due to ingredient, manpower, and space limitations, Fengsheng Sandwiches are limited to 100 per day and usually sell out within an hour of opening, though other types of sandwiches are still available.

Address: No. 4, Lane 223, Zhongzheng Rd., Shilin District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2880-1388
Business Hours: 08:00–12:30

▲ Gao San Xiao is a rising star among carbon-grilled toast shops. (Photo / Provided by Gao San Xiao)

Gao San Xiao Carbon-Grilled Toast
The two owners of Gao San Xiao Carbon-Grilled Toast are high school classmates who couldn’t decide on a name, so they simply went with their class name — “Gao San Xiao” (Senior 3, Class Xiao) — which is unique and memorable. One of the owners, nicknamed Xiaopang, said that Gao San Xiao opened in October last year (2014), and thanks to the crispy-outside-soft-inside carbon-grilled sandwiches, customer numbers steadily grew through word of mouth. But after being featured by bloggers, foot traffic more than doubled, leading to supply shortages — especially since the pineapple buns often sold out before the afternoon. In addition, the pork chops are made from fresh pork bought daily, marinated for a day, then cooked — but with Lunar New Year approaching, pork has become harder to source, making it tough to ramp up production quickly.

Address: No. 11-4, Lane 31, Section 1, Nanchang Rd., Zhongzheng District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2322-5918
Business Hours: 07:00–14:00

Carbon Home - Carbon-Grilled Sandwich
Though not as famous as Fengsheng Hao, Carbon Home – Carbon-Grilled Sandwich in Yonghe’s Fourth Park offers a new breakfast choice for locals in Zhonghe and Yonghe. Starting in February, however, the shop extended its hours into the evening, now open from 18:30 to 22:00, adding dinner and late-night snack options around the Fourth Company area.

Address: No. 2, Dehe Rd., Yonghe District, New Taipei City 234
Phone: 0958-051523

The deliciousness of carbon-grilled sandwiches isn’t only found in Taipei. In Keelung, there are two popular spots: F Mei Breakfast and Keelung Miaokou Carbon-Grilled Sandwich (Stall No. 9), with F Mei having two branches — Chenggong Store and Sanxiao Store.

F Mei Breakfast
Address: No. 1, Lane 118, Chenggong 1st Rd., Ren’ai District, Keelung City
Phone: 02-2432-6779
Business Hours: 05:30–11:00

Keelung Miaokou Carbon-Grilled Sandwich (Stall No. 9)
Address: No. 9, 31 Ren 3rd Rd., Ren’ai District, Keelung City
Phone: 0937-053179
Business Hours: 07:00 AM – 04:00 PM

▲The grandma's charcoal-grilled sandwich has an incredibly rich filling. (Photo by You Ru)

Grandma’s Charcoal-Grilled Sandwich
Tucked away in a small alley near Wu Temple in Tainan, “Grandma’s Charcoal-Grilled Sandwich” is where an elderly lady personally places slices of bread on a charcoal grill and fries thick omelets in a pan—expect to wait up to an hour on weekends to taste her creations. The appeal of “Grandma’s Charcoal-Grilled Sandwich” goes beyond just its “old-school flavor”; the generous use of quality ingredients is also a highlight. The peanut butter and egg sandwich, for instance, features peanut butter spread on the bread, layered with a thick omelet, then grilled over charcoal to create a deliciously smoky aroma.

Address: No. 3, Lane 227, Section 2, Yongfu Rd., Tainan City
Business Hours: 6:00 AM – 10:00 AM (Closed on Mondays)