High school friends co-launch “Senior 3 Xiaos” grilled toast, which becomes an instant hit

▲ “Senior 3 Xiaos” grilled toast has recently seen a surge in visitors. (Senior 3 Xiaos grilled toast)

Reported by Huang Shiyuan / Taipei

Fans of grilled sandwiches probably know about Fengsheng in Shilin, Taipei, but the long holiday queues can be off-putting. Recently, another uniquely named grilled sandwich spot has emerged in Taipei — “Senior 3 Xiaos,” which has rapidly gained popularity. Originally selling around 100 breakfast portions a day, it now serves up to 300 daily.

The reason behind the brunch shop’s name is simple: its two owners are high school friends who couldn’t decide on a name, so they went with their actual class name from back then.“Senior 3 Xiaos”— unique and easy to remember. Xiao Pang, one of the owners, said that Senior 3 Xiaos opened last October. Thanks to its crispy outside and soft inside grilled sandwiches, word-of-mouth brought a steady stream of customers. But after being featured by bloggers, customer numbers more than doubled, leading to supply shortages — especially the pineapple buns, which often sold out before the afternoon. Also, the pork chops are made using daily purchases of fresh pork, marinated for a day before cooking. However, with Lunar New Year approaching, pork has become harder to source, making it difficult to ramp up production quickly.

Named after a high school class, the interior features student-style desks and chairs, plus a big blackboard that evokes nostalgia for many. Xiao Pang explained that Senior 3 Xiaos originally had 14 tables, and although they later added four more outside, the space can only accommodate around 20 people at most. So during busy times, wait times inevitably get longer. The shop also posted an apology on Facebook, admitting that the sudden influx of customers revealed flaws in their seating system, causing discomfort for some guests — something they’re committed to improving.

Additionally, due to the overwhelming number of customers, and to ensure everyone enjoys their meal without delays or quality issues, they’ve had to turn down many delivery orders — for which Senior 3 Xiaos expresses regret.

Senior 3 Xiaos grilled toast
Address: No. 11-4, Lane 31, Section 1, Nanchang Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2322-5918
Business hours: 07:00–14:00