Open until 2 AM at night！Kaohsiung’s unnamed seafood congee – loaded with white shrimp, squid, and fresh oysters

Text and photos byOrange Dog Loves Sweets

Every time I return to Fengshan in Kaohsiung, I always think of strolling through Zhongshan Road Night Market. After all, it’s a place filled with memories from my childhood to adulthood. This road is bustling from morning till midnight, with not many stalls but always able to satisfy that little joy of a late-night snack to fill your stomach. This article introduces the incredibly good value seafood congee at Fengshan’s Zhongshan Road Night Market. While seafood congee can be found almost everywhere, this particular stall in Zhongshan Road Night Market is truly exceptional in terms of value for money.

On Zhongshan Road in Fengshan, every evening it transforms into a small night market, offering all kinds of noodles, fried snacks, marinated foods, and juice ice shops. The lively atmosphere continues until one or two in the morning. It's been like this since my university days in Kaohsiung, remaining consistent for many years. Compared to the night market at Liuhexi in downtown Kaohsiung, where the night market used to stay open until 5 AM but now closes at midnight, people still blame the lack of mainland Chinese tourists XD. Meanwhile, here in Fengshan, even without relying on mainland tourists, it remains packed until the early hours of the morning every day.

When it comes to seafood congee in Kaohsiung, this is one stall I rarely see covered by the media, yet business is consistently booming every day. The stall’s location is also quite interesting — the food cart is positioned facing away from passersby XD, sharing the covered walkway space with a self-service restaurant. The combined crowd from both stalls is really lively, but the seafood congee stall itself already draws a lot of customers. There’s no exact address, but it’s directly opposite A+1 on Zhongshan Road, next door to Guo’s Spicy Chicken Noodles, which also has a lot of mixed reviews XD.

It’s almost always full from the moment it opens, with no breaks, whether on weekdays or holidays. As soon as the stall opens, the owner is busy cooking congee non-stop. Most uniquely, they only sell three items: seafood congee, seafood instant noodles, and salt-steamed shrimp. The prices might not seem very cheap at first glance, but a bowl of congee for 120 NT actually offers very generous ingredients and portions, which I find quite solid. After eating, I really wanted to recommend it to everyone.

All the fresh ingredients are laid out right in front of the stall — clams, squid, white shrimp, and oysters. For the congee, the ingredients are just tossed boldly into the pot, and once one batch is cooked, they move on to the next. The flow of customers is constant, and the owner says she’s been selling here for over a decade. The seafood is purchased from Donggang, and now the second generation is running the stall. Fortunately, the taste hasn’t changed much.

Although the prices may seem a bit steep — 120 NT for a bowl of seafood congee, 200 NT for a plate of salt-steamed shrimp — the portion sizes completely match the price. Some might think 120 NT for a bowl is too expensive, but seafood has been getting more and more costly these past two years. For this quality, 120 NT is actually acceptable. Compared to Xiangwei Seafood Congee or Zhuangji Seafood Congee at Liuhexi, this Fengshan stall definitely offers more generous portions and better value.

[Seafood Instant Noodles | Seafood Congee │ 120 NT per bowl │ Made to order]
I often see seafood congee, but seafood instant noodles are not so common. However, this stall sells only these two main dishes. The portion of noodles feels quite generous to me — I don’t know if it’s just my impression, but it seems like they use more than just one pack of noodles.

But it’s probably ‘President Pork Floss Noodles’ for sure — the texture of the noodles and the aroma of the soup give that impression. I also find their broth quite unique. It has a very natural sweetness, but it’s not an overly artificial umami flavor. There’s also a hint of the pork floss noodle sauce’s scallion oil aroma (not sure if that’s just my imagination), so it’s distinct from the seafood congee.

Inside, there are four large white shrimp, squid, fish cake, plump fresh oysters, and big clams. The ingredients are extremely generous. (You might wonder why there are only three shrimp in the photo — I thought the same at first, but one was hidden under the noodles.) The shrimp meat is tender, slightly springy, and sweet, and the other seafood ingredients are also fresh, delicious, and generously portioned. It’s hard to find many bowls of seafood congee this substantial. There are actually a few more clams and several pieces of squid at the bottom of the noodle-congee mix, but I didn’t bother fishing them all out to take pictures (they wouldn’t have looked great anyway).

Of course, seafood congee is what we in the south commonly call ‘rice soup.’ This is a bit different from what people in the north typically understand as ‘congee,’ but the congee I make at home is also made this way — you get intact rice grains with a flavor infused by the seafood broth. Whether it’s the congee or the noodles, I genuinely feel one bowl is enough for two people. Zhongshan Road Night Market is truly a great place for good food at great value. (I might not have shown how big the bowls are, but seafood congee in Kaohsiung is mostly served in large bowls!)

[Salt-Steamed Shrimp │ 200 NT per plate │ Highly recommended must-order]
Shrimp lovers visiting this stall would really miss out if they don’t try this plate of salt-steamed shrimp. For 200 NT, you get a full 12 large white shrimp, and you can really taste the sweet, firm shrimp meat with a hint of garlic. I might not have made them look very big in the photo, but you’ll know once you try them.

Most tourists visiting Kaohsiung tend to stick to the city center, as not many make a special trip to Fengshan for the night market. As a night market, this one is relatively simple, focused mainly on food and drink, without any game or gambling stalls. The food stalls here are also quite unique compared to typical night markets — these are vendors you’d only find at this particular night market. Whether you’re looking to fill up or go for something more refined, all kinds of food needs can be met here. As far as I can remember, it’s been bustling for about thirty years. Next time you’re in Kaohsiung, I highly recommend taking the MRT to Fengshan and exploring the differently charming Zhongshan Road Night Market.

Fengshan Zhongshan Road Seafood Congee

Address: No. 100, Zhongshan Road, Fengshan District, Kaohsiung City (directly opposite A+1)
Phone: None
Business Hours: 6:00 PM – 2:00 AM
Reminder: Not sure about days off
Nearby MRT Station: Orange Line Fengshan Station, Exit 2, about a 10-minute walk

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