Every piece of meat is hand-massaged here!“Duitou Beef Noodles” in Toucheng only sells for 3 hours a day

“Boss, one bowl of Sanbao Noodles!”“Sorry, sold out.”“Then how about beef tendon noodles?”“I’m afraid those are gone too.” Longji Beef Noodles, a famous queue-worthy eatery in Toucheng, Yilan, only operates for three hours a day, and all noodle dishes and side orders sell out quickly. The boss and staff often have to apologize to those who miss out, earning them the nickname “Sorry Beef Noodles” from netizens.

Text & photos / Mirror Media Weekly

Having long heard of the fame of Longji Beef Noodles, we were lucky thanks to Huang Zhian, the owner of A-Zong Taro Ice, who got us a number in advance so we could finally try the legendary“Sorry Beef Noodles.”We arrived right at 12 noon, only to find the small shop packed with queues both inside and out. Numbers were handed out for 30 customers, and although the shop doesn’t open until 11 am, people reportedly start lining up as early as 10:30 am.


 

With such booming business, why doesn’t the shop prepare more? It turns out thatChen Xueliang, the person in charge, insists on spending 15 hours a day preparing ingredients. There’s even a saying in the industry that “every piece of beef at Longji is hand-massaged,” which limits their production capacity. For their signature dish, “Beef Trinity” (牛三宝), only 20 bowls are made per day—meaning unless you’re among the first round of customers, you won’t get a taste.

We were fortunate enough to secure two bowls of Beef Trinity through Huang Zhian’s early reservation. As the hot Sanbao Noodles were served, diners at neighboring tables looked on with envy. The large bowl held two pieces of braised beef, each the size of half a palm—tender, juicy, and full of flavor. Chen Xueliang uses American beef shank core, four thumb-thick beef tendons that melt in your mouth, and three generous slices of two-finger-wide beef tripe. The broth is slightly sweet with fruity and faintly herbal undertones, and the noodles have a texture similar to Japanese ramen.

The boss isn’t afraid of customers eating a lot—the main star, the beef, and the supporting cast, the noodles, are both generously portioned. After digging in, our photographer had half a bowl of noodles left, but I, being a noodle lover, finished every last strand. I couldn’t eat any more beef or tripe, though—I even took some home for dinner. Great value for money. On top of that, the side dishes are also highly praised, especially the tender and soft braised peanuts, which nearly every table orders.

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