Mainland students' favorite Taiwanese foods: Malawei and chain chicken cutlet shops rank first and second

▲The top-ranked Taiwanese food among mainland students is Malawei, a hot pot restaurant known for its spicy broth and premium ingredients. (Photo provided by Wang Yuting)

By Intern Reporter Liu Ni / Taipei Reporting

Taiwan is famous for its cuisine. So what do university students from mainland China think is the most delicious? Based on a survey targeting mainland students, we asked them to share their most unforgettable Taiwanese foods, resulting in a list of the top ten Taiwanese dishes in their eyes. The featured foods include:Malawei’s premium spicy hot pot with dual-flavor broth, Chizha Fengyun chicken cutlets, Taixuekou intestine-wrapped sausage, Yongkang Street beef noodle soup, Jiufen taro balls, fresh-cut fruit, Kenting QQ egg pudding, Tainan oyster omelet, Qijin grilled squid, and Fengjia Night Market stinky tofu..

Top 10 Taiwanese Foods in the Eyes of Mainland Students:

1. Malawei Premium Spicy Hot Pot with Dual-Flavor Broth
The spicy broth, described by locals as “really spicy,” is no big deal for most mainland students, especially those from northern China. Compared to the “all-you-can-eat” pricing on the mainland, Malawei offers a higher cost-performance ratio by providing a variety of premium meats and unlimited servings of Häagen-Dazs and Movenpick ice cream.

▲Malawei isn’t cheap, but it offers premium ingredients and luxurious desserts, making it a better deal compared to similarly priced all-you-can-eat restaurants on the mainland. (Photo provided by Wang Yuting)

2. Chizha Fengyun Chicken Cutlets
Even though it’s a chain chicken cutlet shop with branches across central, southern, and northern Taiwan, its status among mainland students remains undisputed. The shop is famous for its 12-ounce jumbo chicken cutlets, which are “bigger than a face.” Grilled and then drizzled with various sauces like teriyaki glaze or Thai spicy-sour flavors, the crispy outside and juicy inside make it hard to resist finishing the whole giant portion despite its high calorie count.

▲A tourist displays a 12-ounce chicken cutlet—truly bigger than a face. (Photo by Reporter Liu Ni)

3. Taixuekou Intestine-Wrapped Sausage in Gongguan
“So intestine-wrapped sausage is actually made with glutinous rice sausage and a regular sausage…” Because in my hometown, the word “intestine” immediately makes people think of regular sausages. Before seeing this snack in person, I thought “intestine-wrapped sausage” meant drilling a hole in a big sausage and stuffing a smaller one inside—puzzling over why anyone would go through the trouble. “Does eating two sausages together really taste different?” Seeing the real thing, I couldn’t help but laugh at my previous misunderstanding.

Taixuekou’s version also uses traditional glutinous rice sausage and regular sausage, but adds chopped cilantro, garlic slices, and minced ginger. The bold spices give the dish a spicier kick, enriching the flavor of both the sausage and the rice sausage without becoming overly heavy.

4. Yongkang Street Beef Noodle Soup
Yongkang Street is the famed “Beef Noodle Street,” and nearly every mainland student has visited it as a kind of pilgrimage. Opinions vary on which beef noodle shop is the best, but all agree that the street’s beef noodle shops generally deliver outstanding performances. Memorable spots include Yongkang Beef Noodles, Chuanwei Old Zhang Beef Noodles, and Yipin Shanxi Knife-Cut Noodles.

▲Yongkang Beef Noodles with a long line of customers (Photo by Reporter Cai Wenjun)

Experiencing the “generous portions” of Taiwanese beef noodle shops for the first time left many mainland students surprised.One mainland student described it this way: “On the mainland, so-called beef noodles don’t actually have much beef—they’re mostly meat paste, at best some thin slices. But Taiwanese beef noodles come with really big chunks of beef. Even the noodles come in bowls as big as washbasins—it’s so hearty!”Whether it’s thin noodles, thick noodles, or knife-cut noodles, served in a steaming hot broth with generous chunks of beef, these dishes have earned endless praise from mainland students.

5. Jiufen Taro Balls
Many mainland students have long looked forward to visiting Jiufen because of Chen Qizhen’s song “Jiufen Café.” In addition to quaint little shops selling local specialties, what haunts their dreams are Jiufen’s chewy, Q-textured taro balls. One bite reveals a firm texture, and pairing them with red beans or mung beans enhances the taro’s rich flavor.

6. Fresh-Cut Fruit
Taiwan’s generally warm and humid climate, along with its terrain and soil, produces especially delicious tropical and subtropical fruits. Mangoes, sugar apples, wax apples, pineapples, and other fruits leave a sweet-and-sour impression that mainland students find unforgettable.

7. Kenting Street QQ Egg Pudding
This QQ egg pudding on Kenting Street is made with pure fresh milk—no added water—and combined with brown sugar and tapioca pearls. The result is a creamy milk flavor with soft, chewy pearls that preserve their individual tastes while complementing each other surprisingly well. I stayed in Kenting for three nights, and even after eating full meals on the street every night, I still had to order a cup of QQ egg pudding to feel satisfied.

▲The signboard of this QQ egg pudding shop on Kenting Street is covered with dense signatures from tourists. (Photo provided by Wang Lin)

8. Tainan Oyster Omelette
Before heading to Tainan, mainland students were proudly told by their friends there: “Tainan doesn’t need a food guide — you can just eat your way through the city.” And it’s true. Nearly every oyster omelette shop in Tainan serves fresh, plump oysters. Pop one into your mouth and experience the sensation of it bursting with flavor, paired with eggs, vegetables, and a special sauce that creates another layer of tender texture.

9. Cijin Grilled Squid
The bustling streets of Cijin in Kaohsiung are lined with grilled squid stalls. The squid is caught by local fishing boats and skewered on grills, giving off the rich aroma of the sea.

▲ Taichung Fengjia Night Market (Photo / Provided material)

10. Fengjia Night Market Stinky Tofu
Mainland students say they prefer fried stinky tofu over steamed versions. With a golden, crispy crust on the outside and soft, tender texture inside, paired with sweet and tangy Taiwanese pickles, it’s simply amazing. The tofu often soaks up rich juices inside. Once, a mainland student friend eagerly bit into a piece, only to have the juices splash all over his new clothes. Without hurrying to wipe it off, he calmly chewed the delicious bite and joked, “Even if you’re in a rush, you’ve got to finish the hot tofu!” Everyone around burst out laughing at his “foodie” moment.

Post-Interview Notes:

Based on my observations, the Taiwanese foods favored by mainland students are spread across the north, central, and southern parts of Taiwan, but are more concentrated in the south. Traditional night market snacks dominate the list, but MaLa Hotpot ranked first, showing that mainland students also really enjoy all-you-can-eat style restaurants.

One of the dishes on the list is fried chicken cutlet, which happens to be a personal favorite of the author — a fellow mainland student who has studied in Taiwan for four years. Just the chicken cutlet alone comes in various styles: charcoal-grilled, deep-fried, regular coating, crispy coating... and with each shop’s unique sauces, every place offers its own distinctive flavor. Thinking back to that crispy, savory taste — oh, it’s making my mouth water just thinking about it.