Super generous garlic seafood squid ink noodles with scallops, shrimp rolls, clams — you name it, they’ve got it.

Text and photos by /MIKA

I don’t know if it’s because we’re getting older, but all our friends are settling down, building careers, and achieving their dreams. Watching them work hard step by step is really inspiring. The journey may be tough, but once you take that first small step, the rest doesn’t seem as impossible. This Lyon House in Zhubei is also a small Italian restaurant painstakingly established by a long-time friend who has worked hard to succeed. In the past, whenever we went on trips, he was the one cooking for us. With his amazing culinary skills, he was always our personal private chef. Now, he’s opened Lyon House Italian Cuisine, using his passion and expertise to bring his skills to new heights. It’s honestly so delicious that we can’t find any faults. The best part? It’s affordable, generous, and the value for money is off the charts. Of course, with a group of picky friends like us, I’m sure Lyon House only aims for the best, nothing less XD

Lyon House is tucked away in a small alley on Wenyi Street in Zhubei City. It’s actually quite close to the busy area, just hidden away in the lanes and not easy to spot.

The decor has a bit of a European countryside vibe.

The interior is very cozy, and the space is quite spacious.

The seating isn’t cramped, and everyone can enjoy their meal without disturbing each other.

Cute decorations add a simple touch of charm.

The window seats have better lighting, though it doesn’t matter much at night XD

Cute little house-shaped tissue box

This is the simple menu used when they first opened; the new menu has been made but hasn’t been changed yet.

The menu mainly includes appetizers, salads, drinks, and...

Various flavors of Italian pasta and risotto...
Upgrade to a set meal for an additional 80 NTD per main dish. The set includes (today's pasta, dessert, drink: choose one from red tea, green tea, or juice, with the option to pay extra for other drinks). Minimum spend per person is 130 NTD, and no service charge is added to the meals either.

New Orleans Spicy-Sour Chicken Wings 120 NTD
These chicken wings are really tangy, sweet, and mildly spicy—super flavorful. Regular New Orleans chicken wings aren’t this bold. The texture is amazing, and the chicken is tender and fragrant.

It really feels like the fried chicken you get in Korea. The fried chicken wings are coated in a tangy, sweet, and spicy sauce, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, leaving you licking your fingers in delight.

Pan-Seared Zucchini
This is a hidden dish, a private recipe from the boss, so it’s not always available. Zucchini looks a lot like cucumber, but it tastes different. Once lightly pan-seared, you get to enjoy its naturally soft, sweet, and juicy flavor. It’s quite unique.

Today’s Soup: Mushroom Soup
The mushroom soup comes in a cup but actually has more soup than you’d expect. And my friend’s mushroom soup is no joke—it’s top-notch. It’s not half-hearted just because it’s a side dish. It’s a solid, full-flavored mushroom soup. It’s rich, aromatic, and packed with actual mushroom bits. Super authentic and hearty.

Garlic Bread
There is some garlic aroma, but the bread itself lacks chewiness—the texture is just average. But considering it’s a free side, you have to factor in the cost.

Clam and Scallop Pesto Risotto 230 NTD
For just 230 NTD, there are actually three big scallops!!! I’m seriously worried about my friend’s costs XD. Not only is the portion huge and luxurious, but you also get three fresh, large scallops right off the bat. So worth it.

The scallops are super fresh, sweet, and juicy. The clam and pesto risotto is also generously portioned, and the supporting roles like clams and veggies do their job well. Overall, the flavors are perfectly balanced, and with the addition of those three huge, unbeatable scallops, it’s absolutely phenomenal.

Garlic Seafood Squid Ink Noodles 250 NTD
It’s packed with an abundance of fresh seafood: scallops, shrimp, squid rolls, clams, mussels, and more, plus the briny squid ink noodles. It’s truly bursting with umami.
The seafood is so generous, it almost drowns out the squid ink noodles. It almost steals the spotlight from the main dish.

The seasoning is relatively light but full of flavor, featuring a mildly spicy saltiness and the fresh aroma of olive oil. The refreshing taste actually allows you to better enjoy the natural sweetness of the squid noodles and seafood.

Freshly blended kiwi juice  110 TWD (40 TWD discount when ordered as part of a set meal)
Our drink was an extra juice we ordered at an additional cost. The freshly blended kiwi juice is really rich—it’s made with real kiwis, no doubt about it. After drinking it, you’d think your skin would glow, haha XD

Mixed fruit juice  100 TWD
I personally prefer the mixed fruit juice. It’s blended with fruits like dragon fruit and apple, giving it more layers of flavor and a fresher taste~

Today’s dessert: passion fruit panna cotta
Homemade passion fruit panna cotta. I believe this passion fruit is truly 100% pure juice, not diluted, because it’s genuinely tangy XD. Haha, but paired with the sweet panna cotta, it’s just perfect—a well-balanced match~

A sample of the new menu—the texture quality is pretty good.

There are many new dishes not found in the old menu~

Stir-frying with olive oil is great for those who prefer healthy eating.

My mom really likes their risotto and grilled dishes—they’re delicious??
I often eat the food made by the owner of Lyon House, so I really understand that he has genuine expertise in this area. Plus, he used to be a blogger himself, so his standards for product quality and cost-performance are stricter than most people’s. He also tends to think more from the consumer’s perspective. So, when balancing cost and the quality customers expect, I think he’d rather earn a bit less to ensure everyone feels they’re getting great value. That’s why you can see he doesn’t hold back on ingredients—the scallops and seafood are all the freshest, meeting the highest quality standards. I believe that, considering the prices and standards in Hsinchu, Lyon House is definitely worth your expectations and won’t disappoint you. I hope friends in Hsinchu will support it more, so this great shop can keep serving everyone.

Lyon House Italian Cuisine
Phone: (03)558-5567
Address: No. 326, Wenyi Street, Zhubei City, Hsinchu County
Business hours: 11:30 AM–2:30 PM (open in the afternoon on holidays)
5:00 PM–9:30 PM (closed on Mondays)
Official website:Official fan page

"Traveling is about returning to where you came from with deeper understanding."
MIKA’s Travel Food Diary