5 Authentic Kinmen Dishes to Try on Your Trip—These Are the Spots to Hit!

Text & photos by /Miss kitb

Our guide this time served five years as a soldier in Kinmen and really knows the place inside out. Let’s see what local eats he takes us to try. Don’t expect lavish feasts of delicacies or high-end seafood banquets in Kinmen—that might be a bit unrealistic. What you come to Kinmen for is its rustic charm, so simple, down-to-earth flavors make perfect sense. Most of the meals on this trip were quite simple—well-cooked noodles, some side dishes, fresh oysters, various seafood, and jelly-like meats. I personally enjoy simple home-style food, so I was pretty happy and satisfied. (As long as there’s a bowl of plain noodles per meal, I’m easy to please!)

Xi Shuang Feng Knife-Cut Noodles
A cheerful-looking shop right at the entrance. Inside, you’ll see the chef preparing dough and slicing noodles. Small shops in Kinmen have a special charm for me, especially their color schemes—this place especially loves that (widely adored) lake-blue Tiffany shade. It feels like “they must’ve ordered a huge shipment to the island and just had to use it everywhere because they couldn’t finish it.” The nostalgic vibe inside is priceless—it can’t be replicated, only found in truly old and traditional shops.

The tables are covered with old-school (but nice-looking) plastic tablecloths. Everyone’s squeezed onto round stools, waiting for their individually cooked knife-cut noodles. The signature dish is probably the beef knife-cut noodles, but you can also choose other types of noodles, stir-fried versions, or beef soup dumplings. This foodie here went for a personalized egg-drop soup knife-cut noodle combo (so flexible!). The noodles are a bit chewy, the broth clear, with an egg added in. Isn’t it nice to keep things simple once in a while?

→ The blue-green machine in the bottom right corner is the “Doraemon Magic Fly Catcher”! It uses airflow to suck flies in and trap them—not killing them instantly, but you’ll see a bunch of black dots moving around inside... First time I saw one, then later spotted another in a Kinmen convenience store. Maybe it’s a local specialty?

→ The red bowl in the middle is house-made spicy sauce.

Ji Cheng Restaurant
A two-story building with a Tiffany-blue theme. A whole table full of Kinmen specialties: fried oysters, fish chunks, braised snacks, pan-fried dumplings, and crystal pork, etc. This foodie here, despite the spread, stayed focused on her plain stir-fried noodles and (never-ending big bowl of) plain soup. Kind of like Tang Sanzang resisting temptation—but honestly, I’m really not into meat anymore. Also, in small eateries like these, if you want something vegetarian, your choices are usually limited to “plain fried rice” or “plain fried noodles,” with similar ingredients, plus a side of plain stir-fried greens. I find this phenomenon kind of interesting—outside of those three dishes, it feels like nothing else veg-friendly gets cooked.

Evergreen Store (Shanxi Stir-Fried Noodles)
Another noodle spot—turns out noodles are pretty popular in Kinmen (we even visited a noodle factory). Maybe rice isn’t grown here, so noodles are more convenient. The side dishes are similar to other places. That crystal pork (and maybe oyster omelet too) seems to be a hit, available at every eatery. Looking at the menu, this place offers a wide variety—various ribs, chicken cubes, fish chunks, squid, etc., prepared in sweet-sour, pepper-salt, Kyoto, red-braised, or deep-fried styles. Feels a bit like a Hong Kong dai pai dong. (They even have tofu on the menu!) Their signature Shanxi Stir-Fried Noodles come in a huge portion—if you’re sharing with noodles and sides, it could easily feed two or three to avoid waste. This foodie here, of course, still got plain noodles and plain soup—the ingredients are the same, haha.

(Right) Assorted Snacks – NT$60

(Left) Egg Dog / Egg Fragrant – NT$60 each // (Right) Fried Instant Noodles – NT$80

He Quan Budget Center
Address: No. 63, Xiao Jing, Jinhu Township, Kinmen County, Taiwan
Phone: +886-082-332908

This roadside stall is basically a “mom-and-pop shop.” They sell all kinds of snacks, drinks, groceries, and some daily necessities, plus a kitchen offering a few unique local bites. Our group ordered every snack just for the experience. First up, the “Assorted Snacks” are exactly that—just a random mix of deep-fried bits like rice cake, sausages, fish tofu, and fish balls. The “Fried Instant Noodles” are made with similar ingredients, plus instant noodles thrown in to fry. Just super savory and casual finger food.

Their signature items are called “Egg Fragrant” and “Egg Dog.” What are they? They’re spring onion pancakes wrapped around a fried egg and sausage (or hot dog), served with a bit of ketchup. “Egg Fragrant” has sausage inside, “Egg Dog” has hot dog. I tried one without the sausage—a plain egg roll—and it was actually pretty good, crispy and with a rich sauce. Great for a snack attack in the afternoon.

Ah Gong Tofu Pudding
Address: No. 15, Mofan Street, Jincheng Township, Kinmen County, Taiwan
Phone: +886-082-325870

While wandering the old street at night, I sat down for some tofu pudding because it was too hot. The shop was almost sold out, and I barely managed to get some chilled tofu pudding and grass jelly. I’ve always found Taiwan’s style of serving silky tofu pudding with crushed ice quite interesting—because the tofu is so smooth you can swallow it without chewing, but the ice is hard and requires effort. It’s a bit of a sensory split. If it’s hot enough and the ice melts fast, it’s even more refreshing.

miss kitB

Core member of the "Unserious Professionals Association," also known as a "multifunctional cross-media freelance creator." Believes boredom is the mother of creativity and happiness is life’s greatest asset. Eats breakfast daily, travels the Earth every day.
Blog:http://kitx.mysinablog.com/index.php