Handmade knife-cut noodles by a robot right in front of you — the refreshing "Tomato Beef Knife-Cut Noodles" from Taichung!

Text & photos byOrange Dog Loves Candy

【Taichung Beef Noodles】Shanxi Tomato Beef Knife-Cut Noodles, Dabuyao │ Dali District: Signature tomato beef noodles are generous in both sauce and portion — one bowl is super filling. The beef fried noodles are also very hearty. Side dishes are a flat rate of just NT$25 per plate.

When it comes to lunch or dinner, the struggle isn’t finding something to eat, but deciding where to go. With so many restaurants, canteens, and noodle shops around, most of the time you end up picking the one with the longest line — at least it won’t be bad. That day, near the Dali Dabuyao area, on Daming Road, I saw this 【Shanxi Tomato Beef Knife-Cut Noodles】 with quite a bit of business. I’ve been interested in beef noodles lately, and seeing they served them — plus there was air conditioning (it’s summer, after all) — made it an easy choice.

This 【Shanxi Tomato Beef Knife-Cut Noodles】 shop isn’t big. Right across the street is Niujiazhuang Beef Noodles, which has many branches in Taichung. Both places had decent business, but since there’s already a Niujiazhuang near my home, I went with this Shanxi knife-cut noodles spot. Later, I thought, there seem to be tons of places called “Shanxi Tomato Beef Knife-Cut Noodles” — could they all be part of a chain?

Up front is the kitchen with the noodle-making station. There’s a specialized knife-cut noodle robot working there — seems like these are pretty common in knife-cut noodle shops these days. (Suddenly wondered, do all places that call themselves Shanxi Knife-Cut Noodles have one of these in their kitchen? Or is that just me?)

The weather was hot, and with the kitchen heat, the boss was drenched in sweat, but he was still really polite and friendly. When I asked to take away the last third of my noodles because I couldn’t finish them, the boss’s wife even kindly added extra soup and packed the noodles and broth separately!

You can just walk in and find a seat — the seating area is air-conditioned, there are a decent number of seats, and there’s also a TV playing news all day. Even if you’re dining alone, noodles and news keep you entertained.

There’s a small side cabinet with appetizers. You grab what you want yourself — there are about seven or eight varieties. Prices are pretty cheap, I remember each plate being only NT$25. And the portions aren’t skimpy either.

Sauerkraut, seasonings (chili, mashed garlic, or soy sauce), bowls, and chopsticks are also self-serve.

Here you can get dumplings or rice/noodle dishes. The cheapest option is NT$35 for pork-fried rice (pretty rare to see pork-fried rice listed on a menu in Taichung). Other options include fried noodles, stewed rice, fried rice, and beef noodles. The variety is solid, and pricing is up to your preference.

I think it’s not expensive. There’s no clear distinction between clear-broth or red-braised beef noodles here — it’s all one type of tomato beef noodles (or tomato noodles, or beef noodles).

Each bowl is NT$110, which is actually quite reasonable given the portion size. Also, the noodles come in three types: knife-cut, thin, and ramen-style.

【Signature Tomato Beef Noodles │ Thin Noodles │ NT$110】

Even though I came to a knife-cut noodle shop, I didn’t feel particularly inclined to try the knife-cut ones XD

So I went with the more familiar thin noodles. But wow, the portion of these tomato beef noodles was surprisingly generous. The bowl was packed with tomato chunks, beef chunks, and noodles — really a lot of noodles. I thought I’d accidentally ordered a large bowl. Before leaving, I took a quick peek at the cooking station. It turns out the broth is made separately — one part tomato-based and the other beef-based.

Then they mix it in proportion when you order. I’d recommend giving it a good stir so the two broths blend well. The beef broth itself is quite light and not overly rich or greasy. The tomato part isn’t too sour or sweet either, so the overall flavor has a subtle tangy aroma. In terms of refreshment, it’s actually quite suitable for hot summer days!

For me, the flavor could maybe be a bit stronger, but that’s just personal taste. The noodles, as mentioned earlier, are quite generous in portion, not mushy but slightly soft. One bowl is definitely filling.

As for the beef, I thought it was quite well braised — decent-sized chunks with a bit of thickness. They’re tender and still have some chew, making it a satisfyingly hearty bowl of noodles. You’ll definitely get full, although the broth could be a touch richer in flavor.

【Beef Fried Noodles │ Thin Noodles │ NT$75】

Just looking at the portion of the fried noodles tells you the soup noodles aren’t far behind. Their fried noodles have that old-school aroma, stir-fried with beef and veggies. Because it’s fried, the noodles have way more chew than the soup noodles.

And I thought the flavor was pretty good. Though I’d say it’s even better with a bit more chili mixed in. I actually liked the fried noodles more.

【Appetizers │ Braised Pig’s Ear Skin │ Tofu Skin Slices │ Braised Tofu │ NT$25 per plate】

The pig’s ear skin pieces were huge, and I found them quite tasty — well braised and flavorful. There were several pieces of tofu skin, and the tofu was cut into large cubes, like those garlicky night market tofu cubes, with visible holes from slicing.

But the braised flavor wasn’t very strong — still tasted okay. The appetizers are genuinely cheap, and you’d be silly not to grab some.

As mentioned earlier, this Shanxi Tomato Beef Knife-Cut Noodles seems to have many similarly named shops in Taiwan or Taichung. I’m not sure if it’s a chain, but most places with similar names also use robots for slicing noodles. A quick online search shows that the menus are pretty similar too. Prices are reasonable, but the flavors are nothing too mind-blowing. As for the two bowls I had today, the signature tomato beef noodles had a generous noodle portion and decent beef, and the broth leaned on the lighter side — which ironically made the beef fried noodles the better performer. But the appetizers are seriously cheap and generous. Overall, you can definitely get a full meal here.

Shanxi Tomato Beef Knife-Cut Noodles 
Address: No. 318, Daming Road, Dali District, Taichung City
Phone: 04-24817588
Business Hours: 11:00 AM–2:00 PM + 4:30 PM–8:30 PM
Special Note: It may take some time to wait during peak dining hours

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