27 roast ducks sold out instantly upon coming out of the oven — you might not get any without a phone reservation!

Text & Photos /Shadow

Kaohsiung’s roast duck is quite famous. In addition to the previously introduced Renwu Roast Duck, Zhen Weidao Roast Duck in Zuoying is just as well-known. Though it doesn’t have the hundreds-of-square-meters space that Renwu Roast Duck boasts, its business is equally booming. That day, my husband was especially craving roast duck. Remembering we hadn’t yet tried Zhen Weidao Roast Duck, he drove me to Zuoying Dadao in the military dependents’ village of Zuoying to find the roast duck that everyone says sells out instantly.

Around 10 a.m., there was already a line forming at the shop. The crowd wasn’t huge — most people had made phone reservations in advance so they could pick up their duck once it was ready. Of course, we had done our homework before heading out. Netizens all said you absolutely must call ahead, or you might show up and not get any.

When we arrived, the ducks had just come out of the oven — three per skewer, nine skewers totaling 27 ducks — and they were almost all gone in an instant. We were glad we had reserved ours. At the scene, the boss was visibly nervous, constantly checking with customers in line about how many they wanted and comparing it to the number of ducks available. It was like a battle zone.

After confirming everyone’s orders, they started preparing the ducks for customers. With skilled knife work, they neatly arranged the freshly baked, still-oily roast duck slices in one direction. Here, the roast duck has two ways to be enjoyed: the traditional way, or by stir-frying the leftover bones over high heat. Some shops make it in a “three-cup” style, but this place does not.

While waiting, you can watch the boss use his decades of knife skills to quickly break down the duck bones, which are then sent to the kitchen for a quick stir-fry.

The freshly stir-fried duck is quickly scooped into plastic bags by the staff, packaged, and handed over to customers.

The most essential side for eating roast duck — the pancake wrappers — are a must. For half a duck, you get a pack of wrappers, a pack of sweet bean sauce, and some scallion pieces.

The price for a whole duck is NT$470, and half a duck is NT$250. It’s indeed about NT$50–70 more expensive than Renwu Roast Duck, but considering the time and hassle you might spend trying to buy Renwu Roast Duck on-site, I think the extra NT$50 is worth it.

Although the duck skin had lost a bit of its crispiness by the time we got it home, it was still delicious. A little sweet bean sauce and some slightly spicy scallions wrapped in the pancake were enough to satisfy our cravings.

My husband, being greedy, insisted on stuffing two pieces of duck meat into one pancake wrapper. The duck meat was tender and not dry, and the sweet bean sauce added a nice flavor. Personally, Shadow prefers the taste of Zhen Weidao Roast Duck over Renwu Roast Duck.

The stir-fried duck dish was even more impressive. Most roast duck shops probably go for the three-cup style, but this place skips that and instead adds plenty of crispy, not-too-sour pickled vegetables and lots of scallions for flavor. Without the heavy, greasy taste of the three-cup style, the refreshing and layered flavors won over our taste buds. It’s perfect as a drinking snack.

For those wanting to try the roast duck here, remember to call ahead. The shop roasts ducks twice a day, and the earlier you order, the better your chances of getting some. Zhen Weidao Roast Duck in Zuoying has received plenty of praise from those who’ve tried it. On the same street, there’s also the famous Haiqing Wangjia Sesame Cake. The food in the Zuoying military dependents’ village is truly amazing — recommended for anyone looking to eat well in Zuoying.

[Zhen Weidao Roast Duck] Address: No. 2-87, Zuoying Dadao, Zuoying District, Kaohsiung City
Phone: 07-5815986
Available starting: 10:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. — sold out until next batch

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