The ever-crowded Daxi Old Uncle’s Freshly Simmered Tofu—sprinkled with scallion sauce for even more flavor

Text & Photos by

Gui Xiaosun

When I decided to stroll around Daxi Old Street, I went online to search for local eats. Little did I know this simple search would lead me to an instant favorite: Old Uncle’s Freshly Simmered Tofu. In fact, the previous food safety scare had significantly impacted many tofu shops on Daxi Old Street.

Yet, this also made many ‘made-to-order’ foods even more appealing. Of course, I didn’t think too much about that—I was simply drawn in by photos of those huge vats of freshly simmered tofu. Just looking at them made my mouth water. And I was quite lucky to visit during the first weekend after the Qingming holiday. Following the tourist crowds of the previous week, the place was still busy that day, but not as packed as the online warnings of 20–30 minute waits. This allowed us to enjoy the deliciousness with ease.

The streets of Daxi Old Street are very walkable. Just follow the crowd along the main old street, and you’ll pass by several well-known food spots. On the way to Old Uncle’s, you’ll also spot Dharma Noodle Shop. Of course, if your stomach can handle it all, you can conquer them one by one XD

But since I had decided to start with Old Uncle’s, I headed straight there as soon as I got to the old street, not wanting to risk even longer lines later. Still, it wasn’t an exaggeration—the entire stall area and seating zone were constantly packed with people.

There are two sides for ordering, and the service is actually quite fast, with highly efficient SOPs that even had me getting excited just watching. Naturally, I couldn’t name most of the items, so I just ordered a small portion of their signature dish for 120 NT$ to try. But it turns out this wasn’t a sampler platter—more on that later.

The seating area is located on the second-floor veranda, and there are plenty of seats. However, due to the huge crowd, they fill up quickly. If you’re visiting on a busy holiday, you might really need to spend a lot of time queuing.

The rich simmering colors of each type of tofu are what initially caught my eye in the online photos and sealed my decision to come here.

Though I didn’t research how long they simmer the tofu to achieve such colors, nor did I know exactly how many varieties or essence go into that pot, that first visual attraction was simply irresistible. XD

The chopping is done at lightning speed, and then there’s that scallion and sauce combo I absolutely love—this kind of execution is part of the magic of Taiwanese street food, always making you nostalgic for these local bites and yearning for that homely taste.

Despite the crowds, the attitude remains quite polite—they don’t become unfriendly just because they’re a long-established shop.

Under the pressure of so many customers, maintaining such service really makes them worth recommending. I also saw many people buying takeout, which shows the appeal of freshly simmered food that you can trust.

I ordered a small portion of the signature dish plus a golden egg for 138 NT$.

The signature platter includes various types of tofu—like black soybean tofu, vegetarian chicken, small tofu cubes, and frozen tofu—but no tofu skin or kelp. That was a bit of a miscalculation on my part; I really wanted to try the tofu skin and kelp. XD

I guess I was too direct in my ordering, so if you have specific favorites, it’s safer to order them individually.

But the scallions and sauce make every piece of hot tofu taste fresh and chewy—it’s definitely worthy of the wait. The golden egg wasn’t hot, but it was still tasty, probably a soft-boiled egg.

Looking at the cross-section of each tofu piece, with its beautiful color, even had me salivating again as I wrote this. Especially with the generous sprinkling of scallions—no skimping here. Next time, I’ll definitely come back to try the tofu skin and kelp I missed out on.

You can tell from the entrance that it’s located at the intersection of Zhongzheng Road and Denglong Road. It’s also quite close if you’re coming from Heping Old Street. If you find the line long, remember to order your must-haves first to get your fill. They also sell winter melon tea on-site to go with your meal XD

If you’ve still got room, just a three-minute walk will take you to Dharma Noodle Shop for round two.

[Old Uncle’s Freshly Simmered Tofu] \add No. 37, Zhongzheng Road, Daxi Township, Taoyuan County \tel 0928 546 510