The "Drivers' Club" is famous for its braised pork rice, thanks to its decades-old braising pot

▲Braised chicken rice topped with a layer of shredded chicken.

Photos & Text /Xiao Hu’s Dream Food Blog

The other day, a friend who’s been following my blog for a long time asked me if I hadn’t eaten any braised pork rice worth writing about lately. I thought for a moment and nodded, but to avoid disappointing him, I browsed through my mental list of must-try braised pork rice spots and found this well-known place I’d had on my radar for ages. Coincidentally, my good friend Ben said he wanted to go, so I finally got to satisfy a craving I’d had for over three years.

I first heard about this place from an elderly neighbor who told me that every evening, especially late at night, it’s always packed with taxi drivers having dinner or late-night snacks. Later, after seeing it featured on the show “Food Safari,” my impression of it grew even stronger—but as fate would have it, the more you love something, the harder it is to get.


If you’re a fan of braised pork rice, you’ve probably heard of the Drivers' Club—and many have even tried it. This time, Xiao Hu is a bit late to the party.


While this place is famous for its braised pork rice, its braised chicken rice is actually even more renowned. What’s braised chicken rice? It’s braised pork rice with added shredded chicken, or more accurately, chicken rice topped with the braised pork sauce. Additionally, online reviews of the shop’s boneless milkfish are also very high. Interestingly, this kind of casual eatery also serves a few stir-fried dishes—wonder if it’s because they get a lot of late-night drinkers?

Aside from the menu items, the side dishes at this stall are also pretty popular. I originally wanted to order another serving of preserved radish omelet, but since this was the third stop of the night, I decided to focus on the main attractions.


The reason the Drivers' Club’s braised pork rice is so famous is because of this decades-old braising pot... Just looking at the thick layer of oil and sauce stains on the outside tells you it’s no ordinary pot.


First off, this bowl wasn’t touched by Xiao Hu before the photo—it came out looking like this... Honestly, I really wanted the lady to drizzle on a bit more sauce... Although I absolutely love this nearly all-fat, skin-on braised pork, the sauce was just too little. It felt a bit empty.

I’ll break down this braised pork rice into two parts. First, its melt-in-your-mouth texture is excellent—even the pork skin is almost tender enough to dissolve instantly, leaving no greasy aftertaste.

But the other part—the flavor—was surprisingly light, in terms of both aroma and saltiness. You could also say it lacked depth. This was completely different from the dark, thick-looking braised pork pot we saw. As a result, after finishing the small amount of fatty pork in this not-so-big bowl of braised pork rice, I had no motivation to keep eating.

Next up is the "braised chicken rice" that Ben insisted on ordering. Visually, it looked much better—at least there was noticeably more braised pork, and the layer of shredded chicken made it quite appealing.

As for the taste, it finally had some "saltiness," though I’m not sure if it was from the chicken fat. But what disappointed me again was that the braising sauce had almost no aroma, or rather, it was very mild. Maybe my taste buds are just too dull to pick up on it. Either way, it was a bowl of braised pork rice that didn’t live up to expectations.


Honestly, we used to say that driver-favorite spots usually offer great value—cheap, generous portions, and delicious food. But this bowl of soup, with not many bamboo shoots and just a few ribs, cost 50 NT. I wouldn’t say it’s expensive, but it’s definitely not cheap either. As for the taste, it was quite refreshing and flavorful.


The boneless milkfish belly at 90 NT was fairly priced. Though it wasn’t huge, it looked nicely pan-fried. The texture was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside—pretty good. But the outer layer was sweet yet a bit lacking and dry, while the fatty middle part was sufficiently rich and sweet. Overall, it was delicious, but it’s not in my top three favorite dishes. Still, it was probably the best thing I had that night.




I’m not even sure if I should call it "q meat" (a type of braised meat), or if it’s more like the "braised pork chunks" I ate as a kid. It had aroma but, again, lacked saltiness? I wonder if this place’s "q meat" and braised pork follow a lighter, fresher style? Then Ben said this "q meat" wasn’t well-marinated—the lean parts even had a faint gamy smell. I didn’t detect anything off, but compared to my favorite "Toothpick Q Meat Rice" from Banqiao, it was a total loss...

[Drivers' Club]

Address:No. 399-2, Section 5, Nanjing East Road, Songshan District, Taipei City
Phone:02-27493971
Business Hours:10:30-14:00 17:00-04:30
Xiao Hu’s Dream Food Blog
If eating is just about filling your stomach, then "food" would be awfully boring~~~