Hsinchu’s Popular Queued Dessert “A Hundred Flavors” Will Give You Choice Paralysis

Text & Photos /Nini’s Pork Bao Box

A Hundred Flavors is a very well-known and popular dessert spot in Hsinchu that draws long queues. I had it on my to-visit list for ages and finally made time to go check it out. I’d always wondered — does A Hundred Flavors really have a hundred flavors? After checking their official fan page, I found out the answer is yes, there really are a lot of flavors!! Don’t go browsing the menu if you’re easily overwhelmed—your brain might short-circuit~~ I don’t know if there are actually a hundred, but it will definitely give you serious choice paralysis. And every single one looks absolutely delicious!!

Nini’s Mini Review >> Delicious and not overly sweet, makes you want to keep eating slice after slice.

A Hundred Flavors is tucked away in an alleyway — we recommend not driving there. There’s a paid parking lot nearby where you can park.

The place is packed with people lining up on holidays. After registering for a table, you can leave and the shop will call you when your seat is ready. There are department stores nearby where you can kill time while waiting. It took about 1.5 hours before we got the call and headed back. Then we waited another half hour just to order, so nearly two hours in total. If more people are getting takeout, the wait for a table is shorter.

Or you can opt for outdoor seating, which tends to be quicker too.

The shop isn’t big and is packed with people who came specifically for the desserts. Some online reviews mentioned that by evening, most desserts were sold out. So my friend and I arrived early in the afternoon, having come all the way from Taoyuan — of course we weren’t leaving without trying some!!

The interior is decorated with a small European-style hipster vibe.

A Hundred Flavors offers free Wi-Fi, and dining time is limited to 90 minutes on holidays. The drink menu is written on a blackboard, and there’s a minimum order of one dessert per person. I think the shop is quite considerate because I really dislike mandatory drink minimums.

If you don’t order a drink, there’s also self-serve lemon water available. That’s amazing!! Now all my stomach capacity can be used for desserts, and I can just drink water if I get thirsty.

Oh my goodness~~ there are about 20+ types of desserts in the display case!! They’re all beautifully arranged, and just looking at them feels therapeutic. Major choice paralysis kicked in!!

So many options that scream girly vibes — like super cute strawberries, must-have matcha for matcha lovers, dazzling emerald green grapes, melt-in-your-mouth caramel flavors, tangy and refreshing lemon berry options... Oh my gosh~ how do you even choose?! It’s like being asked to pick between Lee Min Ho, Song Joong Ki, Kim Soo Hyun, So Ji Sub, and Ji Chang Wook all at once?! Can I just get them ALL?? = =+

Prices per slice range from NT$140 to NT$160. Whether that’s expensive or not depends on the person. I think if it’s delicious, it’s not expensive — but if it’s bad, even NT$100 would be too much.

For takeaway, the shop uses kraft paper boxes.

This is the cozy little corner the shop arranged for us. It’s small but pretty warm and elegant.

No drink minimum, so of course we ordered tons of desserts!!

Double Berry Cheese Tart – NT$160 (seasonal special)

The juicy strawberries are seriously heart-melting!! The cross-section is just as enticing.

The first bite lets you taste the freshness of the strawberries and blueberries. The cheese has a soft, semi-creamy texture that’s delicate and not overly sweet. The tart shell is delightfully flaky, and as you chew, the aroma fills your mouth with a hint of sweetness — so good.

The combination of tangy strawberries, smooth cheese, and the crispness of the tart shell... Bravo!! ((thumbs up)) It’s soft, smooth, creamy, tangy, sweet, and fragrant. The layers of texture and flavor work together in perfect harmony, kind of like the chemistry between the hosts of “Hao Jiao Xiang Qi”! ((laughs))

Caramel Banana Cheese Tart – NT$140

This one is super delicious too!! Usually I worry that caramel might be too sweet, especially paired with bananas — the king of sweet fruits — but it’s not overly sickly at all.

The caramel brings a refined aroma, and the sweetness is just right. From the side, you can see the filling has a yellowish tint from the bananas. Aside from the top layer of banana slices, the middle also has banana cheese. So the first bite is rich with banana flavor and hints of caramel. Then, the slight tanginess of the cheese gradually comes through. If honeydew has that certain “melon taste,” then caramel banana is all about that “fragrance”!

Uji Matcha White Chocolate Tart – NT$160

As a matcha lover, I couldn’t miss this matcha boost!! Plus, seeing “Uji” in the name somehow makes it feel extra authentic. Because of the white chocolate, the overall sweetness is higher than the fruit tarts.

When the light hits it, the matcha looks gorgeous. The first bite~~ did I time-travel?! It felt like I was suddenly in Kyoto, I’m not exaggerating!! The matcha cheese has an incredibly smooth texture, you could even say silky. The tea flavor is aromatic and delicious, and the best part is the lingering aftertaste. A good matcha should have that sweet aftertaste to truly shine. The aftertaste also balances out the sweetness of the white chocolate a bit.

Green Grape Cheese Tart – NT$150

Originally, we only ordered three slices, but my friend and I ended up wanting more because we couldn’t get enough. We had to queue up again to order extra. My friend isn’t very tolerant of sweet flavors — if something’s too sweet, they can’t even finish one slice. Under normal sweetness levels, they’d probably max out at just over one slice. But this time, to our surprise, they eagerly asked me if we should order more!! This just goes to show that the hundred-flavor dessert is absolutely not cloying, not cloying at all, not cloying WHATSOEVER!!! It’s seriously not cloying — said it three times.

After the relatively sweet matcha flavor, we tried a refreshing green grape slice. The crystal-clear green grapes looked so fresh just by sight. Because they’re sweeter than regular grapes, they’re often used as an ingredient in desserts.

The green grapes selected by the shop are truly crisp, juicy, and fresh!! These unassuming grapes bring out the aroma of the cheese, making the overall flavor very refreshing. Even after eating three slices, having this one was definitely still no problem.

The hundred-flavor cheesecake has basically the same crust. It’s fragrant and has a nice crumbly texture. The cheese flavor is light and not overly sweet. Paired with various fruits, it creates a dazzling array of flavors. The quality of the fruits is sweet and fresh. The shop offers delivery — I wonder how the quality is when delivered? Maybe I’ll try ordering some someday. It’s so rare to find a dessert that makes you want to eat slice after slice. ((And no, this isn’t potato chips)) It’s completely not cloying — I didn’t even feel like drinking water afterward. I felt it left a stronger impression on me than the famous Qu’il Fait Bon in Osaka.

Hundred Flavors
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Address: No. 36-3, Shifang Street, North District, Hsinchu City
Phone: 03-5252664 (phone reservations not accepted)
Business Hours: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Transportation: 1. After arriving at Hsinchu Railway Station, exit left, walk straight along LinSen Road until you reach Xida Road, turn right, walk about 300 meters, then turn left into Shifang Street — approximately a 15-minute walk. / 2. Take the shuttle bus from Hsinchu HSR Station to downtown Hsinchu.

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