Find happiness in Miaoli with "jujube" delights—sweet, fragrant, and utterly delicious jujube feasts!

Photos & Text byMIKA's Foodie Adventure Journal

I'm actually quite familiar with Zaozhuang. I used to eat there often. Back then, my favorite was their fermented tofu cabbage, and their jujube tea was the best I’ve ever had~ It’s been ages since I last had Zaozhuang food.

Zaozhuang has a spacious layout and a large parking lot.


The park has also added some really cute hand-painted little chairs.


Jujube dolls.


Zaozhuang has a classic vintage-style decor.


The restaurant has both first and second floors as well as private rooms.


The decor style has an early Hakka farmstead charm while still feeling modern.


The lighting in the private room area is great, with warm sunlight streaming in.


Sweet and aromatic jujube tea, which the staff generously served in a whole pot for everyone to enjoy.


Jujube rice, with the fragrance of rice mingling with the sweet scent of jujubes.


Drunken chicken with jujubes, made with goji berries, ginseng, jujubes, and pickled radish. The drunken chicken is refreshing with a subtle herbal liquor aroma, and the chicken is tender and soft—definitely one of the lighter, more pleasant versions of drunken chicken I've had.


Preserved pork belly with mustard greens + jujube steamed buns. How could you come to a Hakka home without having preserved pork belly with mustard greens? It’s a signature dish, after all. Zaozhuang’s version has been modified—it’s not as heavy, oily, or salty as traditional Hakka cuisine, but instead balances saltiness, sweetness, umami, and fragrance without being greasy. The fatty parts are so tender they melt in your mouth. Though it’s on the fattier side, it’s not at all greasy.



Jujube steamed buns, which have a subtle, lovely jujube aroma and are blended with brown sugar, making them fragrant with a hint of sweetness. They’re chewy and satisfying.


Pairing the jujube steamed buns with the preserved pork belly creates a perfect combination that’s even more filling. For those who are wary of fatty meat, this is a great way to enjoy it—the textures are rich and layered.


Stir-fried shrimp balls with polygonatum, a light and refreshing home-style dish with crisp, tasty greens.


Jujube-flavored fermented tofu bamboo shoots. Zaozhuang is skilled at cooking with fermented tofu, giving the dish a salty-sweet umami kick that enhances the flavors, though it’s on the heavier side—perfect with rice.


Steamed taro cake with jujubes and taro. I’d definitely eat myself into a food coma for this taro cake—it’s that good!! Made with lots of stir-fried leeks, minced pork, and dried shrimp for flavor, layered over soft steamed taro cake, and topped with a few jujubes for color. The texture is absolutely divine—irresistible. The flavors of the leeks, minced pork, dried shrimp, and soft taro cake are just addictive... Absolutely delicious!!


Herbal-steamed fish, cooked with jujubes and Chinese herbs. But the fish itself had a strong earthy taste, which made this dish hard for me to enjoy.


Thai-style jujube youtiao. This is a really creative fusion of Thai and Chinese cuisine, combining Thai spicy sour sauce with jujubes and onions to make a Thai-style salad. The fun part? It’s served with Chinese deep-fried youtiao (fried dough sticks). Biting into the salad and youtiao together gives a fresh, crisp texture—it’s an oddly wonderful and refreshing Chinese-Thai creative combo.


Stir-fried jujube cabbage. I thought this would be my beloved fermented tofu cabbage, but it turned out to be just regular stir-fried cabbage—with the difference being a faint jujube aroma.


Stir-fried jujube and loofah. Of all the vegetables, I love cabbage, water spinach, and loofah the most. Loofah is naturally sweet, soft yet slightly fibrous, and even tastier when cooked with clams. Zaozhuang elevates plain loofah by adding jujubes and squid.


Jujube chicken soup. After so many jujube-infused health dishes, you’ll notice that in most cases, the jujubes are just a garnish—there more for show than impact. But this soup is actually brewed with jujubes. The broth is fragrant with the natural sweetness of jujubes and the rich oiliness of chicken. Even though I was already full, I couldn’t help but sip a few more spoonfuls.


The dessert fruit was oranges.


And we were also given a snack: sweet potato crisps.


Today’s meal was a set menu for 3000 NT. Friends from northern Taiwan were amazed at how great the value was—such a lavish spread for just 3000 NT, with flavorful, well-cooked dishes. Plus, any leftovers can be packed to go, which is such a deal. Honestly, holding banquets here must be super budget-friendly too!! Haha...

I love this wall at Zaozhuang—it has so much character.


The places selling souvenirs in Zaozhuang have a unique charm, designed in the style of ancient farm granaries.


Next to the restaurant in Zaozhuang, there is a lovely animal area — perfect for bringing kids along. With the warm winter sun and blue skies dotted with white clouds, today is truly a great day for an outing.


There are plenty of plump tilapia and carp in the pond.


They also sell fish feed for kids to feed the fish.


The cute animal area is free of charge, too!


It’s really full of little animals — rabbits, chickens, and pigeons.


The little boy holding the feed is basically the king here. All the rabbits gather around him — just look at how proud he is~


This is probably what they mean by "chickens and rabbits in the same cage."


Also, the pigeons here aren’t scared of people at all. I mean, these completely unrestrained, unconfined pigeons will actually come closer when they see humans — which is quite unique.


The food in Zaozhuang has always had a good reputation. The red date-flavored meals are also very popular, especially since Gongguan is home to the highest quality red dates in all of Taiwan. Now with the addition of this free cute animal area, it’s a fantastic spot for families — adults can enjoy a satisfying meal at reasonable prices, and after eating, they can take their kids to explore the animal area. It's truly a great place for dining and visiting in Gongguan.


【Zaozhuang】

Address: No. 43-6, Guanyi Road, Fuxing Village, Gongguan Township, Miaoli County
Phone: (03) 723-9088
Business Hours: 11:00–15:30, 17:00–20:30

Getting away is to return to where you were more profoundly.

MIKA’s Foodie Escape Diary