A bowl of rich and nourishing chicken soup at an affordable little spot that you'd never find without a guide

Text and photos byMi’er

Since ancient times, the Chinese have said that chicken soup is nourishing. From ancient to modern times, most Chinese people have had an almost obsessive love for drinking chicken soup. As a result, many restaurants are famous for their chicken soup, and when it’s well made, it’s very satisfying for customers. However, the truth is, prices at a few well-known chicken soup spots aren’t exactly cheap, and except for the chicken itself, the portions are huge—unless you’re gathering eight or nine people, it’s really hard to order such a big pot.

The other day, a former colleague suddenly invited me to try out this place called “A Bowl of Small Chicken Soup” on Tayou Road. She said the owner, who used to make ginger duck, had suddenly become obsessed with perfecting chicken soup and even researched high-temperature sterilization and other preservation methods to produce frozen chicken soup in vacuum packs, making it convenient for modern folks to enjoy a delicious bowl of chicken soup at home.

On the appointed day, I went as planned. When I arrived at this little shop near the entrance of Raohe Night Market, I was honestly a bit taken aback because it looked kind of complicated—not much like a chicken soup shop. It turns out the owner just repurposed the former ginger duck store to sell chicken soup, so the tables and chairs are still those short, rugged, old-school kind. But I spotted these super cute metal stove racks in the shop—they’re actually used to keep the clay pots of chicken soup warm. There’s even a friendly smiley face on them, which the owner specially ordered. It really brightens your mood when you see it.

Since I was there, I figured I’d give it a try. The chicken soup here is pretty straightforward—it comes in five flavors: chicken thigh, chicken leg, bamboo fungus and pork tripe, shark fin, and abalone. Prices range from 200 NTD for an individual pot to 600 NTD. There are also whole chicken clay pot chicken soups, starting at 1600 NTD, up to the most expensive clay pot abalone and shark fin chicken soup at 9500 NTD. They’ve got everything from affordable to top-tier.

Unfortunately, the location of the shop isn’t great, so not many people know about it. To attract at least some passersby, the owner also offers some Japanese BBQ and set meals, giving customers a few more options.

After trying this bowl of small chicken soup, you’ll find that the broth is really rich. The only downside is that the chicken I had that time wasn’t very flavorful, because the chicken used for the broth and the chicken served are different—the one served is a separate piece of imitation free-range chicken that’s cooked again. But the owner mentioned they’re working on fixing this issue. Hopefully, next time, I can enjoy both the fragrant soup and the tasty, flavorful chicken in one go.

▲ You can choose between chicken leg or upper thigh for the chicken soup, with a price difference of 50 NTD. This is the chicken leg chicken soup (right), priced at 250 NTD per pot.

Doesn’t the way the soup drips look super rich? This pot is honestly quite filling. The upper thigh one is only 200 NTD per pot, and it includes chicken upper thighs, pork tripe, bamboo fungus, and other good stuff. It didn’t take long for a layer of film to form on the surface.The image above left—that’s how you know how rich the soup is. The pork tripe inside is honestly quite well-cooked, so they also offer chicken soup options without chicken—just bamboo fungus and pork tripe—which are quite popular with customers. Just bamboo fungus and pork tripe (above right) is 250 NTD.The image above right), 250 yuan.

The grilled beef short ribs are decent—well-cooked, fresh ingredients, so the taste is good.

The yellow croaker prepared overnight is nicely done—one of the better overnight dried fish, perfect for drinking.

Highly recommended lemon chicken wings—fragrant with lemon, tender and flavorful. Since they’re open until the early hours, you could come here for a late-night snack next time. The shop isn’t exactly comfy, but it’s clean enough. Taking a little break to drink some chicken soup isn’t a bad idea. If you like it, you can even buy the frozen vacuum packs to take home.

[A Bowl of Small Chicken Soup]

Address: No. 19, Tayou Road, Taipei City
Phone: 02-3765-5355
Business hours: 17:00–02:00

Author: Mi’erGraduated from National Chengchi University’s Chinese Literature Department and dove into food journalism. Coupled with being raised under the guidance of a chef mom, she has a very sharp sense for food—not only loves eating but also enjoys cooking. Due to work, she often travels around the country in search of delicious eats, sharing her food experiences on her blog, and frequently organizes group food outings. She is the author of the book “Group Food Tasting Reports.”

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