A 33-year-old local favorite in Taoyuan — the restaurant is simply called “Delicious”

▲ Delicious Rice Balls: many have been eating here from their youth into motherhood.

Reported by intern reporter Xu Jiaqi / Taoyuan

Hidden in an alley of Taoyuan’s South Gate Market is the 33-year-old “Delicious Rice Balls.” The shop displays photos of its awards as a top Taoyuan snack. The owner maintains high standards — the pork filling is purchased fresh from the market daily, and only 200 rice balls are made each day. Many long-time customers have been coming since they were young girls, then as moms, now bringing their own children. Generations of families have grown up eating at this rice ball shop.

The “Delicious Rice Balls” has expanded from a street food stall to a larger storefront. Although there aren’t many seats, and no air conditioning is installed to save on costs, there’s still a line during meal times. One customer said, out of so many rice ball shops, this is the only one they love. Another mom said she’ll wait in line no matter how hot it is — she comes every week and has been eating here for 26 years.


▲ The owner loves singing, and the shop displays her singing trophies and photos.
 

The rice balls at “Delicious Rice Balls” have a thin skin but are tender and chewy. The filling is packed with pork and diced bamboo shoots, offering a firm and springy bite. Paired with the shop’s signature sauce — a perfect blend of salty and sweet — one bite is never enough.

“I only make 200 a day, and when they’re sold out, we close,” says owner Lin Ronghua. He personally buys the pork every morning at 6 a.m. from the market — even the vendors know he demands the highest freshness and quality. In his younger years, Lin worked in the in-flight kitchen of Cathay Pacific. Later, after getting married, he opened this rice ball shop to support his family. He learned the craft in Hsinchu and refined it to match the taste preferred by locals in Taoyuan.


▲ South Gate Delicious Rice Balls won an award for Taoyuan’s specialty snacks; the plaque is displayed on the shop’s wall.

 

Address: No. 10, Nanchang East Street, Taoyuan City, Taoyuan County (inside South Gate Market)
Phone: 0922-733-836
Business hours: 09:00–14:00


Show detailed map