Taipei’s Songshan district boasts a jumbo spring roll for just NT$40 – Owner: “It’s most important that customers leave full”

Reported by Hong Sheng-yi / Taipei

On a hot summer day, a spring roll — not too big, not too small — paired with a cold drink makes for the perfect meal combo. But in a small alley in Taipei’s Songshan district lies a spring roll stall known mostly only to locals. For just NT$40, the roll here is almost twice the size of your average street vendor’s, drawing long queues come quitting time. ETtoday Dongsen Travel Cloud went on-site for an exclusive look and conducted a brief interview.

▲This spring roll shop near Taipei’s Songshan Road has been around for 18 years. Despite rising costs, the owner went against the trend by making her rolls bigger — now they’re famously known as the “jumbo spring rolls.” (Photo / Reporter Hong Sheng-yi)

The spring roll stall is called “Authentic Handmade Spring Rolls.” The owner, Deng Qiwen, born in 1953, is from Guangdong. Nineteen years ago, to make ends meet, she began helping make spring rolls at the current location. About a year later, the previous owner considered closing the stall due to the poor economy. But Deng, who had grown accustomed to the work, needed a livelihood, so she took a leap of faith and bought the business.

▲Deng Qiwen, born in 1953 and originally from Guangdong, goes the extra mile to make larger spring rolls simply because she wants her customers to “leave full.” (Photo / Reporter Hong Sheng-yi)

The ingredients in the spring rolls are quite generous: stir-fried radish, peanut powder, white sugar, cabbage, shredded carrots, cilantro, bean sprouts, eggs, and red yeast pork. There are also higher-cost additions like meat floss and sesame powder. Options for vegetarians, spicy preferences, or even those who want mustard are all available. All ingredients are prepped daily starting at 5 a.m., and currently, selling 300 rolls a day is just the baseline.

▲With the slogan “Authentic Handmade,” this is truly a shop where everything — from dough and wrappers to fillings and final assembly — is made fresh daily through kneading, frying, stir-frying, and wrapping. This ensures a delightfully chewy wrapper, while the rich filling lets each ingredient’s flavor shine. (Photo / Reporter Hong Sheng-yi)

▲In the making process, first comes the iconic peanut candy powder, surrounded by a ring of sweet chili sauce. (Photo / Reporter Hong Sheng-yi)

▲Then comes the sesame powder, meat floss, and a slice of red yeast pork. (Photo / Reporter Hong Sheng-yi)

▲Next is a layer of stir-fried radish, tofu, and a second slice of red yeast pork. (Photo / Reporter Hong Sheng-yi)

▲Then a third slice of red yeast pork is added. (Photo / Reporter Hong Sheng-yi)

▲Next up are the scrambled eggs and cilantro. (Photo / Reporter Hong Sheng-yi)

▲Finally, blanched cabbage, bean sprouts, and carrots are layered on. (Photo / Reporter Hong Sheng-yi)

▲Then another layer of blanched cabbage, bean sprouts, and carrots is added. (Photo / Reporter Hong Sheng-yi)

▲And there you have it — the jumbo spring roll is complete!(Photo / Reporter Hong Sheng-yi)

After comparing, the size of this jumbo spring roll is roughly as tall as a 700cc drink, but its diameter is nearly as wide as the cup lid. Its overall size surpasses that of popular drinks — and it's heavier too — yet it costs much less. The first bite offers the freshly baked wrapper with the crisp texture of bean sprouts and the sweetness of cabbage. The next bite brings a medley of peanut powder, white sugar, egg, red yeast pork, and cilantro — a complete flavor army in one mouthful. It’s deeply satisfying, and even at the end, it doesn’t feel greasy. As netizens have said, “It’s super filling, and the best part? It’s only NT$40!”

▲% Compared to a regular drink, this jumbo roll is not only taller than a 700cc beverage, but its cross-section is nearly as wide as the cup lid. (Photo / Reporter Hong Sheng-yi)

A regular customer, Ms. Wu, shared, “The spring rolls here are delicious. There are so many textures, and it’s light on the stomach without worrying about too many calories. One roll is enough to make a full meal.”

Spring rolls used to cost NT$30 seventeen years ago, but now they’re NT$40. When asked about the price hike, Deng Qiwen explained that during that period, life was tough for everyone, market competition was fierce, and raw material costs had soared — hence the 17-year increase.

Deng recalled that before deciding to raise prices, she struggled for a long time. But it happened to be when raw material prices were spiking, and she had just started enlarging the rolls. Her husband often said, “If you keep making them so big, you won’t make any profit and will kill yourself working!” Ultimately, she had no choice but to raise the price.But even after the increase, the portion sizes didn’t shrink — they got even bigger.In fact, they’re now more than double the size of what the previous owner used to serve.

Deng joked half-seriously, “Sometimes, if a customer looks really hungry, I’ll make the roll a bit bigger— I just want them to leave full. As long as I have work, I’m happy!” When pressed by the reporter, “But doesn’t that cut into your profits?” the owner replied, “"I just hope the guests are full, and as long as I have work to do, that's enough!" The reporter pressed further: "But isn't that not making any profit?" The owner replied:Times are tough for everyone. I just don’t want to lose money. Small margins and high volume — I don’t think too much beyond that.”

【Authentic Freshly Made Spring Rolls】

Address: Entrance of Lane 541, Songshan Road, Taipei City (next to FamilyMart), near Yongchun MRT Station

Product/Price: Spring rolls, NT$40 per roll