Challenge Taiwanese potstickers at the Chinese cuisine chain "Dumpling King" – must-try dishes include dumplings and Tianjin rice

▲ Dumpling King Taiwan Store No. 1

Reported and photographed by Huang Shiyuan / Kaohsiung

The Chinese cuisine chain "Dumpling King," which sells 2 million dumplings daily in Japan, is finally opening its first store in Taiwan on April 20. To maintain the same quality as in Japan, the flour used to make dumpling wrappers and noodles is imported from Hokkaido, Japan, and a dedicated factory has been set up in Pingtung for production. The products are then transported to the stores, where they go through the final cooking stage before being served to customers.

As Taiwan’s first store, the Hanshin Dome Store adopts the concept of “Cool Japan” in its design. The store highlights dumplings, which have become a national dish in Japan, and aims to be embraced as a Japanese restaurant. It deliberately creates a restaurant style that emphasizes a Japanese image. Additionally, the cooking area is located in the center of the store, with a glass partition separating the cooking zone from customer seating to form an open kitchen, and bar stools are arranged around it.


▲ The Hanshin Dome Store with an open kitchen.

As for why Kaohsiung was chosen for the first Dum


▲Signature dish: Tianjin Rice.


▲Chicken in Hot Garlic Sauce.

Although we aim to provide the same quality as in Japan, the dishes served at our Taiwan branches have been adjusted considering that Taiwanese generally perceive Japanese food as being on the saltier side. At Gyudon no Ō, we take various factors into account when adjusting the salt content of our menu items. For example, in Japan, Tianjin Rice typically has a darker sauce due to the addition of soy sauce in the starch mixture. However, since there is also a sizable Japanese community in Taiwan, if Japanese customers or Taiwanese diners who prefer a stronger flavor request it, they can inform the staff when ordering, and the taste can be made saltier.

Gyudon no Ō was founded in Kyoto in 1967, gaining immense popularity for its Chinese cuisine adapted to Japanese tastes. By 1985, it had opened 300 outlets; by 2007, that number had grown to 500; and by 2015, it reached 700 stores nationwide. As of 2017, the chain has expanded to 720 locations across Japan. The company went public in 2005 and became a member of the Japan Business Federation in 2014.

Address: 4F, 777 Bo’ai 2nd Rd., Zuoying District, Kaohsiung City (4th floor, Hanshin Dome Shopping Mall)


▲Dry-Braised Shrimp.


▲Ō’s Soy Sauce Pork Bone Ramen.