Dear Tainan folks, the world’s second-best freshly baked ice cream pineapple buns are coming your way

▲The world’s second-best freshly baked ice cream pineapple buns are coming to Tainan. (Photo credit: Huang Shih-yuan)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

After launching in Taichung, the world’s second-best freshly baked ice cream pineapple buns are expanding further south to Tainan City, now located at Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Tainan West Gate Branch. Locals who’ve tried them in Japan and are hoping to relive the experience are in for a treat. The official opening time hasn’t been revealed yet, but it’s expected to arrive before long.

These world’s second-best freshly baked ice cream pineapple buns stay true to their Japanese roots. The pineapple buns are baked fresh—crispy on the outside and soft on the inside—and then stuffed with ice cream (available in classic vanilla, matcha, and chocolate flavors), offering a unique contrast between hot and cold. Each freshly baked ice cream pineapple bun is priced at NT$120, and you can also buy just the pineapple buns individually for NT$80 each.

Slicing a freshly baked pineapple bun in half and stuffing it with ice cream requires overcoming one key challenge: preventing the moisture from the ice cream from affecting the texture of the bread. Shiro Mikami, Managing Executive Officer and Vice President of the World’s Second-Best Freshly Baked Ice Cream Pineapple Buns, experimented with various types of yeast, flour, and fermentation times before finally hitting upon the perfect golden ratio for these buns. Mikami explained that to ensure the pineapple crust is extra crispy, the dough is applied entirely by hand—something machines simply can't replicate.

World’s Second-Best Freshly Baked Ice Cream Pineapple Buns – Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Tainan West Gate Branch
Address: No. 658, Section 1, Ximen Rd., West Central District, Tainan City