Tian N<, sushi, French pastries — a lazy guide to 6 of Taichung’s most popular restaurants

Reported by Huang Shiyuan / Taipei

When many restaurants open their first branch, Taipei City is often the top priority, leaving foodies in central and southern Taiwan feeling frustrated — they have to travel north just to eat there. But for many chains, after opening their flagship store, the second choice for expansion is Taichung. Brands like Kin no Tanabe, Tim Ho Wan, Sushiro, and DimDimSum are now making their way here, and locals in Taichung are enjoying more delicious options than ever. ETtoday EBC has compiled a lazy guide to 6 of the most popular restaurants in Taichung. If you haven’t checked them out yet, consider visiting after the Lunar New Year when the crowds are thinner.

▲ Sushiro Taichung Fukuo Store, designed to resemble Japan’s traditional “dozō” storehouse. (Photo / Provided by Sushiro)

Sushiro (Taichung Fukuo Store)
The sixth branch of Japanese conveyor-belt sushi chain Sushiro in Taiwan is tentatively set to open on January 18. Designed to resemble Japan’s traditional “dozō” storehouse, this is the first Sushiro street-front store supervised by specialists from the company’s Japan headquarters (Taichung Fukuo Store), and also the first such outlet in Taiwan.

The Taichung Fukuo Store features a traditional Japanese “dozō” architectural design. This concept comes from President Tanaka Kunihiko’s vision of turning Sushiro into a treasure trove that brings customers anticipation and joy — which is also the origin of the brand’s name. In addition to its classic Japanese architectural style, the store offers dedicated parking spaces and private rooms that can accommodate 4 to 6 people. The total seating capacity is 199.

Taichung Fukuo Store
Address: No. 231, Fukuo Road, Xitun District, Taichung City
Phone: 04-2463-9521

Taichung Guangsan SOGO Store
Address: No. 459, Section 2, Taiwan Boulevard, West District, Taichung City
Phone: 04-2328-6726

▲ Adorable pork buns with flowing lava filling. (Photo / Taken by Huang Shiyuan)

DimDimSum (Taichung Store)
DimDimSum is a dim sum brand brought to Taiwan by Hong Kong celebrity artist Liu Chun-wei (also known as A-Wei), who introduced the brand “DimDimSum.” There are already three branches in Taichung. Currently, the Taiwanese outlets offer over 20 types of Hong Kong-style dim sum, though some adjustments have been made to suit local tastes — Taiwanese diners generally prefer less sweet and greasy food. With the original Hong Kong menu featuring over 40 items, the brand plans to gradually phase out less popular dishes while introducing new ones from Hong Kong. Artist A-Wei recommends must-try dim sum items including pork buns with flowing lava filling, honest pineapple buns, crystal shrimp dumplings, and crispy shrimp rolls.

Address: 10F, No. 301, Section 3, Taiwan Boulevard, Xitun District, Taichung City (Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Zhonggang Store)
Phone: 04-2254-2271

▲ Edomae-style tuna<。内容有穴子鱼、大虾、小干贝加花枝海鲜炸、青龙、炸半熟玉子、炸海苔片。(图／黄士原摄)

Kin no Tanabe (Taichung Flagship Store)
Japan’s popular queue-worthy dish: tuna donburi from Kin no Tanabe<专卖店去年11月登台，目前已有北车店及三井OUTLET两家店，而新光三越台中店即将于12月28日开幕。台湾分店提供的菜单不只有日本桥本店的“江户前天N<”，还有“上天N<”及“天N<”共3款人料理，而江户前天N<中使用的“穴子(星鳗)”还是由日本进口，长度比手掌还要大。至于金子半之助最重要的秘制酱汁，也是由日本调制好再运送来台湾。

Address: 10F, No. 301, Section 3, Taiwan Boulevard, Xitun District, Taichung City (Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Zhonggang Store)
Phone: 04-2254-1526

MAiSEN Pork Cutlet
Japan’s top-ranked pork cutlet specialty brand “MAiSEN,” a must-try in Tokyo, will open its second store in Taiwan in December in Taichung, shortly after its first store debuts on October 20 at Taipei Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Xinyi A9. MAiSEN is famous for its pork cutlet sets made with premium ingredients, including black pork “Kuro no Shokunin” from Kagoshima and white pork “Satsuma-nishiki.” Customers can choose between lean loin or tenderloin cuts, though the price is relatively high at NT$750 per serving. All sinews are carefully removed from the pork to ensure a tender, easy-to-chew texture.

Address: 10F, No. 301, Section 3, Taiwan Boulevard, Xitun District, Taichung City (Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Zhonggang Store)

▲ The shop’s desserts are all exquisitely luxurious, prompting netizens to joke that they’re basically mini works of art. (Photo / Screenshot from CJSJ Instagram)

CJSJ
CJSJ is a recently viral dessert shop. Its pastry chef, Mr. Soriano Joaquin, has worked in Michelin-starred restaurants, and the shop’s name is an abbreviation combining the names of the chef and Ms. Chuang Ju. Located next to a residential building in West District, Taichung, the shop’s dreamy, beautifully crafted desserts have captured customers’ hearts. They are available in limited quantities daily and often sell out within hours of opening at noon.

Location: No. 72, Lane 79, Section 1, Xiangshang Road, West District, Taichung City (next to the side gate of Xiangshang Junior High School)
Phone: 04-2301-6996

▲The Rilakkuma-shaped burger is not only adorable but also delicious. (Photo by Huang Shiyuan)

Rilakkuma Theme Café Rilakkuma Café
Rilakkuma Theme Café has also opened its second store in Taichung, located at Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Taichung. The Rilakkuma Café Taichung branch adopts a Sweet theme, with décor featuring a light French classic style that fills the café with a sweet and romantic atmosphere, satisfying fans’ girlish hearts. In addition, unlike the Taipei branch, the Taichung location offers many new dessert items, among which the Rilakkuma fruit mille-feuille is exclusive to Taichung.

Address: 6F, No. 301, Section 3, Taiwan Boulevard, Xitun District, Taichung City (Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Zhonggang Store)
Phone: 04-2254-8789