Taipei’s Ultra-Thick Hamburg Steak Rice Omelet—Only Available in the Evening on Weekdays!

Text & Photos bySan Gao Eats Japan

The Hōko Western Food at Siping Street mainly serves hamburg steaks and rice omelets. On weekdays, it’s only open in the evening and only offers set meals that require reservations—I’m not too interested in that. But on weekends at noon, they only take walk-ins, selling hamburg steaks and rice omelets individually, which is perfect for a casual, laid-back visit.

The entire small shop has no waitstaff—the Japanese proprietress comes in and out of the kitchen herself. When the boss lady, who carries herself like an older sister, walks out, her expression is somewhat stern, and there’s an air about her. She speaks Mandarin (Putonghua) very well, having probably lived in Taiwan for a long time, with almost no noticeable accent.

I naturally went for the hamburg steak rice omelet (NT$350), which also comes with a drink. The sauces include red wine beef, handmade tomato, and Japanese soy sauce—though they didn’t say whether you could mix them.

Hōko’s rice omelet is topped with Western-style scrambled eggs, each small piece soft, smooth, and slightly dense. The scrambled eggs aren’t overly salty or buttery, offering a purer egg flavor that’s comforting, and it feels like they use pretty good-quality eggs.

The red wine beef sauce has a mild flavor with light thickness and just a hint of tomato acidity. I’d prefer it if the red wine flavor were a bit stronger, but the white rice inside has a decent texture.

Hōko’s hamburg steak is your typical beef-pork blend. It looks hearty, but the center isn’t dry or rough at all, with plenty of juices retained in the meat fibers. The flavor is rich enough. Overall, it’s not extremely soft, but rather has a bit of chewiness that adds to the enjoyment.

Before I knew it, I had finished the whole plate. There weren’t many customers in the shop that noon—it was a very relaxing Japanese-style lunch, and for the price, it’s quite worth it.

Hōko Western Food
Address: No. 116, Siping Street, Zhongshan District, Taipei City
Business Hours: 5:30 PM–10:30 PM (Saturdays & Sundays also 11:30 AM–2:00 PM))

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