[Holiday Breakfast]Top 10 Must-Try Eats in Dadaocheng

The most famous queue-worthy breakfast spot in Dadaocheng is undoubtedly the local favorite known as "Mian Yan Ye" – Jinquan Snacks. With each bowl priced at just $20, it dominates the breakfast scene. (Though it’s probably hard to find a bowl of noodles for just $20 these days!)

Mian Yan Ye: Jinquan Snacks
Phone: (02)2557-7087
Business Hours: AM0800–PM1700
Address: No. 106, Anxi Street, Datong District, Taipei City (alley behind Yongle Elementary School)

But actually, when my husband’s family first brought me here, I wasn’t blown away—in fact, I initially found it pretty ordinary. (Especially since I couldn’t get used to the blanched chicken and blood at first.) But over time, I grew to “acquire the taste”! Their specialties include char siu, blanched squid, poached chicken, and pork liver.
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We’ve also bumped into several celebrities here, like He Liling… This flavor truly represents old Taipei.

When it comes to Dadaocheng delicacies, you can’t miss the food street around Cisheng Temple, which Foodie has visited multiple times. The entire alley forms a self-contained food hub, and what makes it even more unique is that while dining under the temple’s main pavilion, you’ll find many perches for little birds—isn’t that a charming touch?

The first time I went, to be honest, I was pretty startled, worried I might get “dove-bombed” while eating. But after coming here for so many years, those sparrows and the vendors seem to have a mutual understanding—they really don’t bother diners during meals, let alone snatch food off their tables. Instead, they’ve formed a symbiotic, mutually supportive community, which is quite special.

On Cisheng Temple’s food street, the two stalls we frequent the most are the pork congee stand and the next one—anchovy fried rice. When you come for the pork congee, you must also try their red braised pork, fried tofu, and fried fish.
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Next up is another favorite—the anchovy fried rice. Aside from the perfectly fluffy grains of rice, the anchovies are generous in portion without being overly salty, making it a dish you can feel good about feeding kids. I personally love it too—it’s like my way of replenishing calcium lost from coffee (in my imagination)! Their oyster omelet is also pretty great.

Another highlight is the golden needle mushroom soup noodles, which have a subtle floral aroma that pairs wonderfully with the anchovy rice.

Cisheng Temple – Pork Congee & Anchovy Fried Rice
Address: No. 17, Lane 49, Bao’an Street, Datong District, Taipei City
Operating Hours: 6:30–20:00

One place I have to highly recommend is a breakfast shop in Yansan Night Market. By day, it’s a rice cake shop, and by night, the storefront is rented out to another vendor. How good is this rice cake shop? When we went back to my husband’s hometown for Chinese New Year, he even asked me to buy some as a gift to bring home. (They even offer gift box packaging!) The rice cakes come in half-lean, half-fatty, and lean versions—I personally prefer the half-lean, half-fatty kind.

Also, you absolutely must try their homemade chili sauce. Just add a little bit—it has a uniquely fragrant taste, not just sesame oil aroma. It’s seriously delicious (though a bit spicy, so add sparingly).

Their soups are also phenomenal—oyster soup, pork liver soup… all incredibly tasty, with generous portions. So generous, in fact, that if you order a single flavor, you might end up feeling a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of ingredients by the end. That’s why I always go for the mixed oyster-pork liver soup—half and half is just right, offering the sweetness of oysters and the nourishment of pork liver. Truly an amazing seafood-meat combo.

Daqiaotou Rice Cake:
Address: No. 41, Section 3, Yanping North Road, Datong District, Taipei City 103
Phone: 02-2594-4685

This one was recommended by a colleague who’s lived here since childhood. When we first found it, the entire food cart was staffed by at least 60–80-year-old grandpas and grandmas. It was closed for a while—we’re not sure why. Recently, when it reopened, there were fewer elderly vendors and a couple of younger people running the stand.

Their crispy egg crepes are truly amazing—you’ll fall in love after just one bite.

But there’s no sign for it—you’ll just have to try your luck near the FamilyMart on Yansan Night Market in the morning, around the arcade area.

“Hidden Gem” Grandpa-and-Grandma Chinese Breakfast Cart
Address: Section 3, Yanping North Road, Taipei City (near FamilyMart)

This is the go-to breakfast spot for both local and international visitors to Dadaocheng—so famous that I hardly need to introduce it. Their most famous dish, of course, is the rice vermicelli balls (rice noodle balls)!Whenever my father-in-law comes, he always insists on having three bowls to feel satisfied.

And when you come here for the rice vermicelli balls, you absolutely have to pair them with their sliced meat platter (mixed meat slices).But don’t sleep in too late if you want to come—you might find they’re all sold out to tourists by the time you arrive, and there might not even be any mixed meat slices left.Even worse, once when I came by, the boss told me I was too late, and all that remained was the “soup” for the rice vermicelli balls. Yes, you heard that right—there were only the “soup” and no rice vermicelli balls left at all.

Yongle Rice Vermicelli Balls
Address: No. 7, Yongchang Street, Datong District, Taipei City 103
Phone: (02)2559-9603

On the other side of Yongle Market is Taipei’s quite famous old-school Taiwanese rice dumpling (oily rice) specialty shop, “Lin He Fa”!Yes, this is the very same one that Terry Gou from Foxconn recommends for postpartum rice dumplings. When our son Ying was born, we also ordered from them. With its combination of local spirit and genuinely delicious taste, it's really something special.

But it’s different from other rice dumpling shops:

1. You need to book 1–2 months in advance. (Orders are just too full!)
2. No discounts, even if you order a lot. (Frankly, getting an order at all is already impressive!)
3. No delivery service for extra portions, and you can only get one delivery point at most—or else you’ll have to pick it up yourself. (Still, being able to order at all is a win!)

And it was actually when I went to pick up the rice dumplings myself that I discovered they also make small batches of freshly made rice dumplings available for walk-in customers. So if you're craving a taste of this famously renowned rice dumpling shop, why not stop by and see if you get lucky?

Lin He Fa Rice Dumplings
Address: Stall 1041, Yongle Market (next to Gate 1)
Phone: (02)2559-2888, (02)2559-7618
Business Hours: 7:30–13:00

This is something I only recently discovered—hiding in the alleyways of Dihua Street, it’s an ultra-delicious gem that even we locals only just found out about.

It was actually one day when my mother-in-law told me she’d found a breakfast shop with great rice balls, and asked if I wanted her to buy one for me. After trying it, I was truly blown away. The size of the rice ball isn’t huge, but one is just the perfect amount—“just enough to fill the stomach nicely.”

The rice grains on the rice ball are so chewy and bouncy—it’s honestly the chewiest rice ball I’ve ever had in my life. The fried dough stick is crispy without being greasy, the preserved radish is sweet but not overly salty, and it completely won over my taste buds. It’s super amazing, seriously.

So I followed the directions my mother-in-law gave me through the alleyways, and finally found the place, seeing it with my own eyes. Turns out they offer a lot more items, which I definitely want to try next time. But for now, let me tell you how to find the place more easily.
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1. Enter through the alley next to the famous Jiaxing Fish Balls in Dadaocheng.

2. Turn left at the first small intersection.
3. Walk to the end of the road and you’ll see it there. I personally really recommend their rice balls.

“Super Hidden Gem” Yang Family Breakfast Shop
Address: No. 50, Anxi Street, Datong District, Taipei City

People who’ve been to Dadaocheng will likely know this shop—it’s the widely renowned Fuzhou Meatballs, one of our top choices when giving local delicacies as gifts to friends.

The fish balls are handmade every day, and whenever you walk past the shop, you can smell their delicate, enticing aroma—it’s seriously mouthwatering. In fact, early on in the Pokémon GO map, it was even labeled as a “best food” PokéStop.

Jiaxing Fish Balls
Address: No. 21, Lane 210, Section 2, Yanping North Road, Taipei City
Phone: (02)2553-6470
Business hours: 09:00–19:00 (closed on Sundays)

Last but not least, we have to introduce what is hailed as the most beautiful / most elegant Starbucks in Taiwan — the Starbucks Xinyi branch (Bao’an branch)!This was originally the former residence of Ye Jintu, a prominent merchant in Dadaocheng. Before Starbucks moved in, the site was home to the former Council of Indigenous Peoples. It was likely made available for private operation as part of the government’s efforts to revitalize heritage assets.

Retaining the original Baroque-style façade, Starbucks has blended modern industrial design with a minimalist vintage aesthetic, adding even more charm to this historic building. Next time you visit Dadaocheng, be sure to set aside some time to soak in its leisurely and refined ambiance.
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Starbucks Xinyi Branch
Address: No. 11, Bao’an Street, Taipei City