Top-tier BBQ restaurant in Taichung: King crab legs, abalone, oysters — all-you-can-eat!

Text & photos bySan Gao Eats Asia

I haven’t been to an all-you-can-eat restaurant in a long time. Recently, J (female) told me she wanted to go to Tongban in Taichung. The price per person is NT$1,350 plus 10% — rounding up, that’s NT$3,000 for two people. In the past year or two, I’ve noticed my appetite has decreased quite a bit (not sure if it’s because I haven’t been to the gym in ages?), and I always feel like this kind of place isn’t really for me. But since J insisted, I just went along with it (the items shown below are display samples).

If you’re looking to park nearby, try heading to the opposite side on Section 1, Gansu Road — there’s a small paid parking lot at the intersection with Chongqing Road. When you’re seated, they’ll first bring out a basic platter with more vegetables. The dining time is two hours, and after that, you can order one of everything. After the meal, each person can also get a cup of Häagen-Dazs (not scooped from the tub).

Aside from items from the menu that you can take yourself, Häagen-Dazs cannot be self-served.

Assorted sashimi — if you have certain standards for raw fish, you might want to skip this.

I haven’t been to an all-you-can-eat restaurant in years, so I’m honestly not sure what standard of ingredients NT$1,500 per person should entail. At Tongban, the seafood options include king crab legs (frozen), American scallops, shrimp, small abalone, conch, oysters (not sushi-grade), and clams. The highlight, of course, is the king crab legs, but these frozen ones taste rather average — they have some sweetness but lack that fresh umami. Actually, the grilled oysters were better. Still, the restaurant’s attitude is great — they’re not afraid of you eating a lot. Just tell them how many portions you want, and they’ll bring them out fairly quickly. The service is pretty good overall.

Another key point is the meat selection. There are nine types of meat available, and the serving speed is fast. As for the meat quality, you’ll need to manage your expectations — especially if you’ve had higher-grade beef a few times before. Just think of it as filling up. You can skip the sirloin, filet, and beef tongue, but the ribeye steak, short ribs, and Matsusaka pork are still decent enough.

Finally, I asked the server to bring over a cup of Häagen-Dazs for the finale (I got my favorite macadamia flavor). As mentioned earlier, the meal had good service, they won’t stop you from eating, and sometimes they even come to your table. But don’t expect too much from the ingredients. It might be a good option for those with big appetites.

Tongban King Crab Black-haired Cattle Premium BBQ
Address: No. 123, Section 3, Wenhua Road, West District, Taichung City
Phone: 04-23145298
Business Hours: 11:00 AM – 3:00 AM (next day)

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