Tainan Gua Bao Shop – Bite into Juicy Chicken Drumsticks, Braised Beef, and Tender Meat

Text & Photos /Mimi Han

Recently, while hunting for food on Baomin Road in Tainan, I discovered another delicious spot to try. This new place, “Baomin Gua Bao,” is located right across from A-Qing’s Sweet Soup and A-Ming’s Pig Heart. It’s a small shop that serves Tainan-style gua baos with a variety of fillings including pork, beef, and chicken. The buns here have soft, tender skins and fragrant, juicy fillings — definitely above average for Tainan. They’re open from 4:00 PM to 10:30 PM, making them perfect for a midday snack or late-night bite. Let me give you a quick rundown~

#BTW, "Can you really fit that much stuff inside? Should I eat it for lunch or dinner?"

Baomin Road is absolutely one of the top food battlegrounds in Tainan, surrounded by strong competitors — places like A-Long, A-Chuan, A-Ming, A-Qing, and A-Feng are all right here. At first, I thought it took real guts for this “Baomin Gua Bao” to set up shop in such a competitive area, but after trying it, I found the food pretty tasty. It’s different from Ah Song’s at Yongle Market, and I heard even the owners of nearby snack shops come here to buy some too！

They only sell three types of gua bao — pork, chicken, and beef. Pork is the most common, so if you like your meat lean or extra fatty, just let the auntie know in advance. The chicken version uses drumsticks, and the beef is homemade braised beef. Each one costs just 40–50 NT$, which is very affordable. Actually, it was my first time trying a non-pork gua bao — pretty refreshing！

The boss still steams the buns using traditional bamboo steamers！ Each bun comes out snowy white and fluffy-looking — just looking at them makes you want to take a bite～

There aren’t many seats for eating in, but the shop does have a few spots where you can enjoy your gua bao on the spot — the taste is best that way. Also, the auntie is a bit slow when making the bao, but she’s very generous with the fillings. It takes time to stuff in all that extra goodness, after all！

I was pretty surprised when I saw this pork gua bao — most shops use chopped-up bits of pork, but this one had a big, intact piece of meat, and the color was gorgeous, too. It also came with shredded bamboo shoots. If you don’t like cilantro, just ask the auntie not to add it. As for the peanut sugar powder, that can also be adjusted. The auntie said she pays attention to customers’ accents — if you sound like you’re from Tainan (the “ants” who love their food), she’ll give you a bit more. If you have an out-of-town accent, she’ll politely ask what you prefer. That’s really thoughtful！ But of course, it’s always best to just tell her what you want to be safe～

This was my first time having a chicken drumstick gua bao！ So fresh. The chicken leg inside is marinated daily, and it’s paired with pickled mustard greens. The flavor is lightly salty, not greasy or heavy at all. If you’re worried about pork being too fatty or just don’t eat beef, go for this one～

The beef gua bao is even rarer！ Inside is the auntie’s family-style braised beef. That day, I could see at least four big chunks inside, super fragrant and absolutely delicious — it tasted just like the beef in a bowl of braised beef noodle soup. Even without the peanut sugar powder, it’s amazing. I’d recommend eating it fresh on the spot.

And then there’s this taro stick bun — it’s made using totally old-school methods, and they even use especially chewy, Q-textured taro from Dajia. Inside is a thick layer of savory filling. This one only costs 25 NT$, which is an absolute steal. They also prepare a special dipping sauce on the side. The auntie was afraid I’d find the flavor lacking and kept offering to add more — so warm and hospitable！ But honestly, it’s great just as it is. With every bite, you can taste the subtle fragrance of taro. This one’s got my name written all over it ＸＤ

The shop also offers daily limited fried taro balls and fried sesame balls, both at 7 for 50 NT$. Though called sesame balls, they actually have a sesame-coated exterior with a red bean filling inside. The taro balls contain golden egg yolk — a childhood favorite flavor of mine. Both options have their sweetness toned down a bit, so they’re not cloying at all. If you’re eating in, they’ll even serve them in cute little bamboo baskets — so adorable～

I went back two days later and got another chicken drumstick gua bao. This time, I asked the auntie to pile on the peanut sugar powder until it was practically overflowing — I’ll admit it, I’m one of those “ants”！ But kids, don’t follow my lead, because all that peanut and sweetness can overpower the flavor of the meat. Of course, taste is subjective, and if you like a sweeter combo, then it’s delicious. This newly discovered gua bao gem — if you’re passing by Baomin Road, definitely give it a try～

Baomin Gua Bao
Address: No. 73, Baomin Road, West Central District, Tainan City (Opposite Baomin Temple)
Business Hours: 16:00–22:30
Phone: 06-2220438

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