Taipei’s vintage-style “Winter Melon Shaved Ice” – A unique taste you won’t find anywhere else!

Text & Photos /Old K

This winter melon shaved ice shop serving classic Meinong flavors is located on Songlong Road. It was where I ended up after failing to find the Air Force Cold Noodles that day XD – turns out the Air Force Cold Noodles have moved!

But since shaved ice shops specializing in winter melon are pretty rare in Taipei, Old K was quite curious and decided to give it a try. After chatting with the owner for a bit, we learned that they’re from Meinong and have been running this shop in Taipei for over four years. Apparently, only he and his sister back in Meinong sell winter melon shaved ice.

The prices are similar to those of regular shaved ice shops.

Seeing the white shaved ice, Old K had a question – he had initially thought winter melon shaved ice was just winter melon tea that had been frozen and then shaved. Turns out he was overthinking it XD~

Next came choosing the toppings. You can pick four. Although the shop opens at 10 AM, if you want toppings like taro or taro balls (on the left), most of their toppings are homemade or homemade-cooked.

After selecting four toppings, they start adding sugar syrup and winter melon strips.

Winter Melon Shaved Ice (choose four toppings for NT$60) – actually, it’s more like five toppings because the winter melon strips on top count as one too.

These winter melon strips are really unique. To Old K, they were fairly sweet, but the aroma of winter melon blended with sugar is truly captivating. Eating the winter melon strips brought back memories of childhood winter melon candy – firm, slightly chewy, and a little sticky, kind of like super-Q sweet potato that’s been boiled for ages. It’s really special, and something you won’t find anywhere else. While eating, Old K noticed many customers just taking away cups of plain winter melon shaved ice – looks like this one has quite the fanbase~

The taro balls performed well – probably because they were freshly made, they were still slightly warm and had a nice, chewy Q texture.

The taro balls | The texture is on the softer side for those who prefer them a bit firmer.

Seasonal honey pineapple – pineapples are pricey this year, but these were refreshing to eat XD. Their pineapples are also homemade, not overly sweet which Old K liked. For a sweeter taste, you can mix them with the winter melon strips – the combo is surprisingly good!

The taro is cooked until soft and fluffy, also not too sweet. None of their toppings are overly sweet, which suits Old K’s taste. The owner even asked if he wanted extra sugar syrup because it might not be sweet enough XD~

Old K’s Tip: The winter melon shaved ice is truly unique. Fans of winter melon tea will probably love it – it’s like drinking an N-times stronger version of winter melon tea XD. The toppings are also top-notch. You’d be hard pressed to find this in Taipei, let alone elsewhere – that alone makes it worth a try!

Old K’s Personal Rating (out of 10, higher is better)
Taste: 8.3
Value for Money: 8
Dining Environment: 5
Price: 7

Winter Melon Home – Classic Meinong Flavor Winter Melon Shaved Ice
Facebook Page:https://zh-tw.facebook.com/DongGuaZhiJia/
Address: No. 78, Songlong Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2749-2028 0935-191-062
Business Hours: 10:00–22:30 (For toppings like taro balls, honey taro, and tapioca, please come after 12 PM) (The shop rarely closes)

Old K
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