Crispy-skinned, tender and juicy—Shilin’s popular takeout roast duck “three ways to enjoy one duck”!

Text & Photos /Xiao Hu’s Dream Food Blog

Roast duck is one of my favorite dishes, whether from high-end restaurants, Chinese barbecue shops, or these takeout roast duck spots. Just focusing on the latter, my current favorites are “Jinfuji Crispy Skin Roast Duck” in Shilin and “Wanxiang Roast Duck” in Banqiao. Although I still sometimes stop by such roast duck shops to pick up half a duck to take home for nostalgia and a bit of research XD, I rarely find any that can match those two. Until I found this place called “Longjiang Roast Duck”—now I can rank these three as my “Top Three Roast Ducks,” though of course, that refers only to this type of roast duck shop.

I first heard about it from my foodie friends in the “Tiger Head Gang,” but I never found the time to try it. Luckily, we had a gathering a few days ago, so I brought two ducks to treat the gang.

“Longjiang Roast Duck” isn’t actually on “Longjiang Road” but is located near the Chengde Bridge (on the Shilin side), which makes it quite easy to find, though parking is a bit inconvenient...

I’m not sure how long this shop has been around, but just looking at the storefront, it seems pretty new—unlike most roast duck shops of this kind, which usually don’t look very clean... or should I say, they often look greasy XD.

The prices are about 20% higher than your average roast duck shop. What’s more special is that they offer a “three-way” meal... most of these kinds of roast duck shops usually offer only a “two-way” option.

Of course, you can also opt for just the two-way meal, choosing between the traditional stir-fried duck bones and the less common sour cabbage duck bone soup.

A friend told me the sour cabbage is homemade here, and the Kinmen Kaoliang liquor is used to pickle it.

Also, it looks like the shop sells duck wings, sour cabbage duck meat combos (soup?), and duck fat. It reminded me of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain saying that fries cooked in duck fat are the best...

My friends had pre-ordered two ducks, but they waited until we arrived to slice them fresh. While waiting, I snapped some photos and noticed the roast duck skin was incredibly smooth and glossy... just looking at the color of the roast duck made it more enticing than many restaurant versions.

A set of “three ways to enjoy one duck” costs 780 NT, and comes with a pack of handmade pancakes, sweet bean sauce, scallions, and cucumber slices.

The duck was so tempting when sliced that I almost wanted to dig in right then and there “while it’s hot”... but I was afraid of looking too uncouth, so I had to swallow my drool... (sniff).

Alright. The duck meat was only opened an hour later, but it still looked quite glossy. Aside from the skin, the meat didn’t look dry or tough either. Following tradition, I picked up a piece of the plain meat and popped it into my mouth. Although the crispiness of the skin couldn’t compare to that of a freshly sliced duck in a high-end restaurant, it was still among the best of this type of roast duck I’ve had—definitely not losing to Shilin’s Jinfuji. The slight crispness followed by a sweet oiliness was just right, and most importantly, the lean meat wasn’t tough at all—it was actually soft and juicy. Maybe by high-end restaurant standards (like my favorites Yigong and Chenyuan), it might not be mind-blowingly delicious, but it was definitely tasty and absolutely worth the price.

Another thing worth praising is the pancake skins here—maybe the most fragrant, chewiest, and slightly sweet ones I’ve ever had. Just looking at these dry-yet-soft, tender-yet-not-flimsy pancakes was satisfying. The wheat aroma was strong enough, and even though the duck meat and sweet bean sauce were already flavorful, the scallions and cucumbers were also super fresh—really rare.

Lastly, the sweet bean sauce was also a bit different from usual—not as sweet or heavy. It added a touch of sweet fragrance without overpowering the star flavors of the duck meat and the oily richness.

The stir-fried duck bones weren’t hard to imagine in flavor, but they were still delicious—neither too oily nor too salty, with a pleasant hint of spice. Plus, the cabbage was stir-fried to perfection and super tasty.

The sour cabbage duck meat soup was tangy without being harsh, and had a mild hint of duck fat aroma. The cabbage released bursts of juice as you chewed, yet retained its tangy-sweet flavor. After drinking it, there was a refreshing feeling that cut through the grease—it’s highly recommended to order a serving to go.

Longjiang Roast Duck
Address: No. 28, Section 4, Chengde Road, Shilin District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2886-1181
Business Hours: 11:00–20:00 (may close earlier if sold out)

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