Affordable braised snacks in Ximending—unique sauce paired with a huge "forest" of veggies!

Text & photos byPingzi

If you're in Ximending and craving affordable yet delicious braised snacks, Pingzi recommends this spot near the Ambassador Theatre—the Spicy Braised Wow Hot Braised Snacks & Vegetable Forest. As the saying goes, "Even Buddha needs gold trimming, and people need fine clothing." This braised snack shop excels at presentation, turning every ingredient into a display item, resembling a true vegetable forest. The shop isn’t big, but it offers both dine-in and takeout options. The braised snacks aren’t overly salty, with rich and fragrant flavors that made Pingzi fall in love at first bite.

The Spicy Braised Wow Hot Braised Snacks & Vegetable Forest is famous for its incredible variety of vegetables. It’s so well-known that it has been featured on numerous TV programs. The owner used to run a successful clothing business but had to shut it down due to market challenges. Following their children’s advice, they switched to selling braised snacks.

Exit Taipei Metro Ximen Station from Exit 1, walk straight until you see the Ambassador Theatre, turn at the corner where you’ll spot the Ambassador Theatre, then turn left. You’ll find the Spicy Braised Wow Hot Braised Snacks & Vegetable Forest on your left—it’s not a flower shop, but a genuine braised snack spot.

Most braised snack shops focus mainly on the seasonings, but this place—Spicy Braised Wow Hot Braised Snacks & Vegetable Forest—emphasizes the vegetables that modern people often overlook, even though they’re the healthiest option. In this small shop, the vegetable wall offers dozens of choices.

Despite its unassuming location, the shop sees a constant stream of customers, and you can smell the aroma of the braised snacks from afar. The entrance is adorned with advertisements from media features.

The clean and neatly arranged vegetable trays are pleasing to the eye. Though it’s not a high-end establishment, this simple little shop radiates creative energy.

A full wall of vegetables stands upright, displayed from roots to leaves, extremely eye-catching. This simple packaging makes the vegetables look incredibly appetizing, bursting with creativity. Money flows where creativity thrives, and creativity is part of daily life.

There’s also a vegetable encyclopedia on the wall, helping you easily identify both familiar and unfamiliar vegetable varieties.

To keep the vegetables fresh, all produce is purchased daily and continuously rinsed in water to maintain nutrients. Each portion of veggies sits in water, preventing moisture loss and staying fresh—like little flower pots, quite a sight.

All vegetables here are priced uniformly at NT$35. The vegetables taste surprisingly sweet and fresh—we highly recommend them.

There are also veggie options like baby corn and mushrooms, perfect as side dishes for hot pot.

Items like wood ear mushrooms, wild greens, and bell peppers are great veggie sides for those with a sweeter palate.

There’s a self-service section where you pick your own veggies. For the veggie portions, you take them along with the water-filled basins they sit in.

There are also options for hot pot toppings and various meats.

Just for noodles alone, there are many types to choose from, like Prince Noodles and ramen.

After picking your braised snacks, head over to the cashier to pay and let them know if you’d like spicy or pickled options. Due to limited staff, be prepared to wait patiently.

After payment, you’ll be asked whether you want to dine in or take out. You’ll receive a receipt and wait for your braised snacks to be served.

Before long, your braised snacks will be served.

A big bowl filled with your selections—two such bowls won’t break the bank. We picked 4–5 types of veggies plus some hot pot ingredients, totaling NT$205, which is quite reasonable.

For noodles, Pingzi loves Prince Noodles—they soak up the rich braising sauce and are incredibly flavorful.

This Spicy Braised Wow Hot Braised Snacks & Vegetable Forest uses a unique braising formula, blending over 20 types of Chinese herbs. The secret includes sautéing with chicken fat and Hungarian paprika for a naturally aromatic flavor. The taste is rich and fragrant, not overly salty yet deeply flavored. Pingzi fell in love with it instantly and always finds herself missing the taste.

Spicy Braised Wow Hot Braised Snacks & Vegetable Forest
Address: No. 137, Kunming Street, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2371-7762
Business hours: 12:00–13:30 / 17:30–00:00 (Closed on Mondays)

upssmile Pingzi (up’s smile upward smile)!
She is a designer herself and also a photographer for the travel, food, design, and photography platform "Upward Smile."
She is passionate about "travel" (旅), "food" (食), "design" (设), and "photography" (影), as well as movies.