A century-old beef shop in Taipei serves refreshing and sweet beef offal noodles!

Text & Photos bySanga Eats

How long has Jinchunfa been sitting in my pocket? I used to live near Yuanshan and there was actually a branch nearby, but I never went. Later, I read a post by a seasoned foodie I often follow, mentioning Jinchunfa’s main store at Tianshui, which made me want to give it a try. Then later I planned to hit up Peacock at Dihua Street for after-dinner drinks.

I heard Jinchunfa has a century-long history and claims to use Taiwan yellow cattle. Taiwanese beef (though not necessarily yellow cattle) is easy to find fresh and delicious in the south, but specialty shops are much rarer in the north. I looked at the menu and didn’t want to just order the usual stuff—I had plans to go drinking later so I couldn’t eat too much. My friend J ordered tripe and beef offal noodles (as predictable as ever), and the rest were a bit hard to choose from~

I’ve always loved this kind of simple sliced platter. Jinchunfa keeps it clean and simple—no shredded ginger or scallions. The beef pizzle… was actually my first time trying it. The texture was like tendon that hadn’t been braised too long—chewy on the outside but firm inside, while the beef tendon was softer and more gelatinous.

The natural flavor on its own was very aromatic, with just a touch of sesame oil and saltiness. Later I randomly mixed some vinegar, soy sauce, chili, and sugar to dip it in, which was also quite fun.

Black tripe stir-fried with bean sprouts and chili. The portion was a bit small, but overall it was very crunchy. Aside from the sourness, the sweetness of the sugar really stood out.

The kidney had a slight pinkish hue indicating it was just cooked through, with no off-putting smell. Stir-fried with sesame oil, ginger, and satay sauce. It just didn’t feel flavorful enough to me—it was almost there, but not quite.

Forgot where I’ve had something similar before, but I liked the flavor balance in this dish. The tomato had a solid acidity, the curry was fragrant but not too heavy, and it was mixed with a Taiwanese-style savory-salty taste like soy sauce—very tasty with rice.

The broth was refreshing and sweet. To me, it was even a bit light. I wonder if it would be better without the noodles? The flavor felt refined, like a scholar’s taste, but I prefer something richer and heartier. (That sounded weird.)

There was also a plate of stir-fried greens. The whole meal came to over 800 NT, and the portions for each dish weren’t very big. The price is a bit high, but the flavors were quite good—especially the sliced platter and the curry tomato beef. It’s a place I’d come back to, though I’d want to order more unique dishes. (Never got to try the beef testicles~)

Jinchunfa Beef Shop (Tianshui Main Store)
Address: No. 20, Tianshui Rd., Datong District, Taipei City
Business Hours: 11:00 AM – 9:30 PM (Closed Mondays)

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