Old Chinese medicine shop transformed into a traditional Chinese food & wellness eatery – choose from four types of health-boosting soups

Text & photos byXiaohu’s Dream Food Blog

To be honest, I don’t really care whether what I eat is healthy... so wellness isn’t all that meaningful to me, or maybe I should say taste matters more XXD. But if something can be both healthy and delicious, then I’m definitely up for trying it – like this wellness food eatery located at the former site of a longstanding Chinese medicine shop at No. 44.

At first, when I saw “No. 44 Site,” I wondered where that was. I imagine even most Taipei locals probably don’t know either. Right? Right? Right?

But if we’re talking about “Bao’an Temple,” one of Taipei’s three major temple gates, then that’s a name everyone knows without exception, Up！

And the No. 44 Site is located on the old street just outside Bao’an Temple. The story goes back to the seventh year of the Jiaqing Emperor’s reign, which is the year 1802. Let’s do the math – this street actually has a history of 200 years. Back then, there were 44 households lined up in two rows, hence the name “No. 44” (one household per section).

Near the Chengde Road end of No. 44, there used to be a Chinese medicine shop called “Zheng Yi Tang.” After checking, I found out this wellness food eatery is run by the 50-year-old traditional Chinese medicine shop “Zheng Yi Tang Chinese Herbal Medicine Store.”

The left side of the restaurant still retains the look of the old Chinese medicine hall.

The restaurant is decorated with a bit of a Chinese style. We arrived around 1 PM, and the not-so-small restaurant was already around 80–90% full, with people of all ages – elderly, adults, and kids alike.

The menu mainly features wellness hot pot, with prices ranging from the most basic 150 NT$ for chicken to 660 NT$ options like scallops, abalone, chicken thigh, and chicken feet.

The set meal comes with a side of greens, a small dish, a bowl of vermicelli or five-grain rice, plus a pre-meal longan tea. For the basic 150 NT$ option with “Oyster Mushroom” or “Pork Rib Meat,” the value for money is pretty high.

The restaurant also offers a selection of à la carte wellness teas, including ones with American ginseng and pearl powder...

The longan red date tea is 30 NT$ for a single order, but I’m guessing it might come in a larger cup than the one in the set? The flavor gives off a faint aroma of red dates and longan, with moderate sweetness that’s not cloying. Paired with the warm tea temperature, it’s smooth even in the sweltering summer heat. Delicious！

The scallop abalone chicken and chicken feet option is 660 NT$, or 620 NT$ à la carte. The soup bases include “Ten-Treasure Enhanced,” “Four-Substance Enhanced,” “Ginseng Vitality,” and “Cooling Tonic.”

Since my friend ordered, I only had a small sip, but the greasiness of the chicken broth was lighter than I expected, with a hint of goji berry sweetness and the umami of the scallops – very smooth and delicious. The chicken feet came in black and white varieties; I tried one black one, and its lightly springy, tender skin burst in the mouth, with a delicate texture paired with the unique sweetness of chicken feet, absolutely spot-on. Plus, it absorbed some of the nourishing chicken soup – super tasty！

The scallop abalone chicken option is 360 NT$, or 320 NT$ à la carte. Strangely enough, even though we chose the same soup base and the ingredients were quite similar, this bowl had a more pronounced umami from the abalone and scallops. The chicken drumsticks also looked quite tender (though I didn’t eat any).

This is my take on the pork rib meat option at 150 NT$ (110 NT$ à la carte), with the soup base being the Ten-Treasure Wellness Soup. Overall, the taste is somewhat similar to what you’d get at a night market, but the biggest difference is the lingering herbal aftertaste rather than cloying sweetness, which makes the herbal-flavored broth surprisingly smooth and very tasty. There were two large bone-in pork ribs, stewed until they were practically falling off the bone. Though they seemed lean, they weren’t dry or tough – soft and tender, and very delicious.

Honestly, if this place were next door to my house, I’d probably come here often... because there aren’t many eateries that are both healthy and delicious.

As for the vermicelli, you can choose between “Chinese toon” or “sesame oil.” The Chinese toon version is a bit different from the toon sauce I’ve had before – less heavy in flavor and not as complex in aroma. The sprinkled black and white sesame seeds play an important role in adding aroma layers when mixed in while chewing.

However, I personally prefer the sesame oil vermicelli, which has a hint of ginger oil fragrance. But that might just be because my taste leans toward the stronger side.

Zheng Yi Tang Wellness Food Eateria
Address: No. 118, Hami Street, Datong District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-591-9631
Business hours: 11:00–20:00

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