Calling all noodle lovers! Craving a taste of classic Taiwanese cuisine? Look no further than Guo Ji Beef Noodle Soup. This local gem specialises in, you guessed it, Beef Noodles – and they’ve perfected the art of this comforting dish over decades at this location. Less than 10 minutes walk south of Guting MRT station on Tingzhou Street in the Zhongzheng District of Taipei, Guo Ji Beef Noodle Soup is a delicious Beef Noodle Soup restaurant that you have probably never heard of.
Guo Ji Beef Noodle Soup offers a truly authentic experience. Their steaming bowls of beef noodles feature everything you crave: rich, flavourful broth simmered for hours, melt-in-your-mouth braised beef, and springy noodles. Whether you’re a seasoned Beef Noodle aficionado (I like to think that I am) or a curious first-timer, Guo Ji is the perfect spot to dive into this Taiwanese staple without the bells, whistles, and long lines at many Beef Noodle Soup restaurants dotted around the city.
So, ditch the fancy restaurants for a night and head to Guo Ji Beef Noodle Soup. It’s a casual and welcoming atmosphere, ideal for a satisfying and affordable meal.
Table of Contents
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There's a nice representation of the noodles they have available here, but more importantly, there is the English written on the sign (which, weirdly, has a wind turbine on) - If dining in, you pay after your meal. If taking out, you pay after picking up your meal.
It may not be of critical importance, but it at least makes you aware of the custom for paying here at Guo Ji Beef Noodle Soup.
If you aren't sure how to order or what to do when you arrive at Guo Ji Beef Noodle Soup, then this is the post for you. See below for How to Order in Taipei Restaurants like a definitive pro!
3 Fast Tips on How to Order in Taipei Restaurants like a definitive pro!
The Menu at Guo Ji Beef Noodle Soup
The menu looks complicated but is structured quite logically. There are 12 main sections, with a few further dishes at the bottom. However, some sections are repetitive. Here is a breakdown of the key points:
- Spicy Soy Braised Beef Noodles
- 紅燒牛肉麵 hóng shāo niú ròu miàn
- Clear Broth Beef Noodles
- 清燉牛肉麵 qīng dùn niú ròu miàn
- Wontons
- 餛飩 hún tún
- Simple/Traditional Noodles
- 陽春麵 yáng chūn miàn
- Dry Noodles
- 乾拌麵 gān bàn miàn
- Soup Noodles (Without Meat)
- 湯麵 tāng miàn
In addition to those main features, for each you can choose the size, and you can also choose the type of noodles, too:
- Large
- 大 dà
- Medium
- 中 zhōng
- Small
- 小 xiǎo
- Ramen Noodles
- 拉麵 lā miàn
- Flat Rice Noodles
- 板條 bǎn tiáo
- Mung Bean Noodles
- 冬粉 dōng fěn
What We Ordered
Spicy Soy Braised Beef Noodle Soup (M)
紅燒牛肉麵 hóng shāo niú ròu miàn
I am no stranger to Beef Noodle Soup, especially during the colder months of Taipei's winter. There's nothing quite like a hot bowl of spicy Beef Noodle Soup to warm the soul, especially when the bowl is this big and packed with delicious ingredients.
The spicy oil covering the surface makes me smile, rather than turn away in disgust. I know it will be tasty, and well worth my effort to eat without splashing it on myself (I failed in that during this meal, but you win some, you lose some).
The beef was plentiful in this bowl of Beef Noodle Soup, and it was really tasty, too. It was more chewy than soft, but I really didn't mind that at all. It wasn't overly chewy, but certainly retained a good bite to it. And while there was fat running through it, it didn't particularly melt in your mouth like some other Beef Noodle Soup restaurants may, but I didn't see that as a negative here.
The flavour of the broth is rich and packs a real depth throughout. It's balanced nicely with spice, but I would say it falls on the spicier side of a spicy soy braised Beef Noodle Soup.
Of the two bowls we ordered, we order the ramen noodles for both. I am not much a fan of the flat rice noodles or mung bean noodles, so it wasn't a difficult decision. Therefore, I was quite happy to find that the ramen noodles are cooked nicely, retained a little bit of a bite, and certainly didn't let me down.
Side Dishes
Braised egg with pork skin, seaweed with chunks of tofu, and Taiwanese kimchi. There was a big group of us, so we thought it best to go for a spread of the sides. They were all tasty enough, but the stand-out that I would 100% try again has to be the tofu. It was oozing with the delicious flavour of the broth it was both marinated and cooked in, and was really fragrant. Star anise flavour was very much apparent, to my delight.
Clear Broth Beef Noodle Soup (M)
清燉牛肉麵qīng dùn niú ròu miàn
To contrast the spicy soy braised beef noodles, we also had to order a bowl of clear broth Beef Noodle Soup. Much lighter in flavour, this bowl still packed a punch, so don't be fooled by the translucent colour. Layers of flavour were clear throughout the broth, with plenty of beef flavour but without being quite as heavy as the spicy soy braised sibling above.
The cut of beef used in this bowl was also different, but it was still similarly delicious. Slightly thinner cut and left a little bigger, this clear broth Beef Noodle Soup beat out the spicy soy braised counterpart, in my opinion. The ability to pack flavour into what looks relatively lacking, while still cooking a delicious bowl of beef and allowing the noodles to retain flavour stands out as a hallmark of quality.
Spicy Wontons
紅油抄手 hóng yóu chāo shǒu
I have had wontons in my Beef Noodle Soup before, but I have never been to a Beef Noodle Soup restaurant and ordered a dish of their spicy wontons as well. However, that is all about to change.
The spicy chilli oil used with these pork-flavoured wontons is smoky, spicy, and bang on the money. It's a little too heavy if you pair this with the spicy soy braised Beef Noodle Soup, but drink a load of water with it and you'll be fine! The skin on wontons is thinner than that of dumplings or pot stickers and therefore feels much lighter. However, the sheer size of these wontons doesn't scream lightness. I enjoyed these and will be back for more.
The Bottom Line
Is it worth it? Guo Ji Beef Noodle Soup is a top beef noodle restaurant in Taipei. It's nowhere near as well known as some of the popular restaurants such as Lin Dong Fang, or Liu Shan Dong, but it's still well worth your time and effort.
What is the best dish? The clear broth beef noodles were my favourite, especially paired with the tofu and the spicy wontons.
Are there other places like this? Beef Noodle Soup is one of the national dishes of Taiwan. Without it, winter in Taiwan would just not be the same (I don't really like hot pot, just to be clear - there's something about paying for the right to cook my food myself that I just don't like).