Hsinchu City is a place to take note of.
If you’re like me, always on the hunt for yummy eats in and around Taiwan, then you’re in for a treat today! Let me take you on a journey to a city that’s often overshadowed by the bustling streets of Taipei but holds its own unique charm – Hsinchu City.
I’ve got a soft spot for Hsinchu. Both Hsinchu and Keelung are my regular little culinary escapes from the Taipei hustle and bustle. Situated in the northern part of Taiwan, Hsinchu City is a treasure trove of traditional flavours, in comparison it is also more reasonably priced, and, best of all, it’s usually less crowded than the capital.
What food should I eat in Hsinchu?
Must-try food includes rice noodles (Mǐ Fěn), meatballs (Ba wan), and pork balls (Gòng wán).
What are some good gifts in Hsinchu?
Hsinchu has some great hand made gifts such as pottery, wood carvings, and bamboo crafts. But their food gifts are more notable with some of the top gifts being peanut butter, pork balls, and locally grown tea leaves.
Keelung City – A fast 24hr foodie tour of surprising keelung, Part 1
Now, why am I so excited to share Hsinchu City with you? Well, apart from its rich cultural heritage, this place is a surprising secret foodie space waiting to be explored. From street food to heartwarming family-run restaurants, Hsinchu has a lot to offer. But that's not all; it's also known for its unique homemade gifts and relaxing tea houses/cafes.
You see, the folks in Hsinchu take gifting seriously. When you visit, make sure to check out the local specialty shops. Whether you're searching for souvenirs or a little something special to take home, Hsinchu's gift shops have you covered.
But back to the food! Hsinchu is famous for its traditional dishes, and I can't wait to introduce you to some of my favourite spots. If you want to know where to get a top quality lunch, a great afternoon snack, some on-the-go food, or some gifts to take home and share with friends or family, then stay tuned to this post as I introduce you to some of my top tips in Hsinchu City.
Here are some useful links for you if you are going to Hsinchu:
Transportation
- High Speed Rail Tickets | Taiwan High Speed Rail Unlimited Rail Pass
- Private Multi-City Car Charter from Taipei
- Renting Scooters: KKday
- Renting Cars: Klook
Tours and Tourist Attractions
- Hsinchu Sugar Culture and Dried Persimmon Experience from Taipei
- Hsinchu Day Tour from Taipei
- Smangus Day Tour in Hsinchu
- Other things to do in Hsinchu: Klook | KKday
Staying
- Klook | Booking.com | KKday | Agoda
Table of Contents
A Mid-morning Snack in Hsinchu City
大騰肉夾饃
This place opens at 10am and is in prime position to pick up a delicious snack on the way to the temple area around Hsinchu City God Temple.
Their menu looks quite complex, but it essentially boils down to what kind of meat you're into, or if you'd like a vegetarian option:
- House Special Lamb - 羊肉夾饃 yáng ròu jiā mó
- House Special Beef - 牛肉夾饃 niú ròu jiā mó
- Pork - 金典豬肉夾饃 jīn diǎn zhū ròu jiā mó
- Chicken - 烤雞腿肉夾饃 kǎo jī tuǐ ròu jiā mó
- Vegetarian (king oyster mushrooms, tofu, green peppers) - 素食饃 sù shí mó
As you stand at the front of the shop, you'll see these beautiful crunchy and fluffy pastry pockets waiting to be filled with freshly cooked filling of your choosing. Each order will be cooked there and then. Whilst they are cooking, there is always one person taking care of the continuous cooking of these pastry pockets.
Chicken - 烤雞腿肉夾饃 kǎo jī tuǐ ròu jiā mó
I went for the chicken option, which not only had juicy chicken leg, but also had garlic, onions, and green peppers crammed in there. They were all slowly cooked to release the sweetness, and the filling was liberally sprinkled with their signature seasoning. It was delicious. I tend to get it each time I come to Hsinchu City, as it just hits the right spot as a solid snack.
薏人界 • 甜品
Maybe when looking for a mid-morning snack, you prefer something slightly sweeter?
Pearl Barley World Dessert is almost certainly going to keep you satiated. While I would suggest giving anything a go on the menu, we came to order a cup of 抹茶凍紅豆蓮子 (Mǒ chá dòng hóng dòu lián zǐ). This translates to matcha tea jelly, red bean, and lotus seeds. You'll notice that the matcha tea jelly falls to the bottom, the red bean settles somewhat on the surface, and the lotus seeds drift somewhere in-between.
The red bean is a little sweet with an earthy undertone, the matcha jelly is cut thickly into cubes meaning that the textures are all in stark contrast to one another, and seems really nicely balanced between sweetness and bitterness. The stewed lotus seeds have a little bite that adds a unique texture to this. They are smooth and nut-like in texture, and give a nutty freshness when you bite down into them.
This is one of the better sweet gifts in Hsinchu City that you could take back with you. Oftentimes these types of drinks don't travel very well, but these ones definitely do as they aren't just filled with tapioca balls like many drinks are.
Not just Bubble Tea? A quick 101 lesson about other fantastic drinks in Taiwan.
Lunch in Hsinchu
If you're up for some tasty old-school Taiwanese food in Hsinchu City, then this place will do you right. Here you're going to get duck, rice, and lots of other Taiwanese dishes that you're almost definitely going to enjoy.
Don't let appearances fool you though, this place is worth going in and checking out.
Their menu Is split into 5 sections:
- Rice and eggs
- 飯類/蛋類 - fàn lèi/dàn lèi
- Cooked food
- 煮類 - zhǔ lèi
- Stir-fried food
- 炒類 - chǎo lèi
- Small plates
- 小菜類 - xiǎo cài lèi
- Meat cut to order
- 切類 - qiè lèi
With duck in the name of the restaurant itself, you should absolutely get some meat cut to order. We went for the boneless duck leg meat 去骨後腿鴨肉 - Qù gǔ hòu tuì yā ròu and easily shared this amongst 4 people in addition to a lunchbox each.
The duck meat is lightly smoked and really juicy. It's cut thick and boasts a great duck flavour throughout. Paired with the pickled cucumber - winner.
The duck lunchbox is the 鴨香飯 - Yā xiāng fàn, and of course we had to add an egg - 加蛋 jiā dàn. The lunchbox comes with some nicely fragranced white rice, plenty of boneless duck, a fried egg, and some pickled cucumber. The duck is lightly smoked, juicy, and full of flavour. Cut very thinly, there was plenty of meat. You will not walk away hungry, that's for sure!
We also had to order a bowl of the stir-fried duck blood 炒鴨血 chǎo yā xuè, because - why not?? Thinly sliced gelatinous duck blood with a strong (yet pleasant) iron flavour, stir fried with green onions, vinegar, and fragrant oil. It's very tasty, but highly rich. You're not going to want lots of this, but I would encourage you to order it, anyway.
城隍廟口甜不辣
This is what food in places like Hsinchu City are all about. Simple, humble, yet delicious. Fish paste that has been shaped into many different ways, boiled up in a flavourful soup, and then slapped with a deep and rich sauce. Get some.
飛龍肉圓
Small pockets of pork with green onion and other bits thrown in there for good measure, encapsulated in these batter balls before they are slowly deep-fried. The only downside if you decide to take these out, is that they are put in a bag. You should eat-in here, as they are delicious!
Sultan Turkish Kitchen
It's not often that in a less touristy spot such as Hsinchu City that you would get a Turkish restaurant. Honestly, I think that Taipei is still missing some top quality Turkish food. Sultain Turkish Kitchen is going to serve you up wraps, sandwiches, special plates, and plenty of drinks such as tea and specialty Turkish coffee. Well worth getting to.
Dessert
Yamada山田麻糬製造所
This place just behind Hsinchu City Train Station specializes in Japanese-style Mochi. Mochi is a Japanese delicacy, and is a chewy and sweet rice cake. Crafted from glutinous rice, it's soft, squishy, and often filled with sweet surprises like red bean paste or ice cream. Mochi's unique texture and delightful flavors have continued to entertain people in Japan for such a long time, but now have begun to make waves in Taiwan, too.
The menu is visually appealing, with plenty of options available. You could get something fruity like grape, strawberry, or mango. Alternatively, you could go for something classic like sesame, peanut, or green tea. More specialty flavours also exist, such as flavoured ice cream or seasonal specialties.
My recommendation would be to point at a few things that you think look good on the menu, after which they will give you a number for you to wait outside. Some are already packaged up and ready to take away immediately, but others may need to be packaged for you then and there. The person in front of me ordered 20 when I first tried it, so I was hopeful that these must be good!
After trying this, we now buy these each time we visit Hsinchu City. Above, you can see the fruit specialty of strawberry with red bean; honey and ice cream with cream cheese and a biscuit; and peanut.
They were all delicious. I had the mango ice cream one in summer (you absolutely must get this!), the strawberry one in winter, and lots of others in-between. They are all excellent. You should do exactly as I am doing - try them all!
Yu. Tarte
Yu.Tart and Yu.Pudding is the business of 2 sisters who specialize in tarts and puddings in Hsinchu City. For a dessert freak like me, what is not to love about that?
I will try to communicate to you just how good these are, but the proof is most definitely in the pudding here. You have to get these.
The crust of the tart is incredible. It's one of those crunchy, crispy, buttery and perfectly balanced tart cases that is excellently thin but similarly thick enough.
Coupled with the seasonal fillings that Yu.Tart and Yu.Pudding bring out on an almost monthly basis, this space really pushes the boundaries of excellently homemade desserts in Taiwan. It's quite shocking that this comes from Hsinchu City, not Taipei. The prices may initially seem quite steep, but trust me when I say that it is absolutely worth every penny, if you can get some.
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