Chen Mama Red Bean Cakes

Review

Chen Mama Red Bean Cakes sets up under the arcade of a home at No. 92 Xingda Road in the West District, with a blue tricycle cart as its shopfront. Supertaste calls it a thirty-year-old local stall with a queue, and blogger Bunny Ann describes it as a locals' recommendation that draws crowds on weekdays and weekends alike. It is some distance from the busy Wenhua Road, so buyers are mostly neighbors and people who come specially.

Flavors include red bean, taro, sweet potato, chocolate, peanut and custard, as well as savory vegetable and greens fillings; the vegetable filling holds cabbage and preserved radish, a less common choice. The blogger describes the red bean filling as smooth and moderately sweet, with generous fillings and a lightly crisp shell, while the Supertaste writer's top pick was the custard and also liked the greens. On price, sources differ: Supertaste wrote NT$8 each in 2024, while a more recent blog and another roundup say NT$10, the same for every flavor.

Fans praise the low price, full fillings and wide choice, and many buy a big bag to share with family, seeing it as a very local afternoon snack. Critics have run into an unclear queue order and an impatient tone from the owner, needing to call out their flavors themselves; others find the shell thick or occasionally over-browned, or feel it is a good cheap snack but not worth a detour.

Online listings show hours of about 12:30 to 5:45 p.m., though some sources say until 5 p.m. or until sold out; check before you go. Buying is semi-self-service: cakes sit on racks by flavor, you pick with a paper bag and tongs, and ask the owner for flavors not on the rack. It is busy and closes when sold out, so come early in the afternoon. Only brief stops are possible at the door, so a scooter is easiest.

Good for anyone who loves old-fashioned street snacks and wants to try many flavors for pocket change. First-timers can take one red bean and one custard, plus a savory vegetable cake to compare; families can buy around ten at once. NT$10 to NT$100 per person is plenty. There is a related family stall nearby, so look for the one at No. 92 Xingda Road.