Sanjiao Street Teahouse (Nantun Original)

Review

The original Nantun branch of Sanjiao Street Teahouse sits where Wanhe Road Section 1 meets Nantun Road Section 2, an area once called Sanjiao Street, a few steps from Wanhe Temple. It occupies an old building with a Baroque-style façade that was originally a cloth shop, later turned into a teahouse by the owner's daughter; sources disagree on the year (1991 or 2002), and a 2024 report says it has been open for more than twenty years. It is one of the few places on the old street where you can sit down for tea or a proper meal.

The teahouse turns mahuan (jute leaf), a Nantun crop, into a range of drinks. Mahuan almond tea is NT$75, with almond more prominent than mahuan and puffed rice on top for texture; the mahuan milk slush is NT$130, a large cup blended with milk that has the strongest mahuan flavour and is often recommended to first-timers; mahuan tea is intensely grassy with a sweet aftertaste and is likened to a Taiwanese matcha, and there is also a mahuan au lait that softens the bitterness with milk. Snacks include triangle dumplings and pig's blood rice cake, while meals include braised pork or pork chop sets (with braised sides, greens and purple rice), noodles, small hot pots and vegetarian options.

Diners often say the mahuan drinks have hardly any bitterness, which changes their view of this traditional ingredient; the pig's blood rice cake is soft rather than hard and frequently recommended. The space feels warm and nostalgic, staff greet guests with welcome home, the owner happily explains the menu, and lunchtime is often full. On the other side, one blogger found the triangle dumplings chewy and savoury but left a slightly sour taste in the mouth, and some feel the ordinary tea drinks are much like those at chain shops, with the mahuan series being the real draw.

Sources differ on hours, roughly opening at 9:00 or 10:00 and closing at 21:00 or 22:00, and the menu changes often, so check the shop's social page before going. The room is small and weekend lunches may mean a wait. The old street is narrow, so drivers should park at the Wanhe Temple car park or the Nantun Elementary School underground car park and walk over.

It suits anyone tired from walking Nantun Old Street, curious about mahuan, or looking for a simple vegetarian meal. On a first visit, order the mahuan milk slush if you fear bitterness or the mahuan tea for the pure flavour, with a pig's blood rice cake on the side.