Beidou Ba-wan Zhan

Review

Beidou Ba-wan Zhan is a small single-story roadside building on Zhongzheng Road next to the Beidou township office, away from the tourist crowds on Zhonghua Road, so it is easy to miss. Smile Taiwan wrote that when many Beidou locals are asked which shop they grew up eating at, Zhan is the first name they give. Public Television reported that it received the top rating of three bowls on the third '500 Bowls' list in 2025, an honor given to only five of the more than four hundred shops listed nationwide.

The owner explained in an interview that ba-wan in Changhua City are usually round, while Beidou's are triangular and carry finger marks. Here the ba-wan are fried until springy, with fried shallots worked into the skin for a slight crunch, and the filling is fresh pork with bamboo shoots, the meat minced fairly fine. A Supertaste blogger noted a strong black pepper flavor, and the house sauce has a gentle kick. The shop sells only ba-wan and soups, and the mixed soup sprinkled with chopped celery pairs best with the bold-flavored ba-wan. Cilantro is normally left off and only added in winter.

Diners mostly praise the authentic taste and call it a nostalgic local flavor; one customer said their grandfather often brought them here as a child, and fans of strong flavors love it. Others point out that the skin is not the soft, chewy kind but crisper and a little oily, quite different from other shops, so it comes down to personal taste.

A 2023 blog post listed NT$20 per piece and NT$40 per portion, with fish ball soup, tofu soup and mixed soup at NT$15 each; check current prices on site. Opening time is given as 9 or 9:30 a.m., closing around 6 p.m., and no fixed closing day was found. Weekend mornings bring a steady stream of customers. Gift boxes of raw and fried ba-wan can be shipped, and you can also buy raw ba-wan to heat at home.

It suits anyone who wants the authentic local version away from the main-street crowds. Order a portion of ba-wan with the mixed soup, and if you like cilantro, visit in winter to get it with the garnish.