Chou Family Scallion Pancake

Review

Chou Family Scallion Pancake is on Xin 2nd Road in Keelung's Zhongzheng District, a breakfast shop that has been running for more than 50 years and opens at 4:30 a.m. every day. Supertaste describes it as having queues daily in downtown Keelung, and many longtime customers say the taste hasn't changed since childhood. It is also one of the breakfast spots most often recommended to visitors.

The signature pancake is first fried on a griddle and then baked in an oven, making it thicker than the usual version, crisp outside and chewy inside, with generous scallions. Many add a runny fried egg on top, letting the yolk soak into the pancake. Supertaste's 2019 listing shows the pancake at NT$17, egg crepe at NT$27, and soy milk and black tea at NT$15 each; prices may have risen since, so check on site.

Praise focuses on the thick, crisp pancake and fresh, juicy scallions, with the egg-topped version hailed by many as a Keelung breakfast classic, and food comes out fast. Complaints include long waits for something some found ordinary, hurried staff, a strong smell of cooking oil and poor ventilation, and soy milk some find too sweet with little bean flavour.

Hours are roughly 4:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., extended to about 1 p.m. on weekends, closed Mondays. The peak is 7 to 9 a.m., so go earlier to queue less. The shop is basic with no English menu; just point at what others are eating. It's about a 15-minute walk from Keelung Station, and parking nearby is hard to find.

It suits early risers, anyone after an authentic Taiwanese breakfast, and those who explored Miaokou the night before and want breakfast on the way. A scallion pancake with egg plus soy milk or black tea comes to under about NT$100; if you like stronger flavours, ask for sauce brushed on.