Fengshan Old Shop Pan-Fried Buns

Review

Fengshan Old Shop Pan-Fried Buns sits at the corner of Weixin Road beside Fengshan First Market, only a few doors from the salty rice-noodle shop. When a blogger covered it, it had nearly sixty years of history and was run by the second generation, still hand-wrapping and pan-frying to order. Inside the cart, roles are clear: one rolls dough, one fills, one tends the pan and one takes orders and cash. It is a veteran snack of the Fengshan market area.

There is just one flavor. The filling is mainly cabbage and minced pork, plump and juicy, lightly seasoned so the vegetable's sweetness comes through. The bottoms are fried golden and crunch audibly, and one reviewer noted both sides are fried, which is less common. Soy sauce with sesame oil, chili sauce and sweet chili sauce sit on the side, and the sesame oil lifts the aroma. Per the blog, each bun cost NT$10, though that was 2021 data.

Reviewers mostly call it cheap and tasty, crispy and piping hot straight from the pan, with crisp sweet seasonal cabbage, a classic coin-priced snack. Some feel it has lost the handmade flavor of the old owner and rate it more cautiously; others complain about unclear queuing at peak times and uneven service. It is still seen as a signature snack at the market entrance.

The blog says daily 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., while online listings show Tuesday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with Sundays and Mondays off, so check before going. There is a queue at noon but service is fast, so waits are usually short. Prices may have risen, so bring small change. Car parking is hard; pair it with the rice-noodle shop and the First Market.

It suits market strollers wanting a snack and anyone on a tight budget. Buy two or three and eat them hot, first plain and then with sesame-oil soy sauce; if you avoid spice, pick the sweet chili sauce. For a full meal, add rice noodles next door or a soup from the market.