Golden Formosa

Review

Golden Formosa sits at No. 101 Tianmu East Road. The MICHELIN Guide traces this family name to Beitou in the 1950s, where it first served rich banquet-house dishes meant to go with drinks. The third-generation chef now runs the kitchen with the family recipes, and the 2026 guide keeps its one star, making it the most representative Taiwanese restaurant in the Shilin and Tianmu area and a regular on media lists of must-eat Taiwanese food in Taipei.

The signature crispy pork ribs use belly-side ribs from Taiwanese pigs; MICHELIN describes frying them twice at two oil temperatures so the crust is crisp while the meat stays juicy, and a blogger recorded three pieces for NT$280, a dish almost every table orders. The mullet roe fried rice has separate grains, plenty of wok aroma and a generous scatter of diced roe. Other favourites include pan-fried pork liver, sour cabbage with intestines, pumpkin rice noodles and salted winter melon clam soup, while the red crab sticky rice must be ordered ahead. Portions are large, so it suits group dining.

Praise centres on authentic flavours, fast service and attentive staff, and many feel prices are fair for a starred restaurant, with the ribs and pork liver most often named. Critics find some dishes too salty or heavy, a few think the fame outweighs the food, and it is not cheap for an everyday meal; one blogger also found the crab rice less fragrant than hoped.

A blogger lists hours of 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., closed Mondays and Tuesdays, while Google shows weekday lunch ending at 2 p.m.; sources differ, so check before you go. Phone reservations are needed, as even weekday lunches fill up. Set banquet menus start at NT$6,800 and private rooms have a minimum spend. There is street parking nearby, or take a bus or transfer from MRT Zhishan Station.

Good for family meals with elders, treating visiting friends to classic Taiwanese cooking, or trying a starred restaurant on a moderate budget. Two people can share the ribs, the mullet roe fried rice and a vegetable; groups of four or more can add pork liver, sour cabbage with intestines and a soup. Expect about NT$600 to NT$1,000 per person.