5Miyahara
Central Dist. · Desserts & shaved ice
Jia Jia Le Ba-wan
Long-standingLate nightWorth the queue
VerdictOld-school ba-wan by Jenn Lann Temple, chewy or crispy
A 50-year-old ba-wan shop on Jianggong Rd., about a 3-minute walk from Jenn Lann Temple. Choose chewy or crispy-skin ba-wan with pork blood or bitter melon soup. Open late and often has a queue.
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Review
Jia Jia Le Ba-wan is at No. 166, Jianggong Road in Dajia, about a three-minute walk from Jenn Lann Temple. It's a ba-wan (Taiwanese meatball dumpling) shop with more than fifty years of history in the Jianggong Road food district, has appeared on several food programs, and often has a line on weekdays and weekends alike — one of the most recommended budget snacks for anyone visiting Dajia's temple.
There are two styles. The chewy-skin ba-wan has a fairly thick, springy skin, topped with a sweet-savory peanut sauce and peanut powder for a retro flavor. The crispy-skin version is the chewy one deep-fried for about six more minutes: golden and crunchy outside, turning chewier as you eat, and it looks a little bigger too. Both are filled with whole pieces of marinated pork and diced bamboo shoot rather than ground meat. The sauce is on the bold side without being too salty, and the owner recommends the homemade chili sauce. There are six soups; the bitter melon pork soup is light, fragrant with chives and only mildly bitter, a nice foil to the fried ba-wan.
Prices vary by source: Supertaste lists the chewy ba-wan at NT$55 and crispy at NT$60, while a 2025 blog post lists the traditional one at NT$50, crispy at NT$55 and soups at NT$35–45, so go by the prices on site. Several writers prefer the crispy version but warn it loses its crunch as takeout, so eat it there while hot. Complaints are few, mostly about crowds and waiting.
Opening time is given as either 10:00 or 10:30, and it stays open until 1 a.m.; no closing day has been reported, but check before you go. Crispy ba-wan are fried to order, so they take longer, usually arriving within about ten minutes. Weekends almost always mean a line, and weekdays can be busy too. There's indoor and outdoor seating; sources don't mention parking.
Ideal for anyone making a pilgrimage to Dajia or browsing the Jianggong Road night market who wants a snack. Two people can order one chewy and one crispy to compare, plus a bowl of bitter melon pork soup — and if you want the crispy one, eat in.
Why go
- About a three-minute walk from Jenn Lann Temple
- Crispy ba-wan is the chewy one fried about six more minutes
- Filled with whole pork pieces and diced bamboo shoot
- Bitter melon pork soup cuts the richness
- Eat crispy ones in-house; they go soft as takeout
- Open until 1 a.m.; expect weekend lines
What people say
Liked
- Crispy outside and chewy inside, better with every bite
- Whole-pork filling with a smooth sweet-savory peanut sauce
- Open late, so it's there whenever your temple visit ends
Complaints
- Weekends nearly always mean a line, and crispy ones take longer
- Crispy ba-wan lose their crunch as takeout
- Prices and opening time differ between sources
Summarized from the common views of bloggers, media and diners; not direct quotes.
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Location
台中市大甲區蔣公路166號Directions ↗
Sources
This page is compiled from the articles below and rewritten in our own words. Hours and prices change, so check before you go.
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