Lao Pai Zhou Roast Pork Rice (Sanmin Street Main Store)

Review

Lao Pai Zhou Roast Pork Rice is on Sanmin Street in Sanmin Market and is one of Kaohsiung's best-known old roast pork rice names. Food media say it was founded in 1972, while blog posts mention thirty or thirty-five years, so sources differ. Shops of the same name now appear on Jianxing Road in Sanmin and in Fengshan; this Sanmin Street shop is the one usually called the main store.

The signature uses pork loin marinated in the house sauce, grilled over charcoal and laid on white rice. The sauce is sweet and savory with a light smoky note, and the rice is on the firm side. Besides roast pork rice there is braised pork rice and minced pork rice, soups such as fish maw, clam and miso, and the common trio of braised egg, tofu and meatball.

Positive reviews highlight well-seasoned pork, a sauce that keeps you coming back for another bite, and quick service, ideal for a fast solo meal. There are plenty of complaints too: some find the meat sparse and vegetables few, feel value has slipped after recent price rises, or got dry slices. Opinions are split, so treat it as a taste of an old flavor.

Hours are about 10:40 to 20:30. Reports say it closes on the 17th day of each lunar month, like other stalls in Sanmin Market, so check before going. A 2019 report put roast pork rice at NT$40 a bowl, but prices shared by diners recently are clearly higher; go by the menu on site. It is cash only; order and pay first, then sit. Takeaway is available.

It suits anyone exploring Sanmin Market or Sanfeng Central Street who wants an affordable old-school meal, or office workers who like to eat quickly. Order roast pork rice with miso soup plus the braised trio; big eaters can choose a large bowl, and those who want more meat can ask whether extra is possible.