Lao Zheng Xing Golden Scallion Pancake

Review

Lao Zheng Xing sits on Zili 2nd Road in Qianjin District and focuses on handmade northern Chinese wheat dishes, with media noting that a chef from a star-rated hotel runs the kitchen. The scallion pancake is the headline item, yet the soup dumplings are just as famous, so fans joke that it is a dumpling shop held back by its pancakes. The shop is small, and locals queue for takeaway from opening.

The golden scallion pancake is deep-fried until crisp yet chewy, and a big handful of fresh scallions goes on at the counter. The xiaolongbao have many pleats and a filling of fresh pork with broth made from chicken bones, tasty enough without dipping sauce, while the shrimp dumplings have springy skins, plenty of yellow chives and a whole shrimp inside. Pork and beef wraps with pickled greens and cucumber, plus radish pastries, round out the menu.

Diners praise the pancake for not being greasy and the dumplings for their juiciness, with some singling out the beef version, and the family running it is warm and helpful even with non-Chinese speakers using translation apps. Complaints mainly concern the very few seats, meaning takeaway when it is busy; the popular radish pastries and frozen pancakes often sell out before noon, and cooking to order means a short wait.

Media list hours as 11:00 to 19:00 daily, while current map listings show a 10:00 opening, so check before you go. Recent reports put the golden scallion pancake at NT$60, the xiaolongbao at NT$90 and the shrimp dumplings at NT$90; the dumplings were NT$80 in 2022, so prices may change again. To avoid waiting, phone your order ahead and pick it up.

It suits anyone wanting affordable northern snacks or something to take back to the hotel for a late bite. First-timers should share a golden scallion pancake and a basket of xiaolongbao between two; bigger appetites can add shrimp dumplings or a beef wrap. If you want frozen pancakes as gifts, come in the morning.