Liu Family Zongzi (Fuji Flagship)

Review

Liu Family Zongzi is one of the North Coast's best-known zongzi brands. Supertaste says it has more than forty years of history: it began as a stall outside the Eighteen Lords Temple in Shimen, grew into a Shimen speciality and is called the forefather of Shimen zongzi. To serve more customers it set up a central kitchen and several branches, and the Fuji shop on Kanzijiao Road is described in reports as the Fuji flagship; it is also the branch with the most online reviews.

The shop sells both northern and southern zongzi. Northern ones are filled with stir-fried ingredients and then steamed for a fragrant, chewy bite; southern ones are wrapped with raw rice and boiled for a softer texture; there is also red bean paste zongzi. Supertaste notes Hualien round glutinous rice, shiitake and peanuts, with no preservatives. According to Bunnyann, large pork zongzi start at NT$45, small ones are NT$23, salted egg yolk zongzi NT$70 and the classic signature NT$95; NOWnews weighed a traditional large zongzi at about 155 g, NT$45 each or four for NT$170.

Fans praise the fragrant, chewy rice and consistent flavour, and say it is easy to grab a string on a North Coast day trip; many also recommend the four-herb soup and agar jelly. Critics find the signature zongzi ordinary and poor value, pricier than nearby zongzi shops, and some customers report occasionally getting zongzi that tasted reheated; one blogger also suggests comparing with other zongzi shops nearby.

Online listings show roughly 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. at weekends; sources differ slightly, so check before going. There is parking near the entrance, several mobile payment options and an accessible toilet. On the ground floor you can watch staff wrap zongzi through glass, and upstairs has sea-facing seats. Weekends are busy, and the queue before the Dragon Boat Festival can take an hour.

Good for anyone on a North Coast drive who wants the local speciality, or wants zongzi to take home as gifts. First-timers can order one northern and one southern zongzi to compare textures, plus a bowl of four-herb soup; for takeaway, the four-pack of large pork zongzi is handy. Freeze any you cannot finish and steam them again at home.