Nantun Pork Knuckle Mee Sua

Review

Nantun Pork Knuckle Mee Sua is at No. 702, Sec. 2, Wuquan West Road, near Liming Road, and is one of Nantun's best-known queue-worthy old shops. A blogger guesses it had no name at first and was simply called after the district; online reviews now number in the thousands. Its specialty is white-braised pork knuckle in an angelica broth, a different style from the usual soy-braised knuckle.

The signature pork knuckle mee sua is NT$125, with three or four pieces of knuckle, some on the bone. Several articles describe soft, chewy skin, lean meat with bite that isn't dry, no porky smell and a good balance of fat and lean without greasiness. The angelica is gentle rather than pungent, the broth is light and sweet with a lingering finish, and the noodles keep their bite and soak up the herbal aroma; glass noodles are an option too. The dipping sauce is salty, savory and mildly spicy, and many recommend using it. The NT$115 pork intestine mee sua is piled so high with intestine and tripe that the noodles almost disappear, cut into long strips and cleaned well with no off smell; the NT$65 rice blood cake has a distinct rice texture, and the duck heart in the duck heart soup is crisp and springy.

Most reviews praise the large portions and clean-tasting broth, and feel that prices that look a bit high at first are justified by the volume. The drawbacks are clear as well: the knuckle pieces are big and some find them hard to eat, so ask for them to be cut smaller; portions can be too much for light eaters, as the offal or blood cake alone is filling; and the duck liver has a strong offal taste that not everyone enjoys. The knuckle bowl has risen from about NT$100 in 2020 to NT$125 now.

There's usually a line from opening time, and lunch is busiest — one diner reported getting a number around 30. Seating is split into two areas: the original one by the kitchen is more cluttered, while the other is for dining only and tidier. Staff are few, so you return your own bowls. Street parking is hard to find and the lot next door often fills at lunch. Hours are listed as 10:30–20:30 by one source and until 21:30 by another; sources differ, so check before you go.

Ideal for anyone who wants a light angelica-style noodle soup without heaviness. The pork knuckle mee sua is the safest first order; two people can split an intestine mee sua or rice blood cake as well. To dodge the crowds, arrive at opening or avoid the noon rush.