Opensmile Braised Pork

Review

Opensmile Braised Pork sits at No. 441 Zhuangjing Road in Xinyi District, not far from the Elephant Mountain trail, and puts Taiwanese braised pork at the centre of everything it does. Its popularity has grown fast in recent years, and when the 2026 MICHELIN Guide Taiwan was announced it joined the Bib Gourmand list for the first time. Coverage of the new entries singled out its braised pork, red-braised pork belly and fried braised pork chop, making an already busy shop even harder to get into.

The signature braised pork rice uses a mix of fatty and lean pork simmered slowly; media describe the meat as tender and springy with a balanced sweet-savoury taste. A small bowl is NT$40, with bonito flakes or coriander available as extras. The red-braised pork belly rice costs NT$250 and comes with a drink, the belly layered with fat and lean and rich in aroma. The braised pork chop, NT$280 and limited each day, is roughly enough for two and stays moist. There are also scallion-oil chicken, mouth-watering chicken and several side dishes, and the NT$30 runny fried egg is often praised.

Praise centres on well-seasoned pork, a beautiful soft egg and a clean dining room, and some foreign visitors make it their lunch after hiking Elephant Mountain. Complaints focus on salty seasoning, plain rice that turns dry because the pork belly comes without sauce, and prices higher than a typical braised pork rice shop; some also feel the wait is not worth it.

Online listings show roughly 11:30–14:30 and 17:30–20:30 daily, but sources differ, so check before you go. You order by QR code and pay at the counter, and a blogger notes it is cash only. Seating is tight, tables hold up to four, and solo diners often sit at the window counter. Dinner peaks can mean a 40-minute to one-hour wait, and popular items may sell out late in the evening.

It suits anyone after a refined take on braised pork rice, or hikers looking for a meal after Elephant Mountain. On a first visit, get a small braised pork rice with a fried egg, then share a pork belly or pork chop; if you are sensitive to salt, add blanched greens to balance it and try to avoid the dinner rush.