Shang Hao Chi Beef Soup

Review

Shang Hao Chi Beef Soup is on Section 1 of Beian Road in the North District, some distance from the busy sightseeing areas, and its regulars are mostly neighbours and office workers. It was named a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2024 and is still on the 2025 list, but the crowds are steadier than at the downtown favourites, which makes it a go-to for many locals.

The signature beef soup is a clear broth simmered from beef bones and brisket, with a distinct sweetness. Slices of fresh, never-chilled beef are cooked in the broth until just pink and served tender. Every beef soup comes with a bowl of braised-pork rice, made glossy and rich with skin-on pork and peanuts, and some diners mention that you can help yourself to more rice and pork sauce. There are also stir-fries priced at roughly NT$50 to NT$200.

Fans praise the sweet, clean broth and fresh meat, and say the rice makes the breakfast filling without the long queues of tourist hot spots. Critics think it is pricier than other famous beef-soup shops, with a small bowl at NT$150, and some who compare it with rivals find it merely average and would not make a special trip back.

Sources disagree on the hours: some say 3 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., others 4 a.m. to noon, with possible extra evening hours on Fridays and Saturdays. Most list Tuesday as the day off, so check before you go. Office workers arrive after 7 or 8 a.m., so come early for the most tender beef. Street parking on Beian Road is relatively easy to find.

It suits anyone who wants an authentic breakfast beef soup without jostling with tourists, and travellers staying in the North District or passing by car. Order a small beef soup with the included braised-pork rice, then add a large bowl or a stir-fry if you are still hungry. When the beef arrives, sip the broth first, eat the meat, and finish by dipping it in ginger strips with sweet soy paste.