Shiding Head Bone Meat Old Shop

Review

Shiding Head Bone Meat Old Shop is at No. 20, Section 1, Jing'an Road, in Bafenliao next to Shiding Elementary School, about five minutes from the Shiding interchange. Bunnyann reports that it opened in 1936, was first run by an elderly woman and is now in the hands of her grandson, the third generation. Supertaste, introducing Shiding Old Street food, says it has been running for about ninety years with weekend queues, and its TV programme has also featured it as a hidden gem of greater Taipei.

The signature is heibaiqie, sliced pork cuts. The shop uses Taiwanese black pigs, and you can order head bone meat, heart, lung, liver, cheek, uterus and small intestine; the head bone meat has a good balance of lean, fat and connective tissue and a tender, bouncy texture. Staples include cut noodles in pork-bone broth, dry noodles and minced pork rice with pickled cucumber, plus braised large intestine and braised tofu, mostly cooked on the spot. The menu is written on the wall, reports call the prices friendly, and ifoodie puts average spend at a little over NT$100.

Fans praise the fresh, clean pork with no gaminess, the light broth that is not over-salted, and the simple yet satisfying dry noodles and cut noodles; some especially recommend the salted pork and blanched liver. Complaints are mostly about the setting: the shop is basic with few seats and crowded at peak times, and parking is hard; diners warn not to park in front and block residents' doorways, and suggest the white-lined roadside spaces nearby.

Sources differ on hours: some list 7 or 8 a.m. to 7 or 7:30 p.m., closed Mondays, while others show Tuesdays and Wednesdays closed too, and on busy days it may close early once food runs out, so check before going. There are roughly five or six tables up to eight small ones, and when it is busy you queue outside; the bone meat can sell out if you come late, so arrive early. Behind the shop you can see the river and mountain mist, a nice spot to pause after eating.

Good for lovers of Taiwanese sliced pork cuts who want an old-fashioned brunch, and for anyone passing through Shiding or Pingxi on a day out. First-timers should order a plate of head bone meat with one or two other cuts, and choose cut noodles or dry noodles with minced pork rice; three or four small plates fill two people. Arriving before noon is safest.