Taichung Meatball

Review

Taichung Meatball was founded in 1933 on Section 3 of Fuxing Road in the South District and is now in its third generation. About a 10-minute walk from Taichung Station, it is a cheap, familiar old shop for locals. It first entered the Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2021 and has stayed on the list since. The name uses an unusual character for the word meatball, and there is a story behind it: according to reports, registering the standard name Taichung Meatball might have raised monopoly concerns because so many shops sell the dish, so the owners swapped in a different character, which became part of the brand.

The menu has only three items: meatballs, fish ball soup and glass noodle soup. Reports describe the ba-wan as slow-cooked by poaching in low-temperature oil, with a thin, soft, chewy skin around a whole chunk of pork seasoned with pepper and five-spice, topped with a white sweet sauce and thick soy sauce for a balanced sweet-savoury taste; spice lovers can add the house chilli sauce on the table. The fish ball soup has three fish balls with a slight crunch in a light, sweet broth scented with fried shallots and celery, and many people use it to finish and refresh the palate. A meatball is NT$50 and a soup NT$35, so one set fills you up.

Many long-time customers say they have eaten here since childhood and that the Michelin listing is well deserved, and bloggers praise the fish ball soup as just as much a signature as the meatball. On the other hand, the owner is low-profile and rarely gives interviews, so detailed information online is scarce, and sources differ on details such as opening time.

There is often a queue at the door, but tables turn over quickly and you usually get a seat after a short wait. Michelin notes cash only, air-conditioning and occasional irregular closures; sources give the opening time as either 10:30 or 11:00, so call ahead. Dine-in was suspended during the pandemic, but both dine-in and takeaway are available now.

It suits travellers on a budget who want to try Taichung-style ba-wan. Stroll over from Taichung Station and order one meatball with a bowl of fish ball soup, the classic combination, and add a glass noodle soup if you are still hungry.