Tsai Family Oyster Fritters

Review

Tsai Family Oyster Fritters is at No. 453 Gongyuan Road in the North District, an old fritter stall that opens only in the afternoon and specialises in the oyster fritters Tainan people eat as a snack. The shop is small and the whole business runs on a single wok of oil. It has plenty of local regulars and often appears on North District food lists.

The fritters are fried to order in a thin batter that turns crisp enough to crunch audibly. Inside they are packed with cabbage and chives that stay crunchy, along with plump, sweet oysters, so they taste good without any sauce. The extra-oyster version costs NT$10 more and has noticeably more oysters. The cheap savoury rice cakes and brown-sugar rice cakes are popular add-ons.

Diners widely praise the generous fillings, clean-tasting oil and lack of greasiness, as well as the friendly owner. The main complaint is waiting: with only one wok, the queue can be long when it is busy. Some also say the vegetables are loose and fall out after a few bites, and there are very few seats.

It opens roughly 14:30 to 19:00, though older listings say it closed at 17:30, and it shuts once sold out. It is closed Mondays, and some sources say Wednesdays too, so check before you go. If you dislike queuing, phone ahead to order and then pick up. Seats are scarce, so most people take away; street parking on Gongyuan Road is hard, so a scooter is easiest.

It suits anyone looking for a local Tainan snack in the afternoon, or wanting fritters to take back to the hotel for later. First-timers should order the NT$50 extra-oyster fritter plus a NT$15 savoury rice cake and a NT$25 brown-sugar rice cake, three flavours for under NT$100 per person. Eat them hot for maximum crunch.