Wai'an Gua Bao (Fuqi Breakfast)

Review

Wai'an Gua Bao, also called Fuqi Breakfast, is in the Wai'an fishing village at the southern tip of Xiyu Township, and it is a well-known breakfast stop on the Xiyu loop. Supertaste notes that a line often forms at the door in the morning, and Trip.com and Yam Travel list it as a Xiyu must-eat. Many visitors drive out to Wai'an early, eat here, then visit the harbor and lighthouse.

Its hallmark is swapping the usual white gua bao bun for a brown sugar steamed bun, filled with braised pork belly, pickled mustard greens and fried egg. The bun has a gentle sweetness that contrasts with the savory, tender pork, and the portion is solid and filling. The shop also sells brown sugar buns with a molten center and Chinese and Western breakfasts. A 2020 Yam Travel review listed a gua bao at NT$50; check current prices on site.

Fans praise the well-balanced pork belly that melts in the mouth and the fluffy, cloud-like brown sugar bun, with the pickled greens keeping it from feeling heavy; some go straight back for a second one. Complaints mention queues and long waits, a bun some find too sweet compared with the classic white version, staff who can seem curt, and prices that are not cheap despite the large portion.

Online listings show it opening around 7 a.m. and closing at 5 p.m. on most days, possibly at noon on Mondays and Wednesdays, while older articles say it opened at 5 a.m.; sources differ, so confirm before you go. The pork belly may sell out at busy times, so go in the morning. Wai'an is at the southern tip of Xiyu, about forty minutes to an hour by car from Magong, with brief roadside parking at the door.

It suits travelers starting a Xiyu loop early who want an unusual breakfast. One gua bao is plenty for one person; big eaters can add a molten brown sugar bun for the road. If you prefer white buns, try one first before ordering more. Afterward, explore Wai'an Harbor, Wenwang Temple and the fried snack stalls nearby.