Wang Family Local Beef Offal Soup

Review

Wang Family Local Beef Offal Soup is tucked into the food section of Chiayi's East Market. Supertaste reports that it has operated since the 1920s and is now in its fourth generation, nearly a century old, and some call it Mama Wang's after the owner. The East Market is one of Chiayi's oldest traditional markets, and this stall is a must-stop breakfast for many locals and tourists browsing it.

The stall uses locally raised beef slaughtered that day, with the offal cleaned meticulously. Heart, kidney, liver, tripe and beef are blanched to order, and a pour of hot broth turns the beef a rosy pink. The broth is clear and sweet with a note of ginger, and a dip of soy paste mixed with sweet chilli sauce sits on the table. According to Supertaste, beef offal soup is NT$150 and beef tendon soup NT$200, served with rice, and insiders can order a mixed blanched platter.

Fans praise the fresh ingredients with no gaminess, the clean broth and the iron kettle that lets you top up your own soup, plus tendons that are gelatinous and tender. Complaints mention prices that are high for a market breakfast, a stall that is hard to find and long queues. At peak times it gets smoky and seating is cramped, and some find the auntie who manages the crowd rather blunt.

It opens from about 6 a.m. to 1 p.m., closed Mondays, with the day off shifted on long holidays. Expect to wait around twenty minutes when busy, and some items may sell out if you come late; blanched beef slices toughen if left, so eat them while hot. There are paid car parks nearby, but scooters crowd the narrow aisles, so walking or cycling is easier.

Great for offal lovers and travellers who want a traditional market brunch, ideally combined with an early stroll through the East Market. First-timers can order beef offal soup with rice, while fans of gelatinous textures should get the tendon soup. Two people can each order different cuts to share, then pick up sticky rice or meat rolls from neighbouring stalls.