Ying Wang Meatball

Review

Ying Wang Meatball is at No. 350, Section 2, Yanping Road in Hsinchu's Xiangshan District, at the mouth of a lane beside the air force base and about a ten-plus-minute drive from downtown. The MICHELIN Guide says it was founded in 1962 and still preps from a three-wheeled cart, and the 2026 Taiwan guide includes it in its Hsinchu City selection. Several Hsinchu food lists by the blogger Bunny Ann include it too, calling it a popular old shop by the base.

The signature meatball follows the oil-poached method common in Hsinchu. MICHELIN says the skin is made from rice flour and sweet potato starch for a springy bite, while the filling is pork front leg marinated in red yeast rice, topped with sweet chilli sauce, thick soy paste and garlic, balancing sweet and savoury with a strong garlic note. Bunny Ann puts two at NT$45, a very friendly price. The other signature is house-made sausage from evenly marbled hind leg, stuffed and grilled to order with clear spice and wine aromas; the guide suggests asking for it whole to keep the juices. Pork rib soup and fish ball soup are common partners.

Fans say the charcoal-grilled sausage is smoky, coarse and juicy, the raw garlic is sharp and perfect with it, the meatball skin is chewy and the filling fragrant, and the soups are clean; many buy frozen packs to take home. Critics are not used to the sweet chilli sauce and find it too sweet, and at peak times you queue for a table before ordering, with heavy weekend crowds.

According to online information, it opens roughly 10:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and is closed on Wednesdays, so confirm before going. MICHELIN notes cash only and air-conditioning. For dine-in, you wait for a table and then order; takeaway and frozen packs are also popular. There is street parking near the door, but weekends are busy, so avoid high noon.

It suits anyone after a MICHELIN-listed snack, or travellers heading to or from the Xiangshan coast and Nanliao. Two people can share two orders of meatballs, one whole sausage and a bowl of pork rib soup, with raw garlic alongside the sausage; take frozen meatballs home if you like them. Expect about NT$80 to NT$150 per person.