5Miyahara
Central Dist. · Desserts & shaved ice
Yongfangting Zongzi
Long-standingLocal favoriteTakeaway
Verdict80 years on: elephant zongzi with black four-herb soup
An 80-plus-year-old, third-generation shop in Miaodong Night Market. Its stars are the flat, oblong pork zongzi and a 'black' four-herb soup that swaps Job's tears for herbs such as angelica, giving a dark, gently medicinal broth.
Review
Yongfangting Zongzi (its sign also reads Yongfangting Wontons and Zongzi) is one of the most senior stalls in Fengyuan's Miaodong Night Market. Coverage says it began with a vendor selling from a shoulder pole and has run for more than 80 years, now in its third generation. The shop is small and sells only zongzi, wontons and a few four-herb soups, yet it is a familiar name to locals and fills up at mealtimes.
Its best-known item is the zongzi nicknamed the "elephant zongzi" for its flatter, longer shape. The filling is minced pork stir-fried with dried shrimp, fried shallots and pepper, finished with the house sauce; recent articles describe distinct, not mushy grains of rice with a slightly moist stickiness. The other signature is the black four-herb soup: because pregnant women avoid Job's tears, the shop replaced them with more than ten herbs such as angelica, ligusticum, rehmannia and cinnamon twig. The broth is dark, mild and softly herbal, suitable even for children and expectant mothers. You can choose pork tripe, small intestine or trotter; the tripe and intestine are pleasantly chewy, and a bowl runs about NT$50 in recent reports. The wonton soup is clean and sweet, a good pick for anyone who avoids offal.
Diners and media mostly praise the easy-drinking soup, generous offal and savory zongzi sauce, and some recommend adding the house chili sauce. Prices stay at pocket-change level but have crept up, from NT$35 per zongzi in 2018 to NT$40 in 2021 and NT$45 in a recent diner report. Downsides are the tiny space and few seats, with waits at peak times, and some find the zongzi strongly seasoned.
Most recent listings say it stays open until about 10:30 pm and closes on Thursdays, while older articles say it closed at 8 pm, so check before going. Dine-in and takeaway are both possible, and takeaway saves time when it is busy; parking around the market is difficult.
Ideal for anyone curious about a rare black four-herb soup. An elephant zongzi with intestine or tripe soup is the classic local order.
Why go
- The black soup swaps Job's tears for herbs—fine for pregnancy
- Choose tripe, intestine or trotter; about NT$50 lately
- Flat 'elephant' zongzi with dried shrimp and shallot filling
- Add the house chili sauce to the zongzi for a kick
- Skip offal? Order the clean, sweet wonton soup
- Most sources say closed Thursdays—confirm first
What people say
Liked
- The black soup is mild and easy to drink, with plenty of chewy offal
- The elephant zongzi has distinct grains and a savory sauce
- An 80-year shop that still charges pocket-change prices
Complaints
- Tiny shop with few seats, so peak times mean waiting
- Some find the zongzi heavily seasoned
- Hours differ across years of coverage, so it is easy to miss
Summarized from the common views of bloggers, media and diners; not direct quotes.
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Location
台中市豐原區中正路167巷2-12號Directions ↗
Sources
This page is compiled from the articles below and rewritten in our own words. Hours and prices change, so check before you go.
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