Zai Fa Hao Century-Old Zongzi

Review

Zai Fa Hao is on Section 2 of Minquan Road, within walking distance of Chihkan Tower. A 2020 report said it had been open for 148 years, and recent coverage says its zongzi have been made for over 150 years, making it one of the century-old zongzi shops most often named in Tainan. The shop keeps its old layout and still puts zongzi center stage, alongside a few side dishes and soups, and draws plenty of visitors from elsewhere in Taiwan and abroad.

The best known item is the special eight-treasure zongzi, reported at NT$170 each and packed with ingredients; descriptions commonly mention salted egg yolk, braised pork belly, shiitake and nuts. It is a southern boiled-style zongzi, with soft, sticky rice that soaks up the filling's flavor. Regular pork zongzi are cheaper and good for a first taste, and diners also recommend the milkfish dishes, fish ball soup, braised eggs and osmanthus tea as companions.

Praise mostly says the eight-treasure zongzi is generously and solidly filled with a strong old-fashioned flavor; it is pricey, but one is filling, and an English menu makes ordering easy for foreign visitors. Criticism includes the high price of the eight-treasure version, which divides opinion on value, and some find the flavor merely decent or the soft texture of southern zongzi not to their taste, feeling the tourist fame outweighs the surprise.

Hours are about 10:00 to 20:00. Map listings show Tuesdays off, but the main reports do not mention a closing day, so check before you go. Mealtimes and the run-up to the Dragon Boat Festival are busiest; if you want takeaway or frozen delivery, call ahead. Parking around Minquan Road and Chihkan Tower is difficult, so walk. Sources do not mention payment methods, so cash is the safer option.

It suits anyone who wants Tainan's signature zongzi or is curious about a century-old shop, and makes a light meal after visiting Chihkan Tower. Solo diners can order a regular pork zongzi with a bowl of soup; two or three people can share one special eight-treasure zongzi and add milkfish or fish ball soup. For something refreshing afterward, add an osmanthus tea.