Chen Yun Pao Chuan

Review

Chen Yun Pao Chuan comes from the Pao Chuan pastry family of Fengyuan. In 2013 the fourth generation took over a loss-making shop on Ziyou Road and relaunched it under the name of the founder, Chen Yun; No. 36, Section 2 of Ziyou Road is now the flagship. Sources disagree on when the family business began, citing either 1894 or 1908. About half a century ago the third generation, Chen Tseng-hsiung, created the mini mooncake by borrowing Japanese wagashi techniques. The brand has won a Taichung souvenir award and exports to the United States, Canada, Germany, Australia and elsewhere.

Its sun cake is lower in sugar and smaller, with a flakier butter crust; a shopping site lists the gift box version as malt-filled with a butter crust, suitable for lacto-ovo vegetarians, and keeping about 45 days at room temperature. The mini mooncake contains butter, white kidney bean paste and rum, and the shop is billed as its originator. Yu Tanba combines fresh cheese and red bean with a Taiwanese flaky crust and has won a Japanese wagashi award. In October 2025 the shop launched a one-bite sun cake about 3 cm across, roughly the size of a macaron, with a milky filling, designed to be eaten in one go without crumbs.

Coverage mostly focuses on the brand's reinvention and innovation, praising how it has refined old-style pastries and made them easy to share. Consumer reviews that actually compare taste are scarce, however, and most of what exists is brand coverage. Price data is also dated: a 2022 report listed a sun cake at NT$28 and a mini mooncake at NT$57, and prices may have changed, so check before you go.

The flagship stays open until 9:30pm, offers sun cake samples, and was renovated in 2025 alongside the new product. There is also a branch in the Taichung Station mall, handy before catching a train. The gift packaging is refined, and the 10-piece macadamia milk candy with agar, about NT$420, is another popular souvenir. Sources do not mention parking or payment methods.

It suits anyone buying for elders or clients who cares about presentation. On a first visit, taste the sun cake sample and then build a gift box with mini mooncakes; if you worry about crumbs or want to share with office colleagues, the one-bite sun cake is the most convenient.