Ebisu Bakery

Review

Ebisu Bakery sits on the souvenir strip of Zhonghua Road in Hualien City and has been baking for more than a century. Supertaste's 2026 Hualien souvenir round-up and FUNIT's local specialties guide both identify it as the originator of the Hualien sweet potato cake, and the shop also says its sweets were once offered to the Japanese emperor. Many makers now produce Hualien sweet potato cakes, but this is the place to taste the original.

Shaped like little sweet potatoes with lightly browned skins, the cakes are filled with white-skinned, yellow-fleshed sweet potato that is fragrant, soft and moist, with real potato fibre and moderate sweetness. According to Supertaste, a bag of 16 costs NT$160. There are also Hualien taro cakes, mochi and sachima, suitable for lacto-ovo vegetarians. Some reviewers single out the shop's own Hualien taro recipe, and others note it still makes its mochi and pastries in-house rather than buying from a factory.

Fans appreciate the sense of heritage, the solid flavour of the sweet potato and taro cakes, fair prices and how presentable they are as gifts; some say they taste even better chilled. Critics find the pastry a bit thick and feel it is worth grabbing if you pass by but not necessarily a special trip. The shop is small, with less choice than the large souvenir stores nearby.

Online listings give hours of about 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., while another source says 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., so check before you go. It is right on the Zhonghua Road souvenir strip, packed with gift shops to browse together. Parking downtown is tight, so walk or ride. The cakes keep at room temperature for a few days; check the best-before date before gifting.

Ideal for anyone buying classic Hualien souvenirs who wants to taste the original. First-timers can buy a bag each of sweet potato and taro cakes to compare, or start with a small pack for yourself. For older relatives, a boxed set looks more polished.