Ho Hsing Cake Shop (Nanmen Market)

Review

Ho Hsing was founded in 1947 by Ren Ren-chang, a former pastry chef from Shanghai, who first sold Ningbo rice cakes at a market near Nanhai Road. The second generation, Ren Tai-hsing, created a black glutinous rice dumpling with red bean paste, and the shop is now run by the third generation. Since Nanmen Market's rebuilt hall opened in 2023, the stall sits at numbers 41 to 43 on the first floor, and a newer Dihua Street shop lets you sit with tea and cakes.

The signature is Shanghai songgao, handmade from japonica rice the old way and steamed fluffy, in plain, red bean, sesame and osmanthus flavors. Around the New Year the focus turns to rice cakes: a 2024 report lists a small plain rice cake at NT$240, red bean at NT$260 and Taiwan sugar rice cake at NT$220. Layered buns filled with red bean, taro or custard went viral online, and the mother-and-child longevity peach, a big peach bun holding a small one, is a favorite birthday gift for elders.

Fans praise the traditional flavors, the wide selection, and the gently sweet songgao, and reports note that many well-known figures were fond of it. Complaints are mainly about price: some find the cakes small, the texture not as expected, and the fame bigger than the taste.

The stall opens roughly 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and closes Mondays with the market; reports differ on the opening hour, so check before you go. There is often a line for songgao, peaking before Lunar New Year, and the longevity peaches must be ordered two days ahead. Nanmen Market is next to Exit 2 of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station, with a food court upstairs for a meal.

It suits anyone buying traditional Jiangsu-Zhejiang treats as gifts or celebrating an elder's birthday. First-timers can get a mixed box of songgao to taste several flavors; before the New Year, a small red bean rice cake is a good pick. For a gift with a conversation starter, choose the layered buns or the animal-shaped buns.