Wan Chuan Hao Bakery

Review

Wan Chuan Hao was founded in 1871, in the reign of the Tongzhi Emperor, and is often called the oldest pastry shop in Tainan. Founder Chen Yuan first ran a shop called Wan Shun with his brothers; when they split, he took the left half of the character for Shun to form Chuan and set up on his own, selling buns and crystal dumplings at the mouth of Lane 199 on Minquan Road before saving enough to buy the current site. Near the end of World War II the shop was destroyed in an air raid and the second-generation owner, Chen Wang-gen, was killed, so his widow kept the business going. It is now in the hands of the fourth generation, run along corporate lines with close attention to hygiene.

The signature is the pork bun nicknamed the Tongzhi bun: a snow-white wrapper raised with a dough starter rather than baking powder or additives, filled with diced pork and mushroom around a whole salted egg yolk. The crystal dumplings are also handmade. Traditional cakes abound, including osmanthus cake, poria cake, flour crisp, mung bean cake, mung bean mooncake, sha xi biscuit, sesame puff and xiang bing; a 2017 report listed milk cake at NT$55 a serving, and visitors also recommend the gu yue pastry and egg yolk pastry.

Praise centers on authentic old-shop flavors, a fragrant bun filling with an intact yolk, cakes sold individually, staff happy to explain products, and a vegetarian section. Criticism includes some cakes being dry, with one visitor finding the pineapple cake parched; short shelf lives on some items, which makes them unsuitable for long trips; and a low-key storefront that first-timers easily walk past.

Hours are 8:00 to 22:00, closed on the fourth Monday of each month; the long hours make it easy to drop in on an evening stroll. The shop is on Section 1 of Minquan Road in an old neighborhood where car parking is inconvenient, so a scooter or walking is better. It is takeaway only, and since most cakes are sold individually you can build your own box. Sources do not mention payment methods, so bring cash to be safe.

It suits anyone wanting traditional Taiwanese pastries as gifts or a bun from a century-old shop. First, buy a pork bun to eat right away, then pick a few cakes to make a set. For older relatives, mung bean mooncake or gu yue pastry are good choices; for lighter sweetness, try the milk cake or osmanthus cake. Some items keep only briefly, so ask before buying for travel.