If you are looking an authentic and traditional Taiwanese breakfast, fried dough fritters (油條) accompanied by a good cup of soy bean milk (豆漿) is your best bet. While hundreds, if not thousands of eateries in Taipei sells these Chinese delights, Fu Hang Dou Jiang 阜杭豆漿 dominates the rest of them.
Located at Huashan Market, Fu Hang Dou Jiang is not only well-known for its food, but also for its insane, long queues as well. According to my internet research beforehand, one can easy wait up to an hour before ordering on a good weekend. Prior to this, we decided to head out early on a Wednesday morning and was no less surprised that it already has at least a 40-person queue. By the moment I joined the queue, I was at the staircase. That's how long it is and there is even a queue diagram on how to line up!
Fu Hang Dou Jiang's menu (as of Nov 2012)
While waiting, there is an open kitchen where you can see how their famous fritters are being made while queuing up. The service crew is fast and efficient, but not less polite.
Peiyi and I had the cold soy bean milk (NT$22) and the hot version (NT$20) respectively. As expected, these are one of the best bowls of soya goodness I ever had. You probably can't see it, but it forms a thin layer of film from the coagulation when it is cooled.
Dough fried fritters, also known as Chinese donuts (NT$22) are obviously a must-try. This version is much longer at approximately 1.5X the length of Singapore's regular size. They also serve other sweet and salty savoury buns, which I prefer the sweet one much more.
We totally love the 薄饼蛋夹油条 (bao bing dan jia you tiao) (NT$44), fried dough fritters and omelette encased in a thin layer of crispy dough.
Definitely one of the top choices for traditional breakfast in Taipei, but I kind of pity the rest of the eateries at Huashan Market as almost all the businesses are taken by Fu Hang Dou Jiang.
Fu Hang Dou Jiang 阜杭豆漿
Opening Hours
Tues - Sun: 5:30am - 12:30pm
Closed on Monday
108 Zhongxiao East Road
2nd Floor
Hua Shan Market