Shanxing Bowl Rice Cake

ABees (formerly Jia-Feng-Mi) is a creative cafe at 215 Zhang-Shui Road in Changhua City, where the menu tilts toward coffee, savoury galettes and dessert crepes. Signature plates include pollen-topped coffee, spiced tomato-zucchini crepes, kale-and-yam crepes, and cinnamon-apple-honey crepes, with most orders landing around NT$400 per person. Although opening hours are not posted, the high ratings and ever-rotating specials make it a popular queue spot for locals seeking something beyond the usual street food.

Chris Cafe is a tucked-away Hong Kong-style coffee shop in Taichung's Qi-Qi district, serving homestyle Cantonese comfort food. The star dishes are a deeply savoury 'sorrow-defying rice' — a char-siu egg rice made famous by Stephen Chow — and the indulgent peanut butter French toast that locals love. The dining room is calm and unhurried, ideal for a quiet break while shopping at Da-Yuan-Bai or exploring the Qi-Qi business district. Reservations are recommended so you don't miss the most popular plates.

Bu-Er-Fang is the only bakery in Changhua County dedicated almost entirely to the classic yolk pastry, with nearly fifty years of history behind it. Each pastry is baked with buttery shortening into a deep golden flake, wrapped around a glistening salted duck egg yolk and a smooth red bean filling.每逢中秋或年节, queues of devotees snake around the block, making it the must-buy souvenir of Changhua. Beyond yolk pastries, the counter also offers mung-bean pastries and wife cakes — all old-school baked goods. Online orders are not accepted; the only way to taste them is to show up and queue in person.

Wu-Xian-Ji Hot Pot's Lukang flagship is a 496 Zhong-Zheng Road hotpot destination in Changhua County's Lukang Township, beloved for its stylish interior and comfortable lighting. Diners pick from a wide range of soup bases and order a la carte, with the main draws being the oversized meat platters and unlimited rice and drinks. Hours run from 11 AM to 2 AM, so even late-night cravings can be answered with a steaming pot. At NT$250-300 per person, the value is excellent and it regularly lands on lists of Changhua's must-eat hot pots.

Er-Le-You-Li is a beloved brunch and light-eats spot at 110 Lu-He Road Section 3 in Lukang, tucked down a residential lane and fronted by a giant Teddy-bear sign that signals its family-friendly vibe. The menu leans into handcrafted drinks and a signature minced-pork stir-fried noodle, refreshed in 2025 with an all-new lineup that online reviewers have pushed to an average 4.7 stars. Plates are plated with care — house panna cotta, passion-fruit jam, dual-hearted sweet potato — and the seating is relaxed, ideal for travellers who want to slow down and taste Lukang's gentler side.

Bei-Men-Kou Ba-Wan is a Changhua City institution on Zhong-Zheng Road, founded in the 1960s and now more than sixty years old, celebrated for its deep-fried crispy-skin ba-wan. The filling is built around shiitake, duck egg yolk and dried scallop, and the dish is usually paired with garlic-sweet-chili sauce or a side of dragon-marrow-bone soup. Two sizes are offered, priced NT$55-110, and the queue moves quickly — making it a must-try for anyone exploring Changhua.

Xiao-Song-Don-Don is a Japanese quick-service chain across Changhua County that focuses on affordable rice bowls, grilled-meat donburi, grilled-meat yakisoba and hot-pot noodles. The dining rooms are deliberately Japanese in style, with free-flow iced tea and miso soup. A la carte bowls start around NT$80-110 and portions are generous on meat. Weekday hours are 11:30-13:30 and 17:00-22:00; weekends 11:30-14:00 and 17:00-22:00, with some branches adding a 11:30-14:00 lunch window. Expect a queue — the prices keep students and office workers coming back.

Xiang-Zi-Nei Oyster Fritters is an old-school snack shop near Wang-Gong Fishing Harbor in Fang-Yuan Township, Changhua County, founded around 1948 and standing for over seventy years. Tucked down an alley, it perpetually queues and serves five kinds of freshly-fried fritters — oyster, squid, pork, oyster-and-pork, and a mixed platter — all at a flat NT$30 each. The owner hand-picks fresh oysters every morning and fries them to a crisp-tender finish that keeps locals and tourists coming back. An unmissable stop on any Wang-Gong day trip.

Chang-Hua Mu-Gua Niu-Nai Da-Wang (Papaya Milk King) is a sixty-plus-year-old drink shop in the centre of Changhua City, famous for freshly-blended papaya milk alongside a wide range of juices and shaved-ice desserts. The store sits near the Confucius Temple and the train station on Zhong-Hua Road, with a clean interior and milkshakes that never feel cloying. The classic recipe uses fresh milk, papaya, crushed ice and just a touch of sugar — sweet but still carrying the slight bitter undertone of real papaya. Variations include red-bean milk ice, peanut milk ice, and assorted shaved ice with pudding. Summer queues are long; it is one of Changhua's signature thirst-quenchers.

Ming-Feng-Zhen (Tu-Zi-Liao) Ox-Tongue Pastry is a sought-after souvenir bakery in Lukang, Changhua County, hailed online as the town's best ox-tongue pastry. The pastry itself is thick, chewy and crisp, with a deeply satisfying bite. Because word-of-mouth is so strong, customers must take a number ticket and there is a strict five-pack-per-person limit; tickets run out quickly, a clear signal of both popularity and scarcity. Equally good as a local snack or a hand-carried gift, it is one of Lukang's signature must-buys.

Shui-Gen Dried Meat is a third-generation dried-meat and souvenir shop in Changhua County that still follows old-school recipes and refuses to add any of six common preservatives, flavourings or nitrites. The line-up includes round slices, strips, thin sheets, paper-thin crisps and more, plus dried fruit and imported candy. Recent years have brought vacuum travel boxes (12-packs) and individually-wrapped slices that are perfect for travel, sports or gifting. During Lunar New Year a wide range of gift boxes is rolled out, with online ordering and pickup at the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi B2 counter in Taichung also available.

Yao-Xing-Fu Handmade Bakery at 96 An-Ping Street in Changhua City started life as a pizza food truck and only later found fame for its handcrafted yolk pastries. The shop is small and uses open-shelf display, offering an array of breads alongside the signature yolk pastry — crisp outside, generous salted-egg yolk inside, around NT$60 a piece, loved by locals and travellers alike. During Mid-Autumn and pop-up events with TSMC the bakery moves well over a hundred thousand pastries. Online pre-order and home delivery are available, making it a sweet detour on any Changhua itinerary.

Wang-Du Local Snacks is a coin-purse-priced snack stall at the mouth of Zhao-Tian Temple (Fu-De Lane) in Tian-Wei Township, Changhua County, frequently recommended by locals. The menu runs to La-Zi noodles, tube-style rice cake, four-herb soup and assorted side dishes, mostly priced between NT$10 and NT$30 — almost always with a queue. The setting is humble but the flavours are deeply traditional, perfect for travellers who want to experience Tian-Wei's street-food soul, and also a great choice when you just need a quick bite.

Lao-Dan A-Zhang Ba-Wan is a century-old snack shop on Chang-An Street in Changhua, near the train station, founded in 1948. It is known for the springy oil-bathed skin, the generous meat filling, and the side options of dragon-marrow-bone soup or free pork-bone broth, and famously appeared in the film 'You Are the Apple of My Eye', which still draws queues of tourists. The dish has also been served at state banquets and remains affordably priced — a must-eat when visiting Changhua.

Ba-Wan-Shou is an over-fifty-year-old, three-generation snack shop at 119 Zhong-Shan Road inside the Er-Lin Market in Er-Lin Township, Changhua County. Its signature is a traditional Changhua-style deep-fried ba-wan: a crisp skin, juicy filling, finished with the house sauce and old-school soy sauce. Each one is palm-sized, priced around NT$35-50, with a side of pig-blood soup around NT$60 — strong value. Hours run 08:00 to 18:00, so it covers breakfast through late-night snack, and queues are common — try to avoid peak times. Made famous by the YouTuber Qian-Qian, it is now Er-Lin's must-eat and a fixture for anyone wanting a deep taste of Changhua tradition.

Che-Lu-Kou Meat Soup is a sixty-year-old snack shop on Section 1 of Zhong-Zheng Road in Changhua City, famous for its meat thick-soup and thin-noodle paste. Located beside the Min-Sheng Public Market and directly opposite Bu-Er-Fang yolk pastries, it is easy to reach — about a 10-15 minute walk from Changhua train station. Hours are 2 PM to 10 PM, prices hover around NT$20-30 in coin-change territory, and the bowls are hearty with a clear, slightly sweet broth, making it a beloved old-school must-queue for locals and travellers alike.

A-Shu Dan-Zai Noodles at 55 Yong-Xing Street in Changhua City is a sixty-plus-year-old shop beloved for its old-school clam noodles, oyster noodles and housemade oil tofu. The broth is simmered from pork bones and clams — fresh-sweet with a hint of sesame oil — and the noodles stay springy with generous toppings, drawing constant praise from the queue. The space is clean, the menu wall carries photos, staff wear branded uniforms and service is friendly. Hours run from 6 AM to 5 PM, making it a beloved breakfast and lunch stop and a perennial name on Changhua's must-eat lists.

A-Quan Braised Pork Rice in Changhua City is an eighty-plus-year-old landmark and the most popular breakfast and lunch choice for locals and tourists alike. Its melt-in-the-mouth, glossy braised pork rice opens with a queue every morning, and hours run from 7 AM to 1:30 PM. The Google rating sits at 4.1 stars across more than 5,000 reviews, and the shop took the championship at the '500 Bowls' competition, a strong endorsement from the city's food lovers.