Yushan Fang New Era Vegan Buffet

Feeling18 LAB Bakery Research Institute at No. 69, Tao Nan Road in Pu Li Township, Nantou County is the flagship dessert cafe created by the 18°C Chocolate Workshop. Designed around a laboratory concept with industrial styling, large glass facades and wooden eaves shape a fashionable, spacious interior, while outside there are camping inspired seats and bald cypress scenery perfect for photos. Signature items include 18°C chocolate, 70 percent chocolate ice cream, French croissants, a range of creative desserts, and handmade pull apart loaves, alongside souvenirs and coffee. A free parking lot makes it a convenient rest stop on the way to Sun Moon Lake.

Bu Kao Hai is a Japanese indie curry shop tucked in a residential alley in Pu Li Township, Nantou County, offering curry rice, fried egg set meals, ramen, and beef burger set meals as its signatures. The shop is small but cozily decorated and draws steady crowds that often mean queuing on site. Service is lunch only and runs for roughly four hours a day, with lines frequently forming before the 11 am opening. The dessert changes daily, the curry is laced with pumpkin, and the broth is light yet full bodied, all at friendly prices, making it a must try local bite when visiting Pu Li.

Leng Dong Dou Hua Yao Yao Bing sits in the Cao Tun Image Shopping District of Nantou County and is a long standing local dessert shop with more than forty years of history. The signature hand made douhua is paired with shaved ice, mung beans, red beans, and chewy tang yuan to create the refreshing shake shake ice douhua, priced at just NT$30 and beloved by locals and travelers alike. Hours run Tuesday through Sunday from 12:00 to 21:30, takeout is available, and parking lots are nearby. With its budget friendly pricing, springy texture, and cooling relief, it is a Cao Tun must visit for dessert.

Chu Xu Curry in Pu Li Township, Nantou County is a popular Japanese style curry restaurant. The kitchen uses 10 to 16 spices, toasted twice and ground twice, then matured for 14 to 16 days to create a rich curry sauce that is fragrant and gently spicy, drawing steady praise from locals and visitors and often requiring queuing or advance booking. Beyond the signature curry, the menu includes house made chili oil, distinctive drinks like the Geographic Center Cup and Pu Li Sugarcane Green, and Japanese desserts. The Japanese inspired decor and pet friendly policy make it a must visit for lovers of curry and Japanese cuisine.

Shi Zi Chu Lian Ita Thao Black Tea Crisp sits in the bustling Ita Thao Old Street by Sun Moon Lake, drawing eyes with its pink storefront and offering five flavors of black tea crisp, namely vanilla, fresh milk, lemon makauy, caramel macchiato, and black tea. Made with three star Michelin grade black tea, the cookies are crispy and intensely fragrant. The product has earned honors such as Taiwan's Top 100 Souvenirs and Nantou's Top Ten Souvenirs, making it a must buy gift and snack on Sun Moon Lake's old street. The name combines the founders Chen Xiu Xin and son Chen Le to convey warm hearted joy, and the logo features a cute Thao boy, steeped in local culture.

You De Yi Mian is a Nantou institution at the entrance of the Nantou Public Retail Market on Zhong Shan Street, run by the same family for more than fifty years and beloved by locals and tourists alike. The signature is traditional Nantou yi mian noodles, joined by ban tiao rice noodles, pork thickened soup, and wontons, all salty savory with a full bodied broth and gentle prices. Steaming bowls often start appearing at 6:30 in the morning. The shop sits under the market arcade with simple, open seating that lets diners enjoy an authentic Nantou yi mian experience in a breezy, ventilated space, making it a must queue breakfast and snack stop.

Pu Li Da Cheng Brown Sugar Mantou at No. 146, Da Cheng Road in Pu Li Township, Nantou County is a hugely popular brown sugar treat. The shop sells just one product, an extra large brown sugar mantou bigger than a face, fragrant and sweet with deep brown sugar aroma. Daily supply is limited and they often sell out shortly after opening, with queues a regular sight and the treat ranked as a Pu Li must eat for photo worthy snacks. Priced around NT$130, it suits travelers who want to try something new and do not mind queuing.

Wen Xin Yuan Garden Cafe at No. 12, Lane 196, Nan Yang Road in Nantou City is a garden restaurant blending European country architecture with lush garden scenery. The menu includes Italian coffee, pasta, risotto, roast half chicken, ice cream, and a wide selection of light meals, and the spacious outdoor garden and free parking make it a fit for couples, family gatherings, and travelers with pets. The grounds are themed around European castles and fairytale cottages, dotted with flowers and succulents so the meal pleases the eye as much as the palate. A minimum order of one food or drink per guest applies, a 10 percent service charge is added, holiday dining is limited to two hours, and weekday limits depend on crowd levels. The leisurely, photo friendly atmosphere makes it a rare garden cafe and dining hybrid in downtown Nantou.

Fang Su Xin Cao Tun Handmade Mochi is the founding branch of a long standing dessert and snack shop in Cao Tun Township, Nantou County, specializing in handmade mochi. The menu spans traditional Hakka mochi alongside creative flavors such as taro, peanut, and sesame, each with a thin, springy skin and generous filling, beloved by locals and travelers alike. Beyond single pieces, the shop offers refined gift boxes with home delivery, making it a Cao Tun must buy souvenir. Located at No. 193, Zhong Shan Street, telephone 049 239 1703, the average spend is around NT$150.

Shi Jia Ba Wan at No. 26, Min Fu Road in Pu Li Township, Nantou County is a snack shop founded in 1965 with more than sixty years of operation. The shop is famous for handmade ba wan dumplings with springy skins, hearty fillings, and no greasiness, large portions of meat, and friendly prices around NT$60. The sign humorously promises Shi Jia ba wan, if it is not tasty it is free, with refunds available for dissatisfied customers, and the shop offers free refills of pork bone broth, allowing diners to rinse their bowl and drink the broth the local way for extra flavor. Beloved by locals and tourists, it is a flagship of Pu Li's traditional food scene.

Mei Yuan Xian Bing Zhou is a long standing snack shop in Zhong Xing New Village, Nantou County, founded in 1983 with more than forty years of history. The menu centers on military village style cooking, with signature dishes such as millet porridge, beef stuffed flatbread, pork steamed dumplings, beef noodle soup, and red bean crispy pancake at friendly prices ranging from NT$25 to NT$150. The shop has no flashy signboard but is beloved by locals and tourists, and queues are common, though detailed opening hours are not posted.

Rong Shu Xia Kou Zai Die is a long standing snack shop in Cao Tun, Nantou with more than sixty years of history. There is no signboard, only a single grand banyan tree to mark the spot, and customers line up under the tree's arcade for oyster fritters, meat fritters, rice intestine, and other freshly fried bites that are crispy and affordably priced around NT$60. Long beloved by locals and tourists alike, the constant flow of customers makes it an essential coin priced street food experience in Cao Tun.

Rong Shu Xia O A Die on Yu Feng Street in Cao Tun Township, Nantou County is a more than sixty year old institution tucked under the arcade of a grand banyan tree. There is no signboard, but the constant queue of food lovers speaks for itself. The signature oyster fritters are crisp outside and tender within, the meat fritters are juicy, and the menu also features rice intestine, fried sweet potato, and sweet rice cakes. Everything is fried to order at friendly prices, beloved by locals and tourists alike, and ranks as a must queue snack destination in Cao Tun.

Mei You Dou Hua is an indie style douhua shop in Pu Li, Nantou County, converted from a former feed store. The kitchen specializes in salt brine douhua and pairs it with creative flavors such as sea salt burnt caramel, hand stirred caramel syrup, and Thai milk tea, mostly priced between NT$50 and NT$80. Indoor seating is limited and well suited to photo worthy dine in experiences, weekends often mean queues, and parking nearby is less convenient. The shop uses non GMO soybeans from Tainan friendly farming and offers a wide range of toppings and sweet soups, making it a popular check in spot for Pu Li's indie and dessert lovers.

Ubud Rainforest Bali Theme Restaurant at No. 73, Qing Long Lane, Dong Guang Village in Yu Chi Township, Nantou County is hidden in a forested stretch between Sun Moon Lake and the mountains. Designed in Balinese south seas style with red tiled pitched roofs, garden decor, and exotic hanging lamps, the restaurant conjures a resort atmosphere, with the main dining area upstairs and pet friendly outdoor resting space. The menu centers on Thai and Indonesian flavors such as lemon steamed fish, yellow curry chicken, green curry coconut chicken, and red curry fruit smoked duck. A large free parking lot sits out front, advance booking is recommended on holidays, and pricing is around NT$400 per person.

Shao Rou MEN is a high value yakiniku brand born in Pu Li, Nantou, with another branch in Xi Tun District, Taichung. The signature starts at NT$499 per person and includes an unlimited greenhouse hydroponic lettuce bar, Haagen Dazs ice cream, mango smoothies, and other drinks and side dishes. Meat options range widely, from A5 wagyu thin slices and F1 wagyu New York strip to thin sliced beef tongue, skirt steak, and Shimane shrimp, making it a fit for family dinners and friend gatherings. Hours run from 11 am to midnight at No. 38, Chao Fu Road, Xi Tun District, Taichung City, with convenient transit near Qiu Hong Gu Park and the Chao Ma transfer station.

Zhu Shan Jian Jiao is a long standing breakfast snack shop in Zhu Shan Township, Nantou, famed for hand pan fried jumbo dumplings at NT$8 a piece, much larger than typical dumplings so a few are enough to fill you up. The shop also offers scallion egg pancakes around NT$30 and self serve soy milk, with soy sauce, garlic sauce, and chili sauce on the table for personal seasoning. Service runs until about 1:30 pm and items often sell out fast, so arriving early to queue is wise. The simple, unassuming vibe suits travelers who want to experience a local breakfast and oversized pan fried dumplings.

Lao Wu Mao Yan Mantou Shop at No. 8, Section 2, Shui Xin Road in Shui Li Township, Nantou County is a popular handmade mantou snack shop. The kitchen follows old methods of natural sourdough fermentation and wood fired stove baking, turning out handcrafted mantou with crisp skin and tender filling, a unique flavor with no chemical additives. A giant mantou sculpture outside has turned the shop into an internet photo hotspot, drawing young visitors and families to snap memories. Alongside freshly baked mantou, the shop offers a range of souvenirs, making it a must visit for food and photos when traveling in Shui Li. Average spend is around NT$50, suiting travelers who want traditional baked goods and a distinctive check in spot.