Discover Yunlin | My Top 10 Favorite Food Spots in Huwei

After living in the center of Huwei Township for 10 months, I have eaten at so many delicious (and affordable) restaurants within walking or biking distance. While cuisines from Mexico, Ethiopia, or France are harder to find here, Huwei still offers a huge variety of foods within Taiwanese and Japanese cuisines and offers its own fusion take on Italian and American cuisines. In this post, I’m sharing my top 10 restaurants in Huwei and their price points.

 

1) 老席牛肉麵 – Taiwanese beef noodles (Google Maps)

I have no clue if this is the best beef noodles in Huwei, but it’s definitely the one place that a number of friends suggested. For me, I just get the standard bowl of beef noodles (紅燒牛肉麵). The meat is super tender and the broth is rich and flavorful. I order the small bowl every time, but I have absolutely no idea how someone can order the extra large bowl of noodles. I can barely finish my small bowl without overeating. Come at an off time; this noodle restaurant can get busy!

 

2) 歡樂紅螞蟻燒烤 – Skewers (Google Maps)

$100 – 200 NTD – truck vendor

I love getting skewers from this truck vendor after volunteering at an English conversation club or Chinese calligraphy class at night. Even though this place has no marker on Google Maps (I put in the location of the supermarket across the street), this vendor is always busy. Even at around 10:30pm.  You just grab a container, put in your meat and veggie skewers from their selection, and they’ll grill it for you. This place uses charcoal to grill and adds chili powder at the end, but something about this vendor makes the skewers here taste so much better than other places. Great place for a late dinner (they open around 7 pm) or a late night snack.

 

3) 大呼過癮臭臭鍋 – Hot pot (Google Maps)

$120 -180 NTD  – casual / noisy atmosphere

Hot pot is such an integral part of Taiwanese cuisine, and hot pot restaurants are everywhere. This restaurant is a favorite of mine because it has a super casual atmosphere and has no frills. They play pop music in the background and the noise level can get loud because of conversations. Besides families, many university students also eat here because of its cheap price. I really like getting the duck stinky tofu hot pot (stinky tofu is not as stinky in broth) and eat here for dinner with friends.

 

4) 樂包子 – Buns (Google Maps)

$10 – $50 NTD / streetside vendor

Get here early before the morning rush if you want buns for breakfast. Get here after 7:15 am, and you’ll probably have to wait in line. No worries though, because the line moves quickly. 樂包子 is a small local chain, and they advertise themselves as the place that uses the same flour as Din Tai Fung. (You can technically buy this flour at any supermarket. Din Tin Fung uses Chiahe brand flour.)  My favorite bun from 樂包子 is the mushroom and meat bun (香菇鮮肉包). Inside the bun, there is one large, juicy shiitake mushroom with some grounded pork meat. A close second favorite is the simple yet delicious scallion bun 蔥花捲. Their bamboo shoot and meat bun (竹筍鮮肉包) is also popular, but I don’t think it’s in my top 3 here.

 

5) 墨魚廚房 Pastaco pasta & risotto (Google Maps)

$130 – 250 NTD / sit-down restaurant

Don’t let the English name fool you. This place doesn’t serve any tacos. They do serve good Italian food with a Taiwanese twist. Pastaco’s signature dish is their whole squid with a side of rice and veggies. You can add a sauce of your own choosing (spicy curry, sweet curry, cream, etc.). Their most underrated dish, in my opinion, is the corn soup. Corn soup is such a staple side dish in many restaurants, but Pastaco is the only place in Huwei that has done the corn soup justice.

 

6) 藝壽司 – Sushi and sashimi don (Google Maps)

$130 – 250 NTD / casual sit-down restaurant

This is hands down the best sushi place I’ve been to in Taiwan. I’m not kidding. While the restaurant has little to no decor, runs out of the first floor of a resident, and is just a family business, the restaurant is always busy with people sharing tables or waiting outside. I discovered this restaurant first around October and have only managed to eat inside the restaurant for 3 times. The boss works at her own pace, so this is not the place to go if you’re in a hurry. All of their rice bowls are fresh and comes with a bowl of soup. I originally expected their soup to just be a standard miso soup, but it’s actually fish soup with a large chunk of fish inside. For around $150, that’s a pretty good meal.

 

7) 德興水餃專賣店 – Dumplings (Google Maps)

$50 – 100 NTD / casual sit-down restaurant

This restaurant was actually recommended to me by several locals. If you look at the crowds during lunch and dinner time, you’ll notice that this restaurant is a popular spot for students from the nearby National Formosa University. A meal priced around 65 NTD can easily fill you up. Eating their dumplings (水餃) is a must, but I would also recommend the sour and spicy soup (酸辣湯). Definitely pay them a visit, but remember that the restaurant isn’t open on Saturdays!

 

8) 一魂拉麵 – Japanese ramen (Google Maps)

$140 – 200 NTD

To be honest, I have never eaten at the restaurant of 一魂拉麵 itself. Every time I get their ramen, I order it through Foodpanda, the only food delivery app in Yunlin County right now. Their noodles are very chewy and the broth is pretty rich. My friend ordered their hell ramen (地獄拉麵), and its spice level is no joke. Hell ramen is actually chug-a-bottle-of-ice-water spicy and not your average Taiwanese level spicy. I don’t have a particular favorite noodle dish, but sometimes I like to order their cold ramen noodles and raw onion salad, especially when it’s 90˚F outside. So, 一魂拉麵 quickly became my go-to ramen place in Huwei.

 

9) 虎尾不思義 – Build your own pasta (Google Maps)

$100 – 150 NTD / street vendor – sit down restaurant

I think you’re probably noticing some similarities here now. The good food places are usually the no-frills, low profile restaurants that are located in the most unsuspecting places. This open-air restaurant only opens for dinner on weekdays but is probably one of the best pasta places in Huwei. Every pasta dish starts at 100 NTD (which includes a meat and some veggies of your choosing) and add ons cost a bit more. Besides your standard marinara (red) and alfredo (white) sauce, this place also offers pesto (green) sauce and rosé (pink) sauce. If you ever crave pasta that a bit more authentic, then I would recommend eating here!

 

10) 三輪仔串燒酒戶 – Japanese yakitori (Google Maps)

$180 – 250 NTD / nicer sit-down restaurant

Compared to the other restaurants on the list, this yakitori restaurant is relatively expensive. I really enjoy eating a bowl of udon noodles with several skewers of mushrooms, chicken, and pork. Besides food, the restaurant space and atmosphere is really nice. The interior of the restaurant is very beautiful, and each table has plenty of space and privacy curtains to hold conversation. There is soft background music playing in the background that also contributes to an overall positive eating experience. If you want to eat here, make sure to make a reservation beforehand!

 

BONUS! 上海點心 小籠湯包 – Taiwanese soup dumplings (Google Maps)

$100 – 150 NTD / casual sit-down restaurant

This place isn’t in Huwei but it is 100 percent worth mentioning. This soup dumpling restaurant in Shuilin Township is very cheap and definitely worth a drive for. The restaurant itself is nothing fancy, just your typical Taiwanese storefront restaurant with several tables. However, soup dumplings here are extra special because the chef used to work at Din Tai Fung (鼎泰豐). Din Tai Fung-esque dumplings at not Din Tai Fung prices. It’s great!