One of the things Taiwan is most known for is Beef Noodle Soup (NRM). Taipei is saturated with places that offer it, many serving it with knife shaved or hand pulled noodles. You can find it at night markets, street vendors, and random restaurants as you walk around. There’s even an annual Beef Noodle Soup festival.
Actually in our previous visits, we’ve never been too interested in eating beef noodle soup. My mom makes it at home often and my aunt in Taiwan also makes a really good version which we usually eat when we visit.
This last year or so, we’ve become really interested in beef noodle soup when dining out and have tried a lot of places that serve it. So when we went to Taiwan, we were also curious to try out some of the more famous places. I’ve always found the beef noodle soup in the US to be a little on the pricey side. But I was surprised to find it almost equally as pricey in Taipei. Usually Taiwan food prices are a lot cheaper than US prices, but the beef noodle soup was about the same. I guess it’s become so popular outside of Taiwan that the restaurants have raised the prices knowing the tourists will still buy it.
Shan Xi Dao Xiao Mien
This place makes their own knife shaved noodles and is known for their tomato broth beef noodle soup. I liked the chew of the noodles. The broth is lighter than my personal preference, but overall, we enjoyed it.
Lao Shan Dong
This place has been around since 1949 and was recommended to me by KungFoodPanda. Unfortunately, my family chose to go without me during the day of my engagement pictures. So sad. My brother took pictures though:
Beef noodle soup with tripe
They thought it was good but overpriced. I believe my mom said it was around $7 a bowl.
On another night, they were planning on going to a place recommended by my mom’s friend, but it was closed. So they randomly went to another store for a late night dinner and this was actually their favorite version. Unfortunately, I have no reference of where or what. Just this lone picture my brother took.
I definitely prefer the beef noodle soup in Taipei over most of the versions I’ve had here. There are so many great choices whereas I am rarely satisfied with a version in the US. But I was a little disappointed to see that the prices were inflated due to its international popularity. Hopefully I can try Lao Shan Dong for myself next time.
Next time you’re in the bay area near Milpitas, you might want to try Taiwan Cafe. They have homemade noodles and their other Taiwanese dishes are very good, in my opinion.
568 N Abel St
Milpitas, CA 95035
Thanks for the rec! I’ll pass the information along to my family.