Hey food lovers!
I’m a local Taiwanese and I’ve been slurping up bowls of beef noodle soup since I was a kid. There’s nothing quite like a steaming hot bowl of rich, flavorful broth with tender beef and chewy noodles. Taipei is a city full of amazing food, and beef noodle soup is the most iconic Taiwanese dish you should try.
To be honest, every Taiwanese has their own favorite beef noodle joint, and every neighborhood has its own local champion. There are countless variations, from rich, braised beef noodles to lighter, clear broth options. You’ll find noodles in all shapes and sizes, from thin and silky to thick and chewy. All these options can be quite overwhelming.
Source: GOMAJI
I understand you might not have time to go all the way to my elementary school district just because the beef noodle there is my favorite. So I prioritized the beef noodle shops that are more accessible and easier to include in an average visitor’s travel itinerary.
In the final section, I also included a Taipei MRT beef noodle map that lists out which beef noodle soup shop is at which MRT station. If you are a true beef noodle lover, you do not want to miss that. These are all local favorite noodle shops that you can refer to when planning your day. We also help you decide on which to go with a few simple criteria.
This list of best beef noodles in Taipei is really tough to compile, but I hope you find at least one or two options you want to include in your journey in Taiwan. Whether you prefer a classic bowl or something more adventurous, I’ve got you covered.
Taipei International Beef Noodle Festival
Before we dive into our favorite shops, we want to talk a little about Taipei International Beef Noodle Festival.
If you haven’t heard about the Beef Noodle Festival yet, it’s like the Super Bowl for beef noodle lovers. It is a huge event where the best beef noodle shops in Taiwan compete to see who makes the most delicious bowl!
Source: taipei.travel
Food is a huge part of a Taiwanese’s life and people are often overjoyed when their favorite local shop is recognized.
For the restaurants, winning this festival is a huge deal. It’s a chance to show off their skills, get recognized by food critics and diners, and attract more customers. It’s a bit like winning a cooking competition on TV, but on a much bigger scale. It can really boost their business and reputation.
The competition is slightly different every year. In general, it is divided into two categories: Fresh and Ready-to-Eat. The judges blind test the noodles and score based on taste, appearance, creativity, hygiene and price.
If you are in Taipei when the festival is held, often in October, come be your own judge! Enjoy all the different fun activities about beef noodles and celebrate one of Taiwan’s best dish.
Zhongcheng Beef Noodle Restaurant 天母忠誠牛肉麵
📍 Google Maps, 5 min from Zhishan MRT Station (Red Line)
❤️ Best for: Beitou visitors, spicy food lover, local experience adventurer
Source: EToday News
I am going to start with my personal favorite. I still go back regularly even after I moved to a different city 1hr away. You can add this to your itinerary if you are going to Beitou or Tamsui. It is also not too far from Shilin Night Market.
Their signs are faded, but don’t worry that you cannot find it. If you see a long line, no matter at what time of the day, that is the store you are going to.
Their portions are huge and soup is slightly spicy and extremely flavorful. They give you way too much beef for a meal and the meat is super tender. Most people (including me) actually order takeouts because the indoor seating is often pretty crowded. I cannot describe the taste with words, you just have to try it yourself. Even standing in line watching them cook is an amazing experience.
Liu Shandong Beef Noodles 劉山東小吃店
📍 Google Maps, 2 min from Taipei Main Station exit Z6
❤️ Best for: Travelers passing Taipei Main Station
Source: TVBS, 隨裕而安的美食旅遊
Next up is the most iconic beef noodle soup in Taipei. This is a favorite for both local and tourists for its convenient location.
Liu Shan Dong Beef Noodle is famous for its two main dishes: Red Braised Beef Noodle and Clear Beef Noodle. Both flavors are not spicy and have a light and refreshing broth. The beef in each dish is different too – the red braised one has chunks of beef, while the clear one has thick slices.
Liu Shan Dong Beef Noodle is perfect for those who prefer a lighter style of beef noodle. If you don’t like spicy food, this is the place for you! I recommend avoiding peak hours or trying takeout!
Royal Beef Noodle Restaurant 皇家傳承牛肉麵
❤️ Best for: Foodies obsessed with award winning dishes, who loves a comfy and clean seating
Source: Royal Beef Noodle Website
Royal Beef Noodle is the king of beef noodles in Banqiao! One of the most consistent winners of Taipei International Beef Noodle Festival, I recommend the following two dishes:
Clear Broth Bone-in Short Rib Noodle is their newest product that made them the winner of 2024 Beef Noodle Festival. They use the highest quality American bone-in short ribs, and only select the best part – the 6th to 8th ribs. There are only enough ribs from one cow to make six bowls of noodles! They cook the beef bones in broth for three whole days and nights. Every step of the cooking process is carefully controlled to make sure the meat is juicy and the broth is full of flavor.
Spicy Sichuan Peppercorn Beef Noodle is the noodle dish that won first place at the 2020 Beef Noodle Festival! The spicy broth is made with fresh Sichuan peppercorns, which have a refreshing and slightly numbing flavor, similar to lemon. This beef noodle is best for those looking for something spicy!
People love them so much that they started selling their frozen packets online.
Bafang Dumplings
❤️ Best for: lazy foodies, dumpling and potsticker lovers
If you are not the type that travels far for food, beef noodle soup at Bafang dumpling might surprise you!
Source: Ba Fang Dumplings
Ba Fang Dumplings surprised everyone by winning the gold medal at the Taipei International Beef Noodle Festival in 2024! They beat out many famous beef noodle restaurants, and people online joked that Ba Fang Dumplings is a beef noodle restaurant that’s been hiding in plain sight all these years, thanks to its popular potstickers and dumplings.
Even I couldn’t imagine myself ordering noodles at Ba Fang! I tried it once after they won the medal and it sure is amazing!
Ba Fang Dumplings started selling its classic beef noodle series starting August 2023, offering three flavors: red braised, clear broth, and spicy. These noodles are available at over 900 Ba Fang stores across Taiwan and are priced between NT$168 and NT$178.
Liao’s Beef Noodle Soup 廖家牛肉麵
📍 Google Maps, 10 min from Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall MRT Station (Red/Green Line)
❤️ Best for: Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall visitor, light flavor/healthy eater
Source: 波比看世界
This is one of the best restaurants near Chiang Kai-shek memorial hall. Liao’s Beef Noodle Soup is so popular that it was even chosen by the Michelin Guide! Instead of the usual dark, soy sauce-based broth, Liao’s specializes in a clear broth.
They make this broth by simmering beef bones for a long time, which makes it rich and flavorful but not too salty or greasy. The beef is cooked just right and goes really well with the chewy noodles. A lot of people like to add raw garlic to the soup to make it even more flavorful. If you love clear beef noodle soup, you should definitely try Liao’s.
Ximending and Wanhua Beef Noodles
❤️ Best for: Ximending visitors
If you plan to visit Ximending, you will have plenty of beef noodle soups to choose from. We briefly summarized 4 for you to try. Check out our post on best food in Ximending for more details, we have a whole dedicated beef noodle soup section!
Xiao Wu Beef Noodle 小吳牛肉麵
Source: Travel Luxe
Xiao Wu Beef Noodle is also a local favorite for its great value. The restaurant is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They have a self-service fridge with various side dishes. The broth is tasty but on the saltier side. There are also various condiments available such as pickled mustard greens, spicy beef tallow, regular beef tallow, Zhenjiang vinegar, and white vinegar, so you can customize your bowl to your liking.
Jianhong Beef Noodle Soup 建宏牛肉麵
Jianhong Beef Noodle Soup uses Australian beef and has tasty side dishes. What sets this restaurant apart is its unique noodle dish that features a hearty combination of beef and beef offal.
There are actually quite a few stores around that I believe are opened by the same family, their names can be quite confusing even to a local. This includes our next recommendation Fuhong and one called Cai Hong.
Fuhong Beef Noodle 富宏牛肉麵
Fuhong Beef Noodle has you covered for their 24/7 operation. Hand made noodles, free soup refills and unlimited drinks. Best value among Ximending beef noodles.
Lao Shandong Homemade Noodles 老山東牛肉家常麵店
Lao Shandong Beef Noodle House 老山東牛肉家常麵店 is a hidden Michelin Bib Gourmand gem and my personal favorite in the area. They provide a wide variety of options including wet and dry.
Niu Dian Beef Noodle Soup 牛店精燉牛肉麵
❤️ Best for: Instagram influencer, photographer, foreigner friendly
Source: Niu Dian FB Page
Niu Dian Beef Noodle Soup is another award winning noodle shop popular among international tourists. They’re on the fancier side, with nice comfortable indoor seatings and famous for their “Supreme Braised Imperial Beef Noodle Soup” and Italian inspired approach.
Taoyuan Airport Beef Noodles
❤️ Best for: Travelers via Taoyuan International Airport
If you are flying via Terminal 2 of Taoyuan Airport, you can try out two super classic beef noodle soups on last time! Tons of food are located at Departure Level 4, Terminal 2 (After passport control, take the escalator/elevator on the left to the 4th floor).
Lao Dong Beef Noodle 老董牛肉麵
Source: Old Don Website
Lao Dong Beef Noodle has a delicious flavor that has been passed down through three generations. The rich beef bone broth is simmered slowly for 24 hours every day. The beef noodles are not only loved by food connoisseurs, but have also won awards in many competitions.
They have stores in a lot of popular food courts, including one near Shuanglien Station (Red Line, Maps), 2 near Taipei Main Station (Maps), 1 in NTU Hospital (Maps) and so much more!
Lin Dong Fang Beef Noodle 林東芳牛肉麵
Source: Look
Opened for decades, Lin Dong Fang is a classic Taiwanese beef noodle restaurant. The noodles are chewy ramen noodles, and the broth is made by slowly simmering beef bones, spices, and secret seasonings. The broth is the soul of the beef noodle, and it’s so rich and flavorful. The noodles cooked in the boiling broth are chewy and full of the rich beef flavor. The airport branch has a special menu that includes a limited-edition short rib beef noodle.
Their most famous branch is in Nanjing Fuxin and Zhongxiao Fuxin Station (Maps).
Taipei MRT Beef Noodles Map
Source: Taipei Metro
This map is released by Taipei Metro and is by no means a comprehensive list, but definitely more than a visitor to Taipei can handle. I thought it was so funny how most comments by Taiwanese on this newly released map are complaints that their favorite local beef noodle isn’t included.
The fonts are tiny and are in Mandarin, so it might be a little difficult for non-mandarin readers. I included it here for fun. If you are an advanced traveller, or a beef noodle crazy lover, you might find it a great resource.
Let Us Help you Decide: Best Beef Noodles in Taipei
Fancy and Comfy: Niu Dian Beef Noodle Soup
Most Awards: Royal Beef Noodle
Most Branches: Bafang Dumplings
Most Accessible: Liu Shandong Beef Noodles
Going to Ximending: Lao Shandong Beef Noodles
Going to Chiang Kai-shek Memorial: Liao’s Beef Noodle
Before you fly: Lin Dong Fang Beef Noodle
I hope you find this ultimate beef noodles guide helpful. Once you have tried enough beef noodles you will definitely form your own opinions! Let me know which one you like the most, I am more than eager to hear about your thoughts.
If you like this post, we also have a ton of other foodie guides for you, including those outside of Taipei, like Sun Moon Lake, Alishan and Kenting.
Have fun hunting your favorite beef noodles in Taipei!
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