Contrary to common belief, the restaurants recommended by the Michelin Guide are not necessarily expensive fine dining. From luxury restaurants to village pubs, trendy bistros to street food eateries, the Michelin Guide offers something for everyone, every occasion and every budget.
Since 1997, restaurants that offer “value for money” – three-course meals at reasonable prices – have been designated with a special term, “Bib Gourmand”. The price limits for Bib Gourmand recommendations vary depending on the cost of living in each location, but Michelin inspectors are always looking for the same high quality of food wherever they are in the world.
《2023 Tainan Bib Gourmand Recommendation｜Central and Western District》
When it comes to food in Tainan City’s West Central District, it can be said to be a hot battlefield in the food world. The competition is so fierce that you will find a long-established restaurant with decades of history every few steps.
Interestingly, these old shops are not only long-standing in history, but also amazing for their delicious food. It is always said that restaurants that have been operating in Tainan for decades usually never disappoint, and many Tainan people have been able to enjoy a certain snack from their youth until old age.
Below, we have compiled a list of Bib Gourmand-recommended snacks and restaurants in Central and Western District that are definitely worth a try! Each of these restaurants has its own unique charm and will definitely allow you to taste the authentic Tainan food culture.
Let’s eat noodles
Jai Mi Ba is a noodle bar that uses the model of a noodle stall, combining black and white slices, Spanish tapas, izakaya cuisine and other elements, integrating the culture of various cuisines to create a familiar yet fresh taste journey.
Awen Rice Cake
On Baoan Road, where competition for snacks is fierce, Awen Rice Cake has made it into the Bib Gourmand list with Tainan’s unique traditional food – rice cake. Rice cake is made of pure rice, a bit like bowl rice cake, but traditional rice cakes are fried on both sides until golden brown, and some are fried with eggs, and then each store uses a special thickening sauce that is different to enhance the flavor. It is a delicious taste that you cannot miss when you come to Tainan.
Honest Pot Pasta
Honest Pot Roast, which just entered the list in 2023, is located in a small alley near Ahan Xianzhou. It uses natural and burden-free ingredients as the contents of the pot roast. The ingredients are all original, and the soup is refreshing and sweet. It is a new star in Tainan Pot Roast Noodles!
Shiroden Beef Soup
Without further ado, Tainan’s traditional beef soup is delicious and sells out very quickly!
Huangjia Shrimp Roll
With over 70 years of business, this shrimp roll is the number one dish in the hearts of many Tainan people! There are often queues during meal times. The freshly fried shrimp rolls are crispy and not greasy, and are worth a try!
Three Good and One Fair Angelica Duck
The shop opened in 1949 and later moved to its current location, where it is run by the second generation, who continue the founder’s craftsmanship. The restaurant has a limited menu, but is famous for its angelica duck vermicelli, among which the angelica duck leg vermicelli is the most popular. The soup is boiled with angelica, licorice and other ingredients, and is warm and sweet. The duck meat is made from warm-bodied duck purchased daily, stewed until tender, and paired with red rice noodles that retain their taste. It is simple but delicious.
The third generation of Futai dining table
Tainan people like to eat table dishes and home-cooked meals, and many Tainan delicacies have developed from this perspective many years ago. Fu Tai Dining Table was founded more than 80 years ago. The second and third generations opened this store in 2015 and moved into the dining room, allowing guests to experience the traditional dining table culture in a bright environment.
Luancheng rice cake
Currently only rice cakes and four-god soup are available. The glutinous rice cake has distinct grains and is very chewy. The surface is topped with braised pork, cucumber slices, fish floss and peanuts. The moist gravy and the aroma of black pepper combine to create a rich and deep flavor. It is recommended to be enjoyed with Four Gods Soup. Although it is a traditional old shop, the interior decoration is bright and clean, and it is equipped with air conditioning, making the dining environment very comfortable.
Kangle Street Beef Soup
The soup is made with a lot of natural fruits and vegetables. It tastes different from ordinary beef soup. You can taste the sweetness of fruits and vegetables in your mouth. The boss hardly makes any other special seasoning. Some people may feel that it is too refreshing and light, but it has a unique flavor and occupies a place in Tainan cuisine.
Yejia Small Roll Rice Noodles
Founded in 1935, it is the pioneer of Tainan Xiaojuan Rice Noodles and has now been passed down to the third generation. Different from Taiwanese rice noodle soup, the shop uses coarse rice noodles made from brown rice, which has a rice aroma and tastes better. The soup base is boiled with squid and then flavored with pepper powder. It is fragrant and delicious, with a sweet aftertaste, full of Tainan characteristics. The crispy squid caught from Indonesia makes it very memorable. The dining space is small but clean and air-conditioned. You have to wait in line on holidays.
One Taste
The secret to the deliciousness of Tainan rice cake lies in the ingredients and seasonings. Yiwei’s rice cake is made with old rice, paired with ground-temperature pork, grilled shrimp and homemade braised pork, and is made fresh daily. It is recommended to taste one or two bites of the original flavor first, feel the aroma of rice and braised meat in your mouth, and then add mustard or mashed garlic to enhance the taste.
- No. 177-179, Section 3, Guohua Street, West Central District, Tainan City (Stall No. 111 and 112, Yongle Market)
- +886 6 228 8563
Unnamed mutton soup
If you come too late, it will be gone! The nameless mutton soup, which is only available in Tainan in the morning, is one of the choices you cannot miss. The store insists on purchasing local warm-bodied mutton every day, and uses mutton bones and mutton to cook the signature clear soup. The soup is rich and delicious, and paired with other special dry-mixed mutton offal, a bowl of it can fill you with energy for the whole morning!
Babaobin Yuanzaihui (Guohua Street)
If you feel tired walking around the Central and Western District, have a bowl of ice! Babaobin Yuanzaihui is a traditional shaved ice shop in Tainan that has been passed down for three generations and has been in business for over 50 years. You can choose five ingredients for shaved ice, with more than ten options. All of them are freshly made in-house every day and are very delicious!
Bao’an Road Rice Cake
Another delicacy in the Baoan Road battle zone, the Baoan Road rice cake has the fragrance of rice grains and is chewy and soft. If you taste it carefully, you can also feel the unique aroma of the rice dumplings. Highly recommended!
Ah Ming Pork Heart Vermicelli (Bao’an Road)
This is a famous restaurant in Tainan that has been included in the Bib Gourmand for the first time. Needless to say, Ah Ming’s Pig Heart is fresh and does not require any extra seasoning to reach the peak of deliciousness. The crispness of the pig heart is unique, and it is delicious whether it is in soup or dried. Garlic pork trotters are also a must-order, the seasoning and taste are great! Worth queuing up to taste!
Xia Dao Lan rice cake
It was founded in 1961. Although the decoration is old, its style can be seen from the newspaper reports and celebrity photos on the wall. The signature rice cake is made from old pointed rice, and the braised pork sauce is made by stir-frying pork neck with onions, garlic, sugar and soy sauce, then stewing it over low heat.
《2023 Tainan Bib Gourmand Recommendation｜North District》
Delicious beef soup
Kaiyuan Braised Tuna Soup
Kaiyuan Road Unknown Milkfish
Ah Hing Milkfish
《2023 Tainan Bib Gourmand Recommendation｜South District, Anping District, East District》
Good Farmer Rice Cake
Wang’s fish skin
Thank you, Manager
Steamed Shrimp and Meatballs
《2023 Tainan Bib Gourmand Recommendation｜Rende, Qigu, Xuejia, Beimen District》
Qigu Oyster Farm
Hei Pi Canteen
Yongtong Milkfish Porridge
Mama Tian Changying Seafood House
Extended Reading
- 8 Newly Listed Bib Gourmand Dishes by Michelin Inspectors in the Michelin Guide Taiwan 2023
- 【2023 Tainan Restaurant Recommendation】Selected 8 Must-Try Tainan Food!
- 2023 Tainan Food Ranking 16 Tainan Food Restaurants Recommended Let’s Eat!
- 【2023 Tainan Latest Attractions Recommendation】The most popular scenic spots and historical sites, Tainan Historic Sites One-Day Tour is not to be missed!
- Lifetime Member Points Accumulation
- Consumption points: 1 point for every 1 yuan spent
- Consumption points: 1 point for every 1 yuan spent
