✨ AI Quick Take
This Nanjing East Road veteran has run for more than twenty years, but its wildest calling card is never closing for 24 hours. Do not expect a quiet weekday lunch: without a queue ticket, you will not get in. It is Taipei's late-night canteen and family living room, with hundreds of noisy seats over the second and third floors. Whether for dawn tea or a midnight basket of siu mai, the lights stay on, selling the lively rhythm of old Taipei yum cha.
● Chinese Sausage Taro Cake
Thick squares of taro cake sit in a basket under fried shallot, scallion, and sauce. The fluffy cake is more than uniform starch: radish shreds and taro pieces add natural fiber and aroma. Fried shallot adds savoriness. Taste it plain before dipping into the sauce to separate the taro and cured-meat layers.
● Fish-Roe Siu Mai
A thin yellow wrapper gathers around pork beneath tiny fish roe. Steam and meat fragrance rise as the lid opens. Hot, the wrapper is springy and thin enough to let the firm, sweet-savory filling lead. The bite-size pieces share easily. A little fresh chili adds sharper spice, but start plain to distinguish wrapper, meat, and roe.
● Beef Balls on Bean Curd Sheet
Each basket has three large beef balls over bean curd sheet. They are tender and juicy, with crisp water-chestnut pieces breaking up the softness. Their size gives a substantial meat bite, and the sheet absorbs juice and adds bean aroma—easy to divide one per person.
● Coconut Red-Bean Cake
Thick milky-white squares dotted with red beans look simple yet unmistakably Hong Kong-style. They are smooth and tender, opening with coconut before soft bean aroma and texture. Light sweetness avoids heaviness and refreshes the palate after siu mai, beef balls, and savory cakes.
Start with shrimp bean-curd rolls; steamed radish cake with cured meat balances richness, and baked cabbage with seafood shares well. Salted-fish chicken fried rice is dry, so pair it with tea or a saucy dish. Dim sum is best hot, so order in rounds; for groups, add stir-fries or rice and noodles for quantity and variety.
- Location:台北市中山區南京東路一段 92 號 2、3 樓, near Linsen Park and accessible from 中山站 · Zhongshan.
- Hours:Official branch information lists 24-hour service year-round; temporary changes follow shop notices.
- Setting:A large teahouse with hundreds of seats, suited to groups but still prone to queues at meal times.
- Parking:Use the Nanjing-Linsen Park underground car park.
📌 Editor's summary
吉星港式飲茶 (Ji Xing Gang Shi Yin Cha) has stood in Taipei for more than twenty years through constant convenience and consistent flavor. Crowds mean queues even on weekdays, yet the familiar trolley feeling—though most orders now use menus—and noisy teahouse mood are exactly what Taipei expects of yum cha. For a late-night craving or family gathering, this 24-hour veteran remains my safe bet.
