Drive from central Kaohsiung into Qishan Old Street, where Baroque facades conceal a low-key little shop. At lunchtime there's a short queue. The owner places sliced pig heart in a ladle and plunges it into the rolling broth for a few seconds before lifting it out immediately, laying it over a bowl of glass noodles, ladling in a clear, sweet broth, and finishing with shredded ginger and minced celery. A bowl that looks like nothing special sent this small shop into Michelin.
What is Pig Heart with Glass Noodles?
Pig heart with glass noodles is a common Taiwanese clear-broth snack: pig heart sliced thin, briefly blanched in rolling broth until just cooked through — pink inside, not raw — then laid over blanched glass noodles with broth, shredded ginger, minced celery, or fried shallots. The critical detail is that the pig heart must be pulled at the precise moment it's just done: overcooked and it turns tough; undercooked and it's off-puttingly strong, so the owner handles the blanching personally. The broth is a clean pork bone reduction seasoned with soy sauce and a touch of rice wine — clear but not thin.
Qishan has been a southern Taiwan mountain-produce trading hub since the Qing dynasty, and the snacks on its old street carry traces of a century of history. Xiuming Pig Heart Glass Noodles is Qishan Old Street's beloved longtime shop, first selected for the Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2024 as the first restaurant on the street to appear in the guide — bringing this deceptively simple clear-broth bowl back into national attention. Besides pig heart, the shop typically also serves kidney, pork intestine (fen chang), rib connection (gan lian), and soft tube — all worth ordering alongside.
How to eat it like a local
Local knowledge
Objective credentials (filtered for sponsored content)
- Xiuming Pig Heart Glass Noodles was first selected for the Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2024 — the first shop on Qishan Old Street to appear in the guide.
- Qishan is listed by the Kaohsiung City Government Tourism Bureau as a historic district; the Old Street's Baroque architecture has recognized cultural value.
- This guide covers "Kaohsiung Pig Heart Glass Noodles" as a category. Xiuming in Qishan is the primary representative.
Practical tips
- Most shops are open for lunch only and close when sold out — avoid weekend peak hours or allow time to queue.
- Qishan is about 50 minutes from central Kaohsiung. Self-driving or taking a coach bus is recommended.
- Combine with Qishan Old Street's Baroque architectural cluster, Wu De Hall, and the Qishan Station Cultural Park for a half-day itinerary.
Information compiled from the Michelin Guide, Kaohsiung City Government Tourism Bureau, and a large body of public reviews, filtered for sponsored content. Photos to be replaced with channel-original material after Dio's on-site shoot.