Turn off Jiufen Old Street onto Shuchi Road, and the stone steps climb one by one toward the mountain. Along the way, shop windows display bowls of small purple, yellow, and orange rounds, steam rising with the sweet scent of taro and sweet potato. At the very top, push open the door and the Pacific stretches endlessly before you. Cradling a warm bowl of taro ball soup, watching mountain, sea, and mist drift slowly past — this is Jiufen's taro balls, a dessert you eat with the whole hillside view.
What are taro balls?
Taro balls are a traditional dessert made by steaming taro, mashing it into a paste, mixing it with sweet potato starch to form a dough, and then hand-cutting and rolling it into small rounds. Sweet potato starch is key — it gives the balls a chewy bounce after cooking rather than turning mushy. Beyond plain taro balls, Jiufen shops also make sweet potato balls, matcha balls, and sesame balls in vivid colors that are pleasing just to look at. There are two ways to eat them: in winter, served in ginger or red bean soup for warmth; in summer, over shaved ice with brown sugar syrup, where the chewiness contrasts sharply with the cold.
The two emblematic shops of Jiufen's taro balls are Ah Gan Yi Taro Balls and Lai A Po Taro Balls, both open for over 60 years. Ah Gan Yi sits at the top of Shuchi Road near an elementary school and is famous for its three-story viewing seats — eating taro balls by the window with the panoramic mountain-and-sea view is one of Jiufen's most iconic images. Lai A Po, on Jishan Street, is known for hand-making everything fresh without takeout or delivery. Both are tourism landmarks with long queues on weekends. Jiufen's taro balls are not one shop's monopoly — they are the dessert symbol of the entire hillside town.
How to eat them like a local
Local knowledge
Verified credentials (sponsored content filtered out)
- Both Ah Gan Yi and Lai A Po Taro Balls have over 60 years of history and are the two signature taro ball shops in Jiufen.
- Jiufen taro balls use locally grown Taiwanese taro and sweet potato starch, with hand-rolling as the traditional method.
- Jiufen is located in the Ruifang District of New Taipei City in a hillside setting at about 350 meters elevation, with a climate that is often misty and rainy.
Visitor tips
- Parking in Jiufen is difficult. Drivers should park at lots lower on the mountain and walk or take a shuttle bus up.
- Shuchi Road is entirely stone steps, which makes it harder for people with mobility limitations — entering and exiting via Jishan Street is more level.
- Jiufen's weather changes quickly; even in summer the mist can roll in and temperatures can drop. A light jacket and rain gear are worth bringing.
Information compiled from the Michelin Guide, New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Bureau, and large volumes of public reviews, with sponsored content filtered out. Photos will be replaced with exclusive channel footage after Dio's on-site shoot.