Taiwan Food Atlas

Yonghe Soy Milk

The starting point of Taiwan's breakfast culture, spreading from one Yonghe stall to the world
📍 New Taipei · Section 2, Yonghe Road🏛️ Iconic · Breakfast🔖 24 Hours · Savory Soy Milk · Birthplace of Taiwanese Breakfast

Yonghe soy milk is a signature symbol of Taiwanese breakfast culture, referring to the savory-and-sweet soy milk breakfast style — paired with shaobing and fried dough sticks — that originated in New Taipei's Yonghe District in the 1950s after mainland immigrants brought the tradition and localized it. In the 1950s, mainland-born veterans set up stalls on Section 2 of Yonghe Road, grinding soybeans from midnight and selling through to dawn to supply workers on the move. This late-night soy milk spread along the provincial highway and eventually replicated itself across Taiwan and beyond under the name 'Yonghe Soy Milk,' becoming the most recognizable symbol of Taiwanese breakfast culture.

Shi Jie Soymilk King, the landmark Yonghe soy milk shop, was founded in 1955 by Li Yun-zeng, a veteran originally from Shandong, at a stall near the Yonghe end of Zhongzheng Bridge. It was in 1975 — not from its founding — that Li switched to 24-hour operation in response to late-night demand, becoming the first soy milk shop in Taiwan to do so.

What is Yonghe Soy Milk?

Soy milk is made by soaking yellow soybeans, grinding them into a paste, straining it, and bringing it to a boil. Savory soy milk is prepared by adding a small amount of vinegar to hot soy milk to slightly curdle it, then topping it with minced pickled mustard greens, dried shrimp, croutons of fried dough, and chopped scallions — a layered, savory, mildly tangy combination. Sweet soy milk preserves the natural bean aroma and is sweetened simply with fine white sugar, clean and straightforward. Eaten with a shaobing, fried dough stick, or egg pancake, it forms the core combination of northern Taiwanese breakfast. The steam rising from a hot bowl of morning soy milk is the soul of this food.

The origins of Yonghe soy milk lie in the Jiangnan-style soy milk breakfast culture brought by mainland immigrants, which merged with local tastes in Taiwan and developed the Taiwanese version of savory soy milk. Yonghe World Soy Milk King has maintained 24-hour operations since 1955, becoming a unique landmark that draws regulars in both the dead of night and early morning. The brand's influence later spread through a franchise chain, and "Yonghe Soy Milk" evolved from a place name into a generic category name for a style of breakfast.

How to eat it like a local

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Start savory, finish sweetThe proper way is to try a bowl of savory soy milk first to experience the curdled texture and layers, then finish with a sweet soy milk to cleanse the palate — two completely different experiences in contrast.
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Dunk the fried dough stickTear the fried dough stick into sections and soak them in the hot soy milk, letting the hollow, crispy dough absorb the bean liquid before eating — the texture shifts from crispy to soft, which is the seasoned diner's standard move.
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Late night is actually the ideal timeYonghe soy milk is open 24 hours. At 1 or 2 a.m., seats are easier to find than in the early morning rush, and freshly ground soy milk at that hour tends to have a stronger bean aroma.
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Find it by address, not name"Yonghe Soy Milk" has become a generic brand name used widely across Taiwan. To find the original location, look for Section 2 of Yonghe Road in New Taipei's Yonghe District — not any of the nationwide branches.

Local knowledge

Verified credentials

  • Culinary history sources and the global Yonghe soy milk franchise lineage both confirm that Section 2 of Yonghe Road is the geographic origin of Taiwan's soy milk breakfast culture.
  • Yonghe World Soy Milk King has maintained its 24-hour operation since 1955, an important landmark in the late-night food landscape of the Taipei metropolitan area.
  • Taiwan food culture researchers have repeatedly cited "Yonghe soy milk" as a textbook example of mainland immigrant food becoming localized in Taiwan.

Visitor tips

  • Weekend morning queues are long. Visiting on a weekday or at night means shorter waits.
  • The name "Yonghe Soy Milk" is used widely by many shops. Confirm the address is on Section 2 of Yonghe Road before heading out.
  • Savory soy milk contains dried shrimp. Those with shellfish allergies should let the shop know in advance or order sweet soy milk instead.

Source: Culinary history sources and global Yonghe soy milk franchise lineage. Photos will be replaced with Dio's own footage after the on-site shoot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where did Yonghe soy milk originate?

It originated from late-night stalls on Section 2 of Yonghe Road in the 1950s, when mainland immigrants localized the soy milk breakfast tradition into a savory Taiwanese-style version.

Has Shi Jie Soymilk King been open 24 hours since it was founded?

No, it was not 24-hour from the start in 1955; it switched to round-the-clock operation only in 1975.

What's the difference between savory and sweet soy milk?

Savory soy milk is curdled with vinegar and topped with pickled greens, dried shrimp, fried dough, and scallions, while sweet soy milk is simply sweetened and keeps the plain bean flavor.

Why is 'Yonghe Soy Milk' found all over Taiwan?

The name spread through franchising and became a generic category name for a breakfast style, so most branches have no direct connection to the original Yonghe Road location.

Sources

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