A-Ba's Taro Ball Sugarcane Ice is the signature dessert of a stall inside Lehua Night Market in New Taipei's Yonghe District, made by shaving frozen sugarcane juice into snowflake-thin ice and topping it with hand-cooked taro paste and taro balls. The shop, A-Ba's Taro Balls, is located in Lane 18, Baoping Road near Lehua Night Market and was named to the 2025 Michelin Guide Taiwan's New Taipei Bib Gourmand list, one of the first vendors at Lehua Night Market to receive Michelin recognition.
A-Ba's Taro Balls is located at No. 1, Lane 18, Baoping Road, Yonghe District, and its signature item is "Taro Paste Sugarcane Ice." It was named to the 2025 Michelin Guide Taiwan New Taipei Bib Gourmand list, one of the first Lehua Night Market vendors to receive Michelin recognition; New Taipei had 15 shops on the 2025 Bib Gourmand list overall, with Yonghe District leading all districts at four.
What is sugarcane ice?
Sugarcane ice is a frozen dessert made by pressing fresh sugarcane juice into sheets and shaving them into thin slices. Unlike conventional shaved ice, sugarcane ice shards are extremely thin — close to a snowflake texture — dissolving in the mouth almost without chewing, leaving a delicate, natural sweetness. A-Ba's Taro Balls uses this ice as a base, layered with hand-cooked taro paste, chewy taro balls, and toppings, creating a double-layer contrast of "smooth taro aroma × melt-in-the-mouth sugarcane ice." A full bowl doesn't leave the cloying sweetness of conventional shaved ice; instead it finishes with a gentle, lingering sweetness.
A-Ba's Taro Balls is located inside Yonghe's Lehua Night Market and is one of the desserts officially named among the "8 dishes most loved by inspectors" in the 2025 Michelin Guide New Taipei Bib Gourmand list. The Michelin commentary specifically highlights the richness of the taro paste and the melt-in-the-mouth quality of the sugarcane ice shards. This makes the stall one of the first vendors at Lehua Night Market — a long-established neighborhood market — to receive Michelin recognition, and adds another dimension to the idea that Yonghe offers more than just soy milk and scallion pancakes. Starting from a small stall and queuing to the night market corner, word of mouth is the only publicity it has ever needed.
How to eat it like a local
Local knowledge
Verified credentials (sponsored content filtered out)
- Awarded the 2025 Michelin Guide New Taipei Bib Gourmand, an official recognition for accessible everyday food.
- Selected as one of the "8 dishes most loved by inspectors" in the Michelin Guide, with the commentary specifically noting the taro paste and sugarcane ice texture.
- Lehua Night Market is a long-established tourist night market in Yonghe District, located next to Dingxi MRT Station.
Visitor tips
- Most night market stalls are cash-only — bring enough change.
- Lehua Night Market draws very large crowds in the evening and the walkways are narrow, making it difficult to navigate with strollers or luggage.
- Wait times have increased since the Michelin listing; coming on a weekday means shorter queues.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is A-Ba's Taro Balls located?
A-Ba's Taro Balls is at No. 1, Lane 18, Baoping Road, Yonghe District, New Taipei, near Lehua Night Market.
Has A-Ba's Taro Balls won any recognition?
A-Ba's Taro Balls was named to the 2025 Michelin Guide Taiwan New Taipei Bib Gourmand list, among the first Lehua Night Market vendors to receive Michelin recognition.
How is sugarcane ice different from regular shaved ice?
Sugarcane ice is made by freezing sugarcane juice and shaving it into snowflake-thin sheets that dissolve almost without chewing, finer than conventional shaved ice.
What is the signature item called?
The signature item is "Taro Paste Sugarcane Ice," layering sugarcane ice, taro paste, and taro balls.
Sources
- 「2025雙北米其林小吃」地圖！台北37家、新北15家必比登 — 阿爸の芋圓地址、招牌品項與2025必比登入選資訊
- 2025米其林必比登推介 新增新北、新竹縣市全台144家入選 — 2025新北必比登15家完整名單與行政區分佈