Taichung Honey Bean Ice

Honey bean ice is a representative category of Taiwan's post-war shaved ice culture, built on shaved ice topped with sweetened red beans, barley, diced fruit, and a yellow syrup flavored with banana extract. The representative shop, Xingfating, was founded in 1938 by Chen Hsi, who started with a pushcart near the Taichung train station before setting up a stall in the First Market in 1943; the business has passed through three generations. Its original downtown flagship closed in August 2021 due to the pandemic, but branches on Beiping Road and Jianxing Road, run by the second and third generations, remain open.

According to news reports, Xingfating founder Chen Hsi began selling honey bean ice from a pushcart near the Taichung train station in 1938 and set up a stall in Taichung's First Market in Central District in 1943, adapting Japan's mitsumame shaved-ice style and adding sliced apple among other toppings — the shop once drew crowds of nearly 10,000 in a single day. The business has passed through three generations, with third-generation eldest daughter Chen Wei-chu helping sell ice from age seven. The 83-year-old flagship shop officially closed on August 29, 2021, after pandemic-related declines in foot traffic, though branches on Beiping Road and Jianxing Road, run by other family members, remain open.

What is Honey Bean Ice

Honey bean ice is one of Taiwan's classic old-style shaved ice desserts. Shaved ice forms the base, topped with sweetened red beans, barley, taro balls or small tang yuan, diced fruit (commonly pineapple, papaya, or banana), and finished with a ladle of yellow syrup flavored with banana extract. Some shops add a scoop of ice cream. Compared to modern snow ice or mango shaved ice, honey bean ice uses coarser shaved ice and sweeter syrup, with red beans and fruit pieces as the main toppings. It's a snapshot of post-war Taiwanese dessert culture, and the distinctive banana-extract syrup aroma is the most important flavor memory associated with this category.

According to the Taichung City Government Tourism Bureau, "Xingfating Honey Bean Ice" was founded in 1938 and has been passed down to the third generation, making it one of Taichung's representative old-style honey bean ice shops. The original downtown location closed in 2022; the main visit point today is the North District branch on Beiping Road. For older Taichung residents, going out for honey bean ice in summer was as much a ritual as young people going out for hand-shaken drinks today — a shared city memory from another era. This guide focuses on honey bean ice as a category, presenting it as an entry point into Taichung's vintage dessert culture.

How to eat it like a local

Local knowledge

Data compiled from the Michelin Guide, Taichung City Government Tourism Bureau, and a large volume of public reviews. Sponsored content has been filtered out. Photos will be replaced with Dio's own channel footage after on-site shooting.