Corner of Fuxing Road in the South District — by noon there's already a queue outside. In the big pot at the stall, semi-translucent meatballs soak in golden low-temperature oil, slowly cooking through. A pair of scissors snips the skin open with a clean "snip," and a filling of bamboo shoots and lean pork tumbles out. The vendor drizzles on red sauce and white sauce, then adds a spoonful of garlic paste — one bite, and the chewy skin and savory filling come together, lifted by the garlic. Taichung's ba-wan isn't a flashy snack; it's a budget old-stall flavor people have been eating for 90 years.
What is Ba-wan (Taichung Style Meatball)
Ba-wan is a traditional Taiwanese snack made by wrapping pork and bamboo shoot filling in a starch batter of sweet potato starch and rice flour, then steaming or simmering in low-temperature oil until semi-translucent. The preparation method varies by region: northern Taiwan tends to fry, southern Taiwan tends to steam. The Taichung version relies mainly on "low-temperature oil poaching," giving the skin a semi-translucent off-white color — chewy rather than oily. The filling commonly uses locally grown Taichung bamboo shoots and lean pork for a fresher taste. The sauce comes in two varieties: red (sweet chili sauce) and white (rice milk sauce), both drizzled on together, then finished with a spoonful of garlic paste. The combination of salty-sweet and garlic fragrance is the most distinctive Taichung topping style.
"Taichung Meat Ball" (台中肉員) on Fuxing Road in the South District was founded in 1933 and is approaching a century in operation. It was first selected for the Taichung Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2021 and remained on the list in 2025, with tens of thousands of public reviews for a single shop — making it the representative ba-wan establishment in Taichung. A parallel lineage traces to Dingshan Meat Ball and Maochuan Meat Ball inside Second Market, representing the century-old market tradition. Two paths coexist: one along the street stall route, one inside a hundred-year market. Either one you walk into, you won't be disappointed.
How to eat it like a local
Local knowledge
Verified facts (sponsor-free)
- Taichung Meat Ball (台中肉員) was founded in 1933, first selected for the Taichung Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2021, and remained on the list in 2025 — officially recognized as a representative shop.
- A single shop has accumulated approximately 8,000+ public reviews with stable ratings — the benchmark for Taichung ba-wan's large-scale public reputation.
- Dingshan Meat Ball and Maochuan Meat Ball from the Second Market system represent another established lineage of Taichung ba-wan. This guide treats them as equals with Fuxing Road's Taichung Meat Ball and does not favor a single shop.
Visit tips
- Parking is difficult along Fuxing Road Section 3 in the South District. Public bus or walking is recommended; it's near the Taichung Cultural and Creative Industries Park.
- Taichung Meat Ball mainly operates from midday to early evening. Weekend meal-time queues are obvious — check closing days before you go.
- You can combine the visit with Taichung Cultural and Creative Industries Park and Second Market to cover both lineages of Taichung ba-wan in one trip.
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.