Step into the area around Zhongli Minquan Road's Xinming Market and the air thickens with the scent of doubanjiang, beef bone broth, and star anise. An entire street of red-braised beef noodle shops lines up, each sign redder than the last. The Taoyuan locals queuing outside all have their bowl — the one they've been eating since childhood. This is one unmissable military-dependents' community stronghold on Taiwan's red-braised beef noodle map.
What is Zhongli Beef Noodle Soup
Zhongli Beef Noodle Soup refers to the cluster of Sichuan-style red-braised beef noodle shops in the Xinming Market area of Zhongli. The broth is built on a beef-bone base, then slow-simmered with doubanjiang, dried chilies, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, and other aromatics until it turns deep reddish-brown; spice level ranges from mild to fiery. The beef is cut into large chunks with both tendon and meat, yielding a tender, gelatinous texture. The noodles are typically hand-pulled or knife-cut, excellent at absorbing the broth. Each bowl arrives with a clear contrast of red broth, hefty meat, and minced garlic greens — a textbook military-dependents' Sichuan red-braise.
Why Zhongli? The key is the military-dependents' community context of the 1950s and 1960s. Zhongli's Longgang and Zhongzhen neighborhoods gathered large numbers of Sichuan-native veterans and their families who came to Taiwan with the government. They brought their hometown red-braise recipes to the area around Xinming Market and opened shops to make a living, gradually forming a "beef noodle street." The Xinming and Yongchuan lines share the same origins but split apart, developing slightly different flavors — a lifetime loyalty-test for Zhongli locals. The Michelin Guide's Bib Gourmand has also listed beef noodle shops in the Taoyuan area.
How to Eat It the Local Way
Local Knowledge
Verified Credentials (ads filtered)
- The "beef noodle street" cluster around Xinming Market on Minquan Road has been the subject of multiple media features documenting its Sichuan-veteran and military-dependents' origins.
- The Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand has listed shops in the Taoyuan area since 2020.
- The Xinming and Yongchuan lines split after sharing the same origins; the two shops stand side by side, and debating which is better has been a Zhongli talking point for decades.
Practical Tips
- Peak meal times (11:30–13:00 and 18:00–19:30) see serious queues. Go off-peak or arrive a bit early.
- Parking near Xinming Market is difficult. A taxi or a 10–15-minute walk from Zhongli Train Station is more practical.
- Broth flavor is personal. Don't let a single influencer review make up your mind — try it yourself before picking a regular spot.
Information compiled from Michelin Guide, Taoyuan City Government Tourism Bureau, and large-scale public reviews; sponsored content has been filtered out. Photos will be replaced with channel-exclusive material after Dio's on-site shoot.