Taiwan Food Atlas

Zhongli Scallion Pancake

A forty-year-old stall at Zhongyuan Night Market — the everyday affordable staple of student life
📍 Taoyuan · Zhongli Zhongyuan Night Market / Zhongli Night Market🔰 Collector's Item · Street Food🔖 Night Market Snack / Rolled and Pan-Fried Fresh / Forty-Year-Old Stall

Zhongli has two night markets: Zhongyuan Night Market (right next to Chung Yuan Christian University) and Zhongli Night Market (around Zhongli Train Station). Both have scallion pancake stalls that have been around for years; among them, Ribao Scallion Pancake has stood in Zhongli Night Market for over 40 years and is a shared memory for longtime market regulars. Rolled and fried to order — crispy outside, soft inside, packed with green onions — at a price point that keeps students coming back every day. It is the most self-explanatory local street food in Zhongli.

What is scallion pancake

Taiwanese-style scallion pancake (cong you bing) uses medium-gluten flour mixed with hot water for a scalded dough, which is kneaded smooth and divided into portions. Each portion is rolled thin, spread with a generous amount of fresh minced green onion, brushed with lard or vegetable oil, then rolled up, flattened, and rolled thin again before being pan-fried in a cast-iron pan with a small amount of oil until golden on both sides. The crust is crispy and layered, the interior is moist and soft, and the green onions soften with heat and turn slightly sweet as their aroma fills the air. The Zhongli old-stall version uses a generous amount of green onion, is rolled and pressed to order, and even thickness is the mark of skill — the dough should be firm and not hollow.

Zhongli is a major commercial and student hub in greater Taoyuan; the student population from Chung Yuan Christian University and National Central University provides a steady customer base for the night markets, allowing affordable staple snacks like scallion pancake to take long-term root here. Appletree Travel Blog and Lite Travel's "Complete Guide to Local Zhongli Street Food" both confirm the current status of Changfa Uncle's Scallion Pancake at Zhongyuan Night Market and Ribao Scallion Pancake at Zhongli Night Market (40-plus years old); the Shi Shang Wan Jia Zhongli Night Market food map also includes them.

How to eat it authentically

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Adding an egg is the standard upgradeMost stalls offer an egg-add option. The egg is cracked in before the pancake finishes cooking, adding an extra layer of eggy, crispy coating to the outside — the default upgrade at Zhongli night markets.
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Sweet chili sauce or soy paste — pick oneZhongli stalls typically offer two sauces: sweet chili sauce (sweet and spicy, whets the appetite) and soy paste (savory and flavor-enhancing). Both have their loyal fans.
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Ask to have it cut into piecesThe vendor usually cuts it with scissors automatically; you can also ask for it to be cut into six to eight pieces, which makes it easier to eat while standing and prevents scallion filling from scattering.
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After 6 p.m. is peak timeBoth Zhongyuan Night Market and Zhongli Night Market enter their peak after 6 p.m. Freshly made scallion pancakes require a queue of 5 to 15 minutes; if you are not in a hurry, there is no need to arrive early.

Local knowledge

Verified sources

  • Lite Travel's "Complete Guide to Local Zhongli Street Food" and Appletree Travel Blog both confirm the current status of Changfa Uncle's Scallion Pancake at Zhongyuan Night Market.
  • Ribao Scallion Pancake (Zhongli Night Market), in operation for over 40 years, is included in the Shi Shang Wan Jia Zhongli Night Market food map — an old stall with media documentation.
  • Both Zhongli night markets have long-standing scallion pancake stalls, providing cross-verification rather than relying on a single vendor's claims.

Visitor tips

  • Zhongyuan Night Market and Zhongli Night Market are at different locations (the former is on Shitou Road in Zhongli District; the latter is on Zhongzheng Road). Do not confuse the two — confirm your destination before navigating.
  • Scallion pancake stalls typically accept cash only, although some now support mobile payment. Having small change (NT$100 bills) is still the safe option.
  • On weekday evenings (Monday to Thursday), some stalls at Zhongli Night Market do not operate. Ribao Scallion Pancake has a relatively stable schedule; if in doubt, check its current status on Google Maps.

Sources: Appletree Travel Blog field investigation; Lite Travel "Complete Guide to Local Zhongli Street Food"; Shi Shang Wan Jia Zhongli Night Market food map. Photos to be replaced with Dio's own photography.

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