Four Four South Village, named after the Taiwan military village where the beef noodle soup was allegedly conceived, is best known for its wide menu of the iconic Taiwanese dish.  Taiwanese beef noodle soups are presented in a variety of stocks, including the popular red-braised soup, a more clear beef broth-based variety. A number of derivations use tomato paste, spicy additions, and other adjustments, too. A representative take, no matter the base, should come with tendon and tripe.  For those interested in a fuller Taiwanese experience, take advantage of the extensive lu (braised) sides menu, from unctuous pork knuckles to crunchy pig ears with a side of the spicy peanuts. 

Tucked in the back of a narrow, noisy food court is the purveyor of one of the best batter-fried Taiwanese pork chops in New York. Not to be confused with its pan-fried cousin, this battered chop is also savory-sweet, but with a substantial crust thicker than the Japanese pork katsu and closer to a Texas fried steak. Easy to overcook and too oily when rushed, Taipei Hong’s take is crispy with a hearty crunch while remarkably tender on the inside.  Since the closure of the beloved Prince 66, Taipei Hong is the next best thing for those seeking a good pork chop fix. Also on menu are other seldom seen items, like a mala beef noodle soup into which the chef throws in everything but the kitchen sink, including rice cakes, fish balls, clear noodles, and a hearty amount of vegetables. 

Legend Chicken is known for its giant-sized Taiwanese fried leg cutlet (glove upon request), basil popcorn chicken, and other night market staples, such as fried blood cakes (a kind of Chinese version of the boudin noir) and semi-sweet Taiwanese sausage. The sleeper hit is the venetian fried tofu, based on a layered tofu known as “hundred leaves,” which combines a QQ (Taiwanese compliment for a bouncy chew) interior with a crisp shell.

Right off of the Vernon Jackson stop, Yumpling is ostensibly a dumpling joint, but the beef noodle soup and zha jian noodles are must-trys. Tangy from the pickled greens, this rich, tomato and doubanjiang-based beef noodle soup is a standout take, with perfectly tender beef. The zha jiang noodles, generously topped with edamame and minced meat, also recall home cooking. Bonus are the small shaved-ice desserts, including the Taiwan classic with lychee, red bean, and aloe vera, best eaten in the shop before the made-to-order chipped ice melts. 

Off the beaten path in Flushing is Master Huang, an establishment that features cuisine from the owners’ hometown of Tainan, in the south of Taiwan. One can order a deep, home-cooked beef noodle soup and one of the better stinky tofus around. Hidden among the menu are a wealth of deep cuts worth exploring – including grassy mugwort mochi, stuffed with shredded radish and yio fan, a sticky, rich fried rice with a dash of sweet glaze.  If in doubt, ask the friendly owners. Newcomers to Taiwanese braised foods should try two appetizer samplers: “braised mix” or “mixed spice” — perfect for the uninitiated.

This is one of the city’s oldest and most venerated Taiwanese restaurants, and it fills up with extended families in the evenings and on the weekends. It’s a good place to try the dish of ground pork and garlic chives known as fly’s heads, sauteed kidneys, stinky tofu, steamed whole fish, ricecake stir-fries, and Taiwanese three-cup chicken. Cash only.

This exuberant, neon-tinged East Village restaurant evokes the feeling of late-night Taiwanese hangs and serves food to match. 886’s menu presents both classic Taiwanese street foods like oyster omelet and a well-turned three-cups chicken, as well as cheeky reinventions like the “Taiwanese breakfast” scallion pancake lunch roll, with mayo, pork floss, cucumber, and egg. While the Notorious T.F.C., which stands for Taiwanese Fried Chicken, has gotten attention, don’t sleep on the shareable, homestyle items like the Taiwanese hot pot.  

Opened in 2018, Ho Foods, along with the now defunct Baohaus, helped kick off the current Taiwanese-American restaurant wave, introducing many New Yorkers to refined, thoughtfully prepared takes on classic Taiwanese beef noodle soup, braised rice, and breakfast foods. Ho Foods continues to offer a signature noodle soup, but equally worthy are the other takes on hometown favorites like the egg-stuffed scallion pancake and the burrito-sized fan tuan, a homey rice roll stuffed with pork floss, sour pickles, and a fried savory cruller which provides a crunchy contrast to the soft, chewy shell of sticky rice.

Order from this Chinatown classic then dine out on one of the folding tables, and one might be convinced that it’s not Doyer Street but at one of the many night markets, like Ningxia, in Taipei. The staggering, non-flashy menu is a mishmash of Taiwanese, Mainland, and Japanese-nodding takeout, from a fragrant “four god” herbal soup and a garlic-y marinated tofu and kelp appetizer to a homestyle curry rice and a requisite popcorn chicken over rice.  Eating a bowl of Pork Chop House’s taro ball shaved ice in the summer is a time machine for many Taiwanese.

A-Pou’s feels like stepping into a casual roadside inn along the coast of Taiwan, with a fridge half-full of Taiwanese drinks, a TV playing Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng on repeat, and a charming proprietor who sometimes doubles as the chef.  A-Pou’s Taste is rustic, down-home Taiwanese cooking, with dumplings, noodles, and three-cups chicken at the heart of a take-out friendly menu. The dishes are highly idiosyncratic; one gets the feeling that they are all borne of the owner’s personal recipes and preferences. The lou rou (braised pork) rice is particularly notable for the generously chunky, tender cuts of belly. 

Owner Paul Chen’s restaurant in Williamsburg celebrates Taiwan’s fried rice tradition and offers a wide variety of options, from the attention-getting pastrami numbing-spice fried rice to the more traditional Taiwan sausage fried rice. Fan Fried Rice Bar also offers a number of options for vegetarian diners, including a vegan mapo tofu. Worth a try are the hearty, thickly battered fried pork chops, best eaten at the restaurant; and the typhoon shelter shrimp balls.

Here you will find beautifully grilled sirloins, rib-eyes, and pork chops served on a bed of noodles, on a sizzling platter with a fried egg and mixed vegetables. This main course is preceded by a salad and toasts smeared with sweetened condensed milk. The steak prices are mind-bogglingly low for good-quality meat.