Portland | “Zha Nan” Taiwan Bistro: A Taste of Taipei’s Famous Izakaya

Location📍 11136 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland, OR 97219, United States —— “Zha Nan” (literally “Playboy”) is a well-known Taiwanese izakaya chain back in Taiwan, famous for its authentic Taiwanese street snacks and drinks. It has tons of branches in Taipei (I remember there’s “1st Zha,” “2nd Zha,” “3rd Zha…” and even more 😂)! Though it also has a reputation for being “a bit pricey and not filling enough,” I never expected to run into it here in the US! —— [Personal Thoughts] Overall, the food was delicious—especially the braised snacks series! They have a unique, hard-to-resist aroma. If I lived nearby, I’d definitely swing by for takeout braised snacks regularly. The Taiwanese dry noodles were good too… though using Japanese udon noodles to mix with Taiwanese sauce felt super weird 🤨. One small letdown: In Taipei’s “Zha Nan” branches, they give out cute branded stickers and lighters (all with the shop’s logo) as little gifts. The Portland branch doesn’t have these, but it’s not a big deal. [Avoid These Fails!] The braised pork rice was a total miss—the rice had a strange “powdery” texture, like it wasn’t fully cooked or was reheated poorly 🤔. Prices are indeed on the high side: Our lunch for 2 adults + 1 kid (including tip) cost $95. Also, the staff was clearly understaffed—be mentally prepared to wait a while for your food ⌛. PortlandTaiwaneseFood #TaiwaneseIzakaya #PortlandEats #FoodReview #ZhaNanBistro