江牛樓 — Restaurant in Datong District

I can't begin to express how shockingly good this place, the owner, and the beef noodle soup is. Though only in Taiwan forin around 1 month/year, I've made it my business to try every highly rated beef noodle soup place over the years. Honestly, my expectations aren't super high anymore.

But this place took me by surprise. First, the owner, actually Japanese, which worried me a bit because I don't as after classic Taiwanese style. But he does in deed do that, actually adds his own twist to make it amazing!

First the beef, I'm going to go out on a limb and declare it the best I've ever had, and that's literally out of hundreds of places I've tried, including expensive places known for their high quality beef, like the Taipei Regent. He told me part of his secret is marinating the beef in red wine and sangria the day before.

Then the noodles. I chose knife-cut. They were both exactly what I like, quality dough, thick and chewy.

And of course the broth. Very tasty, and I don't mean the typical dark soy sauce broth. Rather, a real beef flavor. Then he adds a toy ch of his own Japanese inspired seasonings to make the experience even more unique.

Overall, EVERY part of the soup was outstanding, including the presentation (not that that matters much to me).

Oh, and did I mention how incredibly friendly the owner is. I literally didn't want to leave. We were talking about food, why he came here from Japan and choose to open a Taiwanese style beef noodle soup place, and much more.

If there's even a Michelin star given for beef noodle soup, my money's...

*Get here early and bring a book+

An amazing bowl of beef noodle. Only ~27 bowls of noodles are served each day, this restaurant is really difficult to get a spot. People start waiting at 9:50am for the chance to register at 11:00am so they can start eating at 12:00pm - 2:15pm depending on how early you queue. This is a waiting game but one I find that is worth it.

The beef is melt in your mouth tender. The soup is peppery and it is the type you can drink without feeling heavy. There are two types of noodles (hand cut thick and thin) of which I prefer the thicker option. The good news is that you can add a second helping of noodles without adding any fee and you can choose a different noodle type so don’t worry about which noodle to choose. However remember to save some meat and soup for the second helping. They also provide a smoked box with vegetables and wasabi. The wasabi is not the artificial tubed type. It is freshly ground and has a light flowery taste that pairs well with the meat.

There are two other options which is duck breast and sliced beef which they don’t introduce but is on a small sign on the counter. Be sure to order it when you order your noodles.

Even the service...

Just went today after seeing a Youtuber recommending the place. This is a beef noodle restaurant opened by a Japanese chef. I have to say this is the best beef noodle I've had in Taiwan, and I have tried many other popular restaurant. Firstly the place is only open between Wed to Sat and only in the afternoon. There are only 6 seats available. I went around 2:30pm to avoid the lunch hour traffic. They only have beef noodle on the menu and you can choose between thick and thin noodle. It also comes with small entree. I ordered thick noodle which was really nice. The noodle comes with 2 huge pieces of beef which was really soft and tender. It melts in your mouth ! And the soup is just superb. I normally don't finish the soup but this one, I drank it all ! On top of it, you can have free noodle refill (but not the soup). So you can ask for more noodles for free. For $290, it is on the high side for beef noodles but...