Yong He Soy Milk — Restaurant in Wanhua District

You know a breakfast place is serious when there’s a line of locals and not a single word of English is being spoken just the language of urgency, carbs, and soy milk-fueled dreams. That’s exactly what I walked into at Yong He Soy Milk (Ximen location) a no-frills Taiwanese breakfast spot that understands one core truth: get in, get fed, get out.

No reservations, no ambiance, no menu poetry. Just metal racks stacked with labeled food items and a vibe that says “figure it out or starve, buddy.”

I rolled up, waited a blessedly short time, and promptly panic-grabbed half the rack like I was hoarding for a soy milk apocalypse. Here’s the damage:

Sweetened Soy Milk – This is the Beyoncé of the lineup. Smooth, slightly nutty, balanced like a yoga instructor. Earthy and toasty, like someone blended breakfast and comfort into a cup.

Fantuan with Chicken and Egg – A glutinous rice burrito of chaos and joy. Chicken thigh meat with a mild curry flavor that whispered “I got you” while the pickled veggies brought the crunch. Very much a “hold with two hands and pray” kind of situation.

Xiaobing with Egg and Ham – Flaky, warm, and buttery, a little dry. The move, Shove a youtiao in there. Trust me. Carb-on-carb like the breakfast version of Inception. You will not regret it unless you're gluten-free, in which case… thoughts and prayers.

Egg Omelette Wrap with Chicken – Delicious, protein-packed, and portable. Like a breakfast burrito that got a master’s degree.

Youtiao – Crispy, slightly chewy, oil-slicked perfection. A breakfast churro’s savory cousin.

Dumplings (trip two) – Ehh. A little bland, like they were made by someone who said “seasoning is a suggestion.” Would skip unless you’re emotionally attached to mediocrity.

There’s minimal speaking, maximum grabbing, and a vibe that says “eat fast and don’t look back.” Seating is limited, so I ended up on a bench living my best life, holding a fantuan like it was a newborn.

Would I go back? Already did. And next time, I’m hitting up the main location, where rumor has it, the xiaobing is cooked tandoor-style and seating exists like it’s not a myth.

Yong He Soy Milk is breakfast without the small talk. It’s fast, slightly chaotic, very delicious, and perfect for anyone who wants to start the day by wrestling a fantuan...

Been wanting to try a breakfast place as my plane landed very early into Taipei. Found this place pretty central and open so decided to take an airport bus and alighted at Ximending and took a short walk to the shop. Not difficult to find the shop a short walk from the bus stop and also near the metro station. Queue was already pretty long but the turnover was quite fast. Didn't know there were seats upstairs as well as the shop next door so I was directed to an empty table there. Quite a number of items to order, but have been bewildered by the Taiwanese that the beancurd and the soya bean don't coexist together so it's very hard to find both in a same shop. They serve the soy milk here but I was trying to find the beancurd and I couldn't find it. An interesting try would be the salty soy milk but I guessed I haven't got out of my comfort with sweet soy milk yet. Ordered a youtiao (fried doughstick) and also a rice roll. Don't underestimate the rice roll cause it's made of glutinous rice and also rich in fillings inside so if you get that most likely one item is enough for the entire meal. It's also a joy to eat because I loved the combination of ingredients inside, especially the egg, the pork floss and the pickles inside. I think it came with a bit of meat too. There are different types of rice rolls with different fillings inside so not to worry you find something you like. Very no frills, items are all displayed you just pick what you want and then head for payment and sit down and enjoy your food. Food is not fantastic but definitely a good way to start a local breakfast. Paid 153TWD for the meal which was rather reasonable, given the rice roll would cost the main bulk of the entire bill. Good place to check it out if you happen to be looking for breakfast places cause there are usually not a lot of breakfast...

We visited from America and saw the long line here and decided to give it a try! It was a little intimidating because it wasn’t clear how to order or whether you can pay with card (I’m still not sure but I think cash only since that’s all I saw other people use) but it turned out to be pretty easy. The line moves fast so don’t be turned off by how it looks. You’ll grab a silver metal tray at the start and it’s buffet style so just grab whatever you want and put it on your tray and they ring you up at the end! Also everything has a picture and an English description so it wasn’t too hard. After you pay you take your tray over to a table where they have bags, sauces, and chopsticks so you can take it to go which we did.

We loved the chicken omelette (more like a burrito with rice around the outside instead of a tortilla but delicious), the steamed dumpling aka xiao long bao, the fried dumplings that looked like what Westerners would refer to as potstickers, and one other thing was sort of like a crepe, don’t get the bacon though, stick with the cheese or other option. Make sure you get the sauces at the end for your xiao long bao and fried dumplings!!

The staff were obviously all about speed but the older lady and gentleman that are washing trays and generally making sure things move smoothly through the line came over to help us with the sauces when they could tell we didn’t know what we were doing which I appreciated haha! I would recommend this place for a unique (for Westerners) but yummy breakfast experience, I...