Taipei Cafe - Top Taiwanese

Many mentions on the board, but no dedicated thread for what I can easily hail as the best Taiwanese restaurant in the area. They recently re-opened their dining room after a long pandemic closure. The menu is broad, covering a wide range of Taiwanese snacks, noodle soups, rice boxes and stir fries. On this particular day we decided to stick to the snacks and were impressed by the high quality across the board.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/LgVb5pji9bNTMJUP7

Very good potstickers with a soft wrapper and tasty filling. Not destination dumplings but a tasty start to the meal.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/g2eJP9z2v1Msy4Sg6

Braised trio of tofu, tea eggs and seaweed. A classic Taiwanese combination that probably would have benefited from the side of rice my children refused to share with us.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/gQjen1pGdZ8bWR7U7

Vermicelli with pork intestine and oysters. Fantastic rendition of this street food classic. Lots of white pepper, just the right amount of funk from the nasty bits, and terrific QQ texture on the oysters and intestines. As good as any version I’ve had.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/kXaPtevLYMg4mqKN8

Excellent gua bao all the way around. Pillow soft bao stuffed with pickled mustard greens, sweet peanut dust and luscious braised pork belly. Could easily make a meal out of a couple of these and a milk tea to wash it down.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/HCDki1sbBQp8ZtBcA

The rice roll was the star of the show and was clearly made shortly before serving. Not sure if this is standard or not, but it made for great textural contrast with a chewy rice shell encasing crispy you tiao crullers, pickled mustard greens and pork floss. Each bite resulted in yummy noises. A must order on our next visit.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/gddmN8EKG8e2Tb638

We’ve had quite a few egg waffles around town lately, but this was clearly the best of the bunch. Crispy exterior with nice custardy interior. The kids scarfed the first one so we ended up getting a second.

If this were closer to home I could see us ordering the Taiwanese rice boxes regularly for take out or munching on snacks frequently. I’ll have trouble moving off the snacks on my next visit (didn’t get to try oyster pancake, ba wan, braised pork hock or popcorn chicken) but the noodle soups looked pretty great too.

Taipei Cafe
2609 S Halsted St
Chicago, IL 60608
https://www.taipeicafeil.com
(312) 374-1986

Taipei Cafe, a popular spot for Taiwanese-style hot pot in Bridgeport, will open a second location this summer at 820 W. Belmont

https://chicago.eater.com/2022/3/22/229 ... ttractions

Visited the new Lakeview location earlier today. Much smaller than the original location with a more limited menu to match. It is more of a bubble tea / snack shop than a sit-down restaurant like the original. This was disappointing to me and my wife since we love the original location and this opening is much closer to home. That said, happy to report my crispy pork bento box was delicious and inexpensive and the Taiwanese milk tea was spot on, best in the neighborhood to my taste. They won't be the delivery stalwart we were hoping for, but a welcome addition nonetheless.

I love the Bridgeport location and they are a delivery stalwart for us. I was excited to see they were doing well enough to open another location. A few recommendations.

Lu Rou Fan or Braised Pork over Rice - Classic Taiwanese dish done to perfection here. It's chunks of pork belly in a deliciously savory sweet soy braise. Better than the few I had in Taiwan, mostly because the sauce to rice ratio is better. I mean it makes sense the classic version has a lot of rice, it is a peasant dish, but I don't have to like it.

Crispy Pork Chop Bento - Tender and nicely fried pork chop with a sweet vinegar dipping sauce. Also comes with a little scoop of braised pork so you get the best of both worlds.

Preserved Egg with Tofu - You can find this lots of places, with my favorite being Min's Noodle House, but the one here is redolent of Japanese food with a soy dashi and bonito flakes.

Fan Tuan or Rice Roll - As mentioned above, these are very good and on par with best I have eaten in China or Taiwan. You tiao, the fried crullers, are pretty common fillings and probably the only time I like them. I still feel bad paying $6 for a load of carbs though. I like to put a bit of sriracha on it.

Beef Noodle Soup - Very pleasing version, but only if eating in. Tasted similar to those I had in Taiwan.

Beef Donburi with or without Kimchi - Not Taiwanese but pretty good especially given the lack of alternative Japanese restaurants serving passable versions. I would rather eat braised pork or the pork chop bento so I don't order this any more.

The popcorn chicken is really nice if dining in as well, though be warned it is actually slightly sweet. The rest of the appetizers I find very underwhelming however.