Tender Steaks and Crispy Chicken (TAIPEI Quarterly 2025 Autumn Vol.41)Post date：2025-09-10
332
TAIPEI #41 (2025 Autumn)
Tender Steaks and Crispy Chicken
Two Top Spots for Hearty Meat Meals
TEXT Jenna Lynn Cody
PHOTOS VISION
Taipei offers plenty of small-plate eateries and upscale prix-fixe menus, but sometimes only a hearty, meat-centric meal will hit the spot. Whether you're craving a sizzling steak or fall-off-the-bone chicken, the city has no shortage of delicious options. From the refined cuts at B&B Steak to the smoky, irresistible flavors of Yi Chi Shang Ying Clay Pot Chicken, here's some guidance on where to satisfy your carnivorous cravings in Taipei.
Some of the best steak in Taipei is also among the most affordable, and word of mouth has spread quickly. There are several steak restaurants along a stretch of Fude Street in Taipei's Xinyi District, including B&B Steak, which regularly has a crowd of expectant diners waiting outside for tables to open up. This quirky restaurant looks nothing like the sort of steakhouse you might imagine as having this kind of reputation, but local meat aficionados know exactly where to go.
B&B is home to a large, friendly bulldog named Shun-shun – the staff will occasionally give customers treats to give her, as she's not allowed to have any steak – an impressive collection of turtles, and several axolotls in an aquarium in the restroom. Posters of different types of turtles adorn some walls, while others are covered in graffiti murals.
The best steak cuts sell out quickly here, with the tender ribeye cap being the most coveted (but not the most expensive); the thick-cut ribeye and slightly pricier U.S. chuck cap are also highly sought-after. Each selection is rated based on tenderness and marbling, and each has its own flavor profile: the U.S. Chuck Tender, for example, is a bit smokier than the ribeye. There are pork and chicken options, too.
▲Ribeye steak
Each steak comes on a cast-iron griddle accompanied by a sunny-side up fried egg that will cook through if you leave it long enough, thick udon-like pasta in a tangy, local-style tomato sauce, green vegetables including broccoli and green beans, and a puff pastry with a salty, slightly sweet butter yolk center. More puff pastries can be ordered, and the pasta can be swapped out for additional vegetables. Every table is equipped with A-1 steak sauce, Worcestershire sauce, a Taiwanese hot sauce, Himalayan salt, and black pepper. House-made steak sauces are available next to the drink station.
Each order comes with unlimited drinks, soup, and ice cream. The corn chowder with ham is on the sweet side, and the beef soup with vegetables is made with a rich, umami-packed clear broth.
B&B Steak (Fude Branch)
🚩302, Fude St., Xinyi Dist.
📞0919-719-721
🕝Tue-Sun 11:30am-1:30pm, 5:00pm-8:30pm
One of the greatest pleasures of traveling in rural Taiwan is eating at restaurants that specialize in "clay pot chicken," called wonggangji in Mandarin, or ang-a ke in Taiwanese. You don't have to leave Taipei to try it, though, because Yi Chi Shang Ying Clay Pot Chicken has you covered. For food lovers, this restaurant offers a quintessential Taiwan experience not commonly found in the city. For meat lovers, it's a pilgrimage destination.
▲Clay pots used for roasting chicken
Clay pot chicken is typically made by first marinating a whole, skin-on chicken in a mix of ingredients. While specific marinades vary, common components include garlic, green onions, rice wine, and various spices. The chicken is then hung inside a large, preheated clay pot or oven, whe e it roasts for at least an hour. Below the hanging chicken, a pan is placed to collect the juices and rendered fat that drip down during the cooking process. These flavorful drippings are then used as a dipping sauce, often served alongside the chicken, together with a dish of pepper.
The result is a crispy-skinned chicken that will quite literally have you licking your fingers, and the whole chicken comes to your table. At Yi Chi Shang Ying it must be ordered in advance, and only thirty are prepared per day. If you're on a quest for the best meat in Taipei, this is a can't-miss dish.
If that's not enough meat for you, try some of the other dishes on the menu, such as Korean kimchi chicken or beef, three-cup chicken thigh, beef with young ginger, spicy pork cheek, or any of the several garlic-forward options, such as the diced beef with sauteed garlic or dry-fried garlic chicken. Seafood options include three-cup squid and scallops with braised bamboo shoots and fresh steamed fish. Feeling adventurous? Try the Sichuanese spicy stinky tofu with pork intestine or the Thai-style century egg.
▲Chicken dripping large cabbage with mushrooms
The chicken dripping from the pot is also used to flavor some vegetable dishes. It's especially good with cabbage. The chicken dripping baby cabbage and large cabbage with mushrooms are both made this way; the latter looks deceptively simple, but the mushrooms and chicken stock give it a hearty flavor. The salted egg water bamboo are bursting with taste, as most things stir-fried with salted egg yolk are. If you're not into bamboo, salted egg yolk tofu is also available.
The soup menu at Yi Chi Shang Ying is longer than most. The garlic clam soup, medicinal herb and wild mushroom soup, and skinned pepper soup all include chicken wings and thighs, so diners can end their meat-filled dinner with even more meat.
Yi Chi Shang Ying Clay Pot Chicken 一吃上癮甕缸雞
🚩211, Sec. 4, Civic Blvd., Songshan Dist.
📞(02) 2577-6158
🕝Tue-Thu 5:30pm-11:30pm; Fri 5:30pm-12:30am; Sat 12:00pm-2:30pm, 5:00pm-12:30am; Sun 12:00pm-2:30pm, 5:00pm-11:30pm
🗺️Click here to see aforementioned spots on Google Map
Tender Steaks and Crispy Chicken
Two Top Spots for Hearty Meat Meals
TEXT Jenna Lynn Cody
PHOTOS VISION
Taipei offers plenty of small-plate eateries and upscale prix-fixe menus, but sometimes only a hearty, meat-centric meal will hit the spot. Whether you're craving a sizzling steak or fall-off-the-bone chicken, the city has no shortage of delicious options. From the refined cuts at B&B Steak to the smoky, irresistible flavors of Yi Chi Shang Ying Clay Pot Chicken, here's some guidance on where to satisfy your carnivorous cravings in Taipei.
Some of the best steak in Taipei is also among the most affordable, and word of mouth has spread quickly. There are several steak restaurants along a stretch of Fude Street in Taipei's Xinyi District, including B&B Steak, which regularly has a crowd of expectant diners waiting outside for tables to open up. This quirky restaurant looks nothing like the sort of steakhouse you might imagine as having this kind of reputation, but local meat aficionados know exactly where to go.
B&B is home to a large, friendly bulldog named Shun-shun – the staff will occasionally give customers treats to give her, as she's not allowed to have any steak – an impressive collection of turtles, and several axolotls in an aquarium in the restroom. Posters of different types of turtles adorn some walls, while others are covered in graffiti murals.
The best steak cuts sell out quickly here, with the tender ribeye cap being the most coveted (but not the most expensive); the thick-cut ribeye and slightly pricier U.S. chuck cap are also highly sought-after. Each selection is rated based on tenderness and marbling, and each has its own flavor profile: the U.S. Chuck Tender, for example, is a bit smokier than the ribeye. There are pork and chicken options, too.
▲Ribeye steak
Each steak comes on a cast-iron griddle accompanied by a sunny-side up fried egg that will cook through if you leave it long enough, thick udon-like pasta in a tangy, local-style tomato sauce, green vegetables including broccoli and green beans, and a puff pastry with a salty, slightly sweet butter yolk center. More puff pastries can be ordered, and the pasta can be swapped out for additional vegetables. Every table is equipped with A-1 steak sauce, Worcestershire sauce, a Taiwanese hot sauce, Himalayan salt, and black pepper. House-made steak sauces are available next to the drink station.
Each order comes with unlimited drinks, soup, and ice cream. The corn chowder with ham is on the sweet side, and the beef soup with vegetables is made with a rich, umami-packed clear broth.
B&B Steak (Fude Branch)
🚩302, Fude St., Xinyi Dist.
📞0919-719-721
🕝Tue-Sun 11:30am-1:30pm, 5:00pm-8:30pm
One of the greatest pleasures of traveling in rural Taiwan is eating at restaurants that specialize in "clay pot chicken," called wonggangji in Mandarin, or ang-a ke in Taiwanese. You don't have to leave Taipei to try it, though, because Yi Chi Shang Ying Clay Pot Chicken has you covered. For food lovers, this restaurant offers a quintessential Taiwan experience not commonly found in the city. For meat lovers, it's a pilgrimage destination.
▲Clay pots used for roasting chicken
Clay pot chicken is typically made by first marinating a whole, skin-on chicken in a mix of ingredients. While specific marinades vary, common components include garlic, green onions, rice wine, and various spices. The chicken is then hung inside a large, preheated clay pot or oven, whe e it roasts for at least an hour. Below the hanging chicken, a pan is placed to collect the juices and rendered fat that drip down during the cooking process. These flavorful drippings are then used as a dipping sauce, often served alongside the chicken, together with a dish of pepper.
The result is a crispy-skinned chicken that will quite literally have you licking your fingers, and the whole chicken comes to your table. At Yi Chi Shang Ying it must be ordered in advance, and only thirty are prepared per day. If you're on a quest for the best meat in Taipei, this is a can't-miss dish.
If that's not enough meat for you, try some of the other dishes on the menu, such as Korean kimchi chicken or beef, three-cup chicken thigh, beef with young ginger, spicy pork cheek, or any of the several garlic-forward options, such as the diced beef with sauteed garlic or dry-fried garlic chicken. Seafood options include three-cup squid and scallops with braised bamboo shoots and fresh steamed fish. Feeling adventurous? Try the Sichuanese spicy stinky tofu with pork intestine or the Thai-style century egg.
▲Chicken dripping large cabbage with mushrooms
The chicken dripping from the pot is also used to flavor some vegetable dishes. It's especially good with cabbage. The chicken dripping baby cabbage and large cabbage with mushrooms are both made this way; the latter looks deceptively simple, but the mushrooms and chicken stock give it a hearty flavor. The salted egg water bamboo are bursting with taste, as most things stir-fried with salted egg yolk are. If you're not into bamboo, salted egg yolk tofu is also available.
The soup menu at Yi Chi Shang Ying is longer than most. The garlic clam soup, medicinal herb and wild mushroom soup, and skinned pepper soup all include chicken wings and thighs, so diners can end their meat-filled dinner with even more meat.
Yi Chi Shang Ying Clay Pot Chicken 一吃上癮甕缸雞
🚩211, Sec. 4, Civic Blvd., Songshan Dist.
📞(02) 2577-6158
🕝Tue-Thu 5:30pm-11:30pm; Fri 5:30pm-12:30am; Sat 12:00pm-2:30pm, 5:00pm-12:30am; Sun 12:00pm-2:30pm, 5:00pm-11:30pm
🗺️Click here to see aforementioned spots on Google Map
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