How Good is Authentic Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup In Taipei?

Beef noodle soup is considered the national dish of Taiwan so it’s safe to say it’s one of, if not, the most popular food in Taiwan. I couldn’t recall ever eating beef noodle soup before prior to my trip, so it was definitely one of those foods I was really forward to getting.

What Is Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup?

Taiwanese beef noodle soup consists of braised beef, beef broth, and noodles. Of course what separates the numerous bowls of Taiwanese beef noodle soup is the quality of the beef and noodles, vegetables, heaps of mustard greens, and most importantly the broth.

It’s All About The Broth!

Broth is essential in any kind of soup and is something that can truly separate a good bowl of beef noodle soup from a great bowl. In a city and country where there’s seemingly an endless amount of restuarants serving beef noodle soup, the broth can really make the restuarant stand out amongst its peers.

The broth is a deep, savory umami flavor due to the base of beef bones and chunks of beef which get simmered for hours. This long simmering base creates a rich, hearty taste.

From there it’s all about the spices and how to best utilize them and in what amounts. These are what separates the broths. Soy sauce is often included in the broth accompanied with any kind of mixture of spices generally including star anise, cinnamon, ginger, garlic, fennel seeds, Sichaun peppercorns, and dried chili peppers and chilil oil, if it’s a spicier broth.

Recipes can be long held family secrets and each restaurant in Taiwan that serves beef noodle soup will have their own unique spin on this tasty broth.

Du Li Beef Noodle

Located in the Wanhua District, Du Li Beef Noodle is popular, well-rated Taiwanese beef noodle soup restuarant in the area. I was wandering around in Wanhua and was randomly looking for a nice Taiwanese beef noodle soup place and Du Li Beef Noodle was the clear cut place to visit based on the high ratings.

It’s a smaller restaurant with a few tables and long counter top which is the main seating area. I went at a good time, it wasn’t too busy and I was able to grab a seat without waiting.

They have a nice selection of different types of beef noodle soup, which mainly was different types of cuts of meat. I went with the original Beef Noodle for 200 NTD, $6.20 USD and also got a side of pickled Chinese Cucumber for 35 NTD, $1.09 USD.

The Beef Noodle Soup

The presentation of the soup was great. Nice large bowl brimmiing with broth, noodles, an ample amount of beef pieces, and topped with shredded green onion (I think). Very appetizing and appealing looking.

The first taste test of any kind of soup related meal has to start with a spoonful of the broth. I was really looking forward to my first spoonful of Taiwanese beef noodle soup broth!

The broth definitely had a savory umami flavor to it with a nice beefy presence to it to go along with a slightly sweet and tangy flavor. You could definitely taste the star anise but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what exactly the other spices might have been. There wasn’t too much spice to it. Overall, it was quite tasty, and very warming.

The pieces of beef in the soup were incredibly tender. Not too much seasoning at all, just fall apart tender with some nice juicy fat in there as well. The pieces of beef were definitely very tasty.

The noodles were fairly thick, think in between a ramen and udon noodle, and were quite fresh tasting. They had a good bounce to them and were al dente. Perfect noodles for this soup that went great with the delicious pieces of beef.

Did It Live Up To The Hype?

One of the foods that I was absolutely looking forward to eating was Taiwanese beef noodle soup. I had seen so many videos of people enjoying it on Youtube, it was certainly one of the most hyped foods I couldn’t wait to try.

I’m glad that I waited and found a highly rated place like Du Li Beef Noodle to enjoy my first bowl. The people working there were very nice and the food was delicious. I obviously had nothing to compare this bowl of beef noodle soup to, but I found it to be quite good and really enjoyed it. Whenever I go back to Taipei I’d certainly venture back to Du Li Beef Noodle to grab another bowl.