興記手工水餃

An old handmade-dumpling shop at the entrance of Dongmen Market, running since 1950. The pork, shrimp, and chive dumplings have thin skins and full fillings; the veg-and-pork bun is the owner's top pick, and the lion's-head meatball and fried spring rolls are frequently named sides.

Actress Brigitte Lin is said to buy 2,000 frozen dumplings to take back to Hong Kong on each visit to Taiwan. The shop is small but the takeaway volume is staggering — call ahead to order.