元寶煎包王

An old pan-fried-bun (shui-jian-bao) shop by the Anlan Bridge in Keelung's Zhongzheng District, run by a Shandong family in its third generation for over thirty years. Three fillings — cabbage-pork, chive-pork, and scallion-pork — at fifteen NT each, plump and folded and fried to order.

The skin is fine and soft, the base fried crisp, the filling carrying a distinct pepper fragrance; the water released by the cabbage keeps the filling moist without masking the wheat aroma. The owner insists on folding each one himself and keeping them uniform, so the queue is slow but the results are consistent.

Winner of the “First All-Taiwan Pan-Fried Bun Contest” hosted by Thailand's Niang Niang. Closed Mondays; arrive in the morning to beat the pre-noon line.