自強食作所

自強食作所 is a small hand-made scallion-pancake stall on Ziqiang Street in Taichung's East District. The scallion pancake is griddled to order, crisp on the outside and not greasy — even better with an egg added; the chive pockets have a not-too-thick skin and a well-judged chive-to-dried-tofu ratio, a popular pick here. There are also fried snacks like fried chicken drumsticks, wings, sweet-potato fries, and pan-fried pork buns, plus a NT$100 combo set of chive pocket + drumstick + wing + sweet-potato fries. One diner said “the old-time hand-made scallion pancake is tasty, the fried chicken wings are great too, and the service is friendly,” another praising “the chive pocket is fragrant off the griddle, the skin not too thick, the chive-to-dried-tofu ratio just right.”

The stall is cash-only, and the red-line curbs nearby make parking hard, so come by scooter or grab it to go. The shop posts a notice that its marinated fried items may look slightly red with some juices when fresh out of the fryer — this is normal; still, one diner did get an undercooked pork bun, so if that concerns you, check on-site or stick to the griddled scallion pancake and chive pockets. Open Tuesday to Saturday 11:00am to 6:30pm, closed Sundays and Mondays.