From standard fruits to unusual ingredients unknown in Japan, you can enjoy the deep world of Taiwanese sweets while also enjoying the atmosphere of each region. Be sure to look for a shop you'd like to visit once you are able to travel freely again.
INDEX
- Fangshan: Taiwanese mangoes from "MangoHouse"
- Pingtung: Qiu Lin Dairy King's papaya milk
- Kaohsiung: Kumquat Honey Tofu Pudding from Wu Family's Kumquat Tofu Pudding
- Tainan: Pudding douhua from Xiu An Bian Tan Douhua
- Chiayi: Sugared Tomatoes from Chiayi Seven-Color Ice Cream Shop
- Hsinchu: Tapioca buns from "Xida Fa Bao Jiang Cheng Huang Bao"
- Taipei: Love balls from "Lovely Jade Ice" and doughnuts from "Crisp Fresh Milk Sweet Circle"
Fangshan: Taste mangoes from Fangshan, the birthplace of Taiwanese mangoes, at MangoHouse

First, we will introduce "MangoHouse," a shop where you can taste mangoes, a representative fruit of Taiwan. This shop is located in "Fangshan," about a three-hour train ride from Kaohsiung. Fangshan is the place where Taiwanese mangoes were first cultivated, and is one of the leading mango producing areas in Taiwan. For this reason, it is said that you haven't eaten Taiwanese mangoes until you've tried Fangshan mangoes. You will be surprised to see mangoes grown all over the city, scattered all over the roadside.

The sticky skin of the mango with sugar rising to the surface is proof of its strong sweetness and exquisite taste. At MangoHouse, you can eat the mango as it is, or enjoy it in the form of ice cream. Fangshan mangoes are rarely imported to Japan, so be sure to try them when you're there.
MangoHouse | ||
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business hours | : | 9:00~17:00 |
telephone number | : | 0935-470-498 |
Closed Day | : | Irregular holidays |
address | : | No. 3, Guo Middle Road, Fangshan Village, Fangshan Township, Pingtung County |
web | : |
Pingtung: Enjoy papaya milk at "Qiu Lin Dairy King" in southern Taiwan, a treasure trove of fruit

You can see fruit juice stalls wherever you go in Taiwan, but the fruit juice in southern Taiwan, including Pingtung, is especially delicious. Southern Taiwan is a treasure trove of fruit, and you can drink especially fresh juice there.

At Pingtung's fruit juice specialty store "Chu Lin Milk King," they sell a popular dessert called "Papaya Milk," made by blending rich papaya with fresh milk. It looks like a drink, but the sticky sweetness and rich flavor of the papaya spreads in your mouth, making you feel like you're eating a dessert. It's also filling, so it's the perfect accompaniment for a stroll.
Akibayashi Milk King | ||
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business hours | : | 11:00~22:00 |
telephone number | : | 08-733-9299 |
Closed Day | : | Irregular holidays |
address | : | No. 28 Xinyi Road, Pingtung City |
Kaohsiung: If you visit Kaohsiung, you must try the "Kumquat Honey Douhua" from "Wu Jia Jinquan Douhua"

One place you should definitely visit in Kaohsiung, the largest city in southern Taiwan, is a famous shop selling douhua, one of the most popular Taiwanese sweets.
The Kumquat Honey Tofu Pudding from Wu Jia Jinji Douhua, a long-established store founded in 1925, is a highly recommended dish that is worth a trip to Kaohsiung just for. It is often sold out if you visit in the afternoon on weekends, so it is best to go as early as possible. Put the douhua and kumquat together in your mouth and you will enjoy a harmonious mix of sourness, sweetness, and a hint of bitterness. The ingredients are simple, but the taste is addictive.
Wu Family Golden Juice Bean Pudding | ||
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business hours | : | 11:00~19:00 |
Closed Day | : | Monday |
address | : | No. 70, Fuye Road, Yancheng District, Kaohsiung City |
web | : |
Tainan: Xiu An Bian Tan Douhua's pudding douhua can be topped with your choice of toppings

Tainan is a city with a thriving poultry industry, so there are many pudding-based sweets available. Fresh eggs are easy to come by, and the sweets and cakes made with custard cream are always delicious.
"Xiu An Bian Dan Douhua" is a restaurant located in Tainan's gourmet street, "Guohua Street." What you can eat here is "Pudding Douhua," which is made with eggs instead of regular douhua. When ordering, you can choose from a variety of toppings such as taro and tapioca. It may look like a lot of volume, but it has a smoother texture than regular douhua and is easy to eat, so you'll finish it off in no time.
Xiu An Bentan Tofu Pudding | ||
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business hours | : | 8:00~21:30 |
Closed Day | : | Irregular holidays |
web | : |
Chiayi: The candied tomatoes of Chiayi Seven Colour Ice Cream Shop overturn your concept of tomatoes

One thing you should definitely try in Chiayi is the tomato. In Taiwan, tomatoes are generally considered a fruit, not a vegetable.
At Chiayi Seven Coloured Ice Cream Shop, the popular treat is a tomato dessert covered in ginger sugar called Fanchepan. Tomatoes are already very sweet, but they are topped with ginger sugar that tastes similar to the sauce used in mitarashi dango. This is an unfamiliar way of eating for Japanese people, but the ginger flavour and sweetness of the tomato combine to create an irresistibly addictive taste. After eating it, you'll definitely think that tomatoes are a fruit!
Chiayi Seven Colour Ice Cream Shop | ||
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business hours | : | 9:00~22:00 |
phone | : | 05-227-1953 |
Closed Day | : | Irregular holidays |
address | : | No. 329, Zhongshan Road, Chiayi City |
web | : |
Hsinchu: Enjoy the chewy texture of the famous tapioca buns at "Xida Fa Baojiang Cheng Huang Bao"

At the Hsinchu bun shop "Xida Fa Explosive City God Bao (Xida Fa Bao Jiang Cheng Huang Bao)," sweet buns with a strange texture and filled with tapioca, "Explosive Pearl Milk Tea Buns (Bao Jiang Zhen Zhunai Cha Bao)," are all the rage. The black tea-flavored dough encases the tapioca and cream, so the taste is just like eating tapioca milk tea. The fluffy, chewy texture makes this a fun dish.
It's delicious even if you take it home, so we recommend having it for breakfast the next day. There are many different types of buns in the shop, but tapioca is still popular among Taiwanese women. They often sell out quickly on weekends, so it's best to visit before noon.
Western Explosion City God Bag | ||
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business hours | : | 8:30~21:30 |
phone | : | 03-525-9115 |
Closed Day | : | Irregular holidays |
address | : | No. 3, Changan Street, North District, Hsinchu City |
web | : |
Taipei: Comparing new and old sweets: Aiyu from "Long-lasting Lovely Ice Cream" and donuts from "Crispy Fresh Milk Sweet Circle"
Taipei is a hotbed of sweet shops, offering everything from traditional Taiwanese sweets to the latest trends. Here we will introduce noteworthy shops in both the traditional and the latest categories.

Let's start with a traditional sweet: "Aiyu," a sweet that has been loved in Taiwan for a long time.

The transparent "aiyu" (love balls), which have a texture similar to agar, are usually topped with citrus syrup. There are various types, such as orange and lemon flavors, but the love balls at "Huai Nian Aiyu Bing" taste like slightly sweet lemon juice. They are served in a generous bag, so you can insert a straw and enjoy it like a drink. On particularly hot days, we recommend enjoying the night market with ice-cold aiyu.
Love love ice | ||
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business hours | : | 15:30~22:30 |
phone | : | 02-2306-1828 |
Closed Day | : | Irregular holidays |
address | : | Intersection of Guangzhou Street and Wuzhou Street, Wanhua District, Taipei City |
web | : |

The latest sweet I would like to introduce is the Taiwanese donut.
The crispy and fluffy crispy donuts have a slight milky taste that brings back memories. "Crisp Skin Fresh Milk Sweet Circle" is a popular Taiwanese donut shop. The menu has a wide variety of donuts, including "Cheese Donuts" and "Bean Paste Donuts," but the "Original Milk Donut" is especially recommended.
There are shopping streets, drink stands, and parks nearby, so you can feel like a local by eating your way around. Recently, the number of Taiwanese donut shops in night markets and on the streets has increased in addition to this shop, so why not get ahead of the trend and find your favorite?
Taiwanese donuts - crispy fresh milk sweets | ||
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business hours | : | 11:00~19:15 |
phone | : | 02-2550-9914 |
Closed Day | : | Irregular holidays |
address | : | No. 24, Lane 17, Shuangcheng Street, Zhongshan District, Taipei City |
web | : |
At Taiwanese sweets shops, you can enjoy not only the delicious sweets, but also the conversation with the shop staff. In Taiwan, where Japanese is relatively widely spoken, if you express your gratitude by saying "thank you," they will always respond with a smile. Now, the locals are sure to look forward to such interactions. The next time you visit Taiwan, try experiencing the charm of Taiwanese people and land more deeply through sweets.
The contents published are accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change.