// TAIPEI // ZHONG ZHENG //
Lao Yi Ji Pastries
江蘇老宜記燒餅舖
some of the best taiwanese breakfast-y pastries in the neighborhood
You know it’s legit when you literally can’t find any internet presence about this place in English. Trust, I’ve typed in every kind of romanization imaginable. Its legitimacy is further validated by 176 Google reviews (nearly all in Chinese) and a Google search where the entire first page is made up of Taiwanese blogs. Clearly, we have ventured into a remarkably local territory.
Lao Yi Ji Pastries is officially getting some well-deserved English-language attention right here. If it wasn’t for the bright yellow store sign, the humble shop could pass for someone’s garage / den. It’s a small, open room with a food stand in the middle, adorned with a laminated menu. A few auntie-looking women work in the back, making the delicious pastries by hand so they’re always fresh. Every pastry tastes like home. What more could you ask for?
One of my most cherished childhood memories is waking up at my grandma’s house to a full spread of treats. My favorite was 蟹殼黃 (which directly translates to yellow crab shells): crispy sesame pastry filled with savory green onions. You can taste the layers of pastry baked to a perfect crisp, the richness cut by the saltiness of the filling. Years later, grandma has gone to heaven, but my mom and I still detour to Lao Yi Ji whenever we’re in the neighborhood for treats to devour while walking around.
the details
| Address | No. 14號, Lane 59, Section 1, Nanchang Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100 |
| Website | https://www.facebook.com/江蘇老宜記炭烤燒餅舖-132191000153841/ |
| Hours | 9am – 6:30pm, closed on Sundays |
| Price | $, the price is as authentic as the food! |
| Aesthetic | hmm, let’s go with “authentic” |
don't speak Chinese? I got u.
*They have a small menu, figured I might as well bridge the gap.
prices below updated as of 2019
- 蔥燒餅 (cong shao bing / pronounced chong sao bing) – a savory bread-y bun with green onions folded in | 25NT
- 蟹殼黃 (xie ke huang / sheh ker huong) – a savory small round pastry filled with savory green onions | 15NT
- 糖心酥餅 (tang xin su bing / tong shing sue bing) – a sweet flakey pastry with lightly sugared filling | 15NT
- 紅豆沙酥餅 (hong dou sha su bing / hong doe sah sue bing) – a sweet flakey pastry with red bean filling | 15NT
- 黑芝麻酥餅 (hei zhi ma su bing / hay zih mah sue bing) – a sweet flakey pastry with black sesame filling | 15NT
good to know
Go here for: flakey fresh pastries, grab one to go, or grab a box to bring to friends
Order this: the “crab shell” pastry (蟹殼黃，xie ke huang) if you’re feeling savory, black sesame pastry (黑芝麻酥餅，hei zhi ma su bing) if you’re feeling sweet (or both, if you’re feeling hungry)
Amount of time to spend: it’s take out only, and they usually have a bunch of pastries ready to go, so it’s in an out in a matter of minutes
When to come: in the morning, for a full selection
Getting here: Take the MRT to CKS Memorial Hall Station, exit 2 (by Nanmen Market), and then turn into the lane around the corner from JinFeng
Other things to note:
- It’s a hole-in-wall local spot, so best review the menu ahead of time so you know what you’re getting, and then do your best with pointing. It’s not likely they’ll know any English.
Last visited: October 2018
Last updated: October 2019
