Wu Pao Chun is the epitome of modern Taiwanese baking. The bakery shares the name of its founder, a baker who brought pride to Taiwan by winning international baking accolades while uplifting local Taiwanese ingredients. In 2008, he brought home a second place win in the Coupe Louis Lesaffre with the now celebrated longan and red wine bread. In 2010, he won the world championship in Les Masters de la Boulangerie with a rose lychee boule.
Wu Pao Chun’s philosophy starts and ends with the ingredients. While the bread and pastry offerings run the gamut from decidedly European-style breads (think, baguettes and pain de mie) to more traditional Taiwanese pastries (think, pineapple cake and moon cakes) and everything in between (formosa panettone, matcha and mochi bagels), the common thread is in their commitment to utilizing quality ingredients and uplifting Taiwanese produce sourced from all around the island. In the bakery, each bread is clearly labeled with the ingredients listed, allergy notices denoted clearly in Chinese, English and picture form.
Like many other Taiwanese bakeries, they draw inspiration from western baking while giving a nod to nostalgic flavors and Japanese trends. The traditional Taiwanese scallion bun is reimagined to a milk bread-like toast. Rather than the slightly sweet bread in a traditional hot dog bread, they swaddle the hot dogs in laminated pastry dough. French baguettes are given the mentaiko treatment (and black garlic). Wu Pao Chun has changed the way Taiwanese people look at bread, elevating it to be a form of art appreciated by locals while also introducing local ingredients to the bread snobs of the world.
the details
| Address | Kaohsiung Flagship: No. 19號, Siwei 3rd Road, Lingya District, Kaohsiung City Taipei Flagship: No. 124 126 1F, Xinyi Rd Section 5, Xinyi District, Taipei City Taichung Theater: No. 18號, Shizheng North 2nd Road, Xitun District, Taichung City Kaohsiung Arena: 813, Kaohsiung City, Zuoying District, Bo’ai 2nd Road, 777號B1 |
| Website | https://www.wupaochun.com/ |
| @wupaochunbakery | |
| Hours | vary by location but generally open around 10:00 or 11:00 and close at around 19:00; the HSR station locations have longer hours |
| Price | $$ – about on par with a typical department store bakery, marginally pricier than a typical Taiwanese chain bakery |
| Aesthetic | bright, warm and inviting version of a “rustic” bakery with an open kitchen |
good to know
Go here for: the most celebrated bread in Taiwan (or for a bread-forward breakfast on any given day)
Order this: if it’s your first time, you should try one of their award-winning breads (longan and red wine, rose and lychee), the mango cream cheese bread is also a popular choice as are the various toasts. The “baguette crackers” are an addicting snack.
Amount of time to spend: great to grab to-go or for a quick meal
When to come: weekdays are nice, usually not too crowded as most people are grabbing things to go, weekends can get pretty hectic
Getting here:
- Taipei Flagship: use the Xiangshan station (red line) exit 2
- Kaohsiung Flagship: it’s a bit of a trek (~15 min walk) from the closest MRT station, Shanduo Shopping District station (red line)
Other things to note:
- They also have a location in Singapore
- There is a minimum order of 1x drink per person to dine in.
- In Taipei there is also a location in FE A13, B3 (Xinyi) and FE Banqiao.
- There are also outposts in the HSR stations of Taichung and Kaohsiung (Zuoying).
Last visited: October 2019
Last updated: September 2020
