What began in 2011 as a normal noodle shop in Taipei has grown to be a go-to Hakka cuisine casual restaurant with several locations in Taipei and Taichung. On the surface, Liou Duai is a typical family-friendly casual restaurant where you order dishes (叫菜) to share, like many a Taiwanese restaurant. But this one is focused on Hakka cuisine, serving up popular favorites like taro vermicelli stew, salted egg yolk pumpkin and tofu, hakka stir fry, peanut tofu, and even traditional lei cha, a ground tea mixed with nuts, seeds, grains and herbs, served with a mortar pestle for an interactive part of the meal.

Service has always been fairly efficient, but in recent years has been made even more efficient with robot delivery, busing dishes over to the tables. But that aside, it’s a great casual restaurant with small to medium sized portions that make it good for sharing many dishes with a small group. It’s also become a popular lunch spot appropriate for solo dining with noodle soups as standalone mains.