Cheapest Re-Chao in Taipei: NT$100 All-You-Can-Eat

It sounds too good to be true. We also didn’t believe it at first. But this is no joke — there’s actually a stir-fry restaurant in Songshan that serves UNLIMITED variety dishes for a mind-blowing price of NT$100. That’s just over $3 American.

How could the price possibly be so low, you ask? We had the same question. It turns out the whole restaurant is run by one man (with a lot of character) who does the cooking, serving, cleaning, and maintenance. He rapidly stir-fries dishes of his choosing one-by-one and serves them immediately.

You need to come with a group of at least 6 people, because the minimum price per table is NT$600. Help yourself to bottomless rice and then wait briefly for the dishes to start arriving. You eat what you get (there’s no ordering) but that makes it simple and adds to the fun of the experience!

We came on a weeknight with a group of 8 people (note that everyone had to arrive before we could get any food). Luckily we had Chinese speakers with us who could communicate, as the owner doesn’t speak English.

Try to keep your mouth from watering when you scroll through all of the food we devoured:

These dishes came one at a time as the owner cooked them, but he was churning them out fast enough that we couldn’t finish an entire plate before the next arrived. The food was actually quite good considering the price — our Taiwanese friends said it tasted like something their grandma would make.

We also had beers, which were NT$100 per large bottle. We ate until we were absolutely stuffed and told the owner to stop bringing more. In total, including all that food and 4 large beers split between 8 people, we only paid NT$150 each.

The first photo above is of the owner’s grandma, with a sign reading, “Don’t be so polite, eat until you’re full.”

It’s also worth mentioning how hilarious this man was, even through translation. He told our group that the restaurant opens at 5, so if we want to get our money’s worth we should arrive then and stay the whole time. He also said we didn’t eat that much and he still made money on us (we have no idea how). But he proved it by pulling his fat wallet out of his pocket and waving it around gleefully.

He said the key to success in his restaurant is to keep the business small, and to distinguish himself from the competition.

The handmade sign is posted outside his restaurant and translates to something like:

“Even the president can be a chef, anyone can be a chef. Nobody is pulling you inside and there’s nothing to watch so if you really want to try then come inside. If you have a problem Chang Gung Hospital is nearby, you can go there.”

This guy doesn’t mess around.

What’s the vibe?

Hole-in-the-wall restaurant with an eccentric owner who doesn’t speak English. There’s no ordering — you simply come in, serve yourself rice from a cooker, and eat the dishes placed in front of you. They’ll keep coming until you tell him to stop.

Worth it?

Obviously.

We kept eating dish after dish, each different from the last, until we were stuffed. It wasn’t the highest quality food, but what can you honestly expect for NT$100? The dishes had home-cooked appeal, and considering their unbelievably cheap price, many surprised us at how delicious they were.

Would you go back?

Yes.

Is there a better spot to eat large volumes of food for almost no money? We challenge you to find one.

Visited: January 2018