Fast and Cheap: Taiwanese Breakfast Sandwich near Zhongxiao Xinsheng
Looking for a quick, cheap, and cheerful breakfast? We recently came across this awesome breakfast sandwich stall near Guanghua Digital Plaza that ticked all of our boxes. 阿姐的店碳烤三明治 (Sister Store Sandwich in English, according to their Facebook page) may not be particularly fancy or remarkable, but here’s what it had going for it: it was tasty, ready in minutes, cheap, and located in a cool little area. What more could you want?
Let’s talk about the area first. The maze of alleys that Sister Store Sandwich is located in is right in the middle of Guanghua Digital Plaza and the National Taiwan University of Technology, flooding the area with students looking for good, cheap eats. We really enjoyed walking around and taking in all the sights and smells — there were countless tiny little restaurants that looked great. We’ll definitely be back to check out more food in this neighbourhood.
Despite all the competition on their doorstep, Sister Store Sandwich is still a popular option with students: we watched as person after person patiently lined up for a sandwich. We would imagine its popularity comes down to a few factors. First, the price, which is undeniably low. Second, Sister Store Sandwich’s modest rise to fame on Instagram, where several influencers have been pictured holding one of their dripping, loaded sandwiches. Third, and most importantly, the taste, which — when taking the price into consideration — is awesome.
Sister Store Sandwich offers a lot of cheap sandwiches on their menu, but most people seemed to be ordering their most popular pork chop sandwich, so we followed their lead. The original pork chop sandwich is a mere $55, but we splurged and added cheese, which brought it up to $65. Our sandwich was ready in minutes and didn’t disappoint.
Now, do bear in mind that this is a Taiwanese breakfast sandwich that cost $65 — don’t expect this to be anything like a good sandwich you’d get back home. With that being said, though, we still really enjoyed it. The owner wasn’t stingy with the ingredients at all, so this bad boy was packed with fresh, tender pork chop, crunchy cucumber, and sweet, juicy tomato. The bread itself was pretty standard Asian sweet, white bread but it was nicely toasted and slathered in mayonnaise and peanut butter. Yes, peanut butter was an odd choice, but it actually tasted pretty good. We enjoyed the sandwich down to the very last bite.
Overall, this may not be the best breakfast in Taipei, but it’s certainly cheap, fast, and tasty. It’s also situated in a great little area chock-full of awesome student-friendly restaurants, i.e. extremely budget-friendly. Everything smelled great, and it was a fun area to explore. We’d definitely stop by for another sandwich – especially if we were in the area, or planning to check out nearby Guanghua Digital Plaza or Huashan Creative Park.
What’s the vibe?
One-woman breakfast sandwich stall in a great area. Customers are mostly Taiwanese students.
Worth it?
It sure is, but probably only if you’re in the area — if you aren’t, there are bound to be plenty of breakfast sandwich options near you too.
Would you go back?
Yes, if we were nearby.
Last updated January 2020.
| 阿姐的店碳烤三明治 |
| Hours: 8am – 2pm Closed Tuesdays |
| Phone: 0983 066 978 |
| English Address: No. 10, Alley 9, Lane 82, Section 1, Bade Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City |
| Chinese Address: 台北市中正區八德路一段82巷9弄10號 |
