劉山東小吃店 Liu Shandong Beef Noodles

Review Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Highly Recommended)

Address: No. 2, Lane 14, Section 1, Kaifeng St, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100
Google Map Link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/vJtumt3qaZbn3Cm49
(Please refer to the Timings provided in the Google Map Link for the Operating Hours.)

红烧牛肉面 Braised Beef Noodle Soup = TWD220

No Service Charges

 Here is the Full Menu of the Eatery/Restaurant.
Prices are Accurate as of the Date of the Post.

Taiwanese Beef Noodles or 台湾牛肉面 🐮🍜 is a Very Classic Iconic Taiwanese Dish that I'm sure everyone would have heard of. 🇹🇼😄 Unlike the Versions we have in Malaysia or Singapore, it is usually available as the Soupy Version.

劉山東 is a Very Famous Legendary Michelin Rated Beef Noodle Place. And for some, it is THE Taiwanese Beef Noodle 🐮🍜 to go for when you are here in Taiwan Taipei. 🇹🇼♥️ This was also literally the 1st Location I came immediately after landing in Taiwan. ✈️

Exterior of the Shop

Despite its Legendary Status, this is not some Grand Atas Looking 5 Stars Chinese Restaurant. 🤔 It is instead a Very Old Looking Eatery located at a Very Old and Dingy Somewhat Sus Looking Alleyway. 😅 Because this Eatery is Located on an Actual Alleyway with a Functional Road, don't be surprised if you see Scooters regularly riding past you. 🛵 Take note of this, and be careful.

Even at 8.30am on a Monday Morning, 🌞 there were at Least 15 People in the Queue. 😳 Most of whom I noticed were Japanese Tourists 🇯🇵 although a large number of them are surprisingly Actual Locals themselves. 🇹🇼 Not Touristy at all, even Locals eat here.

Interestingly, although a Long Queue, it moves surprisingly fast. 👍 I got in relatively quickly in about 10 Mins or so. Queuing in a Super Cooling 17C Aircon Weather certainly helped! ❄️😄

Protip: If you are a Solo Traveller, your chances of getting in is actually Faster if you are Willing to Share Seats. 🪑👍 If you come in a Big Group, be prepared to queue longer.

Interior of the Shop

As you can see in my Video, 🎥 this was a Very Small Place packed with Customers with only maybe Less than 7 Long Tables. 🤔  Whether you are a Solo Traveller or Travelling in a Group, be prepared to share seats with Fellow Customers. 👍

The Whole Place had a Very Old Classic Chinese Eatery Look and I thought gave me a Feeling of Hong Kong. 🇭🇰 The Walls are Decorated with Classic Chinese Calligraphies, Photos of Past Celebrites and Awards. 🏆

Despite how Incredibly Busy it was, the Staffs are Really Very Friendly and Welcoming. 😄 They even bothered to politely help put my Bag on a Chair which I appreciated. 🎒😄 I politely rejected their offer and instead told them to bring in another Customer to sit instead of wasting the Chair for my Bag. 👍 Be Nice.

The Menu has Pictures of the Dish together with the Price written in Chinese, 🇨🇳 English, 🇬🇧 Japanese 🇯🇵 and Korean. 🇰🇷 📷 Just simply tell them what you want and wait at your Table for it to be served up. Once its served up, go ahead and pay them. 💵 It took 7 Mins for their Signature 红烧牛肉面 to be served up. Incredible Timing for How Busy and Packed it was. 👍

红烧牛肉面 Braised Beef Noodle Soup = TWD220

This is One of their Signature and Best Seller Dish.

When it was served up in a Large Metal Bowl, there was an Immediate Delicious Aroma of Saurkraut 酸菜 🥬 and Braised Beef 红烧牛肉. 🐮 The Dish itself is Very Simple, its just Pieces of Braised Beef, 🐮 Noodles, 🍜 Pieces of Leek and Scallion Slices 🥬 all combined with a Beef Broth. 🍲

When I tasted that Beef Broth, 🍲 I was immediately impressed with how Intensely Beefy it was. ♥️ Very Gao Gao Beefy and Meaty Savoury. 🐮 It is also Salty but Not Overly So. This Broth is Full of Robust Beefy Goodness. 🐮😋

I counted 9 Pieces of Braised Beef in Bite-Sized Cuts. 🐮 Braised to Perfection, Every Piece were Soft and Tender and breaks apart easily when you bite them. ♥️ I especially loved those Gelatinous Fatty Parts which were Simply Melt in Mouth Quality. ♥️ The Beefy Taste was Deep and Robust. 🐮😋

The Noodles they used looks like Japanese Udon and had a Very Delightful Firmish Soft type of Texture. 🍜 This tasted Handmade and doesn't feel like its from some Package. 👍 Portion given was Acceptable and Filling for the Price. It was Delightful Slurping them up with that Beautiful Broth 🍲 with Occasional Munches from their Tender Braised Beef! 🐮

The Chilli Condiment 🌶️ they had here had a Very Intense Salty Taucheo Taste. 🫘 Its Nice and Salty and Not Particularly Spicy. I felt they they didn't really add or remove anything when I ate them with the Noodles. 🍜 Feel free to add them if you want, but I feel the Beef Noodles itself is good enough without it. 👍

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Conclusion and Closing Thoughts.

At the Price of TWD220 (S$8.90) for their Signature Braised Beef Noodle Soup, 🐮🍜 this isn't Cheap for Sure, but I feel the Quality is Worth it. 👍 The Amount of Beef and Noodles given feels Reasonable and Filling. 😋

The Broth itself tastes like Alot of Work had gone into it. 👍 It tastes Natural and I didn't detect any presence of MSG within. 👍 The Noodles themselves were also a Big Factor because these really do tasted Handmade due to its Unusual Firmish Soft Texture. 🍜 If they were Not Handmade, then whoever supplied this Noodles to them sure did a Real Good Job because they tasted Good. 😅

Usually for an Award Winning Michelin Rated Eatery, chances are their Name is more Famous than the Actual Dish which alot of times may taste Pretty Meh. 😅 This is not the Case for Liu Shandong. 👍  This Beef Noodles REALLY tasted Very Good. 😋 I feel they really live up to their Name. 👍

And to ensure that it was not due to how Famous they are that may have Clouded my Judgement, 🤔 I specifically went to another Random Non-Famous Beef Noodle Eatery to eat: 建宏牛肉麵 Jianhong Beef Noodles. 👍 Now, that other Eatery was not bad, but 吃的出来 Liu Shandong really did taste better for me. 😋

My Highest Top Score was also given to the Customer Service of this Place. 😄  Because it is a Michelin Rated Place and Very Famous and Busy, I had fully expected the Staffs here to behave Arrogant or simply Bochup Bochup. 🤔 This was Absolutely not the case. ♥️

Yes, they were Busy no doubt, but They NEVER forgot to Smile. 😄 Everyone of the Staffs worked Very Hard and they were So Friendly, they even took the time to pull up a Seat just for my Bag which I am very impressed with. 👍 They could have left me alone but they didn't and I truly appreciated this Act of Kindness and Service. ♥️

Even when I was taking Videos and Photos of the Place, got a Staff even Jokingly say in a Very Friendly Way: "Hey, help us take Nice Nice Photos ok?" 😄📷

Even when I ended my Meal and left, they Never forgot to say "Thank You" to me. ♥️ Zero Sense of Arrogance. ♥️ This was not the type of Good Service I expected from a Typical Multiple Award Winning Michelin Eatery. ♥️ Everything that could have gone wrong with the Customer Service NEVER went wrong and I absolutely enjoyed my time here. ♥️

With such a Satisfying Experience of Slurping this Hot Bowl of Beef Broth Noodle Soup 🐮🍜 in a Cool 17C Degrees Weather, ❄️ Warmed by the Real Friendliness and Customer Service of the Staffs, 😄 how can I not give my Highest Top Score for this? 🏆 This Eatery was the 1st of Many that shown me True Taiwanese Customer Service and Hospitality. 🇹🇼♥️

Liu Shandong absolutely deserves its Legendary Reputation. 👍 If you are here in Taiwan Taipei, you definitely must come to this Place to give it a Try! Highly Recommended! ♥️