Gua bao is the Taiwanese hamburger: a steamed lotus-leaf-shaped bun stuffed with five-spice braised pork belly, pickled mustard greens, peanut powder and coriander.
Gua bao is a Hokkien-Taiwanese dish brought from Fujian in the 1700s, traditionally eaten as a snack at weddings and wei ya (year-end company dinners). The shape resembles a tiger's mouth, which is why it's sometimes called 'tiger bites pig'. Lan Jia near Gongguan MRT in Taipei has been the canonical version since 1985, NT$60 a bun. The dish has been internationalised over the past decade as a popular street-food item from London to New York.
3 editor picks for Gua bao in Taipei, ranked by editorial score. All Taipei signature dishes · Gua bao across every city.
Shilin Night Market ★ 4.5
shilin · No. 101, Jihe Road, Shilin District, Taipei City 111
Shilin Night Market is Taiwan's largest, 500-plus stalls. Hot Star fried chicken, stinky tofu, ai yu jelly and the reopened underground food court.
Lan Jia Gua Bao ★ 4.4
zhongzheng · No. 3, Lane 8, Section 3, Roosevelt Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City 100
Lan Jia near Gongguan MRT is the canonical Taipei gua bao counter, lotus-leaf steamed bun with five-spice pork belly, mustard greens and peanut powder.
Shijia Baobao ★ 4.2
tonghua · Stall, Linjiang Street Night Market, Da'an District, Taipei City 106
Shijia Baobao at Linjiang Street Night Market runs the gua bao Taiwanese hamburger, fatty pork belly in steamed bao with mustard greens and peanut powder.