When it comes to vegetarian food in Jiufen, most people instinctively think of the small stalls on the old street marked with the character "素" (vegetarian), but the vegetarian culture in this mountain town is actually deeper and older than you might think — back when the Jinguashi mining area was developed during the Japanese colonial period, there were already a group of vegetarian miners and their families living off wild game and bamboo shoots on the mountain. What they left behind is the true Jiufen vegetarian DNA.
This article doesn't discuss the bustling old street vendors or low-budget tourist routes. I want to take you down a path only the descendants of miners would know — starting from the morning at Panggzai Imba, along the way to wild aiyu jelly, and then to the hidden vegetarian tea houses on the mountainside, to experience how this mountain town uses its local terroir to cultivate a vegetarian tradition shared by monks and laypeople.
【The Unique Aspects of Jiufen Vegetarian: Where Mountain-Sea Terroir Meets Miner Memories】 There are two key factors in Jiufen's vegetarian culture that cannot be replicated elsewhere: The first is the "mountain-sea cross-border" ingredient sourcing radius. Jiufen faces the Jinguashi mine to the north and the sea to the east. From the mountain town settlement at 200 meters above sea level to the Haizigou Coast at the seaside, the straight-line distance is less than 3 kilometers. This means arrow bamboo shoots (guizhu bamboo shoots) are available on the mountaintop in spring, while seaweed and hair seaweed can be harvested at the seaside in summer. Local veteran workers say that in the past, they would go up the mountain "to grab bamboo shoots" in the middle of the night, collecting them before anyone else to ensure they had ingredients to sell that day.
The second is the "miner food storage" preservation wisdom. Mining work at Jinguashi carried high risks, and miners needed foods that could be stored for long periods in the tunnels. Dried mustard greens, preserved mustard greens, and pickled radish became essential preserved vegetables in every household. Many modern Jiufen vegetarian stalls still retain this preserved vegetable tradition, just using healthier low-salt seasonings.
These historical backgrounds give Jiufen's vegetarian food a unique "mountain ⛰️ flavor" — not the refined cuisine of urban vegetarian restaurants, but a rugged yet solid flavor. 【Recommended Exploration Spots: Three Hidden Vegetarian Heritage Routes】 ◆ ① Morning Vegetarian Congee Stall at "Panggzai Imba Ancient Path" -
Location: Next to the "Panggzai Imba" bus stop at the end of Qingmian Road, Jiufen Features: This stall has no signboard and no fixed operating hours. Auntie Meimei, the owner, starts cooking at four every morning, preparing a pot of vegetarian congee with chopped radish and ginger. You can still hear the fishing boat engines coming from the sea — this is the earliest "opening" vegetarian food stall in all of Jiufen, having been locally operated for over 40 years. A bowl costs NT$25, and add NT$5 for homemade spicy dried radish — this is the standard "work breakfast" passed down from the miner era. Visitors who want to eat should arrive before 6 AM, as it usually sells out after 6:30 AM. ◆ ② Wild Aiyu Jelly at "Mountain Mist Tea House" -
Location: 2nd Floor, 193 Jishan Street, Jiufen Features: A hidden tea art space on the second floor, specializing in wild aiyu jelly. Aiyu seeds are a specialty vine plant from Jiufen's mountainous areas, which can only grow naturally at specific altitudes. The owner uses wild aiyu seeds hand-picked by local elderly farmers. After handmade washing and solidifying, they become crystal-clear gelatin cubes, served with lemon juice and brown sugar water — a bowl costs NT$45. Compared to a cup of NT$50 chain drinks on the old street, this handcrafted mountain dessert carries more traditional value. The tea house also offers vegetarian tea snacks like mugwort rice cakes and red bean pastries, priced between NT$30-60. ◆ ③ "The Last Ya Shop" Preserved Greens Rice Cake Snack Stall -
Location: 121 Shuzhi Road, Jiufen Features: Located at the entrance of the golden mining vein filmed in the movie "A City of Sadness," this is one of the few stalls still insisting on handmade preserved greens rice cakes. "Fucai rice cake" is made by mixing glutinous rice flour with fermented preserved greens (sourdock), then steaming to create a chewy savory snack similar to mochi, each costing NT$20. This was invented by miner wives to give their husbands as lunch to bring down into the mines — a "portable dry meal." Paired with a cup of the owner's self-roasted Jin Xuan tea, it makes a complete "miner set meal." Small reminder: This stall often sells out before 3 PM and only accepts cash. ◆ ④ Vegetarian Rice Dumpling Stall at "Quanjitang Temple Square" -
Location: Quanjitang Temple Square, Jiufen Features: Located below the steps of Qitantang Temple, this vegetarian rice dumpling stall appears every weekend. The grandmother's vegetarian dumplings are known for their generous fillings: shiitake mushrooms, vegetarian meat sauce, radish, and peanuts are all mixed together before being wrapped in bamboo leaves into fist-sized dumplings, each costing NT$35. During the Lunar New Year period, they also launch "year-round vegetable rice cakes," symbolizing longevity and yearly advancement — a holiday-limited item known only to locals. ◆ ⑤ "Rural Base" Organic Tea Garden Vegetarian Restaurant -
Location: 89-1 Qiche Road, Jiufen Features: This is a combined vegetarian restaurant integrating a tourist tea garden, promoting the concept "from tea garden to table." Main dishes like Oolong tea noodles (starting at NT$180) and tea oil mixed rice (NT$150) use organic tea leaves grown in the garden itself. Dessert options include tea-flavored ice cream, tea jelly, and other creative tea foods. The restaurant is located at one of the best view spots in all of Jiufen, overlooking the entire Shuikengdong Bay, and on clear days, you can even see Keelung Islet. Due to the reservation system, walk-in customers usually need to wait over 30 minutes. 【Practical Information】 Transportation Information: - Take the 965 bus from the "North District Bus Station" on the first floor of Taipei Main Station directly to the "Old Road Entrance" stop in Jiufen. The journey takes about 90 minutes, with a one-way ticket costing NT$72 - Transfer at Taipei Metro Songshan Airport Station to the 1062 bus, with a journey of about 70 minutes - Take the 788 bus from Keelung Train Station, about 40 minutes Cost Suggestions: - Vegetarian congee breakfast: approximately NT$25-30 - Aiyu jelly or tea snacks: approximately NT$45-80 - Preserved greens rice cake or other traditional snacks: approximately NT$20-35 - Regular meals with noodles: approximately NT$150-220 - Overall one-day tour budget of approximately NT$300-500 will leave you fully satisfied Operating Hours: - Most old street stalls only start operating after 10 AM - The Panggzai Imba vegetarian congee stall is best visited between 5:00-6:30 AM - Rural Base operates by reservation, and other locations are mostly closed on Wednesdays 【Travel Tips】 1. 【Benefits of Waking Early】: The atmosphere in Jiufen at 6 AM and 4 PM feels completely unlike the same place. Besides being able to taste the old-fashioned flavors at Panggzai Imba, waking early also lets you avoid the crowds and have the entire empty Shuzhi Road stone steps to yourself. 2. 【Rainy Day Special Surprises】: The frequent mist in Jiufen during spring actually creates a hazy beauty. At this time, tourists decrease by 80%, but the old tea houses on the mountain become more poetic with "mountain town mist." 3. 【Souvenir Choices】: If you want to take something with you, there are two old general stores next to Quanjitang with over 30 years of history, selling handmade traditional sauces, vacuum-packed dried mustard greens — these are mountain town flavors you can't find in urban vegetarian restaurants, costing about NT$80-120 per pack. 4. 【Special Attention】: Jiufen's mountain roads have many steps, so it's recommended to wear shoes with good grip — avoid wearing flip-flops or high heels. Additionally, some sections of the mountain roads have no streetlights, so be sure to bring a flashlight when walking at night. The vegetarian culture of this mountain town is not a bragging check-in hotspot, but a way of life living with the mountains and sea. From the miner wives' lunch boxes to the modern tea garden organic dining, Jiufen has spent a hundred years proving one thing: it's not only big fish and big meat that can fill people's bellies — the mountain's wind, water, bamboo leaves, and tea are enough to nurture a unique vegetarian flavor in this land.
