Duck Zhen

The duck meat rice, vermicelli and soup are really amazing. The meat is tender, and moist, the soup rich and flavorful and the assorted duck parts are clean and delicious. The restaurant itself is rather spacious, but you'll have to order before you can sit down. Payment is made on the arrival of your dishes. The staff are somewhat on edge but that's to be expected with the large volume of customers. Overall the food was amazing and that in itself is worth returning again. 9/10, highly recommended!

If you can only have one meal in Kaohsiung this will be the one! Ordered the large duck rice and a boiled spinach. The duck meat was tender with the right amount of fat, together with the braised minced meat on a bed of hot fluffy rice. Divine! Boiled spinach was good as well. Even though the queue can be insane during lunch hours, it moves quite fast. Regardless whether it's dine-in or takeaway, it's the same queue. For dine-in, you will need to find a table first before you start queueing. I went alone so could not possibly do that, thankfully by the time it was my turn, there were empty tables and I just pointed to the staff where I will be sitting. After that you will pay for your meal first. I think only cash is accepted so make sure you have some with you.

3.5 stars. We came here based on recommendations on the internet. While we realized that the food may not be what we like, this was our best stall experience given our language barrier. These guys were pretty chill about communication through signs and didn't make us feel wanting in knowing the language. The process is that you come here and grab a table. One person will stand in line and you give them your table number when you order. The server takes your money once the food is served. They have some hot sauce and other condiments available in the seating area. They have a lot of seating inside the restaurant and outside. We waited in line for about 20 mins (the line did not diminish the whole time we were there). We ordered the duck rice, sliced duck and the duck soup. The duck rice was the best of the three. Once we added some hot sauce, it was even better. The sliced duck had bones in it, which we didn't expect and it was quite bland as it was literally that - sliced duck meat. You need the hot sauce to make the duck palatable. The broth in the soup was very nice but the duck offal was unpalatable to both the husband and myself. This is not something you should order if you aren't a fan of chewy meat. I'm glad that we had this experience and recommend coming here to try their duck rice but only order the other dishes if you enjoy duck meat overall.

A plate of ducks meat and ducks blood rice cake with a sweet spicy soy sauce dip - this is simple and near perfect food. A bowl of ducks meat and rice is also similarly spot on. The water spinach and garlic is not too garlicky and salted to perfection. It’s simple straightforward honestly great food.

The staff are super friendly. For the first time people that you need to find the table before ordering that the chef needs to understand which table you will seat to eat. As a table of four, I will definitely recommend for 2 duck rice and 2 glass noodles ( you can choose one with soup and one without) the duck black pudding you must try and the vegetables as a side dish is also good to go. You can also have 1/2 duck that the smoky flavour is obviously delicious.

It’s fine, nothing spectacular. I found you needed to had the hot sauce to get something extra out of it. It’s lukewarm not hot. Worth a try but I wouldn’t wait in lengthy queues

This bowl of braised duck rice immediately captivates with its rich aroma. The glossy sauce seeps into the white rice, infusing each bite with layers of duck fat fragrance and savory depth. The duck meat is tender yet pleasantly chewy, retaining its natural flavor, while the bits of braised pork fat add a luscious, salty-sweet richness that’s indulgent but never greasy — truly irresistible from the first bite to the last. The accompanying offal soup complements it perfectly. The broth is clear yet full-bodied, carrying the essence of duck bones balanced with the gentle spiciness of shredded ginger. Each sip is warm and soothing, with the cleanly prepared duck innards adding both texture and depth. Overall, this humble duck rice set showcases exquisite craftsmanship — flavorful, comforting, and deeply satisfying. Whether for lunch or a late-night meal, it’s the kind of dish that fills not only the stomach but also the soul.

It's incredibly cheap to enjoy delicious food. I bought duck rice for $60, duck soup with glass noodles for $60, and vegetables for $50. The duck meat was tender and smooth, and the juices from the duck rice soaked into the rice, making it even better. The soup with glass noodles was sweet and refreshing.

*** Closes on Monday and Tuesday *** Duck Zhen (鴨肉珍) was one of the few places I was genuinely excited to visit in Kaohsiung City (高雄市) as it had been on my Yelp bookmarks before I even arrived in Taiwan. It was awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2022 ( https://guide.michelin.com/tw/en/kaohsiung-region/kaohsiung/restaurant/duck-zhen ) and even featured in a Michelin YouTube video about Kaohsiung ( https://youtu.be/TvSrqLOWFyU?si=mldD4LYIxpPNM9ea&t=452 ). However, it was removed from the Bib Gourmand list in 2023. This eatery has been around for over 65 years, but a feud between the third and fourth brothers led to a legal battle that made it to the news in 2019. Ultimately, the third brother took over full control on Duck Zhen while the fourth brother opened his separate eatery called Ben's Duck (鴨肉本 - 二老闆の店). [How to get here]: Approximately 5-minute walk from the Kaohsiung MRT Yanchengpu (鹽埕埔) Station. [Ordering & amenities]: Our party arrived at 10:30 AM on weekdays and the restaurant surprisingly had plenty of empty tables. To place an order, customers tell the cashier their table numbers first and payment is made after the food is delivered. Customers need to grab their own utensils and sauces from the self-serve station which includes their house-made garlic sauce. A restroom is available for customers. [Menu]: The food menu is not English-friendly, but oddly enough the drink menu does have English translations. The signature dish is Duck Rice (鴨肉飯) available in small (60 NTD) or large (70 NTD). Other noteworthy dishes include Duck Platter (鴨肉切盤) for 70 NTD and Mixed Offal Soup (綜合下水湯) for 60 NTD. Beverage options include soft drinks, asparagus juice, Taiwan Beer, and cold brew tea. *** Duck Rice (鴨肉飯 60 NTD for small): A perfect blend of minced pork rice and marinated duck. The pork was fatty and tender. Meanwhile the duck was flavorful and on point. Mixed Offal Soup (綜合下水湯 60 NTD): This soup is not for everyone as it includes duck heart, intestines, liver, and gizzards. The broth was solid, but some organs had a chewy texture that might not appeal to all. Duck Platter (鴨肉切盤 70 NTD): Not too bad. *** A 4.5-star on food with an extra bump for the amenities. The signature duck rice alone makes this place worth visiting as Duck rice is an absolute must-order and a must-try signature dish in Kaohsiung.

Such a delicious duck rice. I really liked the duck rice--all the rice was coated with the duck fat and was great. The meat itself was tender and well smoked. The soup was good but the duck was too difficult to chew.

Initial impression of this restaurant was dingy, a makeshift kitchen but food is very tasty. They specialize in DUCK - in vermicelli soup, inards soup and duck on rice. Line up is long. Service is quick. Just tell them your order and your table no., and they'll deliver the food and collect payment.

Food 4/5 Service 3/5 mostly self service except when they deliver food. They calculate your food at the table after they deliver it, tell you how much and you pay cash right there. No bill, no receipt. You grab your own utensils. Ambiance 2/5 no fine dining here. Tables are quickly wiped down. Single restroom is old. No steps but everything is crowded so not very wheelchair accessible unless you find a table outside. The food is very good. Line was long around 1:30 PM. Cleared up around 2 PM. You order everything in one line, they deliver it to your table promptly. Within 5 mins of ordering. The rice noodle soup was so good. Rich in flavor. The duck is tender. The veggie is cooked just right. The duck blood cake is excellent. Coming back for my husband to try the duck rice dish. They know how to make the duck so tender. Definitely worth the wait in line. The whole meal was $15.

Recently visited family in Taiwan and stopped in. Ordered the rice, the soup with inards, and the vegetables. All were delicious. Don't let the long line scare you - it goes by faster than you think, though sometimes finding open seats can take a bit.

Thankful to find a server who spoke English and could help us order our duck and rice dishes and veggies. We came on Peace Day, a national holiday. And the place was packed with a waiting line starting to go around the restaurant. But the line moved quickly. The duck was delicious. Got a small bowl. So tender with just a touch of fat to add to the flavor. Wish we had a place like this in the San Francisco Bay Are.

Yancheng District is my hometown and according to my siblings, my family once lived in a rented apartment inside Takao Ginza (aka International Plaza??). Honestly, I love yet rarely visit Duck Zhen because it is always packed. Like other famous old restaurant, its duck meat is always tender with a very traditional flavor. This is the place I always meet up with my childhood buddies. Love it.

The most amazing duck rice you'll find anywhere! You line up along the stand and order - they'll give you recommendation if you ask. You'll also need to give them a table number, so if you're with someone, split up the tasks! It was super hot the day we went, so we got some food and some cold Taiwanese beer. Everything cost less than $5 USD... what!?

I would give this 10 stars if I could. Hands down the best, cheapest, and most memorable meal I had in Taiwan. We stopped by here at the suggestion of someone's online blog guide. Thankfully they wrote the items we needed to order in Chinese as it's a local/native spot with no English speakers. It's a no frills join with small stools and tables. Thankfully we came right before the lunch hour, because it got packed really quick. We ended up getting steamed soy sauce Chinese broccoli and 1 large fatty duck and 1 minced braised pork bowl. WOW. First of all, the entire meal costed about $4 and change? The portions were just perfect, and the meats were the juiciest, most tender, flavorful, melt in your mouth goodness pieces I've ever consumed. Paired with rice and veggies made it the perfect meal. I can't get over how good it was!! So good we tried going there again the next day but it ended up being closed for some odd reason. Do yourself a favor. If there's any place you HAVE to visit, it would be this. In my heart this would be a Michelin starred meal, hands down.

Great duck restaurant in Kaohsiung!! Recommend noodles, rice, duck, ginger soup, duck blood cake, and fish cake!!

This was my favorite place to eat when i visited the south of Taiwan. Their duck is just so spot on. I don't think I've ever had anything like this outside of this place. Their duck in served in tiny pieces mixed with rice and a sauce kinda of like lu roa fan but duck instead. I also got a plate of veggies and a bitter melon spare rib soup. Everything was like less than $5 USD. You definitely want to try in spot out in Kaohsiung.

Simple local eats for a good price! Duck and veggies were fresh. People were nice. I would come again.

Best duck ever! Owners are super nice. Highly recommended I'm not sure what I had because it was ordered for me by the locals but everything I had was super delicious. There was duck with rice, noodles, and in some sort of ginger soup. Fantastic!

Normally I don't find street food in Taiwan good because they usually taste too much MSG. But this duck restaurant was really good. Definitely the one of some few best duck rice, duck noodle, duck soup, and duck anything in town. If you wanna try authentic taste of traditional local food, this is certainly in your choices.

Duck Zhen is a very delicious restaurant. The duck rice and duck noodles were incredible! Friendly staff and great service every time I've been here. Highly recommended!