Mao Yuan Restaurant

My in laws are in town and really wanted to eat here as they had come here a while ago and had good memories. We made a reservation for 7 and when we showed up, were a little confused as they have 2 store fronts but not next to each other. We walked in one and were told to go up the stairs (note: there stairs were very steep. Not wheelchair friendly unless you get one of their 4 people tables on the first floor) We went upstairs and were sat at the table by the stairs. The server was an older woman that was very curt and not even a little friendly. She seemed very annoyed that we were there and kept answering our questions as if we should know. We also asked for water for the kids and she said “we don’t have water” as if we should know that as well. Ugh. I wanted to get up and leave right then and there but my in laws really wanted to stay for the food. We ordered a ton of dishes, their speciality chicken and pork soup, garlic flower, lotus stems. We ordered fried noodles for the kids and were told it would take a long time (didn’t we know??) when it came out it was a tiny plate anyway. So basically the kids filled up on rice (they charge NT20 a small bowl) and garlic flower. The pork soup was very tasty but it came out last so everyone was already done eating. The squid was good, and the lotus stems were a bit bitter and crunchy but nice. I liked their tea the best but unfortunately the cups they use do not keep heat in and burned our fingers. Just overall a bad experience started by rude service. It was quite expensive for Taiwan standards and even my in laws agreed we would never go back.

Attentive staff. Few of the items were too salty, especially the liver dish. Accepts credit cards.

First time trying out this old school Taiwanese style restaurant, food here is pretty good, well processed and cooked. What I enjoyed most was the fish, chicken and kidney soup, all done so well, there was no bad smell at all. Will come back again in the future to try out more dishes.

Waitress wants you to over order. After ordering 5 items for 3 people, the lady said you can add more, not enough.. So we needed up with 7 items for 3 people. Completely over the limit. Small side dishes put in your table was forced and they didn't mentioned it was free. Food was decent though. But.. 2 of the 3 had diarrhea after. 😒

1. 白斩鸡: The saltwater chicken you mentioned looks very attractive, the meat is fresh and tender, and the sauce is also rich, which can enhance the flavor of the chicken. 2. Fried squid: Fried squid is just right, with red and green peppers, adding color and texture to the dish, it looks very delicious. 3. Soup: Soup looks light and delicious, there are a variety of ingredients, rich in nutrition. 4. Environment: The decoration of the store is also very distinctive. The words "MAO Yuan" and "view" on the wall are decorated, giving people a traditional and warm feeling. 5. Business card: The business card shows that this restaurant has been established for many years, providing a variety of options such as Taiwan cuisine, seafood, hot pot, and the address and contact information are also very detailed, convenient for customers to contact and patronize

The waitress has an attitude problem. We reserved for 13... They refused to bring us the 13th chair saying no space... Even after we made space. Then she wont let me order small for dishes although only 2 of us will eat it. Then when we order the pumpkin rice noodle just cuz that was a popular dish ... Again she insist we order 3... I end up getting 1...and we didn't finish. It was not good. Only the chicken and fish was good this meal. Will not go back with the attitude

My Taiwanese cuisine all time favourite. Come here almost every time when I’m in Taipei. Food is delicious and not as oily as other place. Lunch is easier to get a table. Better book in advance for dinner.

Not as good as 20 years ago for my own experience. Super busy and loud and the great echo in the air and the foods got more oily and a small smaller portion.. since it’s so popular so the stars are always too busy to take good care and they had to shout. Although I was still bringing overseas friends visitors over, but only for his reputation, but not for my own preference.

A friend made reservation early for Mao Yuan a Michelin recommended Taiwanese cuisine restaurant. A tiny place unless you have reservations it's not a walk in restaurant, although I did see many people come in for take out. We ordered the following: Fresh bamboo shouts, it's bamboo shoots season so most Taiwanese places serve this tender sweet local produce. Sautéed pork kidneys in rice wine. Deep fried anchovies Fresh local clams sautéed in basil ginger and garlic. Steamed free range chicken Sautéed water spinach Taiwanese style rice vermicelli. Giant prawn salad, the prawns were the size of small lobsters. Although, Mao Yuan has a full display and verity of McCallan single malt Scotch we stuck to Gold medal Taiwan beer. Service was excellent. You need to make reservations before hand.

We stopped by in here before noon on Saturday, and we're lucky enough to score a table. This restaurant enjoys heavy foot traffic, its Michelin status and long history making this renown little venue a rather memorable stop. And as far as our experience here is concerned, it's worth the hype. Like other reviewers have mentioned, the seafood here is especially fresh. We ordered sliced ginger, steamed squid. It was so fresh that I even got a squid that still had a half digested fish still stuck inside it. A bit of a shock for me, but still pleased. The squid flesh was both supple and succulent, and the aroma not at all overpowering. We also orders other recommended dishes: pumpkin and shiitake rice noodles, pig feet and intestines... So delicious! Very traditional, local Taiwanese home style cuisine. Recommend it!

Another great restaurant in Taipei which serves family style seafood dishes with the freshest ingredients. They don't have a menu; simply walk over to the seafood counter near the kitchen and choose whichever is fresh from there. They will suggest the best way to cook it. The fried cuttlefish balls were really tasty. If you love to eat livers, the marinade pork liver as an appetizer is a must order. Salt and pepper shrimps were so delicious that we ate all the shell and heads. Stir fried clams were amazingly sweet. Their fried rice was also a must order. There were so many great dishes! We will definitely come back for more!

One of the oldest spots for Taiwanese cuisine. Whenever we are friends coming from japan or the states, we always take them here and they all love the food here. The food here are fresh and there are a seafood stand that you can pick your own seafood and they cook for you after you order :)

Mao Yuan is another place I have to recommend just for the variety. As a tourist or expat, you can get caught in a loop of eating the same Taiwanese dishes over and over. Mao Yuan served Traditional Taiwanese cuisine and has been open since as far back as 1971. They have some really unusual dishes that I enjoy. After a week in Taipei, eating very local, I was totally over noodles. But my local friend recommended we tried Mao Yuan's pumpkin rice noodles. We started with 小菜（xiao cai) which means small meals. Much like appetizers. They were black beans and green beans to nibble on while we waited for the main dishes. Simple but sumptuous and the saltiness went well with the beer we were drinking. Next came the pumpkin noodles. They were delicious! Fragrant and soft, a great way to mix up a regular dish. We also had the fried squid balls (as far as I know the little ones are actually fried squid lips) and I couldn't get enough of them.

Came here with 6 friends on Sunday night. Food was so so. Oyster is fresh and must order. Fried squid is tasty. Seaweed soup is good too. Others such as fried rice, noodle, and fish are so so. AC is way too cold and lots of mosquitoes. Bill is 4400 for 7 people which is not cheap.

If you wna try the real Taiwanese food, this is the place to go. Seafood is awesome, don't worried abt ordering, they'll tell you wuts the best. It's always fully booked on weekends, so make sure you do reservation first.