老华西街台菜馆

Very cozy restaurant! Food overall was yummy and had large portion sizes - Stinky tofu: 8/10, first time having this. Texture was so airy and soft! Sauce was good. Wish there was more flavor or salt to the actual tofu. Def strong smell. The pickled cabbage it came w was very yummy - Sautéed cabbage: 7/10, standard - Sweet and sour pork chop: 10/10, crispy and loved the sauce - Oyster pancake: 10/10, first time having this. Very chewy, and lots of oysters!! Sauce was good

Came here to try the trending beef noodle soup — it was pretty good! We also ordered the braised pork with rice and the pork and fried tofu with rice, both were 10/10. We didn’t bother getting drinks since they serve fresh complimentary tea (we even got a refill!). I noticed almost every table ordered the clams, so I definitely felt like I was missing out. I’ll be coming back to try the seafood next time — especially those clams everyone seems to love.

Queens doesn’t chase food trends. It creates them. Before Taiwanese food was “cool,” before the hype spots and influencer noodle pulls, Taiwanese Gourmet in Elmhurst was already putting in work. 40+ years deep. No gimmicks. No attitude. Just straight-up bangers. Green awning, red lanterns, fish tank, and what looks like straw armor on the wall (turns out it’s old-school rain gear — respect 🫡). This place is built like a food dojo. Ordered like men who feared nothing: sausage with raw garlic (don’t ask, just do it), pork rolls that taste like childhood joy, stinky tofu that’s way less scary than its name, and a Taiwanese meatball that looks like it came from another dimension but absolutely slaps. Then the closer: three-cup chicken. Dark, glossy, basil-packed, cooked like it’s someone’s grandmother judging you from the kitchen. Unreal. Yes, also picked ordered their famous beef noodle soup. Solid. It was spicy and flavorful. Very Comforting. But the real flex here is the old-school menu — dishes you don’t see on TikTok, made the way they’ve always been. Lesson of the day: trends come and go. Real spots stay dangerous. Taiwanese Gourmet is still swinging.

First time trying this Taiwanese restaurant and it went way beyond our expectations! We ordered so many dishes just the three of us and finished everything. 😆 The fried pork was crispy on the outside, tender inside, and the fried intestines were surprisingly clean and super tasty. Every dish was full of bold, well-balanced flavors just like what you’d expect from authentic Taiwanese home cooking. The restaurant has a cozy, homey vibe and to top it off, the staff were lovely and provided great service. If you’re in the area, definitely give it a try — now we know why we couldn’t leave a single bite behind.

Note: This review is primarily for vegetarians who may find themselves dining here with meat-eating friends. Taiwanese Gourmet offers an authentic Taiwanese dining experience, and it’s best appreciated by those who eat meat. While there is a decent selection of about a dozen vegetarian dishes—mostly healthy, steamed tofu and vegetable options—they’re not the main attraction, lack depth in flavor and tend to be less exciting. That said, there are some more flavorful choices like crispy tofu and the traditional stinky tofu. The best vegetarian option is the crispy tofu with the savory garlic dipping sauce hands down! They are also accommodating and if you can describe something you’d like with their existing ingredients, they will try to accommodate. The real draw of this place is its traditional Taiwanese entrees, which are clearly a hit—on weekends, every table is packed. It’s a lively, bustling atmosphere: expect a lot of noise, clanging pots, and fast-moving staff. Service is friendly but busy, and the overall vibe is more family-style chaos than quiet, relaxed dining. Also, they’re cash only, so come prepared.