Solo score 4 out of 5: Very comfortableMultiple sources agree · checked 2026-10
Grandma Lai's Taro Balls
賴阿婆芋圓 · show this name to taxi drivers
Jiufen's best-known taro ball shop, on flat Jishan Street just before the Shuqi Road steps. Chewy taro and sweet potato balls come in single bowls, hot or iced, to eat in or take away, so it's an easy solo snack stop.
At a glance for one
Portions
Single portions
Peak hours
Queue at peak
How to order
Order at counter
Price for one
From NT$50
Hours
08:00–20:00
Booking
Not needed
Details can change. Check on site before you rely on hours, prices or payment.
How to order, step by step
- Find No. 143 Jishan Street, just before the Shuqi Road junction
- Join the line at the counter. There is often a queue, but tables turn over quickly
- Choose a mixed bowl, hot or iced, and pay. Have cash ready
- Eat at a table inside or take it away
- The boxes of uncooked taro balls by the counter are for cooking at home, not for eating on the spot
What to order solo: A mixed bowl of taro balls, iced on a hot day or hot on a cool one. An iced bowl was about NT$50 in 2026. Check the posted price.
Best time to go alone: Soon after it opens at 08:00, before the day-trip crowds reach Jiufen.
Before you go
Four easy day trips into New Taipei by public transport, alone. Jiufen and Jinguashi, Shifen and the Pingxi Line, Tamsui and Bali, and the North Coast, with how to get there, what to eat on your own and when to head back.
Read: Day trips from Taipei on your own →Getting there
Getting there: From Taipei: bus 1062 from Zhongxiao Fuxing Station (Exit 2) or bus 965 from Beimen or Ximen to the Jiufen Old Street stop, about 1-1.5 hours, then walk up Jishan Street to just before the Shuqi Road junction. Check the timetable before you go back.
No. 143, Jishan St., Ruifang Dist., New Taipei City
新北市瑞芳區基山街143號
Open in Google Maps新北市瑞芳區基山街143號
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Sources & checks
Multiple sources agree · 2026-10
No sponsorship disclosed in the sources we checked.