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| Pàng Taqueria Pang Taco 胖塔可 | 106, Taiwan, Taipei City, Da’an District, Wenchang St, 181號一樓 🚅 10 minute walk from Xinyi Anhe station ⏰ 12 noon to 9pm (Monday off) |
Our hotel was near Linjiang Night Market, so we walked there twice 🤭 We passed Pang Taco and so gave it a try.
It's a very interesting and delicious fusion of a Mexican staple with Taiwanese flavours like braised pork intestine.
It's a tiny shop unit, compact and simply furnished inside. Like a mini diner / cafe with youthful vibes.
Pang Taco is Taiwanese owned and run. As taco is still relatively novel in Taipei / Taiwan, there's simple instructions on how to enjoy the dish. (Taiwan doesn't have any Taco Bell outlets.)
I don't bother lah. Too complicated 🤭
The menu is quite small and simple - tacos and burritos with various fillings.
This is a hipster joint, so the default way is to order by QR code. But, don't want lah, I prefer the old way with human touch. Anyway, you can check out the latest menu here.
The taco came flat because the corn tortilla (flatbread wrap) was actually soft (not the hard, crispy type).
Pang's soft tortillas (taco shells) are made with mashed corn kernels, hand pressed, then freshly grilled on a flat iron griddle. Hand made one tortilla at a time, that accounts for the premium pricing.
The familiar hard shell taco is popularised by American fast food chains such as Taco Bell since the 1960s.
In Mexico, where tacos are traditional staples, soft tortillas are the norm since Aztec days (before America was "discovered" by Christopher Columbus in 1492).
Anyway, back to modern day Taipei, Pang has filled the tortilla with fried battered fish fillet, coleslaw and zesty sour sweet chipotle aioli sauce. It's called Baja fish taco because fish tacos originated from the Baja peninsula in Mexico.
It's Pang's beat seller. Crisp browned beer battered, soft moist flaky sweet white fish, crunchy shredded fleshy vegetables and tangy savoury sweet sauce.
The tortilla was soft like thin pita bread and tasted of naturally sweet corn with a toasty overlay.
Then, Pang's did something that the ancient Aztecs could never imagined.
Pang's filled the tortilla with braised pork intestine to make a uniquely Taiwanese taco. The intestines braised in soy sauce, fish sauce and spices like cinnamon and star anise were torched for a subtle seared crisp before serving.
Okay lah, I mean, I grew up with braised pork so I can understand this taco instantly and it was easy to like.
Savoury porcine sweetness in the soft tender spongy pork intestine complemented by sweet crunchy juicy vegetables and aromatics. The torching added a subtle bit of smoky toasty flavour.
But, my favourite is the spicy juicy pulled beef filling.
So rich in spicy and savoury beefiness in the soft tender slivers of beef, its a beef eater's choice, naturally.
Unique localised tacos that is trending in Taipei, popular with young locals and Taiwanese returned from North America.
No, we didn't try the burritos because we had been eating the whole day and wanted to save some tummy space for the night market 😄
Restaurant name: Pàng Taqueria Pang Taco 胖塔可
Address: 106, Taiwan, Taipei City, Da’an District, Wenchang St, 181號一樓
Nearest MRT: 10 minute walk from Xinyi Anhe station
Hours: 12 noon to 9pm (Monday off)
Written by Tony Boey on 10 Sep 2025
Who is Tony Johor Kaki?
mexico has tacos de tripas (but deep fried, not braised)
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