Historically, the only reason why people stopover at Fenchihu/Fenqihu 奮起湖 was to have a quick lunch on their tedious train journey from Chiayi towards Alishan. Gradually, the quick lunch – also known as railway lunchbox 鐵路便當 became so popular that travellers make a deliberate stopover at Fenqihu to experience the flavours of olden days.
Today, even with extended transport options to Alishan, it is still essential to grab a railway lunchbox on the way.
Bus route from Chiayi to Alishan (via Fenchihu)
We hopped on the 11 am bus from HSR Chiayi Station – the only bus from this station that will stop at Fenchihu on the way to Alishan, so be sure to not miss this bus if you are planning to head to Fenchihu.
However, if you are boarding from the TRA Chiayi Station, there are 2 buses that stop by Fenchihu – 9.35 am and 12.05 pm.
The most important thing is, the last bus from Fenchihu to Alishan is at 2 pm – so if you miss that bus, you’ll likely have to spend a night in Fenchihu and catch the earliest bus at 11.30 am.
At Fenchihu, you have at least an hour to walk around and have your lunch. It’s probably just enough to grab a bite and some snacks with you.
1.Railway Lunchbox 鐵路便當
There is a concentrated amount of lunchbox restaurants in the small town so there are no right or wrong choices since many of them will claim that they are using real ingredients and the original recipes passed down for generations.
A few popular options:
– Quick and fuss-free 雅湖鐵路便當 (Ya Hu Tie Lu Bian Dang)
We walked straight right up to this stall and decided to go for it. Thankfully, it didn’t let us down because we will not have enough stamina for another round of lunch. We also noticed that this is one of the highest-rated restaurants specialising in lunchbox – which was very fortunate of us!
Across all restaurants, they usually offer a few standard flavours which include spare ribs, braised drumstick, braised pork belly and a vegetarian option.
Each lunchbox is served with a few different preserved vegetables, a seasonal fresh vegetable, bamboo shoots and half a hardboiled egg. Definitely sufficient to fuel you for the rest of the journey to Alishan.
Price: 100 TWD
Address:
604, Taiwan, Chiayi County, Zhuqi Township, 中和村奮起湖112-1號
604嘉義縣竹崎鄉中和村奮起湖112-1號
Google Maps
– Nostalgic Ambience 奮起湖懷舊餐廳 (Fenqihu Huai Jiu Can Ting)
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If you have more time in Fenchihu, you can choose to fully immerse yourself in the history and culture of this place. Away from the crowd, there is a nostalgic restaurant in a homely setting serving similar lunchboxes. Plus, bamboo shoot soup is refillable at no extra cost!
Price: 100 TWD
Address:
604, Taiwan, Chiayi County, Zhuqi Township, 阿里山公路中和支線202號
嘉義縣竹崎鄉阿里山公路中和支線202號
Google Maps
– The Classic 奮起湖鐵路便當 (Fenqihu Tie Lu Bian Dang)
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The most popular and classic restaurant now at the third generation and the biggest selling point is that you get to eat from the traditional metal lunchbox or even bringing it home with you if you are willing to pay a little bit more.
Classic flavours such as spare ribs and drumstick are available here at a larger portion and a higher price tag.
Price: 160 or 180 TWD
Address:
604, Taiwan, Chiayi County, Zhuqi Township
604嘉義縣竹崎鄉
Google Maps
2.Aiyu Jelly 愛玉
What exactly is Aiyu Jelly? It could sound unfamiliar to people living outside of Taiwan, Singapore or Malaysia as most consumption is usually within these countries. It is the gel extracted from the seed of a type of fig first discovered in Chiayi, the county Fenchihu & Alishan is in.
As a result, it became one of the specialities of the region. The jelly is usually wild Aiyu 野生爱玉 or natural Aiyu 天然爱玉. They are usually organic and difficult to harvest. Another reason why Aiyu is so popular in this region is because of the optimal climate and soil quality which helped to grow higher quality seeds for Aiyu Jelly production.
In short, you can get the precious Aiyu Jelly along the streets of Fenchihu. It will be served in a cup together with calamansi lime, absolutely great for thirst quenching!
You will easily find a store and any of these are great for tasting. Alternatively, you can choose to visit a famous one below.
愛玉伯ㄟ厝 (Aiyu Bo E Cuo)
Address:
151 奮起湖, Zhuqi Township, Chiayi County, Taiwan 604
151 奮起湖, 竹崎鄉嘉義縣604
Google Maps
3.Baked Donuts 百年檜木甜甜圈 (Bai Nian Gui Mu Tian Tian Quan)
It’s definitely not our usual glazed donuts that are decorated with sprinkles and such. None of that in this traditional recipe – just ONE winning flavour. Bite into the lightly sugar-glazed surface and you’ll reach soft and fluffy layers on the inside – I was absolutely blown away.
The house is a walk away from the main street but it’s so worth it! Just enjoy the scenery along the way and watch out for the few signages they have set-up for visitors to ensure we are on the right track.
No wait when I was there but you are assured of getting fresh out of the oven donuts any time when you order since they bake it in small quantity and not skipping the last step of cooling it down by holding it in front of an electric fan.
Price: 20 TWD
Address:
604, Taiwan, Chiayi County, Zhuqi Township, 第4鄰奮起湖50之2號
604嘉義縣竹崎鄉第4鄰奮起湖50之2號
Google Maps
BONUS: Grass Cake 街仔尾阿嬤草仔粿 (Jie Zai Mao Ah Ma Cai Zai Guo)
It just doesn’t make sense that they made a cake out of grass but oddly it’s true. The outer skin of the cake tends to have a grassly taste to it and usually is stamped with a traditional tortoise design while the fillings are savoury shredded radish.
I didn’t have a chance to try it but it looks like a great snack to go! They also have other flavours available such as peanut, taro, red bean, sesame and a few others.
Address:
604, Taiwan, Chiayi County, Zhuqi Township, 7鄰80號
604嘉義縣竹崎鄉7鄰80號
Google Maps
Make full use of your time in this stopover and experience it for yourself the reason why Fenqihu is highly raved among locals and travellers.
