The Truth of Tainan Cuisine, since 1940

A-SHA began in 1940 as a street stall selling rice-noodle soup and Taiwanese sausage in front of Xingji Temple in Tainan. The banquet dishes came later, and four generations of the Wu family have cooked them the same way since.

Today the group runs four places: A-SHA, the original restaurant; Jinxia Lou, the flagship at Tainan Spring Mall, opened in 2015 and renovated in 2026; A SHA Mitsui Outlet, a casual branch opened in 2022; and Eaglehill14, a teahouse and private dining room inside a restored Japanese-era heritage house. The fourth-generation owner, Chien-Hao Wu, leads the kitchen.

Three dishes to know

Signature Steamed Mud Crab with Sticky Rice. Glutinous rice is fried before steaming, then topped with a whole mud crab, always one full of roe.
Deep-fried Shrimp Balls. Hand-chopped shrimp, wrapped in caul fat and fried.
Charcoal-grilled Wild Mullet Roe. Cured mullet roe from Taiwan's coast, grilled over charcoal and sliced to a soft centre.

On the record

October 2026: King Mswati III of Eswatini dined at A-SHA with President Lai Ching-te.
May 2026: President Lai Ching-te hosted Paraguayan President Santiago Peña at A-SHA.
October 2024: Invited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to serve at the National Day reception.
Five presidents of Taiwan have dined here since the 1970s.
Chien-Hao Wu is the author of 1940 in Tainan.

Visit

A-SHA (original restaurant)

No. 7, Ln. 84, Sec. 2, Zhongyi Rd., West Central Dist., Tainan｜+886-6-223-1418
Tue–Sun 11:00–14:30, 17:00–21:00. Booking by phone; online on weekdays.

Jinxia Lou (flagship)

2F, Tainan Spring Mall A1, No. 366, Sec. 1, Zhonghua E. Rd., East Dist., Tainan｜+886-6-300-6789
Daily 11:00–14:30, 17:00–21:00. Online booking.

A SHA Mitsui Outlet

1F, Mitsui Outlet Park Tainan, No. 101, Guiren Blvd., Guiren Dist., Tainan｜+886-6-303-3288
Daily 11:00–14:30, 17:00–21:00. Online booking.

Eaglehill14

No. 18, Ln. 84, Sec. 2, Zhongyi Rd., West Central Dist., Tainan｜+886-6-221-0595
Wed–Sun 11:00–19:00. 2F private dining by reservation only.

Media enquiries: info@1940tainan.com｜日本語｜中文