The Taiwan is situated in a back street, almost directly opposite the Arrecife Gran Hotel. The exterior is typically ornate in the Chinese style, and the interior is nicely laid out, with clean table cloths and comfortable chairs, although when it get’s busy, it can feel a little crowded.
The restaurant was the first Chinese one on the island and has been there for 40 years, run by generations of the same family.
And The Taiwan certainly gets busy! The food is genuinely good, and the value for money nothing short of spectacular! The menu offers all the usual Cantonese dishes, and we went for spring rolls as a starter, followed by lemon chicken, deep fried crispy beef, with a portion of Singapore noodles and one of egg fried rice.
The spring rolls are large, fresh and really crisp and are served with the usual sweet and sour sauce, but optionally with a “Picante” chilli sauce, which is extremely hot, but fabulous. The lemon chicken was again wonderfully fresh and crisp, with a really powerful lemon flavor, and the beef was sweet and spicy, although I would have preferred it to be a little more crispy. The noodles, which can be greasy, weren’t and had a distinctive curry flavor, but the rice was very special. It’s not easy to get excited about rice, but The Taiwan seems to do something different with theirs. It’s fragrant, light and fluffy, without a hint of stickiness or stodginess.
Main dishes are from €8 – €12 but the value comes with the huge portions. Without exaggeration, the two dishes described above would comfortably feed four people. Bear this in mind when you visit in a group, order at least 30% less than you think you need.
Chinese food shines when cooked quickly and from really fresh ingredients – that’s why it doesn’t really lend itself to the resort “Buffet” style offered in so many places in Lanzarote. For a treat, and a taste of proper Chinese cooking, The Taiwan is the place to go in Lanzarote.
The Taiwan is in Calle Canalejas, 52 in Arrecife – park under the Gran Hotel.
Phone: 928 81 45 62
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