du hsiao yueh markham

Markham is getting the first Canadian location of a 100-year-old noodle chain

The first Canadian location of a Taiwanese noodle chain that's over 100 years old is set to open in Markham this weekend.

It's called Du Hsiao Yueh, and originated back in 1895. It was originally founded by Hung Yu Tou, who came up with and started selling a new style of noodles during the rough seasons when fishing was extremely dangerous.

He began selling the noodles during these seasons to support the family when he was just 20 years old. To advertise his noodles when selling them on the street, it's said he used to paint the Chinese characters "Du Hsiao Yueh" on a lantern.

The restaurant has now been around for 100 years and four generations. The fourth generation chef actually visited Canada for a sneak preview of the restaurant put on by Taiwan Fest.

They specialize in danzai noodles, also known as ta-a noodles or "slack season ta-a noodles." It's typically a smaller noodle soup made with shrimp, bean sprouts, cilantro, minced pork, garlic, black vinegar, soy sauce and egg. 

The restaurant had a tasting event on Sept. 11 with 30 randomly selected participants, and is officially soft opening on Sept. 18.

They'll have limited seats available during the soft opening period, so making reservations by phone is encouraged. If you have to cancel, do it at least two hours in advance, and they'll let your table go if you're more than 15 minutes late.

Lead photo by

Du Hsiao Yueh


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