Taiwan is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Southeast Asia because what is there not to love about that country?

Besides their friendly locals and scenic landscapes, we have always been fascinated with Taiwanese food. Bring on the pungent beancurd and pig’s blood!

But hold your horses and please do not get the wrong idea. Taiwanese classic dishes ain’t a fear-factor show but instead, an exciting exploration of food. From Beef Noodle Soup, Oyster Omelette to Pineapple Cake, here is our guide to 11 Taiwanese Classic Dishes To Eat.

Source: Hufu Wong

#1 BA-WAN

The disk-shaped Ba-Wan is essentially a translucent doughy dumpling with a diameter of approximately seven centimetres. It is filled with minced meat stuffing and then served with a sweet-and-savoury sauce.

Ba-Wan’s texture bears an uncanny resemblance to gummy and the fillings vary across different parts of Taiwan.

#2 BEEF NOODLE SOUP

As its name implies, Beef Noodle Soup, or also known as Niu Rou Mian is exactly what it is. Think noodles and braised succulent beef dunked in an aromatic semi-dark broth. The dish is then topped with chives, leafy vegetables and/or Chinese pickled cabbage. It is a comfort food that can be found everywhere in Taiwan.

#3 BRAISED PORK RICE

Braised Pork Rice—called Lu Rou Fan in Chinese—is basically a piping hot bowl of steamed rice topped with delicious minced pork. The meat’s sauce is key in this delicacy and adds an extra depth of flavour to its overall taste profile. Complement your Braised Pork Rice with a Chinese tea leaf egg and pickled vegetables.

#4 BUBBLE TEA

Bubble Tea was first invented in Taichung in the 1980s and the rest is history. The iconic tea-based beverage is served with chewy tapioca pearls and you can savour them hot or chilled. Other cities, especially those in the United States of America, call these delightful drinks Boba.

#5 FRIED CHICKEN STEAK

The Taiwanese Fried Chicken Steak is beyond sinful but definitely worth all the calories. A tenderised marinated chicken breast is deep-fried till golden brown and seasoned with pepper, salt and (optional) spices. No one leaves Taiwan without trying this iconic Taiwanese snack!

#6 SMELLY TOFU

Caution: the smelly tofu is not for the faint-hearted. The fermented beancurd has such an overwhelming odour that your nose could certainly detect its presence even from hundreds of metres away! This dish is a popular snack amongst Taiwanese and you will definitely find them at the night markets.

#7 MANGO SHAVED ICE

Mango Shaved Ice boasts fine snowflake ice with chunky fresh mango pieces—an ideal treat to combat the intolerable summer heat! The icy treat is a crowd pleaser and Smoothie House located along Yong Kang Street in Taipei has one of the best renditions.

#8 OYSTER OMELETTE

The glorious Taiwanese Oyster Omelette—also known affectionately amongst natives as orh-ah-jian—is a heavenly union of the gelatinous sweet potato starch and the pan-fried omelette with freshly poached oysters that will melt in your mouth.

A sauce made from tomato ketchup, soy paste and sweet chilli is then drenched over the fragrant oyster omelette.

#9 OYSTER VERMICELLI

Oyster Vermicelli features a generous amount of wheat-based noodles mixed with thickened soup. The flour-rice noodle dish is served with fresh oysters but it is also common to see other interpretations replacing oysters with braised pig intestines instead.

#10 PINEAPPLE CAKE

Traditional Taiwanese pineapple cakes or Feng Li Shu are sweet bite-sized squarish cakes with a buttery exterior and filled with thick jam-like pineapple filling. They are best eaten fresh but also make great souvenirs to bring home.

Source: Easy Eat in Taiwan

#11 ZHU XUE GAO

Zhu Xue Gao—made from pig’s blood and glutinous rice—might come across as a terrifying dish but is actually a well-loved street snack amongst Taiwanese locals. In Taiwan, the pig’s blood could be boiled, braised, fried or steamed.

The most popular way to eat it would be a steamed version on a stick coated with cilantro, peanut and soy sauce.

#12 CONG ZHUA BING

Cong Zhua Bing is a type of Taiwanese pancake that is highly raved about by the locals. You can find hawkers at night markets flipping these scallion pancakes with oil before topping them off with a topping of your choice.

Photo Credit: Taiwan Food Culture

#13 DA CHANG BAO XIAO CHANG

The English name literally translates to ‘big sausage wraps small sausage’ but this iconic Taiwanese street food is essentially Chinese sausage wrapped with glutinous rice. It usually comes with lettuce, salted vegetables and lots of garlic.

#14 TAIWANESE PORRIDGE

After all that feasting, it would be good to have some Taiwanese porridge to cleanse your palate. Everyone gets a bowl of plain porridge which they can complement with a wide variety of side dishes—really similar to our economic rice stalls in Singapore when you think about it!

Be it your first time or second time to Taipei, one thing that you must include in your itinerary is a trip to one of Taipei’s night markets. We love night markets for the splendid array of street food (at reasonable prices), the lively atmosphere and simply the thrill of getting our hands on cheap clothing or goods!

Admittedly, most would only cater time to visit the more commercialised or popularised night markets such as Shilin Night Market or Raohe Street Night Market, but there are plenty of other undiscovered night markets in Taipei that deserve your time too. And, why only visit one or two night markets during your visit to Taipei when you could go to many more?

Here are 12 Night Markets In Taipei You Should Include In Your Itinerary.

Photo Credit: Alec Travel Guide

#1 GUANGZHOU STREET NIGHT MARKET

For a better feel of what a local and authentic night market in Taipei is like, Guangzhou Street Night Market will be a great place to visit. As one of the oldest night markets in Taiwan, Guangzhou Street Night Market is preferred by locals and is part of the Longshan Temple Night Market area.

Apart from regular street food that you can find in other night markets, some interesting dishes that you can try include pig feet, frog soup and glutinous rice. Visitors can also get up to plenty of fun games where you can play the night away. However, do take note that this is not a place to visit if you are searching for good clothing deals.

Guangzhou Street Night Market
Lane 152, Guangzhou Street, Wanhua District,
Taipei City, Taiwan 108
Daily: 4pm – 12am
Nearest Station: Longshan Temple

Photo Credit: HJ Love To Travel

#2 GONGGUAN NIGHT MARKET 

Located right beside Exit 1 of Gongguan Station, Gongguan Night Market is the biggest night market in the South district of Taipei City. The night market is strategically located in the midst of a business district, which allows visitors to browse through clothing and accessory stores, portrait studios, coffee shops and more.

Due to its close proximity to the National Taiwan University, majority of the traffic at this night market are made up of students. Yes, this means that prices are less steep and in fact pretty reasonable! And why not pick up some QinWaZhuangNai i.e. famous bubble milk tea in the area, whilst exploring the night market?

Gongguan Night Market
Section 3, Luosifu Road,
Zhongzheng District, Taipei City
Daily: 3pm – 11:45pm
Nearest Station: Gongguan

#3 HUAXI STREET NIGHT MARKET 

Huaxi Street Night Market is another one of Taiwan’s more traditional markets. You would not have a hard time finding this night market as a large, red palace-style archway marks the entrance to the market which is open throughout the day.

Plenty of old, historical shops occupy the streets of Huaxi Street Night Market and you would be able to find plenty of yummy street foods to indulge in! For instance, this is where the Danzai noodle restaurant business began and something interesting you can try is the snake soup—a dish unique to Huaxi Street Night Market. Otherwise, why not take part in some fortune-telling or simply go for a good massage?

Huaxi Street Night Market
Huaxi Street, Wanhua District
Taipei City, Taiwan 108
Tel: +886 2 2388 1818
Daily: 4pm – 12am
Nearest Station: Longshan Temple

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

#4 LEHUA NIGHT MARKET 

The origins of Lehua Night Market date back to the early 1970s, and this night market is located in the Yonghe District which is famous for its delicious soya bean drink. Offering a wonderful mix of street food stalls, shopping and entertainment facilities, this is an all-in-one market where you will never feel bored.

Another night market that is a favourite of many locals, this night market is wider and easier to navigate even for those who are visiting for the first time. Unfortunately, due to noise complaints from the neighbouring areas surrounding the market, Lehua Night Market may be closed down soon. Quick, make sure this night market is on your to-go list if you are visiting Taipei soon!

Lehua Night Market
Yongping Road, Yonghe District,
New Taipei City, Taiwan 234
Tel: +886 800 000 123
Daily: 5pm – 12.59am
Nearest Station: Dingxi

#5 LIAONING STREET NIGHT MARKET 

Located a stone’s throw away from Fuju Temple, Liaoning Street Night Market is a popular night market that often draws mostly locals, unlike other regular night markets in Taipei. Thus, this is the best night market to visit to avoid tourists but yet have a taste of authentic Taiwanese cuisine.

Some delicious street food that you can try include the oyster omelette, boiled squid, mochi and oden cooking. The seafood stir-fry shop at the night market is also very popular and this is where you can get your seafood fix, cooked according to your preference.

Liaoning Street Night Market
Liaoning Street, Zhongshan District
Taipei City, Taiwan 10491
Daily: 4pm – 2am
Nearest Station: Nanjing East Road

#6 NANJICHANG NIGHT MARKET 

Nanjichang Night Market is another night market which has not been tainted by tourism and is recognised for its ruggedness and truly Taiwanese character. A hot favourite of the locals, you would hardly see any tourists in the area which means that you are in for a night of authentic Taiwan street food and culture.

Albeit slightly smaller in size than other notable night markets such as the Shilin Night Market, the street food offered at Nanjichang Night Market does not pale in comparison. One identifying trait of this night market is that all street foods offered at night will be available even during the day. Rest assured also that Nanjichang Night Market is budget-friendly and would not burn a hole in your pocket.

Nanjichang Night Market
Lane 307, Section 2, Zhonghua Road
Wanhua District, Taipei
Tel: +886 2 2305 3036
Daily: 6am – 12am
Nearest Station: Wanhua

#7 NINGXIA NIGHT MARKET

Like Nanjichang Night Market, Ningxia Night Market is a smaller night market which offers just as fantastic street food as the larger ones do. This is a nostalgic night market where you can stuff yourself silly with all the Taiwanese snacks available such as fried yam balls, oyster omelette and braised pork rice!

If you need a break from all the food, consider participating in some games or shopping in the southern part of the night market. A well-balanced night market adventure, we’d say.

Ningxia Night Market
Ningxia Road, Datong District
Taipei City, Taiwan 103
Tel: +886 915 652 480
Daily: 5:30pm – 12am
Nearest Station: Shuanglian

#8 RAOHE STREET NIGHT MARKET 

Raohe Street Night Market is one of the oldest night markets in Taipei, which has been extremely well-received and usually considered a must-visit for all tourists. Spreading out along a 600-metre path of Raohe Street in the Songshan District, have tons of fun exploring all the different interesting and delicious street foods and snacks, shops and stalls and even carnival activities available there.

A word of advice—7pm would be a good time to drop by this night market as most vendors usually only begin setting up their stalls at 5pm.

Raohe Street Night Market
Rao He Street, Songshan District
Taipei City, Taiwan 105
Tel: +886 2 2763 5733
Daily: 4pm – 12am
Nearest Station: Songshan

#9 SHIDA NIGHT MARKET

Looking for a trendy night market? Shida Night Market is waiting for you! This night market is located within the Da’an District, which is known for its upmarket and hipster vibes and is home to several rock bars, cafes and restaurants. Best of all, visitors would appreciate that Shida Night Market is well-organised, quaint and compact, as compared to other larger and messier night markets.

Offering an incredible selection of delightful street food and cheap clothes from stylish boutiques, you would find plenty of young entrepreneurs cum vendors in this night market. Thus, a visit to this night market would be a great way to extend some support for the local fashion community whilst securing good clothing deals.

Shida Night Market
Lane 39, Shida Road, Da’an District,
Taipei City, Taiwan 106
Tue to Sun: 5pm – 10pm
Nearest Station: Taipower Building

#10 SHILIN NIGHT MARKET

As one of the largest and most popular night markets in Taiwan, most would usually have Shilin Night Market on their minds when planning their trip to Taipei. And to make it better, this night market is also conveniently located near Jiantan Station.

Shilin Night Market is famous for their impressive selection of authentic Taiwan eateries and fashionable clothing boutiques. A newly-renovated building of Shilin Night Market comprises three basement floors and one ground floor. Just think, 94 food vendors on Level B1; how amazing is that? It is time to get crazy and go all out!

Shilin Night Market
Wenlin Road, Shihlin District
Taipei City, Taiwan
Daily: 11am – 2am
Nearest Station: Jiantan

#11 SHUANG CHENG STREET NIGHT MARKET 

Operating for over 40 years, Shuang Cheng Street Night Market is a hot spot for plenty of Taiwanese food and variety shows. As a relatively low-key market, this is where you can escape for good Taiwanese street food without all the hustle and bustle of overly-commercialised night markets.

Some dishes you can try include steam goose meat in goose soup stock and Chiayi Chick Rice. For desserts, favourites include Granny’s old-style flavour sweet noodles and jelly fig ice.

Shuang Cheng Street Night Market
Shuangcheng Street, Zhongshan District,
Taipei City, Taiwan 104
Daily: 8am – 4pm, 5pm – 12am
Nearest Station: Zhong Shan Elementary School / Mingquan West Road

#12 TONGHUA NIGHT MARKET 

Found along the fringe of a residential area in Da’an District, Tonghua Night Market is often filled with plenty of locals and tourists alike. Specialising in local street foods and more, this lively night market will be sure to thrill you even after your first visit.

One popular dish to try at Tonghua Night Market is yan su ji (Taiwanese salted crispy chicken ), braised foods and Cong You Bing (scallion pancake). When you had enough of street food, there are steak restaurants and teppanyaki eateries for you to dine at.

Tonghua Night Market
Linjiang Street, Da’an District,
Taipei 106, Taiwan
Daily: 6pm – 2am
Nearest Station: Xinyi Anhe