Taipei Food: the Best Dishes and Where to Find Them
Last Updated: July 15, 2024
For adventurous eaters, the Taipei food scene is a positive mecca, with everything from comfort dishes to the exotic, all capped by an unrivaled night market culture.
Visiting Taipei for the first time, one of our primary goals was to positively eat our way through the city. We surveyed multiple friends who grew up in Taipei, for their local recommendations of what to eat and the best places to find each dish.
This list is the result of that research, all diligently tested over subsequent forays into Taipeiโs food scene.
To help you best strategize your itinerary, we’ve organized the list by neighborhood. Weโve also included each foodโs name in Mandarin, which helped us immensely in navigating menus without any Westernized characters โ if you canโt read the text, you can at least find the corresponding character!
Travel writer Deborah Cater has said that โyou have to taste a culture to understand it,โ and youโll rarely gain a better understanding of a place through its cuisine than in Taipei.
So without further ado, leave any hesitations at the door and dive in. Bon appรฉtit โ or as they say in Taiwan, kฤn pรญng kฤi!
Jump to:
- Da’an District
- Zhongzheng District
- Raohe Night Market
- Shilin Night Market
- Night Market Staples (choose your own adventure)
Daโan District
Traditional Taiwanese Breakfast
A traditional breakfast usually consists of you tiao (deep fried sticks of dough), shao bing (cake stuffed with egg or beef), dan bing (egg with scallions), fan tuan (rice rolls stuffed with shredded pork), and soy milk (either savory or sweet).
Where to go: Yong He Soy Milk King, one of the more popular spots for an authentic, no-frills meal. You can sample multiple dishes for a reasonable price. There are multiple locations around town, but the original is in the Daโan District (directions).
Beef Noodle Soup (็่้บต)
If youโre going to eat anything in Taipei, beef noodle soup is it, with thick noodles and meat simmered in a rich broth.
Where to go: Yong Kang Beef Noodle. Itโs a local institution, and the menu also offers a wide variety of other dishes to compliment your soup (directions).
Shaved Ice (ๅๅฐ, ้ช่ฑๅฐ)
A decadent dessert that comes loaded with your choice of either frozen mango, tapioca pearls, condensed milk, or other toppings.
Where to go: Smoothie House, whose Instagram-worthy concoctions always produce a line out the door (directions).
Taiwanese Fried Chicken (้ๆ)
A simple dish, but youโll notice subtle differences between Western fried chicken and a Taiwanese spin.
Where to go: Shi Yun does fried chicken well. They have multiple locations around town, but their main storefront is in the Daโan District (directions).
Daikon Radish Pancake (่ฟ่็ตฒ้ค )
Taiwan is big on pancakes. Unlike the Western version, these are thicker patties that are frequently stuffed with veggies, before being fried golden crisp on the outside. Radish is usually the go-to vegetable for these palm-sized pancakes, although you can opt for other fillings as well.
Where to go: Wenzhou Street is a small, no-frills spot that cooks them to perfection. You can also get egg on top, for extra protein (directions).
Traditional Taiwanese Tea (ๅฐ็ฃ่ถ)
As big tea aficionados, we may be a tad biased, but a traditional tea tasting feels like a must while youโre in Taipei. Itโs a genteel experience steeped (no pun intended) in traditional culture, and youโll find that the subtle complexities of the beverage are no less intricate than a wine tasting.
Where to go: Qingtian Tea House in the Daโan District does the experience beautifully (directions).
Note: we also loved Eighty-Eightea Rinbansyo over in the Wanhua District. Housed in a 100+ year old former monkโs residence, tea is served in a traditional Japanese setting (among cushions, on the floor). For the sake of organizing this guide geographically, we listed the equally enjoyable Qingtian, but if tea is your thing and you have more time to spare, you wonโt regret Eight-Eightea either (directions).
Zhongzheng District
Boba Tea (็็ ๅฅถ่ถ)
Boba tea was invented in Taiwan in the 1980s, so itโs no surprise to find boba shops on nearly every corner in town.
Where to go: Itโs a hard drink to mess up, so you honestly canโt go wrong anywhere. But if you want to sample a bit of history, both Hanlin Tea Room (directions) and Chun Shui Tang (directions), each with a Zhongzheng location, claim to have invented the tapioca beverage.
Braised Pork Rice (ๆปท่้ฃฏ)
Another simple, hearty dish, it doesnโt get much more โcomfort foodโ than steamed rice topped with flavorful minced pork.
Where to go: Jin Feng is one of the most highly-regarded local spots. You can sample smaller plates, if youโre too full to order a full entrรฉe, and they also have chicken options (directions).
Raohe Night Market
Did you know? Raohe has more Michelin Bib Gourmand spots than any other night market in Taipei. You can't go wrong with any of the food stalls on this vibrant street.
Pork Pepper Bun (่กๆค้ค )
These thick, doughy buns are stuffed with marinated pork and black pepper, then cooked crisp and served piping hot.
Where to go: Raoheโs Fuzhou Pepper Bun has made the Michelin Bib Gourmand guide and doesn’t disappoint (directions).
Fried Stinky Tofu (่ญ่ฑ่ )
It doesnโt get more quintessentially Taiwan than this classic night market staple. The dish typically comes with kimchi on the side, which offsets the strength of the tofu.
Where to go: while you can find stinky tofu at any night market, weโve flagged Raoheโs Hsia Kang Ming Peng for the quality (directions).
Pork Rib Soup (้ณ่ฃ่ฅ็ๆ้ชจ)
What makes this soup a Taiwanese specialty is that the fall-apart ribs come stewed in medicinal herbs, for a uniquely light broth.
Where to go: Chen Tungโs version is also on the Michelin list (directions).
Shilin Night Market
Shengjiang Bao (ๆฐด็ ๅ )
These savory buns are simple as they come, yet fully satisfying, with light bao filled with juicy minced pork.
Where to go: Shilinโs Chung Chia Sheng Jian Bao has made the Michelin Bib Gourmand for their interpretation (directions).
Cold Noodles (ๆถผ้บต)
This comfort food dish is great for hot months. Noodles are chilled, before being prepared in a rich sesame sauce with julienned cucumbers.
Where to go: Good Friend is another of Shilin Night Marketโs Michelin Bib Gourmand nods (directions).
Night Market Staples (Choose Your Own Adventure)
Lastly, thereโs a slew of Taiwanese staples that are so simple, you canโt go wrong wherever you choose to indulge. These dishes are omnipresent at every night market, and youโll feel satiated wherever you end up.
Scallion Pancake (่ฅๆ้ค ๅ ่)
Prepared more like a traditional Western pancake, these buttery flatbreads are deftly blended with scallions (also known as green onions) and a variety of other ingredients you can choose to mix in. Locals encourage you to also add an egg on top.
Flame-Torched Beef (็ซ็้ชฐๅญ็)
Thin slices of roast beef are seared to order, then finished with a sprinkling of pink salt.
Oyster Omelet (่ตไป็ )
Oysters are prevalent in Taiwanese cuisine, and most stalls specializing in this dish will let you choose either oyster or shrimp. While itโs called an omelet, it better resembles a thick pancake, with egg, sweet potato starch, and more whipped into savory goodness.
Pigโs Blood Cake (่ฑฌ่ก็ณ)
Indeed, some Western palettes may have a bit of a mental hurdle with this one, but these blood puddings come mixed with sticky rice and coated in ground peanuts and cilantro, with sweet side sauces.
Tea Eggs (่ถ่่)
These hard-boiled eggs are boiled, cracked slightly, then boiled again in a savory blend of tea, sauce, and spices. As a result, the shell appears marbled, with a uniquely flavorful interior. You can also find them at convenience stores (7-11 and Family Mart are big in Taipei).
Tanghulu (็ณ่ซ่)
Tanghulu is essentially just candied fruit on a stick. The sugar crystallizes into a sparkling glaze thatโs as visually appealing as it is delicious. You can choose from a variety of fruits, although grape tomato is a traditional version that is as sweet as any strawberry.
Fried Sweet Potato Balls (ๅฐ็็)
These bite-size poppers are exactly what they sound like. The deep-fried crust and sweet, fluffy insides are almost reminiscent of a donut hole.
Douhua (่ฑ่ฑ)
Tofu becomes dessert in douhua, which mixes either mung or red beans, peanuts, fruit, taro, and more into a sweet treat.
Aiyu Jelly (ๆ็)
With a consistency similar to Jell-O, aiyu comes from the seeds of a fig that is unique to the region. Itโs typically served with honey and lemon, but can also be incorporated into sweet drinks or shaved ice.
Papaya Milk (ๆจ็็ๅฅถ)
While not as famous outside the region, this creamy dessert drink is as Taiwanese as boba tea. Chilled papaya is blended with milk and sweetener into a simple yet satisfying beverage thatโs incredibly refreshing in the Taipei heat.
Pineapple Cake (้ณณๆขจ้ ฅ)
A light pastry stuffed with pineapple jam, this ceremonial cake has become a symbol of Taiwan, and is one of the top souvenirs to grab while youโre on the island. Itโs so ubiquitous, you can easily grab a pineapple cake in the airport on your way out, to share a taste of Taipei with friends and family back at home.
Looking to take a break from eating in Taipei? Check out our guide on how to best spend 36 hours in Taiwan’s vibrant capital city.
Featured image courtesy Vernon Raineil Cenzon.
