A Week in Taipei – Night Markets, Temples, and the Best Food in Asia
Taipei is one of the most underrated cities in Asia for food. It does not have the international profile of Tokyo or Bangkok, but the density and quality of affordable eating in Taipei rivals anywhere in the world. I spent a week there and barely scratched the surface.
The Night Market Ritual
Taipei’s night markets are not a tourist attraction. They are a civic institution. Locals eat at them multiple times a week. Each market has a distinct character, and choosing the right one for the right night makes a difference.
Shilin Night Market is the largest and most famous. It is also the most touristy. The market sprawls across multiple blocks and an underground food court. The underground section is air-conditioned but lacks atmosphere. The street stalls above ground are better. Skip the tourist-marked stalls and look for the ones with long lines of people holding umbrellas — Taiwanese locals queue patiently for good food regardless of weather.
The standout at Shilin is the hot star fried chicken — a single, enormous, flattened chicken breast, marinated and fried to order. It comes in a paper bag, and it is larger than your face. The exterior shatters, the interior is juicy, and the seasoning — five-spice and white pepper — is simple and perfect. One costs about 80 TWD ($2.50).
Raohe Night Market is better than Shilin for food. It is a single pedestrian strip with stalls on both sides, bookended by a temple at one entrance. The black pepper buns at the entrance — pork and scallions wrapped in dough, stuck to the inside of a clay oven, and baked until the exterior is crisp and spotted with char — are the most famous single food item in Taipei’s night market scene. The line can stretch 50 people deep and moves fast. A bun costs 60 TWD ($1.85).
Halfway down the strip on the right, look for the herbal pork rib soup stall. The broth simmers with a dozen Chinese medicinal herbs. The ribs are fall-apart tender. It costs 90 TWD ($2.80) and tastes like something that should cost four times as much.
Ningxia Night Market is smaller, more local, and less known to tourists. The oyster omelette — small oysters cooked into a chewy egg-and-starch pancake, topped with a sweet-savory sauce — is the best version in the city. The taro ball dessert stall, where you choose your toppings from a case and receive a bowl of shaved ice covered in soft, chewy taro balls, is the ideal end to the meal. Go early on a weekday and you will be surrounded almost entirely by local residents.
Daytime Eating on Yongkang Street
Yongkang Street, near Dongmen MRT station, is a food destination in its own right. The original Din Tai Fung is here, and while the xiaolongbao — soup dumplings with exactly 18 folds — are genuinely excellent, the wait for a table can stretch to two hours. There is an alternative that costs nothing in waiting time and delivers an equally memorable meal.
Directly across the street from Din Tai Fung, Yongkang Beef Noodle serves a bowl of beef noodle soup that rivals any in the city. The broth is deep and beefy, simmered for hours with aromatics. The noodles are thick and chewy. The beef shank is sliced in substantial pieces with the collagen-rich connective tissue still attached. A large bowl costs 220 TWD ($6.80). There is rarely a line.
Taiwanese breakfast shops are a category unto themselves. They open early — 5 or 6 AM — and close by midday. Order dan bing, a thin egg crepe rolled around your choice of filling (bacon, cheese, tuna, pork floss) and sliced into bite-sized pieces. Order shao bing, a layered sesame flatbread with a flaky, almost croissant-like texture, stuffed with a fried egg or a youtiao (fried dough stick). Order warm soy milk — doujiang — sweet or savory. A full breakfast for two costs under 150 TWD ($4.60).
Temples and Views
Longshan Temple in Wanhua District is the most atmospheric temple in Taipei. It was built in 1738 and has survived earthquakes, fires, and American bombing during World War II — the statue of Guanyin in the main hall was reportedly found intact in the rubble after the bombing, which believers see as a miracle.
Visit in the evening when the courtyard lanterns are lit and the temple fills with worshippers. Monks chant sutras in a side hall. Devotees toss moon blocks — red wooden crescents — to ask the gods yes-or-no questions. The air is thick with incense. Photography is permitted if done respectfully and without flash.
Elephant Mountain (Xiangshan) is a short but steep hike that offers the classic Taipei view: the city spreading out below with Taipei 101 dominating the skyline, framed by green hills on either side. The trailhead is a five-minute walk from Xiangshan MRT station. The ascent takes 20-30 minutes on well-maintained stone stairs. There are several viewing platforms. Go an hour before sunset, photograph the city as the light changes, and watch 101 light up as darkness falls.
The hike is free, popular but not overcrowded, and the view justifies every step. Bring water. The stairs are relentless.
Day Trip: Jiufen
Jiufen is a former gold mining town built into a hillside about an hour east of Taipei. The narrow stairway streets, lined with tea houses and food stalls, inspired the look of the bathhouse in Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away. Red lanterns hang from every building. On a misty day — which is often — the atmosphere is genuinely magical.
The town is also, to be honest, extremely popular. On weekends, the main alleyway is a solid river of people moving at a shuffle. Go on a weekday, ideally a rainy one. The crowds thin considerably, and the rain and mist actually enhance the atmosphere. Jiufen in the rain with fewer people is far better than Jiufen in the sun with a crowd.
Eat taro balls at Lai Ah Po, the stall that claims to have invented them. The taro and sweet potato balls are made by hand throughout the day and served in a sweet soup, hot or cold depending on the season. A bowl costs 50 TWD ($1.55). Sit at a window seat overlooking the hillside and the sea.
Getting to Jiufen: take a train from Taipei Main Station to Ruifang (40 minutes, about 50 TWD), then transfer to the bus up the mountain (15 minutes, 15 TWD). The trip takes about an hour door to door. There are also direct buses from Taipei, but they take longer and get stuck in traffic.
Practical Notes
Taipei is one of the safest cities in the world. Violent crime is vanishingly rare. Pickpocketing is uncommon. You can walk anywhere at any hour and feel safe. Solo female travelers report feeling comfortable throughout the city.
The MRT is clean, punctual, and covers everywhere you will want to go. An EasyCard — available at any MRT station — works on the subway, buses, and even in convenience stores. Fares are cheap: 20-65 TWD ($0.60-2.00) depending on distance.
English signage is good on the MRT and at major tourist sites. At smaller restaurants and night market stalls, English is limited but menus often have pictures. Pointing and smiling works universally. Learning “xie xie” (thank you) and “hao chi” (delicious) will earn smiles.
Taiwanese people are exceptionally helpful to travelers who seem lost or confused. If you are standing on a street corner looking at your phone, there is a reasonable chance someone will approach and ask if you need directions. This is not a scam. It is just how people are.
Taipei works its way into your heart through your stomach. The night markets, the breakfast shops, the beef noodle soup — after a week of eating in Taipei, the food back home will taste faintly disappointing. Plan accordingly.