13 Restaurants and Night Markets to Visit for the Tastiest Food in Taipei

When it comes to food, Taiwan is one of our favorite countries to visit. Taiwanese food is delicious, the choices are endless, and Taiwanese street food is cheap and plentiful. And at the center of it all is Taipei.

We’ve explored the local cuisine in nearly every major city in the country and Taipei is easily our favorite, which isn’t surprising considering it’s the capital of Taiwan and one of its biggest cities. Like any metropolis, the food in Taipei is just better.

Step into one of its many night markets and you’ll realize what a food-obsessed city this is. With so much good food to be had, having dinner at a night market can often be confusing. It’s so hard to choose!

Taiwanese night markets are such a major part of the Taipei experience that eating street food at Shilin or Raohe night markets is every bit as important as visiting the observatory of Taipei 101.

If you’re visiting Taipei and want to experience the best Taiwanese food, then this Taipei food guide will point you in the right direction. It’ll tell you where to go to have the best Asian food in Taipei, to have the tastiest examples of core Taiwanese dishes like lu rou fan, shabu shabu, beef noodle soup, Taiwanese breakfast, and more.

As with all our food guides, we strive to find only the best local food so every Taipei restaurant, stall, or night market we suggest has been carefully vetted by us, either through local recommendations, Taipei food blogs, the Michelin Guide, or crowd review websites.

THE BEST RESTAURANTS IN TAIPEI

1. Ay-Chung Flour Rice Noodles

We like to eat at as many new restaurants as we can when we travel, so we try not to go to the same place more than once. In Taipei, we had three or four exceptions. This place is one of them.

Ay-Chung Flour Rice Noodles has just one dish on their menu – Taiwanese-style vermicelli or mee sua with braised pork intestine. If you’ve never had mee sua before, it’s a type of thin wheat-flour noodle similar to vermicelli.

Ay-Chung makes their bowl with the most tender bits of braised pork intestine. They were so soft I initially thought I was eating baby squid!

The mee sua is silky smooth and the gravy had this wonderful smokey flavor which I read comes from bonito flakes in the soup base.

Ay-Chung’s mee sua is incredibly flavorful as it is, but you’re welcome to add as much chili oil, garlic, and black vinegar as you wish. I literally could not stop eating this.

As you can see from this picture, Ay-Chung Flour Rice Noodles is popular. It was one of the most popular Taipei food stalls we went to.

But don’t let the long queue deter you. It moves quickly and this is a dish you wouldn’t want to miss. It’s featured on virtually every article listing the best places to eat in Taipei.

Ay-Chung Flour Rice Noodles

Address: No. 8-1, Emei Street, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108
Closest MRT Station: Ximen (Exit 6)
Operating Hours: 9AM-11PM, daily
What to Order: Braised intestine mee sua

2. Fuhang Soy Milk (Fuhang Dou Jiang)

We visited many popular Taipei restaurants but this one was by far the most popular. Fuhang Soy Milk is known as one the best restaurants in Taipei to have a traditional Taiwanese breakfast.

The line here literally goes down a flight of stairs, out the building’s door, and around the block…twice! This Taiwanese restaurant is crazy popular.

Pictured below is my bowl of warm soy milk with youtiao or Chinese doughnuts. The food here is good and cheap, though I’m not experienced enough to know how much better it is than other restaurants in Taiwan that serve Taiwanese breakfast.

I’m assuming it is judging by the small army of Taiwanese customers who come here every morning. On top of that, it has the distinction of being a Michelin Bib Gourmand awardee.

But it is worth the long wait as a tourist? It’s hard to say. If you have the time and are willing to get up at the crack of dawn and possibly wait for an hour or more, then go for it.

If you aren’t, then the good news is that you can purchase a voucher in advance through Klook and have the food delivered to you. Personally, I enjoyed the experience as much as the food so I suggest having it at the restaurant if you can.

As described, the lines at Fuhang Soy Milk get ridiculously long. This was the end of the line at 6:30AM.

The queue looks long but it doesn’t even tell the whole story. The line actually wrapped around the building before going up a flight of stairs.

After waiting at least half an hour, I finally got through the door and into the large cafeteria area. Aside from soy bean milk and fried dough sticks, Fuhang Soy Milk is known for serving many different types of Taiwanese breakfast items like egg crepes and roasted pancakes.

Fuhang Soy Milk

Address: 100, Taiwan, Taipei City, Zhongzheng District, Section 1, Zhongxiao East Road, 108號
Closest MRT Station: Shandao Temple (Exit 5)
Operating Hours: 5:30AM-12:30PM, Tue-Sun (Closed Mon)
What to Order: Soy bean milk, dough sticks, egg crepes, roasted pancakes

3. Tao-Yuan Street Beef Noodle Shop

Beef noodle soup is perhaps the most beloved comfort dish in Taiwanese cuisine. Taiwanese people love it so much that it’s often regarded as a Taiwanese national dish.

So popular is this dish that a festival and competition is held every year to find the best bowl of beef noodles in Taiwan. Only a handful of restaurants can lay claim to the title of “Best Beef Noodle Soup” in Taipei, and Tao-Yuan Street Beef Noodle Shop is one of them.

At Tao-Yuan Street Beef Noodle Shop, you can have your beef noodle soup with clear (below) or braised (above) broth. I prefer the braised but both are very good.

The beef is fall-apart tender and the noodles are nice and springy. Like Ay-Chung Flour Rice Noodles, this restaurant is popular so be prepared for a queue.

Tao-Yuan Street Beef Noodle Shop

Address: No.15 Taoyuan Street, Zhongzheng District, Taipei 100, Taiwan
Closest MRT Station: Ximen (Exit 3)
Operating Hours: 10AM-9PM, daily
What to Order: Beef noodle soup

4. Jin Feng Lu Rou Fan

Lu rou fan or braised pork rice is one of the most beloved Taiwanese comfort dishes. When it comes to warming the hearts and stomachs of Taiwanese locals, it takes a backseat only to beef noodle soup.

Lu rou fan consists of minced pork belly that’s been stir-fried and slow cooked in soy sauce until tender. It’s then served over a bowl of steamed rice with a hard-boiled egg on the side.

Jin Feng is often cited as being one of the best restaurants in Taipei to have lu rou fan. We had a bowl of braised pork belly rice to go with lu rou fan, a side of hard-boiled eggs, and tofu.

The braised pork belly was delicious but the real star here is the lu rou fan. It’s ultra-tender, fatty, and served with a thick savory-sweet sauce that’s perfect to eat with the rice.

Braised pork rice was one of my favorite dishes to eat in Taiwan. It was perhaps the one dish I missed most from our trip. Comforting and simple, it’s something I could honestly see myself eating everyday.

Google “best lu rou fan in taipei” and Jin Feng will dominate the search results. Like nearly every other Taipei restaurant on this list, it’s clear how popular they are from the long line of people waiting outside.

But again, don’t worry. People eat fast so the line moves fairly quickly.

Jin Feng Lu Rou Fan

Address: No. 10-1, Sec. 1, Roosevelt Rd., Zhongzheng Dist, Taipei 100, Taiwan
Closest MRT Station: CKS Memorial Hall (Exit 2)
Operating Hours: 8AM-1AM, daily
What to Order: Lu rou fan (braised pork rice)

5. Din Tai Fung

If you know what a xiao long bao is, then you’re probably familiar with Din Tai Fung. It’s an international chain of Taiwanese restaurants known for its dim sum, particularly its xiao long bao which many say is the very best in the world.

Part of Din Tai Fung’s success can be attributed to their consistency. They make it with the thinnest of wrappers and every xiao long bao that comes out of their kitchen has eighteen pleats and weighs exactly 21 grams.

I have a Taiwanese friend who’s lived in Beijing and according to him, there are many Din Tai Fung knock-offs in China. Many have copied the exact look and feel of the place but they fail in one key aspect – the xiao long bao. No one can seem to match the quality and consistency of Din Tai Fung.

For the uninitiated, xiao long bao refers to a type of baozi or Chinese steamed bun filled with pork and hot soup. To keep from burning yourself, you’re advised to pierce the skin first and suck out the soup. Only then should you put the dumpling in your mouth lest you spew hot soup all over the table.

Klook offers meal vouchers for Din Tai Fung. You can also get a voucher for a Taipei night tour that ends with dinner at Din Tai Fung.

There are several Din Tai Fung restaurants in Taipei but we ate at the Taipei 101 branch. It’s located in the building’s basement and like nearly every other restaurant on this list, expect a line when you go there.

Din Tai Fung

Address: B1, No. 45, Shifu Rd., Taipei 101 Mall, Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC
Closest MRT Station: Taipei 101 World Trade Center (Exit 4)
Operating Hours: Sun-Thurs, 11AM-9:30PM / Fri, Sat, Day before Holiday, 11AM-10PM
What to Order: Xiao long bao, dim sum

6. Orange Shabu Shabu House

Like beef noodle soup and lu rou fan, hot pot or shabu shabu is a core Taiwanese dish. I asked my Taiwanese friend to recommend a good hot pot restaurant in Taipei and he said without hesitation – Orange Shabu Shabu House. According to him, it’s one of the best restaurants in Taipei. He may be right.

I honestly didn’t think I’d be able to tell the difference but I was wrong. This turned out to be the best hot pot we’ve ever tasted in our lives. You can absolutely tell the difference.

From the quality of the soup base to the dipping sauce to the freshness of the ingredients, everything about Orange Shabu Shabu House was phenomenal.

According to my friend, it’s difficult to book a table at Orange Shabu Shabu so it’s highly recommended you make reservations.

Unfortunately, you can’t do it via email so you’ll need to call the Orange Shabu Shabu restaurant. They speak limited English so you may need someone to help you make the reservation.

Orange Shabu Shabu House

Address: B/1, No. 135, Section 1, Da’an Road, Taipei, Taiwan ROC
Closest MRT Station: Zongxiao Fuxing (Exit 3)
Operating Hours: 11:30AM-11PM, daily
What to Order: Taiwanese hot pot

7. Shao Shao Ke

I stumbled upon this Taipei restaurant specializing in Shanxi cuisine when I was doing research for our trip. I had never heard of Shanxi food before but two words in the cuisine’s description convinced me to add Shao Shao Ke to our itinerary – lamb and cumin.

Shanxi cuisine is the cooking style of Shanxi Province in China. Noodles figure prominently in the cuisine, as does lamb. They’re also known for using a unique type of vinegar in their food. It’s called Shanxi mature vinegar and it’s a prized vinegar produced exclusively in the area.

Pictured below are deep-fried lamb skewers with cumin, one of many lamb dishes they have on their menu. This dish was fantastic and unlike any lamb dish we’ve had in the past.

It was tender with a light crisp coating and a flavorful punch of cumin. If you have a fondness for lamb, then I suggest trying this.

Pictured below is a bowl of knife-cut noodles with green onion, carrot, and lamb. Knife-cut noodles are a Shanxi specialty so be sure to try this as well. The noodles are fantastic – they’re bouncy and elastic with great bite.

These deep-fried soy cheese puff pastries are a must-try as well. In fact, they’re so popular that you’re advised to put in an advanced reservation for them!

They’re made with soy tofu cheese that’s deep-fried in a triangular puff pastry and dusted with powdered sugar. The cheese has a texture similar to mozzarella so it comes away in gooey strings each time you take a bite. It’s absolutely delicious!

Shanxi cuisine is interesting and apparently not something you see too often outside of the region so I strongly suggest you enjoy a meal at Shao Shao Ke.

You can read my article on Shao Shao Ke for more information about this restaurant and Shanxi cuisine.

Shao Shao Ke is about a 5-10 minute walk from Huashan 1914 Creative Park so it’s a great place to eat before or after a trip to the park.

Shao Shao Ke

Address: No. 27, Section 1, Hangzhou South Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100
Closest MRT Station: Shandao Temple (Exit 3)
Operating Hours: 11:30AM-2:30PM / 5:30-9:30PM, Tue-Sun (closed Mon)
What to Order: Lamb, knife-cut noodles, bun noodle soup, deep-fried soy cheese pastries

8. Fei Qian Wu

Unagi or Japanese barbecued eel is one of my favorite foods in the world. I was thrilled to find Fei Qian Wu which is a Taipei restaurant known for serving some of the best unagi bento boxes in the city.

Pictured below is my large box of unagi next to Ren’s small order. Seriously, how good do these look? If you’ve never had unagi before, then you’re in for a seriously delicious treat.

Unagi refers to a Japanese dish of freshwater eel that’s broiled and slowly grilled over coals while being basted with a kabayaki sauce (sweet soy sauce). It’s smokey, savory, and a little sweet with the most wonderful soft and lightly charred texture.

Taiwan was under Japanese rule for fifty years so there are plenty of Japanese restaurants throughout the country. The Taiwanese know Japanese food so if you like unagi, then you should definitely enjoy a meal here.

When it comes to unagi, Fei Qian Wu has to be one of the best places to eat in Taipei. There are often long queues at the restaurant but we arrived at an odd hour so thankfully, we didn’t have to wait that long.

Fei Qian Wu

Address: No. 13, Lane 121, Section 1, Zhongshan North Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei 104, Taiwan
Closest MRT Station: Zhongshan (Exit 2)
Operating Hours: 11AM–2:30PM / 5–9PM, Tue-Sun (Closed Mon)
What to Order: Unagi over rice

9. Addiction Aquatic Development

This is one of the most interesting and jaw-dropping Taipei food establishments we’ve been to so far. I say “food establishment” instead of restaurant because it’s so much more than just a restaurant.

Addiction Aquatic Development is basically an upscale live seafood market, gourmet food supermarket, seafood bar, sushi bar, oyster bar, seafood barbecue restaurant, hot pot restaurant, and flower market all rolled into a stylish 1,983 square meter space. In short, it’s a seafood lover’s wet dream.

Pictured below are large tanks containing live seafood like king crabs, hairy crabs, diver scallops, and abalone.

Aside from its market and grocery portions, there are several mini-restaurants within the space. There’s a hot pot restaurant, a sushi bar, and an oyster bar, to name a few.

This platter overflowing with king crab, sashimi, and different types of shellfish were a popular item from the seafood bar. If you’re a fan of seafood, then you cannot come to Taipei without visiting Addiction Aquatic Development.

I’ve never seen anything like it so it’s one of the places we’d definitely go back to on every return trip to Taipei. Check out my article on Addiction Aquatic Development for (a lot) more pictures and information.

Addiction Aquatic Development

Address: No. 18, Alley 2, Lane 410, Minzu East Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 104
Closest MRT Station: XingTian Temple (Exit 3)
Operating Hours: 6AM-12MN, daily
What to Order: Seafood

10. RAW

If you’re looking to have a truly special meal in Taipei, then RAW should be on your short list. It’s one of the best restaurants in Taiwan.

Helmed by Chef André Chiang – a Taiwanese chef renowned for his 2-Michelin star (but now closed) Restaurant André in Singapore – RAW also has two Michelin stars and is presently number 30 on this list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. They offer beautiful degustation experiences featuring the best of Taiwan’s local seasonal ingredients.

Here’s a shot of the restaurant with its stunning wooden sculptural bar. It’s one of the most beautiful restaurants in Taipei – classy and modern without the pretention.

We had a ten-course degustation featuring creatively plated dishes like this prawn, mioga, and pea course.

This course is RAW’s take on Taiwanese hot pot or shabu shabu. It consists of sturgeon, puff rice, and garden greens. Our server poured broth into our bowls before telling us to mix it all up to eat. Pretty isn’t it?

RAW is one of the hottest and best restaurants in Taipei. Because of its popularity, it’s notoriously difficult to get reservations which you’ll need to secure online. Check out my article on RAW by Chef André Chiang for more pictures and information.

RAW

Address: No. 301, Lequn 3rd Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 104
Closest MRT Station: Jiannan Rd (Exit 3)
Operating Hours: 11:30AM-2:30PM, 6-10PM, Wed-Sun
What to Order: Tasting Menu

11. Yongfu Ice Cream

I learned about this ice cream shop from a free walking tour I had joined led by Like It Formosa. Our guide Thomas made a stop here and described it as one of the most popular ice cream shops in Taipei.

Yongfu Ice Cream has been serving hand churned ice cream made with distinctly Taiwanese ingredients like taro, longan, peanut, and red bean for over 70 years. If I remember correctly, I had a scoop each of longan and red bean.

If you’ve never had Taiwanese ice cream before, the first thing you’ll notice is that it isn’t as creamy as American or Japanese ice cream. It’s made with less dairy and more fruit so it’s light and a little tart, almost like a sorbet.

Personally, I prefer creamier ice cream but you can give this a go just to try something different.

Yong Fu Ice Cream is about a 10-minute walk from Ay-Chung Flour Rice Noodles so you can have dessert here after your bowl of mee sua.

Yongfu Ice Cream

Address: No. 68, Section 2, Guiyang St, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108
Closest MRT Station: Ximen (Exit 1)
Operating Hours: 10AM-10PM, daily
What to Order: Ice cream

12. Raohe Night Market

Taiwanese night markets are synonymous with the Taipei experience. Any why shouldn’t they be? The Taiwanese street food is cheap, the choices are plentiful, and the atmosphere is fun.

Night markets are an integral part of Taiwan’s food culture and something you should experience on every trip to the country.

In Taipei, there are several night markets to choose from but often regarded as the best and most important are Raohe and Shilin Night Markets.

When it comes to night markets, many people say that Raohe has one of the best selections of food in Taipei. A dish you definitely shouldn’t miss is the flame-torched beef. It’s one of my favorite things to eat at Taiwanese night markets.

It consists of cubes of beef that are grilled and torched before being sprinkled with your choice of seasoning like salt, pepper, teriyaki, or cumin. It’s tender and juicy and absolutely delicious.

Oyster omelettes are another popular night market staple. You’ll find them at virtually every night market in Taiwan.

Raohe Night Market

Address: Raohe Street, Songshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 105
Closest MRT Station: Songshan (Exit 5)
Operating Hours: 4PM-12MN, daily
What to Try: Stinky tofu, oyster omelette, flame-torched beef, pepper buns

13. Shilin Night Market

Shilin Night Market is one of the biggest night markets we’ve visited not just in Taipei, but in all of Taiwan. It’s been open for over 120 years and still going strong.

Unlike many night markets that offer just food, Shilin has a fun, carnival-like atmosphere with arguably the best mix of food, games, and shopping stalls of any night market in Taiwan.

If you have time to visit just one night market in Taipei, then it should probably be Shilin Night Market. It’ll give you the most well-rounded experience.

You can find pretty much any type of Taiwanese street food at Shilin Night Market. Pictured below is a stick of pig’s blood cake which is a popular snack at Taiwanese night markets.

It’s made with pork blood and sticky rice that’s either steamed or fried before being covered in a sweet soy sauce and dredged in peanut flour and coriander.

Shilin Night Market

Address: No. 101, Jihe Road, Shilin District, Taipei City, Taiwan 111
Closest MRT Station: Jiantan (Exit 1)
Operating Hours: 3PM-1AM, daily
What to Try: Hot Star fried chicken chop, flame-torched beef, penis waffle

TAIPEI FOOD TOURS

It goes without saying that no one knows the food in Taipei better than a local, so what better way to experience Taipei’s cuisine than by going on a food tour? A good guide will lead you to the best restaurants and night market stalls in Taipei so all you have to do is follow and eat. Check out Get Your Guide for a list of Taipei food tours.

LOCATION MAP

To help you find the restaurants recommended in this Taipei food guide, I’ve pinned them all on this map. Click on the link to open the map in a new window.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE FOOD IN TAIPEI

There are so many interesting and delicious restaurants in Taipei that a list of thirteen barely scratches the surface. Taiwan is a country we enjoy visiting so we’ll be refining and building upon this list after every return trip to Taipei.

This food guide is a work-in-progress but if you’re looking for solid local recommendations on where to eat in Taipei, then I hope it leads you to some amazing meals in Taiwan.

Thanks for reading and we hope you enjoy these awesome restaurants and night markets in Taipei!

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