Whenever someone is talking about their Taiwan trip, food is the topic that never runs out of things to say in the conversation. Taiwan, being one of the top food destinations in the world, and there is no surprise that listing down where to eat and what to eat are as significant as the places of interest in the destination when planning an itinerary. If you are one of the traveling foodies, the best place to start the food hunting trail is none other than Taipei city, the capital and the heartbeat of Taiwan.
Taipei is a lively modern city that never sleeps; if a city never sleeps, so do the food places. In this post, let's try to escape from the usual tourist hot-spots and explore some of the local's favourite food places in Taipei.
If an eatery can operate more than 60 years, that's really something remarkable! Jia Xing is a Taiwanese Restaurant selling handmade fish ball with a traditional old times taste. They started off from a small food stand to an eatery with a fairly big storefront. Like most of the eateries in Taiwan, their kitchen is positioned at the storefront, and they prepared the food openly without hiding their process. At one glance, you might see many dishes on their menu, but one dish that you shouldn't miss is their Fuzhou fish balls, this is also the reason why we were here. Their handmade fish balls are irregular in shapes and stuffed with fresh juicy pork fillings. Just one bite we can say that is an authentic Fuzhou fish ball because it has a more doughy rather than springy texture. Besides that, they also sell different types of dumpling soup and noodle dishes. Another interesting item you should try is the Inarizushi, which is made of sushi rice stuffed inside the seasoned deep-fried tofu skin. Why sushi? I didn't get it until I saw the old photos on the wall. In the past, Jia Xing and a Sushi stall were set up side by side. Although the Sushi shop is not around anymore, the soul and the taste of the food continue to shine in Jia Xing Fish Ball Restaurant. I really like old eateries with long history, especially those who doesn't change with time and insists on keeping its own style consistently.
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| Fuzhou Fish Balls |
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| Fuzhou Fish Balls |
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| Inarizushi - Deep-fried tofu skin stuffed with sushi rice |
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| Inarizushi - Deep-fried tofu skin stuffed with sushi rice |
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| Yanwan . 燕丸 - Pork Wanton |
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| Yanwan . 燕丸 - Pork Wanton |
<< Jia Xing Fish Ball Restaurant . 佳兴鱼丸店 >>
Address: No. 21號, Lane 210, Section 2, Yanping North Road, Datong District, Taipei City, Taiwan 103
Location: Click Here for Map
Year Visited: 2016 July
2. Chen Ji Oyster Vermicelli . 陳記專業蚵仔麵線
Taiwanese Mee Sua is a bowl of vermicelli served in a thickened soup with either oysters or pig intestines. Although Mee Sua is originated from Fujian, China, the Taiwanese with their own unique recipes making it as one of the most quintessential local dishes in Taiwan. So far I have tried this popular Taiwanese dish from 2 places in Taipei; the first one was the extremely famous Ay-Chung Flour Rice Noodles in Ximending. The bowl of Mee Sua from Ay-Chung Flour Rice Noodles were really delicious, but they only served it with pig intestines, which is not to my liking. And the other one was the uncommercialised Chen Ji Oyster Vermicelli in Wanhua District. On my second visit to Taipei in 2016, I was lucky enough to have discovered Chen Ji Oyster Vermicelli; their bowl of Mee Sua has a thick, flavorful soup base without being too starchy while the vermicelli have a hint of robust smoky and the dish is boosted by the aromatic garlic sauce. Chen Ji is really generous with their oysters, and every oyster is so fresh, plump and juicy. Adding black vinegar is optional, but it is highly recommended to have it to enhance the taste. Chen Ji Oyster Vermicelli is probably the best alternative to Ay-Chung Flour Rice Noodles; nothing fancy, but a bowl of simple and heartwarming noodle soup that comforts the soul of the people.
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| Mee Sua - Vermicelli |
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| Oyster |
<< Chen Ji Oyster Mee Sua . 陳記專業蚵仔麵線 >>
Address: No. 166號, Section 3, Heping West Road, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108
Location: Click Here for Map
Year Visited: 2016 July
3. Zi Lin Steamed Dumpling Restaurant . 頂好紫琳蒸餃館
We supposed to hunt down the locals' favourite spicy chili oil dumpling from Měi Jǐng Chuān Wèi (美景川味红油抄手), but it was closed when we were there. Despite all the disappointment, we managed to find a replacement immediately when we noticed a queue to another dumpling restaurant a few shops away and we decided to give it a try. Located at the basement of the unappealing Dinghao Shopping Mall, Zi Lin Steamed Dumpling Restaurant is a local eatery renowned for its delicious and inexpensive dumplings. The steamed dumplings that we ordered were high in quality; the dumpling skin had a soft, smooth and elastic texture, and the pork fillings tasted juicy and flavourful even without any sauce. Another dish that we like is their pancake pork roll, it was firmly rolled and nicely grilled; the combination of the meat, scallions and sweet sauce gave a perfect balance of savouriness and sweetness. The restaurant is very popular among the locals, and usually there is a queue especially during the peak hours. Anyway, there's no need to worry because their service is swift and efficient, you will get a table faster than you expect. If you love that kind of authentic dining experience surrounded by the locals, that's the one!
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| Pancake Pork Roll |
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| Steamed Dumplings |
<< Zi Lin Steamed Dumpling Restaurant . 頂好紫琳蒸餃館 >>
Address: 106, Taiwan, Taipei City, Da’an District, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, 97號
Location: Click Here for Map
Year Visited: 2016 July
4. Yong He Soy Milk King . 永和豆浆大王 (Da’an District)
Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day, and it is something that makes me feel like waking up early for. When I was in Taipei, I enjoyed wandering around the neighbourhood early in the morning to get a glimpse into the local life and of course to discover good places for breakfast. So far, my best breakfast place is Yong He Soy Milk King, a traditional eatery located in the Da'an district. Yong He Soy Milk King serves up a wide range of classic Taiwanese breakfast items such as fresh soy milk, salty soy milk, fried dough fritter, crispy flatbread, sticky rice rolls, Xiao Long Bao, pancake egg roll and many more. Here, the number one must try dish is the Shao Bing You Tiao, which is flatbread (Shao Bing) stuffed with scrambled eggs and wrapped around the crispy fried dough fritter (You Tiao). If you don't like the idea of eating Shao Bing and You Tiao together, you can go for the more traditional and local way of eating by dipping the You Tiao into the fresh soy milk (Dou Jiang). Another must try dish is the salty soy milk (Xian Dou Jiang), which is a kind of savoury soup made of silky soft bean curd topped with sliced You Tiao, dried shrimp and chopped pickled vegetables; it is an acquired taste but definitely worth trying since it is one of the specialty foods in Taiwan. Overall, I feel that this is an ideal place for a good start to a perfect day, especially for those who love traditional breakfast.
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| Shao Bing You Tiao - 烧饼油条 |
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| Pancake Egg Roll |
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| Xiao Long Bao |
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| Hand making the You Tiao |
<< Yong He Soy Milk King . 永和豆浆大王 (Da’an District) >>
Address: No. 102, Section 2, Fuxing South Road, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106
Location: Click Here for Map
Year Visited: 2016 July
5. Da Ding Meat Soup . 大鼎肉羹
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| Lu Rou Fan . Braised Pork Rice |
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| Rou Geng . 肉羹 |
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| Rou Geng . 肉羹 |
<< Da Ding Meat Soup . 大鼎肉羹 >>
No. 63號, Huaxi Street, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108
Location: Click Here for Map
Year Visited: 2016 July
6. Fu Zhou Ancestral Pepper Bun . 福州世祖胡椒餅 (Zhongzheng District)
The charcoal fire is set at the bottom of the cylindrical clay oven, creating a high heat within the oven, and the buns sticking to the side of the wall is baked to a crispy golden brown color before it is removed from the oven; this is the pepper bun (Hu Jiao Bing . 胡椒餅), which is one of the most popular street snack in Taiwan. My very first pepper bun was from Fu Zhou Ancestral Pepper Bun at Raohe Night Market. Love at first bite; the crust of the bun was super crispy with a chewy texture, and the peppery pork fillings were so juicy that it oozed out from the meat in every bite. I also tired the other branch in Zhongzheng District before, it tasted exactly the same, but I like it more because it is less crowded as compared to the one in Raohe Night Market. So, if you want to skip the line, you should go to the branch in Zhongzheng District. Just a word of warning, you have to eat with care when served piping hot from the oven.
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| Pepper Bun . Hu Jiao Bing . 胡椒饼 |
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| Pepper Bun . Hu Jiao Bing . 胡椒饼 |
<< Fu Zhou Ancestor Pepper Cakes . 福州世祖胡椒餅 >>
No. 13號, Section 1, Chongqing South Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100
Location: Click Here for Map
Year Visited: 2016 July
7. 東港旗魚黑輪 @ Bangka Night Market
The night market is one of the most popular attractions in Taipei, it is a perfect destination for the foodies and a great sightseeing spot for those who want a close up on an authentic Taiwanese lifestyle and culture. Our Taiwanese friends brought us to Bangka Night Market to try out this very popular local street snack, the Taiwanese Tempura (Tian Bu La . 甜不辣), a kind of deep fried fishcake made from fish paste, salt and flour. The fish cake costs less than a dollar and tasted really delicious, the fish paste was fresh, crispy on the outside and very chewy inside; the special thing about this Tian Bu La is it is stuffed with boiled eggs. There are 2 types of dipping sauces to go along, Japanese Wasabi and sweet & spicy, both are thick and flavourful. I must say, follow what the local eats, hardly go wrong.
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| Taiwanese Tempura . 甜不辣 |
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| Taiwanese Tempura . 甜不辣 |
<< 東港旗魚黑輪 @ Bangka Night Market >>
Address: Guangzhou Street, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108
Location: Click Here for Map
Year Visited: 2016 July
8. Eat 2 Mouths . 呷二嘴
Completing the list is the Taiwanese style shaved ice (Bao Bing . 刨冰) from "Eat 2 Mouths". This local snack shop has been operating for more than 50 years and they serve one of the most traditional ice desserts that I have come across in Taiwan. There wasn't much option, only 1 item on the ice dessert menu, but there are 4 kinds of ingredients to choose from. As a first timer, of course I chose all in, rice noodles (Mi Tai Mu . 米苔目), Aiyu Jelly, Grass Jelly and Pinto Beans. The bowl of shaved ice from "Eat 2 Mouths" is very authentic without any colorful toppings and it tastes really delicious, not too sweet and perfect for fighting the heat in the summer days. If you want to try the ice dessert, then you have to go between April and November, because normally they will start to sell savoury hot dishes like tube rice pudding, meatball soup, rice noodles, and more from 2nd weeks of November to 3rd week of April.
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| Aiyu Jelly . 爱玉 |
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| Grass Jelly . 仙草 and Pinto Bean . 花豆 |
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| Rice Noodles . Mi Tai Mu . 米苔目 |
<< Eat 2 Mouths . 呷二嘴 >>
Address: No. 34號, Ganzhou Street, Datong District, Taipei City, Taiwan 103
Location: Click Here for Map
Year Visite: 2016 July
There are so many more places to be discovered. If you have any recommendation for the soul-satisfying local foods in Taipei, please leave us a comment. We want to go back to Taipei again!
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Written By: Q.J.
Photography By: Q.J.
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