Street Food from Taipei

Street food: we can’t get enough of it. Luckily, there’s still plenty of news to discover around the world. Every time, we travel to a new country. Today: Taipei. Heaven for foodies. The many night markets the city is home to exceed even your wildest dreams. 

Planning a visit to Taipei? Forget clubs, bars and luxury restaurants: these night markets are where you need to be. Most snacks and dishes can be found at every market, but each market still has its own characteristics and specialties.

Not going to Taiwan, but to Bangkok? Add papaya salad to your list now.

For the ultimate experience, we have a golden tip for you: don’t let yourself be tempted at the beginning, and walk all the way through the market before eating anything. This way, you’ll first see what’s on offer and avoid missing out on the tastiest things (often found in the middle of the market) because you’re already full.

Shilin Night Market

This is the city’s largest and best-known market. The amount of street food you’ll find here is insane. There are more than 500 food stalls in the enormous food hall alone, but the surrounding streets are also packed with vendors.

Stinky tofu

Hundreds of meters away from the night market, you’ll already be warmly greeted by the penetrating smell of fermented tofu. You really shouldn’t leave Taipei before trying this specialty. We do want to warn you in advance: it really stinks. The most approachable way to order it is deep-fried with a spicy sauce.

Hu jiao bing – pepper buns

As you walk through the market, you’ll probably soon come across a huge queue. There’s a good chance it’s for hu jiao bing – spicy buns. Of course, you understand that people don’t queue up for no reason. It’s already fun to watch the buns being made. They’re roasted in a vertical oven for a crispy bottom. They’re then filled with spicy char siu: roasted pork belly.

Peanut snow ice from Xin Fa Ting

You’ve probably heard of it: Xin Fa Ting’s world-famous shaved ice. When you’re there, we especially recommend going for the peanut flavor. This ice is so light and fluffy that you’ll never want anything else again.

Huaxi Night Market

Not afraid to try exotic things? Then Huaxi Night Market is the place to be. Another nickname for the market is Snake Alley and in this case, that’s an accurate representation of everything you’ll find there. Namely, lots of dishes containing reptiles, such as fried snake and snake wine. A market for the daredevils among us, then. Whether it’s ethically responsible is another question.

Snake soup

Would you dare? Snake soup? It’s a typical Taiwanese delicacy. At some vendors in the alley, you’ll even find a glass display case filled with live snakes. You can then choose which one you want in your soup, and it will be freshly prepared for you.

Thick squid soup

A unique dish because of its combination of ingredients: fresh squid, bamboo shoots, carrots, mushrooms and basil. The soup is aromatic thanks to the strong flavor of basil, while the firm (and crispy fried) squid gives the dish a unique touch. 

Eel noodle soup

Mountains of noodles. Mountains of eel. Buckets of soy sauce, oil, cornstarch, vinegar and red peppers. The mise en place for this dish alone is an attraction in its own right. Don’t be put off by the slippery eels: once they’ve been fried, they taste fantastic combined with the fresh noodles.

Ningxia Night Market

This is one of the smaller markets in Taipei. It consists of one long, narrow street, is less touristy and mainly popular with locals. If you’re a seafood lover, you’re in the right place here.

Mentaiko grilled shellfish

The meat from various types of shellfish is mixed with a creamy mentaiko sauce and then put back into the shell. The shells are topped with cheese and gratinated until crispy.

Giant seafood wantan

One of the most unique types of street food you’ll find in Taipei. This enormous deep-fried wantan is larger than a tennis ball. What’s inside? Chopped vegetables, a whole egg and your choice of shrimp or oyster.

Li Yu Zi – Deep-fried taro balls

Do you come across the small stall with a long queue at the market? That’s probably Liu Yu Zi. They sell taro fritters filled with salted egg yolk and pork floss. They’re crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. The addition of pork floss creates the ultimate combination of sweet and savory.

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Tonghua Night Market

Also known as Linjiang Street. If you’re visiting Taipei for the first time, we recommend visiting this market. It’s not as extreme and large as Shilin, and not as strange and peculiar as Ningxia.

Steamed buns & dumplings

Of course, these two favorites shouldn’t be missing from your food list. At the beginning (Keelung Road entrance) of Tanghua Night Market, you’ll find a stall that always has a long queue and sells pan-fried steamed buns for the equivalent of around €1.40. A Taipei institution for 20 years, so highly recommended!

Liu sha fritter

When you smell this crispy, golden-filled doughnut, it’s already irresistible. Just wait until you take the first bite: bizarre. It’s freshly fried when you order it. The filling (custard) is hot, silky smooth, creamy and sweet. Be sure to try a liu sha bao as well. You guessed it: a bun, filled with steaming-hot custard.

Peanut brittle ice cream spring roll

You absolutely shouldn’t skip this typical Taiwanese dessert. You won’t soon forget such a bizarre combination. Imagine this: a thin layer of dough topped with shaved peanuts, cilantro and three scoops of ice cream in the flavors yam, pineapple and red bean. Not a fan of cilantro? Don’t order this dessert without the herb anyway. The flavor will never be the same.

Raohe Street Night Market

This is one of the oldest markets in the city center and so unique because it’s the most traditional. This market is ideal for souvenirs and clothing, but of course we come for the food.

Aiyu Jelly Drink

This is a drink made with jelly. It’s made from fig seeds and served in sugar water with lemon. As refreshing as it sounds? Absolutely.

Mochi

Japanese rice cakes made from glutinous rice. A large mortar is used to turn sticky rice into a sticky, smooth dough. In Taipei, you pay the equivalent of around €0.60 for a mochi, and they come in all flavors. For example, try the purple Taiwanese classic with peanut flavor, or go for the Japanese classic: red bean with matcha.

Pig’s blood cake

What is pig’s blood cake? It’s what you get when you soak sticky rice in pig’s blood, then steam it and dip it in a pork broth with soy sauce, and finally roll it in crushed peanuts and top it with cilantro. Exciting? It certainly is. But it’s also worth trying.

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