I have to be honest. We didn’t plan on going to Taipei. We planned on skipping Taiwan and head straight to the warm weather in the Bali beaches after four very cold weeks in South Korea and Japan. I wanted to be on a warm beach. I didn’t want to be cramped around people any longer. The only thing I had written down on my bucket list for Taiwan was Keelung’s Miaokou night market. I couldn’t resist. After seeing the show host from one of those travel shows slurped down those delicious oyster omelets, I had to know how it tastes. Fortunately, the flight to Bali was much more expensive compared to Taipei. And let me tell you, I’m glad we didn’t skip Taiwan.
Taipei food culture has a large influence from Japan. We found many Japanese ramen shops, sushi, tempura, udon, and tonkatsu restaurants scattered all over the city. This was lovely for us. After three weeks of the Japanese food culture explosion, we had to slowly wean ourselves from Japanese food. Even with such influence, Taiwan cuisine still had its own magnetism. I can honestly say I had some of the best dumplings in my life in Taipei. And that oyster omelet was not a let down either.
While in Taipei, I found that the easiest way to experience Taiwanese cuisine is to visit the night markets. These night markets are filled with food stalls. Foods that are unique to Taiwan and popular among the locals. They are also very cheap so you can experience many dishes in one visit. There are many night markets in Taipei. We went to a new market every night for about a week in Taipei. The three markets I list down below are some of the biggest in Taipei, and some of my top favorites.
Keelong’s Miaokou night market
- This market has a large diversity of seafood-type dishes because of its location near the ocean.
- Most of the stalls open after 5pm and remain open until about 3am.
- Directions from Taipei here
Shilin night market
- This is the biggest one in Taipei.
- Besides food, there are also souvenirs and clothing stores.
- Open from 5pm to Midnight
- Directions: MRT Tamsui-Xinyi Line to MRT Jiantan Station. Exit 1.
Raohe Street night market
- I really enjoyed this market, many of the foods here are very unique to the market.
- Open from 5pm to 11pm.
- Directions: MRT Songshan-Xindian Line (Green line) to MRT Songshan station. Exit 5.
Happy Travels!
