Taipei Night Market Guide 2024 (Part 1)! Ximending, Raohe Street, Shulin Xincheng Garden, Nan Ya, Linjiang Street, Gongguan Night Market

Taipei has so many night markets, but you only know about Shilin Night Market and Ningxia Night Market? Or do you only go to a few fixed ones? Then you've missed out on so much food! This article will help everyone organize 6 popular night markets in Taipei, telling you the characteristics of each market, as well as 4 must-eat foods. See it quickly and collect it!

First, let's introduce the most famous Ningxia Night Market. Both locals and tourists love it. Besides having many popular snacks, it's located near Zhongshan Station on the MRT, so people can easily visit Zhongshan District as well. This makes the night market part of an evening itinerary; now online tickets are sold at a discounted price to purchase 4-6 food stalls.

An unassuming stall sells food with a prestigious background, having once been recommended by Michelin. It offers very affordable dishes, from chicken rice and braised tofu to soups, which are common in Taipei. However, the exquisite taste is unique to this place. The editor was impressed after one meal. The chicken rice seasoning is perfect, the chicken is tender, and paired with seaweed egg flower soup, it's incredibly satisfying. The best part is the high cost-performance ratio. You can enjoy a blissful meal for a mere few coins.

This place is also a Michelin-recommended queuing food, mainly selling "crispy taro balls" and "salted egg yolk taro cakes". The crispy taro balls are made by deep-frying scoops of ice cream-like taro paste. When you bite into it, you'll get a crispy outer shell and very soft taro paste; while the salted egg yolk taro cake is filled with salty egg yolk and pork floss, salty but not greasy. Both items are freshly made and fried daily, hoping to provide customers with the best quality.

Speaking of signature snacks, you must visit this place, as they put the iron plate bread into scallion pancakes. The portions are generous and very innovative. The flavors are also diverse, such as beef noodle soup rolls, uni-flavor meat sauce ramen rolls, and Thai basil pork fried rice rolls. Of course, if you want to simply eat an iron plate noodle or a rice bowl, that's no problem either. I recommend ordering different flavors with friends and sharing them to try this unique combination.

Also recommended by Bibendum, this oyster omelet has slightly thicker batter than average but comes with plenty of oysters. The surface is pan-fried to a slight crisp and drizzled with sweet chili sauce for the familiar look. It's moist in texture with a balanced sweetness and saltiness. You usually have to queue for a while before you can taste it, and I also recommend trying their rice cake, clam soup, and sweetened sour plum juice!

Located at the Exit 1 of Songshan Station, Taipei's second established night market, it gathers many famous snacks, including several Michelin Bib Gourmand recommendations. Visitors are sure to have a feast! It is bustling with people every weekend.

Do you eat stinky tofu fried or boiled? The answer is both! This shop sells both, guaranteeing that you and your companions won't fight. With different preferences, one person can have each. This shop's flavor is slightly lighter, allowing you to taste the tofu more. Of course, it also includes garlic paste, sauce, kimchi, and cilantro - a classic stinky tofu combination.

I've already recommended this to everyone before, this is a super popular snack that always has a long line. The freshly baked pepper buns are fragrant and you can taste the sweetness of the crust, as well as the filling that's full of ingredients like scallions and pork. Most importantly, their perfect pepper seasoning! Plus, it's recommended by Michelin Bib Gourmand, definitely not to be missed when visiting Raohe Street Night Market! The shop makes things very quickly, it's really worth checking out the line.

The cute, round-shaped "round round grilled" (圆圆烧) is actually authentic Okonomiyaki from Osaka. The owner simply gave it a new look. Inside the soft batter are ingredients like cabbage, eggs, and bacon. Just the cooking process will make your mouth water. The stall also has a Japanese style, giving everyone a unique Japanese experience.

This place is also a restaurant recommended by Michelin, the soup is made with Chinese medicine and pork bones, every mouthful can taste the boss's effort, very rich, the pork ribs in the soup are also stewed very tender, recommend to dip their bean paste!

This is the largest night market in northern Taiwan, with a total of 700 stalls, divided into Food Heaven and Fun Kingdom. It also has awnings to allow everyone to continue having fun at the night market even on rainy days! It's a delicious and entertaining place, open Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Take the metro to Huilong Station, then transfer to bus Orange 26 to Wulin Elementary School Station to arrive.

This is not burnt chicken cutlets, but crispy skin filled with the aroma of squid ink, paired with tender and juicy chicken meat. The unique appearance has made this shop incredibly popular. Although they also sell regular chicken cutlets, since you're already here, you definitely have to try their signature dish!

This place is recommended for seafood lovers, especially their signature fresh-caught clams cooked in broth. With the addition of vermicelli noodles that have absorbed all the delicious flavors, it's a whole new level of enjoyment. Besides clam soup, they also sell salt-baked oysters, grilled salmon heads, and seafood chawanmushi.

Using cute packaging bags to hold specialty cranberry beverages, this is a cranberry beverage specialty store. They use fresh fruit jam cooked daily and continuously research different combinations of drinks. Turning the sour cranberries into healthy and delicious juice. Walking around the night market with this bag is also eye-catching!

Roasted quail eggs are a common delicacy in Taiwanese night markets. They are strung on skewers and coated with soy sauce, chili sauce, etc. The half-fried, crispy texture is irresistible. What makes this stall special is that they offer various sauces for customers to choose from, including unique flavors like cheese quail eggs. Currently, they have opened branches in many night markets.

Located next to Fu Zhong Station, Nan Ya Night Market has revitalized the surrounding commercial area. It becomes very lively every night. Besides browsing the night market, enjoying delicious food, and playing games, you can also take a stroll nearby. This area is also home to many popular eateries with queues, some of which are so hot that you might want to consider taking them out!

Originating from the NTU Night Market, Malili Charcoal Grilled Chicken Cutlets are known for their "deep-fry, coat with sauce, then grill" method. This process ensures a crispy exterior coated in savory sauce, locking in the flavors and paired with juicy, tender chicken. The shop offers a variety of flavors such as salt & pepper, sweet & sour, honey, and garlic. Beyond the chicken cutlets, other fried snacks are also eye-catching, like fried green beans, french fries, and sweet potato balls. If you're already in line, why not try some?

Have you ever seen soup dumplings that look like steamed buns? This seemingly ordinary but actually very popular soup dumpling shop once sold 4,000 per day, so you know it's not to be underestimated. The biggest feature is their thick-skinned soup dumplings, which are more chewy and substantial in texture, but they really do contain soup. Be careful when biting into them, as they might burst with juice! They also sell fried soup dumplings, which is quite unique. If you want some nostalgic flavor, you can also order fried glutinous rice balls! Sharing these together makes for a very happy experience~

If you're looking for delicious Taiwanese ginger chicken, this is the place to go! Even though they have plenty of seats, there are always long queues. If you want to save time, just take it to go! Just seeing the large pot of cooking chicken makes your mouth water. You can order chicken thighs, chicken pieces, or ginger scallion noodles. The chicken is cooked very tender and can be dipped in their chili oil. The soup is also very rich and the best part is that you can refill it for free! Drink until you're satisfied.

This stall is a budget-friendly eatery recommended by many food shows. The "Cheese Sticks" are already very tempting, and they use cheese that pulls! After the cheese sticks are fried, the boss will cut them into small pieces for everyone. The savory flavor includes bonito flakes, lettuce, mayonnaise, seaweed, etc., so it won't feel greasy and has a layered texture! If you want something sweet, there's no problem either. They also have original flavor, buttered corn, and other flavors. There are about 10 flavors in total, sweet and savory combined, and the most important thing is that they are really cheap!

Located near the Taipei Metro's Xinyi Anhe Station, Linjiang Street Night Market is a bustling market area formed by Tonghua Street, Linjiang Street, and Keelung Road. It primarily focuses on food, featuring many Michelin-recommended delicacies and traditional Taiwanese snacks. It is a place where people in the bustling city can return to simplicity and happiness.

Seeing freshly cooked pan-fried buns at a night market always makes me want to buy some. This incredibly popular stall sells very affordable pan-fried buns and potstickers. The owner puts each freshly made bun into the pan, sprinkles it with sesame seeds, and then bakes them in order. The meat inside isn't too fatty, has a good texture and is moist. The dough has a strong aroma and is seasoned well on its own, but you can also add their spicy sauce for a different flavor experience.

The Italian boss is tending to boxes of desserts. This stall doesn't have a strong fragrance or fancy packaging, but it still has a place in the night market and sells out super fast! It must be delicious! They mainly sell tiramisu and cheesecake, with five flavors of tiramisu: original, wine, coffee liqueur, lime, and orange sweet wine. The ladyfingers are just the right amount of moist, the cheese flavor is rich, and it's super cheap! If you pass by, you should definitely try some.

Consistently recommended by Bibendum, Lau Kee Stir-fry has captivated hearts with its simple dishes. Besides popular options like stir-fried beef, mutton, and bean sprouts, their stir-fried snail meat is a standout. Highly rated online, it pairs well with their rice and soup, ensuring you won't feel too full after just one plate. With portions perfectly sized for a light appetite, you'll definitely be able to head to another stall afterwards! Photo Source: Google Business

Currently, taro balls on the market are divided into hollow and solid types. The editor loves both! Seeing them makes me want to buy them! This one is more towards a solid texture, using traditional methods repeatedly pressing and raising the taro balls, making the texture more chewy. They also sell sweet potato balls and sesame balls. Especially the taro balls are very substantial, filled with plenty of filling, not losing out to the sweet potato balls at all! When purchasing, tell the boss how many you want, and remember which pot number. Most people wait for 15~30 minutes, can buy first and come back later~

Gongguan can be considered my territory, the night market area isn't huge, but there's also the entire Gongguan shopping district and Shuiyuan Market next to it. There are quite a few food stalls if you really want to eat, and it's also a top-tier battleground for bubble tea shops with tons of options to choose from. It's located right next to Gongguan MRT Station, across from National Taiwan University. After enjoying your meal, you can take a stroll there, the Coconut Grove at night is also quite charming.

This is the place where I've been getting scallion egg pancakes for years. Although there's always a long line every time I go, the moment I eat it, I understand that the wait is worth it! They sell very thick scallion egg pancakes. Every bite is full of the aroma of batter and scallions. It's cheap and big portions. You can add your own sauce from what the boss provides, especially their homemade chili sauce, which is really spicy! Be careful not to add too much~

This dessert shop truly wins by specializing in a single item: peanut bean curd. Although the store's decor is average, it still attracts many people because their focus is on "roasted aroma" bean curd, a flavor rarely found on the market. The slightly charred taste paired with the sugar water is just right, and the bean curd has a very smooth texture. The peanuts are also cooked soft but not too sweet.

Recommended by Biteden, Lan Family's Gua Bao has been a long-standing favorite in Gongguan for many years. Their gua bao doesn't use a whole piece of braised pork belly, but finely chopped meat instead. You can tell the boss if you prefer more fat or less. The taste is flavorful, moist, and not too greasy. It's a must-try to order their corn pork rib soup. The sweetness of the corn combined with the savory broth is incredibly delicious, and the pork ribs are tender after being simmered for a long time.

Now it's rare to see stores selling purple rice milk, but this one is also the editor's favorite. The boss will add freshly cooked purple rice to fresh milk on site and blend it into what we remember, the amount of purple rice is just right, it won't leave you with a bunch of rice after finishing, the sweetness level the boss himself has recommended, but the editor still orders the sugar-free version. Both iced and hot are available here, it tastes very rich, nourishing and delicious, so I recommend it to everyone!