Taipei Night Market Guide 2024 (Part Two)! Shihlin, Shida, Wuchang Street, Lehua, Mengjia, and Nanjizao Night Markets

Taipei's night markets each have their own unique characteristics. How many night markets have you been to? Last time, I introduced 6 popular night markets. This time, let's talk about another 6! I've carefully selected 4 must-eat dishes for each night market, as well as transportation and play information, allowing you to easily explore Taipei's night markets! Previous article: https://www.kinnso.ai/post/nightmarket-taipei-1

The most famous Shilin Night Market is actually located next to the Jian Tan Station of the MRT. As the largest night market in Taipei, it has been loved by tourists for many years. People mainly come here to taste delicious food and shop. Besides the huge fried chicken and Shilin big sausage, there are also many popular foods that can't be recommended enough!

Despite receiving consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmand recommendations, this noodle shop only sells cold noodles and miso soup. The highlight of their cold noodles is the addition of lemon and pickled mustard greens, which not only offer a unique taste but also help to cut through the richness. Paired with their signature chili sauce, it's incredibly refreshing. Their miso soup with egg is also smooth and delicious! Photo source: Michelin Bib Gourmand website

Coming out of the Exit 1 of Jian Tan Station, look across the street, and the first queued-up food you'll see is this place. As long as it's open for business, there are always over 10 people in line. The editor has also eaten here a few times and really likes it. The shop will first deep fry the chicken steak, then after draining the oil, coat it with sauce, and finally grill both sides to make the sauce more flavorful. It can only be said that the essence is really the sauce. The crispy outer skin adds a bit of moisture, the salty-sweet taste is just right, plus the thick and large chicken steak, eating alone is really satisfying! Photo source: Google Business

Established for over 40 years, this traditional shop sells "big pancake wraps small pancake," which is made by wrapping a crispy fried pastry with softened flour dough and then sprinkling it with salty or sweet powder according to customer preference. Both types of pastries have a relatively mild flavor, relying mainly on the powder for seasoning. The outer layer is chewy, while the inner layer is crispy, creating a unique combination and texture!

Also recommended by Bibing, the most famous dish here is their "Three Treasures Noodle Soup." The noodle soup is topped with a generous amount of oysters, large intestine, and squid. The ingredients are very abundant, and the noodles themselves have a hint of sweetness and garlic, making them very satisfying to eat. Their braised pork rice dumplings and cylindrical glutinous rice cakes are also highly recommended!

The National Taiwan Normal University Night Market is located across from the National Taiwan Normal University, between MRT Gunting Station and Taipower Building Station. Since it mainly caters to students, there are many affordable snacks and restaurants, as well as quite a few clothing stores. Young people should find it pretty enjoyable to browse!

This is a shop that the editor really likes, don't look at its low Google rating, the store uses generous ingredients and the seasoning is really great. Although the price has risen some, it's still very affordable. The editor went there with family before, and they asked the boss to divide each dish in half for everyone to cook, so they could eat many more kinds of dishes~ If you dine-in, there's a minimum spending requirement, you need to order drinks from the neighboring store, but at least 20 New Taiwan dollars is fine!

Another highly recommended braised dish store is Denglong Braised Dishes. Every time I go, there's a long queue. The editor has also frequented this place before. The main reason is that the seasoning is just right, and there are many choices of ingredients. There's also a place to dine in next door, which is very comfortable for chatting with friends over a meal. You can even serve yourself drinks!

Want something more decadent? Just stop in front of Shiyuan! Although this is a chain store, every time I pass by, I can't help but want to buy it. The salty crispy chicken really tastes too good! Everyone also recommends their egg tofu, fried glutinous rice balls, sweet potato sticks, and string beans!

This crepe shop is very famous for wrapping a variety of flavors in its freshly baked crepes. They specialize in creative flavor combinations, offering both savory and sweet options like cheese-grilled chicken leg, teriyaki pork loin, chocolate banana, red bean mochi, and milk caramel. You can enjoy it as a main meal or a dessert snack, and there's sure to be a flavor you love!

Located near the Longshan Temple metro station, this area is known as "Snake Street" and offers many snake meat dishes for health benefits. If you want to try snake meat, come here! Besides snake soup, Huaxi Street has many popular food options. After eating, you can stroll around Longshan Temple to experience Taipei's religious atmosphere.

This dessert shop has a history of over 70 years, and their most popular items are rice pudding porridge and grilled mochi. The broth is infused with a touch of rice wine for fragrance, and you can choose your toppings: mung beans, red beans, taro, or a mix. A full bowl is incredibly high value for money. As for the grilled mochi with peanut sugar powder, it's a classic combination that bursts with nutty flavor when you bite into it, oozing with a sense of old-fashioned happiness.

Known as Taipei's best stir-fried beef, this 80-year-old shop is a must-try for those visiting Huaxi Street. Specializing in stir-fried beef and ox tripe soup, the stir-fried beef comes in small, medium, and large portions with plenty of meat and vegetables. The sauce is seasoned just right and goes perfectly with rice! The ox tripe soup, enhanced with ginger slices, is even more flavorful and refills are free!

Consistently recommended by Bib Gourmand, this restaurant has grown from a humble food stall to a sophisticated dining establishment. Specializing in "Black Gold Cuisine," their braised dishes are darker and more flavorful than those found elsewhere. A must-try is their signature braised pork rice, featuring tender meat rich with collagen and perfectly balanced saltiness. Also recommended is a bowl of clear soup with pickled radish and meatball, where the peppery aroma blends well with the meatball soup. Free refills on the soup are available!

Also recommended by Michelin Bib Gourmand is this restaurant, which is famous for its "Chrysanthemum Meat Noodles." Chrysanthemum meat refers to cheek meat, and they are very generous with the portions. The broth also includes scallions and ginger, enhancing the rich flavor even more. The noodles are smooth and delicious. Their signature soup noodles and golden egg are also highly recommended by many! Photo source: Michelin Bib Gourmand website

Le Hua Night Market is near Taipei Metro's Dingxi Station. It boasts popular stalls offering snacks, main courses, desserts, and ice cream. This bustling night market also has numerous shops selling household goods, bedding, and clothing. Nearby are KTV bars and billiard halls, making it a place with diverse functions and an abundance of delicious food!

Business is so good that they have to split into a takeout shop and a dine-in shop. This pork chop rice shop is truly famous! I have to say, the editor also really likes this place because the pork chop soup is simply too delicious! The meat is tender, the soft bones are chewy, and the spices in the soup with winter melon aroma perfectly combine to create a taste that's slightly sweet, mildly spicy, and just right. In the editor's opinion, it's the number one pork chop soup! Photo Source: Google Business

This shop is not recommended for dine-in because there are too many people! The queue is very long. The editor feels that if your place of residence isn't too far, takeout won't affect the taste. The three delicacies soup consists of grouper fish, shrimp and crab meat, which is a dream combination by itself. The shrimp powder is also not too thick just right, but the amount is a bit less. If you want it as a full meal, it is recommended to order other dishes as well! Photo Source: Google Business

In the night market, there was actually a large group of people queuing for papaya salad. The first time I passed by, I felt very puzzled at such a scene. This papaya salad shop, in every serving of shredded papaya, adds tomatoes, peanuts, chili peppers, and then drizzles it with fish sauce and lemon juice marinade, pounding it until flavorful. It's incredibly delicious to eat, and you don't have to worry about the taste not agreeing with you. The sourness and spiciness are both selectable!

As soon as you walk to one of the entrances of the night market, you'll see a long queue. Yes! It's for this mackerel skewer stall. They fry the mackerel and boiled egg together, resulting in an incredibly crispy exterior with a multi-layered texture. There are also various dipping sauces to choose from. At just NT$20 per skewer, it's definitely worth a try!

Wanhua Night Market, known for its traditional snacks, is located near Longshan Temple metro station and right next to Huaxi Street Night Market. People often visit both markets in one go, but their stomachs might not be able to handle that much food! There are also many miscellaneous goods stalls and game booths here, making it a great place for people of all ages to visit! If you didn't get to try the deep-sea mackerel skewers at Lehua Night Market, then "Donggang Mackerel Black Wheel" here is highly recommended!

Here is the translation: I'll introduce a sweet potato starch (tián bù là) shop that I, the editor, really love. Whether you dine in or take out, you have to queue up. I directly recommend you choose a large bowl, the small bowl is not enough! Their most impressive thing is the heirloom dipping sauce. Any ingredients dipped in the sauce are delicious, let alone the sweet potato starch, pig blood cake, and tofu which are all very particular about. After eating, you can add soup, definitely take the remaining sauce to pour into the soup! Photo Source: Google Business

Those who like oysters must come here, with fresh and plump oysters, coated in sweet potato starch after cooking, paired with noodles, rice or porridge are all great. Although the storefront is not very attractive and the staff and boss are super busy, the service may not be perfect, but customers are still willing to queue up and wait, it can only be said that this oyster shop is really a favorite of experts!

Hidden in the bustling night market is a century-old shop that sells both ice and hot desserts, attracting customers all year round. Stepping inside, you'll be amazed by the extensive menu with numerous options and toppings to choose from, including freshly made juices. If you're unsure what to order, the signature Eight Treasure Ice is highly recommended. For hot beverages, try the Fu Yuan Porridge or Peanut Soup!

Recommended by Bibigo, this century-old shop has stepped out with a innovative style. It not only combines tradition and emerging culture, making the storefront vibrant and approachable, but it has even been invited to set up shop in a five-star hotel. It can be said that it is very successful. As for the food, needless to say, the squid was given generously, crispy and chewy when bitten into. Other fish cakes, cuttlefish, and shrimp were also well done. I recommend their stir-fried rice noodles, both the amount of sauce and the salty and savory flavor are just right!

Previously, in the Taipei cycling tour article, I briefly mentioned Nanjiao Night Market. This market has a lower proportion of tourists and boasts numerous well-established food stalls that have consistently received Michelin recommendations and offer great value for money! It's definitely not inferior to other night markets, but it's not directly accessible by metro. I recommend taking the MRT to Ximen Station and transferring to buses 205, 223, or 604 to "Xiang'an Li" stop.

Highly recommended by Bibigo, this popular food stall mainly sells sesame oil soup base paired with your choice of main dishes such as sesame oil chicken leg soup or sesame oil pork belly soup. There are quite a few options to choose from. The soup is sweet and savory, with the aroma of sesame oil and alcohol being relatively mild. The most popular dish is the sesame oil chicken leg, which is tender and flavorful. It sometimes sells out within 2 hours, so be sure to queue up quickly if you want to try it! Photo source: Google Business Profile

This place is also Michelin Bib Gourmand recommended, using homemade thick and crispy crepe skin to wrap over 10 kinds of fillings, such as radish shreds, tofu puffs, vegetarian pork floss, and vegetarian pork ribs. Especially the vegetarian pork ribs are a unique filling, and eating the whole thing has a sense of fullness. If you don't like certain ingredients, you can tell the shop! Photo source: Michelin Bib Gourmand website

Another must-try delicacy recommended by Bibigo! This chicken rice is different from the usual chicken rice seen in Taipei. They use a whole piece of chicken instead of shredded chicken, giving you a bowl of chicken oil rice and a whole plate of poached chicken. The chicken meat is tender and chewy, and the skin is crispy with texture. It's recommended to dip it in their chili sauce, which makes it even more delicious!

The last one introduced is a very special fried food store that fries various vegetables and meats, such as scallion rolls, spinach rolls, squid rolls, and glutinous rice sausage. There are many items that are very uncommon on the market. Of course, their signature dish is their oyster omelet. Filled with oysters, garlic chives, chopped green onions, and Chinese cabbage, it's perfect with soy sauce or chili sauce!