After going to Taiwan in February 2017 and July 2017, I never would have imagined it would be so many more years before I returned again. After all, I lived in Hong Kong, only a 1.5 hour flight away. But then the pandemic came, and before you know it, it was 2023 before Hong Kong fully opened up again.
So . . . . I made up for lost time. Since Hong Kong opened up fully in March 2023, I have visited Taiwan a total of four times. That’s more times than the whole decade prior to this year (!).
Below is a summary of the top, notable places I visited during more recently while “eating in Taiwan”. I’ll follow up by writing some detailed posts about several of these, but I wanted to at least gather them all up into a single post (so I can share with others if they ask me “where do you recommend eating in Taiwan?”).
Yongkang Street
I still love just walking down Yongkang Street. Foodies go there to get Tianjin Scallion Pancakes, delicious mango mochi shaved ice, or the famous Yongkang Beef Noodle Soup (Taiwan’s “national dish”). Of course the food is a huge draw, but even if you don’t plan on eating, it’s still a fun, lively street to explore. There are other small boutiques, and the whole street just has a really nice vibe. I even randomly ran into a friend from the US while walking down that street.
This street is only about a 10 minute walk from our old family home in Taiwan, so one evening my sister and I were tasked with walking here and picking up dinner for the extended family. We had so much fun walking into various shops to try different things. One of my favorites was the scallion pancake from Tianjin Scallion Pancake 天津蔥油餅 with just egg and basil. It was so good!
Fuhang Soybean Milk
This is probably THE most famous traditional Taiwanese “soymilk” restaurant in Taipei. The place is a sight to see, with workers making all sorts of scrumptious Taiwanese pastries from scratch right before your eyes. The lines are looooong, and start early. Basically, if you don’t want to wait in line, you should show up before 7AM. Otherwise, the line could be anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours (!).
Get the savory soy milk (which is kind of like a tofu pudding), fried crueller + sweet soy milk, the rice ball (fantuan) 飯糰, and sesame flatbread. The food is delicious, fresh, and cheap.
Ahong Popiah 阿宏潤餅
I am a huge lumpiah/popiah fan. This is a soft spring roll filled with vegetables that possibly gets it roots from Hokkien (you see it in Malaysia, Singapore, Xiamen, Taiwan . . .). My mom makes an awesome one (recipe here!), and I’m always trying to seek it out wherever I go. I tried one in Xiamen that I thought was phenomenal.
I looked up popiahs online and Ahong was highly recommended. We made the trip out (and even filmed a small video there!). It was my first time having freshly made wrappers! I was mesmerized watching the person hand make each one (watch the video to really appreciate his skills!). The texture of the skin was amazing, and the inside ingredients were fresh. Overall, it was tasty, though the version I ordered wasn’t as flavorful as I had hoped. I actually liked the one I had in Xiamen (as well as my mom’s version) a lot better.
Taiwanese Fruits & Vegetables
Taiwan is an agricultural haven and I LOVE eating fruits whenever I am there. It’s so inexpensive, fresh, and delicious. Depending on the season, some of my favorite fruits to eat in Taiwan include guavas, fresh jujubes, and rose apples. Haha, can you tell I especially like crispy, crunchy fruits?
Taiwan also has a bounty of vegetables, many that you won’t see anywhere else. I love just going to the morning market (the one in Dongmen or on Wuxing Street where Ahong Runbing is located are fantastic) to explore, photograph, and shop!
Raohe Night Market
I’ve been the Shilin Night Market 士林夜市 (the most famous one) and Ningxia Night Market (寧夏夜市) the more “foodie” one. Another famous one is Raohe 饒河夜市. I heard they had the really famous black pepper buns, so I dragged Bryan out there one night to experience this new might market.
I’ll dedicate a separate post about the whole experience, but it’s HUGE! And there are lots of black pepper buns (along with many other choices). Definitely get the quintessential lumpia filled with ice cream, peanuts, and cilantro. It’s surprisingly good! There are many other classic Taiwanese foods you must try. I think this is a pretty good night market. It’s bigger than Ningxia, probably not has huge and crazy as Shilin, but is still reasonable large and has lots of food options, many which seem quite good!
Fujin Tree Taiwanese Cuisine & Champagne
During our trip we visited one Michelin starred restaurant. Fujin Tree offers high quality Taiwanese dishes with a modern twist, optionally paired with champagne. We went to the original Songshan location. Apparently a month after our visit, they opened a new location inside Taipei 101!
Our meal here with food writer Nina Simonds (plus our photo above) was even featured in a Boston Globe article titled 50 Years Later I’m Still Falling for Taipei!
Din Tai Fung
Yes, even though I can now get Din Tai Fung delivered straight to my home in Hong Kong (and I can walk there in 20 minutes), I still love going to the Din Tai Fung in Taipei. There are a few additional items available in Taiwan. Plus there’s just something about this restaurant that makes me happy every time I come. The service was mad efficient yet super kind and friendly at the same time. The food is great, and the dining environment is comfortable. The cute smiling dumpling figures add to the happy vibe of the whole place.
These days, the original location at Xinyi is only a takeout counter. You cannot eat-in there. If you want to eat-in, you can go to the Xinsheng branch which is not too far away. This newer branch is also 3 stories (similar to the original one), but is newer, has an elevator, and a bigger area for those waiting in line to hang out.
There’s a large chance you’ll have to wait in line. One strategy is to show up early, grab a paper ticket, and then show up later. You can also monitor the wait times by downloading the Din Tai Fung app. It shows you the waiting times at each of the branches, which is pretty handy. I think you may even be able to monitor the progress of the line.
Tasting a Streetside Sesame Pastry
And Let’s Not Forget Taichung
My mom’s from Taichung and many of my relatives still live there. Now that it’s only a 45 minute high speed train ride from Taipei, it’s pretty easy to take a day trip there, or to go back and forth. During my summer trip to Taiwan with my sister’s family and my mom, we decided to take the high speed train straight to Taichung after landing at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport.
Train bentos
There’s a nostalgia for the boxed bentos that you can get at a train station in Taiwan. They always come in a paper box that’s held together by rubber bands. Inside, there’s rice, some picked veggies, maybe some meat sauce 滷肉, a soy braised egg 滷蛋, and usually a pork chop, chicken chop, or a vegetarian option. It’s delicious, reasonably priced, and super convenient.
Our family made sure to pick up some bentos at the train station in Taipei before getting on the high speed rail to Taichung.
Qin Yuan Chun 沁園春
My uncle in Taichung knew I was a foodie so he wanted to pick a special place to treat the whole family. He chose Qin Yuan Chun, also recommended by the Michelin Guide, which specialized in Shanghainese food.
The food was indeed excellent. The kids especially loved the deep fried steamed buns with condensed milk (yum!). All of the food was excellent, and I’d highly recommend it if you’re looking for a place to eat in Taichung.
The Most Amazing Danbing (Egg roll)
Taiwan shines in this casual street food, and the made freshly on-the-stop egg rolls 蛋餅 are no exception. Even though this egg roll comes from a chain store and only costs like $2 USD, it is simple, freshly made-to-order, and sooooo satisfying. Better than most Western fast food chains.
Stinky Tofu at Tofu Daddy in Taichung
I’ve learned to like stinky tofu, even though I acknowledge it’s an acquired taste. Stinky tofu connoisseurs will judge the level and type of “stink” that each stinky tofu has. Trust me, they are not all the same, and some have better “stinks” than others.
We tried a few, and all agreed that Tofu Daddy was top notch. Their stinky tofu is light, crispy, and has just the right amount of stink. They punch a hole in each tofu block, fill it with copious amounts of freshly grated garlic, and fill it with their delicious brown secret sauce. It was fantastic.
Bawan from Taichung
My uncle took a special extra trip on his motorcycle to stop by the most famous “Bawan” 肉丸 place in Taichung, called 台中肉員(yes, their version is better than the version I make at home). These chewy, sticky dumplings filled with pork, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and some special brown sauce and sweet chili sauce (it’s all in the sauce!), is sooo satisfying. Perhaps in some ways it’s comfort food for me, but I love it. Open since 1933, this place is also recommended by the Michelin Guide.
And that’s a wrap . . . . for now
I still plan on visiting Taiwan at least a couple times a year, so hopefully I can continue building on this list of places to visit. Please feel free to recommend to me your favorite places in Taiwan!
