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14 must-try street food for your Taipei trip

Article (news)

Joko Magalong-De Veyra

<p>One of the reasons people go to Taiwan is the food. And why not? In 2016, CNN declared the country as the top food spot in Asia, citing Taipei’s bustling night markets filled with relatively cheap and varied street food.</p><p>There’s something for everyone at these night markets, and it doesn’t hurt that most of them are near a train station for easy access too.</p><p>Salt, sweet, and spicy are the major flavors of Taiwanese night market fare. If you must choose which markets to prioritize, we recommend Ningxia, Shi-lin (the most touristy of all), Ximending, and Raohe, which all have their own specialties.</p><p>Just remember the general rule in Taiwan (and in most places): The longer the line, (most likely) the better the food.</p><p>It does get confusing at times, so here’s a quick list of some of the scrumptious eats in the night markets of Taipei.</p><div class="media-content"><div class="slider-for"><div><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:658px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:8px"><div style="background:#F8F8F8;line-height:0;margin-top:40px;padding:62.5% 0;text-align:center;width:100%"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC);display:block;height:44px;margin:0 auto -44px;position:relative;top:-22px;width:44px"> </div></div><p style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BNMcGL-A4No/" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by Jeeves De Veyra (@venividiburp)</a> on <time dateTime="2016-11-24T13:20:46+00:00" style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px">Nov 24, 2016 at 5:20am PST</time></p></div></blockquote><script async="" defer="" src="http://platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:658px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:8px"><div style="background:#F8F8F8;line-height:0;margin-top:40px;padding:62.5% 0;text-align:center;width:100%"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC);display:block;height:44px;margin:0 auto -44px;position:relative;top:-22px;width:44px"> </div></div><p style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BNKA08kg8Yr/" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by Jeeves De Veyra (@venividiburp)</a> on <time dateTime="2016-11-23T14:44:00+00:00" style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px">Nov 23, 2016 at 6:44am PST</time></p></div></blockquote><script async="" defer="" src="http://platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:658px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:8px"><div style="background:#F8F8F8;line-height:0;margin-top:40px;padding:50.0% 0;text-align:center;width:100%"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC);display:block;height:44px;margin:0 auto -44px;position:relative;top:-22px;width:44px"> </div></div><p style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BSBploMA2BH/" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by Jeeves De Veyra (@venividiburp)</a> on <time dateTime="2017-03-24T15:23:59+00:00" style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px">Mar 24, 2017 at 8:23am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote><script async="" defer="" src="http://platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/life/12/03/120317_taipei4.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/life/12/03/120317_taipei5.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/life/12/03/120317_taipei6.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/life/12/03/120317_taipei7.jpg"/></div><div><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:658px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:8px"><div style="background:#F8F8F8;line-height:0;margin-top:40px;padding:37.4537037037037% 0;text-align:center;width:100%"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC);display:block;height:44px;margin:0 auto -44px;position:relative;top:-22px;width:44px"> </div></div><p style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BSFPwZFjs-k/" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by joko magalong-de veyra (@jokoness)</a> on <time dateTime="2017-03-26T00:55:13+00:00" style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px">Mar 25, 2017 at 5:55pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote><script async="" defer="" src="http://platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:658px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:8px"><div style="background:#F8F8F8;line-height:0;margin-top:40px;padding:37.4537037037037% 0;text-align:center;width:100%"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC);display:block;height:44px;margin:0 auto -44px;position:relative;top:-22px;width:44px"> </div></div><p style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BSIJVDRDTC9/" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by joko magalong-de veyra (@jokoness)</a> on <time dateTime="2017-03-27T03:56:47+00:00" style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px">Mar 26, 2017 at 8:56pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote><script async="" defer="" src="http://platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:658px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:8px"><div style="background:#F8F8F8;line-height:0;margin-top:40px;padding:62.5% 0;text-align:center;width:100%"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC);display:block;height:44px;margin:0 auto -44px;position:relative;top:-22px;width:44px"> </div></div><p style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BSAcFhjjvem/" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by joko magalong-de veyra (@jokoness)</a> on <time dateTime="2017-03-24T04:06:46+00:00" style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px">Mar 23, 2017 at 9:06pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote><script async="" defer="" src="http://platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/life/12/03/120317_taipei11.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/life/12/03/120317_taipei12.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/life/12/03/120317_taipei13.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/life/12/03/120317_taipei14.jpg"/></div></div><div class="media-content slider-desc"><div class="item-desc"><div> </div><h1>1. Pepper Buns</h1><p>With a filling of peppery ground beef and loads of scallions, this bun, first found at the Raohe Night Market, is baked in a vertical oven, which gives it that crusty bottom. It&#x27;s quite enjoyable to watch being made as they roll the dough and slap the buns. Be patient and let it cool a bit before taking a bite -- it’s hot!</p></div><div class="item-desc"><div> </div><h1>2. Bubble Tea</h1><p>Taipei is often credited with inventing bubble tea, so all sorts of milk tea are available here. While the big brands like Coco, Sharetea and Gongcha are on almost every street corner, the purest versions are in the night markets with old amahs just using black tea and milk.</p></div><div class="item-desc"><div> </div><h1>3. Torched Wagyu Cubes</h1><p>This is all about anticipation. Seeing flames come out of a blowtorch with that whooshing sound is enough to whet the appetite. Wagyu beef, tender and succulent, comes out of the fire to be doused with just some pink salt or copious amounts of pepper. Or get the version with cheese, which gives it a heavier bite.</p></div><div class="item-desc"><div><em>Photo by Jeeves de Veyra</em></div><div> </div><h1>4. Stinky Tofu</h1><p>Deep-fried fermented tofu that has its own distinct odor. It’s an acquired taste and takes some courage to try out. We had ours fried, which is a friendlier way of eating this delicacy. Beware of trying this out inside an enclosed room!</p></div><div class="item-desc"><div><em>Photo by Jeeves de Veyra</em></div><div> </div><h1>5. Lou Rou Fan</h1><p>Simple but oh-so-good! Minced meat with a sauce that’s slightly sweet with hints of star anise over a bowl of hot steaming rice (or noodles, or with a hard boiled egg). It’s cheap, filling and should be one of your Taiwanese must-eats. We found our favorite version at the Ximending night market.</p></div><div class="item-desc"><div><em>Photo by Jeeves de Veyra</em></div><div> </div><h1>6. Deep-Fried Taro Balls</h1><p>Say yes to a pile of puffed up balls of fried dough! Best eaten hot, this treat is fun to eat as it deflates as you chew. We like the plum flavored ones for a sweet-sour bite.</p></div><div class="item-desc"><div><em>Photo by Jeeves de Veyra</em></div><div> </div><h1>7. Grilled Wood Mushrooms</h1><p>Large pieces of wood mushrooms (usually oyster mushrooms) are grilled whole, then chopped and sprinkled with your choice of spice powders. Earthy and meaty.</p></div><div class="item-desc"><div> </div><h1>8. Taiwanese Sausage</h1><p>This pork sausage has beautiful pockets of fat interspersed between sweet meat that’s been flavored with wine and garlic. It makes for a filling snack grilled street side. Great as it is, but some stalls do offer sauces – the one in Shilin market had a sour and spicy one that perked us up during the cold night.</p></div><div class="item-desc"><div> </div><h1>9. Tamagoyaki Egg Roll</h1><p>This was a case of lining up where the lines were long in the Raohe Night Market. Soft and silky Japanese sweet-style tamago (egg) roll with melty cheese and corn inside is topped with generous portions of fish roe, nori seasoning, bonito flakes and a criss-cross dash of Japanese mayonnaise.</p></div><div class="item-desc"><div> </div><h1>10. Fan Tuan</h1><p>It was night, and this is a typical Taiwanese breakfast treat, but we saw a blockbuster line of people, so we knew we had to go. This is another of those best bang for your buck meals -- a large rice roll hides a lot of filling include pickled mustard greens, pork floss, and even a meat filling.</p></div><div class="item-desc"><div><em>Photo by Joko Magalong-De Veyra </em></div><div> </div><h1>11. Ice Cream Runbing</h1><p>We had this icy treat in the alleyways of Juifen, but it’s easily found in most night markets. Runbing can be savory or sweet, we couldn’t resist the sweet version – with shaved peanut brittle and ice cream wrapped in a wheat wrapper.</p></div><div class="item-desc"><div><em>Photo by Joko Magalong-De Veyra </em></div><div> </div><h1>12. Octopus Takoyaki</h1><p>Soft and chewy, a serving is generous and doesn’t scrimp on the cctopus, as the tentacles protruding out of the fried balls can attest.</p></div><div class="item-desc"><div><em>Jeng del Rosario, Food in the Bag </em></div><div> </div><h1>13. Flour Rice Noodle Soup</h1><p>Ay Chung Flour Rice Noodle has been serving this soup since 1975. This is a Ximending classic, as the lines can attest. The service is fast and brisk, and after a brief wait you get a piping hot bowl of noodles filled with shrimp and seafood. Add a bit of vinegar, garlic and chilies – and join the throng outside the stall as you blow and slurp your way into possibly best misua bowl of your life.</p></div><div class="item-desc"><div><em>Photo by Joko Magalong-De Veyra </em></div><div> </div><h1>14. Tanghulu</h1><p>Shiny and striking, skewered strawberries (or cherry tomatoes) are coated in candy – hard enough for some crunch, but not too hard that you’ll break a tooth. Sweet and sour. Great for ending a night market meal, or refreshing your palette.</p></div></div></div><p>For more things to do in Taipei, check out our <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/life/12/02/17/9-fun-things-to-do-in-taipei"><strong>travel feature</strong></a> on this exciting Taiwan destination.</p>

<p>In 2016, CNN declared the country as the top food spot in Asia, with Taipei’s bustling night markets one of the prime reasons for this.</p>

In 2016, CNN declared the country as the top food spot in Asia, with Taipei’s bustling night markets one of the prime reasons for this.