1. Coffee Nougat Biscuit
It’s made by the Saint Peter bake shop which is located by the base of the steps going up to Jiufen Old Street. These coffee nougat biscuits are so much delicious. They’re chewy and not too sweet with a robust coffee flavor.
2. Deep-Fried Battered Seafood
You’ll find stalls selling deep-fried battered seafood in virtually every night market in Taiwan, and Jiufen Old Street is no exception. At this stall, they make them with different types of seafood like crab, shrimp, and squid. It’s tender, crunchy, and delicious. It’s easy to eat too while walking which is ideal for a place like this.
3. Fish or Meat Ball Soup
There are stalls along Jiufen Old Street called Zhang Ji and Jin Zhi which are known for their fish ball and meatball soup respectively. They came in different sizes and appeared to be a mix of fish, pork, squid, and vegetable. They’re hearty and fun to eat.
4. Glutinous Rice Cake
It’s a Hakka glutinous rice cake made with a variety of fillings like the salted vegetable, preserved turnip, and sweet red bean. Hakka cuisine is the cooking style of the Hakka people who are originally from China. Several stalls sell these glutinous rice cakes in Jiufen, but none are more popular than Ah Lan Hakka Glutinous Rice Cake. In fact, they’re one of the most popular stalls in Jiufen. They’re easy to spot too.
5. Ice Cream Puff
Made by Misty Cake, you can choose any two scoops of ice cream which they’ll sandwich between two halves of a large, flaky puff pastry.
6. Noodles
You’ll find noodles in many forms along Jiufen Old Street (or anywhere else in Taiwan for that matter). A bowl of fish or meatball soup can make your stomach warmer.
7. Peanut Ice Cream Roll
This was one of the oddest things in Taiwan. It’s like an ice cream peanut burrito. To make it, peanut shavings are spread out over traditional popiah skin and topped with two small scoops of ice cream. It’s then folded up like a thin flat burrito before being cut into two and served.
8. Taiwanese Sausages
Sausages are popular throughout Taiwan, including Jiufen. Here you’ll find multiple vendors selling different kinds of sausages like pearl sausages (pictured below) and Kurobuta sausages. Pork is the most common one.
9. Steamed Taro Cake
These steamed taro cakes were also made by Ah Lan Hakka Glutinous Rice Cake.
10. Taro Balls
Like glutinous rice cakes and peanut ice cream rolls, these bowls of taro balls are among the most popular snacks in Jiufen. They’re served either hot or cool and filled with chewy handmade taro balls, sweet potato balls, green tea balls, and kidney beans.