1. Ay-Chung Flour Rice Noodles
Ay-Chung Flour Rice Noodles is popular. It’s one of the most popular food stalls in Ximending, perhaps in all of Taipei. It is usually featured on virtually every “what to eat” list in Taipei, and with good reason. It’s delicious.
Ay-Chung makes their bowl with the most tender bits of braised pork intestine. Ay-Chung’s mee sua is plenty flavorful as it is, but you’re welcome to add as much chili oil, garlic, and black vinegar as you wish. Don't miss it.
Address: No. 8-1, Emei Street, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108
2. Tao-Yuan Street Beef Noodle Shop
Beef noodle soup, for many, is the most beloved comfort dish in Taiwanese cuisine. In fact, it’s often regarded as the country’s national dish. So popular is this dish that a festival and competition is held every year to find the best bowl of beef noodles in Taiwan. Only a handful of restaurants can lay claim to the title of “Best Beef Noodle Soup” in Taipei, and Tao-Yuan Street Beef Noodle Shop is one of them.
Address: No.15 Taoyuan Street, Zhongzheng District, Taipei 100, Taiwan
3. Yongfu Ice Cream
Simple without any frills, they’ve been serving hand-churned ice cream made with distinctly Taiwanese ingredients like taro, longan, peanut, and red bean for over 70 years. If you’ve never had Taiwanese ice cream before, then the first thing you’ll notice is that it isn’t as creamy as American or Japanese ice cream. It’s made with less dairy and more fruit so it’s light and a little tart, almost like a sorbet.
Address: No. 68, Section 2, Guiyang St, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108
4. Jin Feng Lu Rou Fan
Lu rou fan or braised pork rice is one of the most beloved comfort dishes in Taiwan, taking a backseat only to beef noodle soup. It consists of minced pork belly that’s been stir-fried and slow cooked in soy sauce until tender, then served over a bowl of steamed rice, usually with a hard-boiled egg on the side.
Address: No. 10-1, Sec. 1, Roosevelt Rd., Zhongzheng Dist, Taipei 100, Taiwan
5. Shao Shao Ke
Shanxi cuisine is the cooking style of Shanxi Province in China. Noodles figure prominently in the cuisine, as does lamb. They’re also known for using a unique type of vinegar in their food. Called Shanxi mature vinegar, it’s a prized vinegar produced exclusively in the area. Deep-fried lamb skewers with cumin, one of many lamb dishes they have on their menu. This dish was fantastic and unlike any lamb dishes in many restaurants. Moreover, you need to try a bowl of knife-cut noodles with green onion, carrot, and lamb. Knife-cut noodles, and noodles, in general, are a Shanxi specialty so be sure to try this as well. The noodles are fantastic – bouncy and elastic with a great bite. These deep-fried soy cheese puff pastries are a must-try as well.
Address: No. 27, Section 1, Hangzhou South Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100
6. Fuhang Soy Milk (Fuhang Dou Jiang)
Known as one the best places in the city to have a traditional Taiwanese breakfast. Fuhang Soy Milk is known for serving many different types of Taiwanese breakfast items like soybean milk with dough sticks, egg crepes, and roasted pancakes.
Address: 100, Taiwan, Taipei City, Zhongzheng District, Section 1, Zhongxiao East Road, Taiwan
7. Fei Qian Wu
If you’ve never had unagi before, it’s freshwater eel that’s broiled and slowly grilled over coals while being basted with a kabayaki sauce (sweet soy sauce). It’s smokey, savory, and a little sweet with the most wonderfully soft and lightly charred texture. Because Taiwan was under Japanese rule for 50 years so there are plenty of Japanese restaurants throughout the country. The Taiwanese know Japanese food so if you like unagi, then you may want to enjoy a meal here.
Address: No. 13, Lane 121, Section 1, Zhongshan North Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei 104, Taiwan
8. Addiction Aquatic Development
Addiction Aquatic Development is basically an upscale live seafood market, gourmet food supermarket, seafood bar, sushi bar, oyster bar, seafood barbecue restaurant, hot pot restaurant, and flower market all rolled into a stylish 1,983 square meter space.
Aside from its market and grocery portions, there are several mini-restaurants within the space. There’s a hot pot restaurant, a sushi bar, and an oyster bar.
Address: No. 18, Alley 2, Lane 410, Minzu East Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 104
9. RAW
If you’re looking to have one truly special meal in Taipei, then RAW should be on your short list. Helmed by Chef André Chiang – a Taiwanese chef renowned for his 2-Michelin star (but recently closed) Restaurant André in Singapore – RAW has one Michelin star and is presently number 15 on this list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. They offer beautiful degustation experiences featuring the best of Taiwan’s local seasonal ingredients.
Address: No. 301, Lequn 3rd Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 104
10. Din Tai Fung
If you like xiao long bao, then Din Tai Fung needs no introduction. Din Tai Fung is a homegrown international chain of restaurants known for its dim sum, particularly its xiao long bao which many say is the very best in the world.
Xiao long bao is a type of baozi or Chinese steamed bun filled with pork and hot soup. Part of the reason that makes Din Tai Fung so good is their consistency. Made with the thinnest of wrappers, every xiao long bao that comes out of their kitchen has 18 pleats and weighs exactly 21 grams.
Address: B1, No. 45, Shifu Rd., Taipei 101 Mall, Taipei City, Taiwan
11. Orange Shabu Shabu House
Hotpot or shabu shabu is a core Taiwanese dish. From the quality of the soup base to the dipping sauce to the freshness of the ingredients, everything about Orange Shabu Shabu House was phenomenal.
Address: B/1, No. 135, Section 1, Da’an Road, Taipei, Taiwan
12. Raohe Night Market
The food is cheap, the choices are plentiful, and the atmosphere is fun. Night markets are an integral part of the country’s food culture and something you should experience on every trip to Taiwan.
Many people cite Raohe Night Market as having one of the best selections of food. A dish you definitely shouldn’t miss is the flame-torched beef. It consists of tender cubes of beef cooked over a grill, before being torched and sprinkled with your choice of seasonings like salt, pepper, teriyaki, or cumin.
Address: Raohe Street, Songshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 105
13. Shilin Night Market
Shilin Night Market is one of the biggest night markets we’ve visited in Taiwan. Established in 1899, it’s been around for over 119 years and still going strong. It has a fun, carnival-like atmosphere with arguably the best mix of food, games, and shopping stalls. If you’re interested in having a complete night market experience and can only visit one in Taipei, then this should be it. Just be prepared to elbow your way through the crowds.
Address: No. 101, Jihe Road, Shilin District, Taipei City, Taiwan 111