Food is a huge part of the experience whenever you travel. When I’m planning a trip, I usually research restaurants in the neighborhood where I’m staying, the best night markets, or the top street food to try.
If you want to go on a culinary journey and are looking for a place to enjoy tasty street food, I’d recommend Taiwan. Street food in Taiwan is so delicious, and a food trip through the different Taipei night markets is one of the best things to do in Taiwan. Taiwan has many great dishes and amazing flavors. As someone partial to Chinese food, having grown up with it almost all my life, trying out the different dishes and local flavors left my tummy and taste buds more than satisfied.
Every time I visit Taiwan, I make sure to include my favorite Taiwan street food night markets in my itinerary, like the Raohe Night Market. I’m also always on the lookout for new flavors and new places that will take me on another food adventure around Taiwan.
If this is your first visit to Taiwan or you’re wondering what to expect in Taiwanese cuisine or Taiwanese food or what to eat in Taiwan (and where to eat it), this Taiwan food guide is for you. Here, you’ll find some of the best street food in Taiwan. I’ll share my Taiwan food experience and give you a general overview of where to eat street food in Taiwan.
Taiwanese stinky tofu
Taiwan’s stinky tofu is often a controversial dish that’s a hit or miss for both locals and travelers. A lot of people avoid stinky tofu when it comes to street food in Taiwan because of its smell. And I get the aversion to it. Stinky tofu has a pungent, sour odor that makes you think something’s wrong with your food.
There isn’t.
The smell is largely due to the tofu being fermented, just like kimchi and sauerkraut, which is actually very good for your stomach and gut health.
Where to eat stinky tofu in Taiwan
My favorite place to eat Taiwan’s stinky tofu is in the Raohe Street Night Market.
I’ve tried stinky tofu in Shilin Night Market and a couple of other places, but nothing beats that little tofu stall in the middle of Raohe Night Market. They serve their stinky tofu with a few slices of sausage, some pickled cabbage and carrots, and a spicy sauce on the side—which makes the dish even more delicious. The stinky tofu is perfect there—crispy and crunchy on the outside and soft and moist on the inside.
Bomb pancakes
Bomb bancakes are also known as scallion pancakes or green onion pancakes. They’re made from green onions mixed into a batter of flour and water, fried, and topped with some garlic, a half-cooked egg, and a special sauce that they say is their secret recipe. Together they create a delicious, chewy street food snack you won’t easily forget.
Bomb pancakes are called so because of the runny yolk in the half-cooked eggs. Plus the fried egg (jia dan) in their name, jia dan tsung yuo bing (葱油饼加蛋), sounds like zhàdàn (炸彈), meaning bomb.
Where to eat bomb pancakes in Taiwan
You can find bomb pancakes almost anywhere in Taiwan—in night markets, food courts, and street food stalls by tourist spots. The first bomb pancake I had was at the Maokong Gondola Station. After roaming around the place for a while, we were cold (it was in the middle of winter!) and famished, and we wanted something to eat. We had bomb pancakes then and—excuse the pun—it was the bomb! There’s nothing quite like holding the warm pancake in your hands and eating it after a cold day out.
Peanut ice cream rolls
Peanut ice cream rolls are like little burritos filled with ice cream instead of meat, vegetables, and rice. You get a scoop of ice cream (the flavors vary), shaved peanuts, and coriander leaves—all packed into a handmade crepe-like wrap. I was a little hesitant to try my ice cream with coriander, so I asked them to leave the coriander out. I think I’ll try it the next time I visit Taiwan, though.
Where to have peanut ice cream rolls in Taiwan
Like the bomb pancake, it’s one of the most popular street food in Taiwan. You’ll find it in street food stalls by the park or next to tourist spots. Like when you’re walking in Jiufen Old Street. Or with the other street food stalls near the Maokong Gondola Station (where we first tried it).
Taiwan’s Hot-Star fried chicken
Taiwan’s Hot-Star fried chicken is so popular that it has already opened several branches in different countries around the world. This fried chicken cutlet is definitely a must-try Taiwan street food. My favorite place to have it, though, is in Ximending’s vibrant district, surrounded by gift shops, souvenir stores, street performers, and restaurants with tantalizing smells.
There, the line is so long that it sometimes takes 20-30 minutes before your number is called. I hear that the lines in Shilin Night Market are even longer! It’s worth it, though—the crispy chicken with its unique, flavorful seasoning. While their Hot-Star large fried chicken is the most popular item on the menu, they have other items too, like fried squid, tofu, tempura, and more.
Tip: When you reach the counter, make sure you order everything you want to try, so you don’t have to line up again. That’s how long the lines are!
Where to eat Hot-Star fried chicken in Taiwan
- Ximending
- Shilin Night Market
You may also be able to find it in other places where they sell street food in Taiwan.
Tanghulu
Tanghulu is candied fruit on a barbecue stick. In Taiwan, they’re usually strawberries, cherry tomatoes, or hawthorn fruits. They’re a favorite among people who look for sweet street food in Taiwan.
Fun story: My first encounter with the tanghulu was through Little Pear, a book by Eleanor Frances Lattimore. Little Pear was a little boy who lived in a Chinese village and was extremely fond of tanghulu. Imagine our delight when we heard the street vendors in Taiwan calling out “Tanghulu! Tanghulu!” I know they’ve become more popular these days in places like South Korea because of the tanghulu video challenge.
Where to find tanghulu in Taiwan
Like other street food in Taiwan, you’ll find them here and there—street food market stalls, little side streets, and other traditional Taiwanese street food places.
Our favorite tanghulu memory will always be when we were roaming around Ximending. We saw an elderly gentleman with a tanghulu stand, the candied fruit already laid out, sugar hardening in the cool air. No one was buying from him, so we decided to fall in line. Now, when you see long lines, you think the food must be good. Since there were six of us, we made a pretty long line. By the time we were done ordering our tanghulu, there was such a long line behind us that a lady from a nearby stall had to help him prepare and sell more tanghulu.
Taiwan beef noodle soup
Your trip to Taiwan isn’t complete without Taiwan beef noodle soup. During our first visit to Taiwan, we memorized the symbols for beef and soup because we weren’t confident enough to ask for the dish in Mandarin.
Delicious is an understatement when it comes to describing Taiwan beef noodle soup. You have chewy noodles, melt-in-your-mouth beef slices, and crunchy vegetables. If you visit during winter, the broth warms you all the way down to your toes.
Where to have beef noodle soup in Taiwan
You can have Taiwan beef noodle soup just about anywhere in Taiwan. You’ll find restaurants, street food stalls, food courts—all serving Taiwan beef noodle soup. One of our favorite places was the food court at Taipei Main Station. You’ll find so many different kinds there—some spicy and some of the regular kind. There are other dishes there, too.
Taro and sweet potato balls dessert
This is a very popular dessert in Taiwan, and you can have it in two different ways—hot or cold. Either tastes delicious, and I’d even recommend that you order one hot and one cold because they’re unique in their own way.
Inside this bowl of goodness, you’ll find taro balls and sweet potato balls, floating in sweet syrup. Some stalls sell it with red beans, grass jelly, tapioca (boba) balls, other toppings, and shaved ice (if you’re having it cold).
Where to find taro and sweet potato balls in Taiwan
You can find these shaved ice desserts in various night markets and street food stalls. The best one for me, however, is at the end of Jiufen Old Street. The taste and chewiness of the taro and sweet potato balls are just perfect. The sweet potato ball dessert shop at the end of Jiufen Old Street is one of those quiet restaurants with simple interiors. The lines are long, and seating is limited, so most people are directed to cement steps overlooking a stunning view. It’s the perfect place to gaze out into the distance while eating your snack.
Black pepper udon with chicken
We found this street food in Taiwan by accident. We were at the Taipei Main Station, taking a bit of a breather between tourist spots. My friend got hungry, so he decided to buy a box of udon noodles, topped with chicken and egg. It was so good! Unfortunately, we can’t remember the name of the stall, but you might be able to find it or similar dishes in the food court or other stalls.
Custard pancakes
Custard pancakes are pancake sandwiches with a not-so-sweet custard cream filling. They are cooked on the spot, and the pancake batter is chewy and goes well with the custard cream filling. Some stalls sell it with red bean filling as well.
Where to find custard pancakes in Taiwan
You can find them in different street food stalls and night markets around Taiwan.
Bubble tea
Almost every street and every corner in Taiwan sells milk tea. Boba tea is also the perfect companion when you’re tasting the different street food in Taiwan. And it isn’t your regular wintermelon-flavored boba tea either. The flavors vary, and if you’re adventurous, I’d recommend the flavors you won’t get to try elsewhere. It’s worth the experience! If you don’t like milk tea or have lactose intolerance issues (like me!), you can try fruit teas instead. Most bubble tea stores offer fruit teas or alternative milk options, like oat milk, soy milk, almond milk, and the like.
Where to find milk tea in Taiwan
Some milk tea stalls of note:
- Coco
- Yi Fang
- Chun Shui Tang
- 50 Lan
- WangTea Egg
- Milksha
Other must-try street food in Taiwan
- Baked pastries: some food stalls sell pastries that taste just as good as they look!
- Assorted skewers from food stalls: almost every street has food stalls where you can point at the food you want to eat. They’ll heat what you picked and give it to you in a bowl with soup or sauce.
- Tea eggs: Tea eggs are hard-boiled eggs that have been soaked for a few days in tea. When you peel away their shells, the eggwhite is stained brown. They’re good with rice or noodles. You can find them in various convenience stores and small shops around Taiwan.
- Fresh fruit: Taiwan has assorted fruits, like pineapple, passion fruit, peaches, pomelo, strawberries, dragon fruit, longan, and more. You can find them in the markets or grocery stores. Some street food stalls also sell them.
Night Markets in Taiwan
No two night markets in Taiwan are the same, and together, they create a night market culture that is unique to Taipei. Here are some of the best night markets in Taiwan for food, where you can try traditional recipes and taste authentic Taiwanese food.
- Raohe Street Night Market
- Shilin Night Market
- Ningxia Night Market
- Fengjia Night Market
Food souvenirs from Taiwan
If you can’t get enough of Taiwan’s delicious food, you can take some home to give to family and friends or to snack away and re-live your fond memories of your stay in Taiwan. Here are some of the food souvenirs and other Taiwanese snacks from Taiwan that I’d recommend:
- Pineapple cakes
- Green onion nougat cracker (I highly recommend the one from Chia Te)
- Mochi
- Nougat
- Moon cakes
- Fruit jellies
- Meat floss
What a perfect timing! We are planning to visit Taiwan soon also. Keeping these recos in mind for then 🤩
Let me know how you find it!