🇹🇼 Taipei

Night markets and xiaochi — the core of Taipei's food

Taipei's food in a word is xiaochi — a culture of eating little by little, a plate at a street corner. Its stage is the night market. As the sun drops, stalls line the streets, and chicken cutlet, pan-fried buns, oyster omelette, stinky tofu and shaved ice can all be eaten in one hand or on a kerbside stool, one after another. Taiwan's food rests on the cooking of migrants who crossed from Fujian and Guangdong on the mainland from the 17th century, layered with the tastes of people who came from across China after the war, and the influence of half a century of Japanese rule from 1895. From braised pork rice and beef noodle to mochi, that blending seeps into a Taipei plate. Cheap, generous, unadorned — that is the core of Taipei's food.

Three routes

Here, Taipei is split into three routes with distinct characters. First Shilin Night Market — the city's largest, grown from the gate of the Cixian Mazu temple, the centre of night eating. Giant chicken cutlets, pan-fried buns, cheese potatoes and a closing snowflake ice: the axis is cheap, lively, youth-facing stall food. Then Yongkang Street — a calm street by Dongmen Station, its twin signatures Din Tai Fung's xiaolongbao and Smoothie House's mango ice, famous shops mixed with stalls; a sit-down route from day into night. And Dihua Street and Dadaocheng — a wholesalers' quarter running since the Qing, lined with the morning swordfish soup, temple-front stalls and old shops of traditional sweets. Night market, daytime famous shops, morning wholesalers' street: the three together show a full day of Taipei's eating.

How to eat in Taipei

When you eat Taipei, keeping the time of day in mind makes it efficient. The night market runs evening to late, Yongkang from day into night, and Dadaocheng's breakfast xiaochi has its real show in the morning. The MRT is convenient for getting around; buy one EasyCard and you can ride the metro and buses, and pay at some shops with it too. Still, many night-market stalls and old Dadaocheng shops are cash only (Taiwan dollars), so small notes are reassuring. Stalls mostly cook to order, and fresh is far better, so for a queue put your name down and circle the area while you wait. Many signs are Chinese alone, so noting each shop's name helps you find it. Summers are muggy, so cool the body with shaved ice and drinks as you go. Popular shops crowd on weekends, so a weekday or off-peak walks easier. Hours and closing days can change, so treat each shop's times as a guide and confirm on the spot.