taipei for food lovers

Taipei is currently getting a lot of love from food obsessed travelers everywhere. And not because of the crazy concept restaurants (toilet theme, anyone?).  It is simply because Taiwanese food is delicious, and the Taiwanese people love to eat - all the time. 

These are some of the reasons why Taipei and her varied food options are getting a lot of attention:

A street vendor at the Ningxia Night market
selling grilled oysters.

1. Lots of night markets. There are big night markets (like Shilin) and small ones (like Ningxia). If you can, try and go to every single one of them. The food there ranges from oyster pancakes to Taiwanese sausages to various grilled meats, seafood and blood to fried chicken to fruits to …. So, if you have a travel companion, make sure you buy one item from each stall and share. That way, you can get to taste more items. Trust  me, you’ll be full and beyond satisfied. If you can’t speak the language, don’t fret. Just point. 

Pork xiao long bao at Din Tai Fung with the top
bitten off to let out the steam.

2. Din Tai Fung. This restaurant, which started in Taiwan and offers Shanghai style soup dumplings (xiao long bao), has become a phenom in certain food circles with branches not just in Asia but also in Australia (by way of Sydney) and in the USA (by way of Los Angeles County and Seattle). I first tried the soup dumplings in the Arcadia, California branch and immediately fell in love. The original restaurant in Taipei, which always sees big crowds outside waiting for a table, serves fantastic pork soup dumplings with black truffles. The xiao long bao basically has ground seasoned protein (pork, crab, etc.) encased in thin dough and steamed to perfection. The meat cooks in its own juice so bite the top off first to let out the steam and make sure the juices don’t drip out. Then, enjoy. 

Mango shaved ice on Yongkang street.

3. Yongkang Street. This small street around the corner from the original Din Tai Fung is full of places to eat – whether at a sit down restaurant or from a street food vendor. There are more buns, dumplings, beef noodle soup, shaved ice, scallion pancakes and all manner of delicious food… in one street. So be prepared to wear stretchy clothing because you want to make sure your tummy will be comfortable during your visit.

Beef Noodle Soup.

4. Beef Noodle Soup. There are a lot of places that offer this restorative braised beef with noodles. I went to a place that had no name. And the soup at the no name place was slurped clean by two carnivores (expected) and a person who is a part-time vegetarian (not so expected). Just saying. So, if you visit in winter, this dish is the perfect antidote that will warm the cockles of your heart. 

My baked goods haul from
Chia Te Bakery including the
pineapple cakes (in the box).

5. Pineapple Cakes. These pastries with pineapple filling inside are delicious and fresh. I trekked (not easily accessible by subway) all the way to Chia Te bakery for these babies and boy were they worth it. These pastries are flaky and the pineapple filling is sweet but not insulin ready sweet. Be prepared to fall in line to get in to the bakery.

6.  The Fruit.  The fruit in Taiwan is astonishingly sweet and good.  Tourists often presume that the fruit and fruit juices they are sampling have been enhanced by sugar - but no, it is au naturel.  Our favorites tend to be the mango, watermelon, guava, pineapple and the lembo.  Be adventurous and give all the fruit a try!  You won't regret it.

I am sure there are plenty more reasons why food lovers flock to Taipei. We welcome additional ones in the comment box below.