To fully experience the culture and nightlife of Taiwan, visiting a night market is a must when visiting the country. Locals head to night markets to grab a bite of the delicious street food and bargain in stores. Here are 7 night markets in Taipei that you should visit.
Shilin Night Market
Known as the most popular tourist night market in Taipei, the streets of Shilin Night Market is packed with both tourists and locals. Shilin Night Market is most well known for their atmospheric nightlife and it's also one of the biggest night markets with over 500 food stalls. Additionally, there is a large selection of clothes, gadgets and accessories that are all priced at reasonable prices. The only downside would be that customers will have to take extra caution as they cannot try on the clothes.
Some of the popular food items in Shilin Night Market would be the juicy chicken from Hotstar, Ai Yu Jelly, Stinky Tofu, Oyster Omelette and Taiwanese Tempura. As there are many options to choose from, visitors can stroll around and join the longest line they see! (Long queues usually means that the food is good)
Other than food and shopping, Shilin Night Market offers entertainment as well. Carnival style games such as fish scooping, target shooting and dart throwing games can be found around the night market. KTV booths and arcade games can also be found, providing visitors a fun-filled night.
Raohe Night Market
Occupying a 600m path, the Raohe Night Market is one of the oldest night markets in Taipei. This outdoor night market that is decorated with bright red hanging lanterns brings a festive and traditional atmosphere that can be felt by all visitors. Raohe Night Market is known for its scrumptious Taiwanese street food. In fact, many stalls in the night market have been offered the Michelin Bib Gourmand
One of the most popular stalls would be the Fuzhou Black Pepper Bun where the delightful juices of the filling oozes out after one bite. With only NT$50, customers will receive a bun that’s baked in a Tandoor-style oven until they are crispy and golden on the outside. The buns have a filling of minced pork, scallion, sugar, soy sauce and black pepper that’s soaked in a secret marinade. With such a decadent dish, waiting for 10 to 20 minutes is considered to be an easy task.
Another store to try would be Chen Tung Pork Ribs Medicinal Herbs Soup. Costing only NT$80 to NT$150, customers receive an aromatic and hearty soup dish that warms the soul. The pork ribs soup is simmered for hours with Chinese herbs that give the soup a strong flavour and a sweet aftertaste.
Regardless, visitors are highly encouraged to try other stalls as Raohe is known as one of the night markets with the best street foods.
Tonghua/Linjiang Night Market
For a more local experience, visitors can visit Tonghua Night Market, otherwise known as Linjiang Night Market. Even though it’s the closest to Taipei 101, tourists usually go to the more popular night markets such as Shilin Night Market making exploring the night market less of a touristy experience. Tonghua Night Market successfully attracts locals of various ages by having trendy clothing which attracts the young crowd and daily necessities which attracts the older group.
One of the popular food items in Tonghua Night Market would be the Pan-fried buns. The buns are made fresh on-site and are steamed and pan-fried at the same time. This cooking method creates a juicy, fluffy bun with a crisp bottom. The filling consists of pork with green onions which becomes a soup when it’s cooked. Lastly, topped with black sesame seeds.
Huaxi Night Market
Best known as the snake alley, Huaxi Night Market is the first tourist night market in Taiwan. In its early days, Huaxi street was known for slaughtering and cooking snakes on the spot. However, due to animal protection, such stores quickly declined. But even now, visitors can find both live and cooked snakes when roaming about Huaxi Night Market. There are even cooked turtles as they are believed to be nourishing for the body and provide health benefits.
Other famous delicacies that the Huaxi Night Market offers would be the squid soup and the Tainan Danzai Noodle house. The night market opens from 10am - 10pm, but it’s best to visit the night market in the evening when more stalls open. Before heading to the night market, visitors can visit the Longshan Temple and Bopiliao Historic Block since they’re nearby.
Ningxia Night Market
Located in Dadaocheng district, the oldest area in the city, Ningxia Night Market is lost in time. Bright lights from the signage on the buildings invoke a sense of nostalgia, as though visitors are walking through the streets of Hong Kong. The night market is only 150m long which is considered small.
Ningxia Night Market is split into two sections - the northern part of the street is mainly food stalls while the southern part is for entertainment and leisure such as games and shops. Many of the vendors in Ningxia Market have been in the business for almost a hundred years so their dishes are more authentically Taiwan.
One of the recommended food items would be the Oyster Omelette from Orh-A-Jian. There are always long lines queued to sample the texture and taste at the store. The Oyster Omelette is then topped with a sweet and sour tomato sauce.
Liaoning Night Market
Only slightly larger than Ningxia Night Market, the Liaoning Night Market covers an area of 200m of Liaoning Street. Unique to Liaoning Night Market, food stalls and shops are based on shifts so a visitor’s experience varies with the time they visit.
This night market is great for avoiding tourists and tasting authentic Taiwanese street food. Visitors are recommended to try the oyster omelette from 勝利號蚵仔煎 that’s well cooked yet juicy. Other food to try would be the boiled squid, oden, fried rice and noodles, mochi, braised food and tapioca.
Nanjichang Night Market
Another night market near the Longshan Temple and Bopiliao Historical Block would be the Nanjichang Night Market. Compared to the Huaxi Night Market, Nanjichang Night Market is smaller in size and caters more to locals, giving a more authentic experience. This night market is particularly good for those on budgeted trips as the items here are cheaper than other night markets.
Setting apart Nanjichang Night Market to other night markets would be that the food stalls operate during the day as well even though it’s busiest is during the night. This allows visitors to get their share of street food in the daytime. A few of the popular food items would be the Lai Lai Dumplings, Hao Chi Fried Chicken and 美蘭阿姨 which sells thick and creamy papaya milk.
This wraps up the 7 recommended night markets in Taipei! Which is your favourite night market?
