The 13 Best Night Markets in Taiwan – Will Fly for Food Feedzy

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Anyone who’s been to this East Asian country can tell you that visiting a Taiwanese night market is an essential part of the Taiwan experience. It’s such an important part of Taiwanese culture.

For me, going to Taiwan without eating street food at a night market is like going to Paris for the first time ever and not making time for the Eiffel Tower. It has to be done.

There are dozens of night markets in Taiwan and not all are created equal. Some are better than others so choosing the right night market is important if you have limited time in Taiwan.

We’ve explored the best and most popular night markets in nearly every major city to come up with this list of the thirteen best night markets and street food neighborhoods in Taiwan.

If you don’t have much time and only want to visit the best night markets, then this list will be useful to you.

TAIWANESE NIGHT MARKETS

A BRIEF HISTORY OF TAIWANESE NIGHT MARKETS

Night markets in Taiwan have a long history that dates back to the Tang Dynasty. Night vendors would gather around urban street corners or temple plazas to sell handicrafts, traditional medicine, and Taiwanese street food called xiaochi.

In the 50s and 60s, migrant urban workers made up a large base of night market customers, but the sale of xiaochi began attracting a wider demographic which included the local elite. Food was the catalyst that brought people together.

Over time, night markets prospered and modernized. Low quality garment stalls gave way to gift shops while neon signs were put up to attract more customers.

Today, night markets have become lively hubs of food and pop culture. They attract locals and tourists throughout the country, offering a wide selection of trendy and traditional snacks and games, even name brand shoes and apparel.

THE BEST NIGHT MARKETS IN TAIWAN

We’ve made a few trips to Taiwan and have visited several major cities in the country. We love Taiwanese street food so when possible, we try to visit a different night market every evening.

You’ll find many of the same Taiwanese dishes at different night markets so there’s no need to visit every one. Some of the smaller markets may not be worth it. To save you time, I’ve highlighted what many consider to be the biggest and best night markets in Taiwan.

I’ve included some of the most popular street food neighborhoods as well. These are famous areas like Jiufen Old Street that also open during the daytime.

TAIPEI

Of all the cities in Taiwan, Taipei has the most night markets. There are over a dozen night markets in Taipei but easily the biggest and most popular are Shilin and Raohe night markets.

1. Raohe Night Market

As described, Raohe night market is one of Taipei’s most popular night markets. It’s known for having a great selection of food so if all you want to do is eat, then this may be the very best night market in Taipei. However, due to its popularity, it can get pretty crowded.

Things to Try: Stinky tofu, oyster omelette, flame-torched beef, pepper bunsPros: One of the best selections of foodCons: Can get crowded, walking paths aren’t as wide

Flame-torched beef cubes are among my favorite things to eat at Taiwanese night markets. They’re so tasty and tender! You can get them with your choice of seasoning like teriyaki, salt, pepper, or cumin. We always got ours with cumin.

You’ll find many trendy dishes at Taiwanese night markets these days but you can always count on finding classic xiaochi dishes like this oyster omelette. It’s made with fresh oysters and topped with a mild sweet and sour tomato sauce.

Raohe Night Market

Address: Raohe Street, Songshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 105Operating Hours: 4PM-12MN, dailyHow to Get There: Take the MRT to Songshan Station (Green Line, Exit 5). The night market entrance will be to the right across the street next to the temple.

2. Shilin Night Market

Shilin night market is one of the largest night markets in Taiwan. It was established in 1899 and still going strong.

Shilin has a fun, carnival-like atmosphere with arguably the best mix of food, games, and shopping stalls. If you want to have a complete night market experience in Taipei, then you should definitely go to Shilin. Just be prepared to elbow your way through the crowds.

If you’d like eat your way through Shilin Night Market with a guide, then you may want to book this Shilin walking tour through Klook.

Things to Try: Hot Star fried chicken chop, flame-torched beefPros: Huge night market, lots of shopping, great selection of food and gamesCons: Can get very crowded, harder to navigate

When we visited Shilin Night Market in 2014, there was a stall called A Piece of Gayke which offered these scandalous-looking penis waffles. You could get them filled with things like red bean or peanut and glazed with a frosting of your choice.

I read that the stall may no longer be around but you can find similar pre-made penis waffles sold in boxes throughout the market.

Fancy some pig’s blood cake? Pig’s blood cake is a popular Taiwanese street food snack made with pork blood congealed with sticky rice. It’s covered in a sweet soy sauce before being coated in peanut flour and coriander.

Shilin Night Market

Address: No. 101, Jihe Road, Shilin District, Taipei City, Taiwan 111Operating Hours: 4PM-12MN, Mon-Fri / 3PM-1AM, Sat-SunHow to Get There: Take the MRT to Jiantan Station (Red Line, Exit 1). Diagonally cross the street to the left to enter the night market.

NEW TAIPEI CITY

3. Jiufen Old Street

If you’ll be spending enough time in Taipei, then the mountain town of Jiufen in Northeastern Taiwan makes for a great day trip.

Located about an hour east of Taipei, Jiufen is a former gold mining settlement that’s become a popular tourist destinaton because of its resemblance to the town in the critically acclaimed anime film Spirited Away.

People who come to Jiufen do two things – take pictures and eat, both of which they do in abundance.

Things to Try: Taro balls, glutinous rice cake, peanut ice cream roll, ice cream puffPros: Charming atmosphere, good selection of street foodCons: Always extremely crowded, food prices seem higher, about an hour from downtown Taipei

There are many “must-try” Taiwanese street food dishes along Jiufen Old Street, though perhaps none more popular than these glutinous rice cakes from Ah Lan Hakka Glutinous Rice Cake.

It’s an interesting Hakka dish made with a glutinous rice casing filled with a variety of ingredients like sweet red bean, salted vegetable, and preserved turnip.

Another popular dish in Jiufen is this bowl of taro balls from Grandma Lai’s Taro Balls. Served hot or cold, you’ll get a bowl of sweet soup filled with chewy handmade taro balls, green tea balls, sweet potato balls, and kidney beans.

Jiufen Old Street

Address: Jishan Street, Ruifang District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 224Operating Hours: Around 7AM-9PM, dailyHow to Get There: From Taipei, take the MRT to Zhongxiao Fuxing Station (Blue/Brown Line, Exit 2). Outside the Sogo department store, take Bus 1062 (Keelung) bound for Jinguashi and get off at Jiufen. Walk up the steps to Jifuen Old Street.

4. Tamsui Old Street

Like Jiufen, Tamsui is a great place to visit and spend the day from Taipei. Located at the end of the MRT’s Red Line, it’s a charming seaside town known for interesting regional delicacies like ah-gei and iron eggs.

Things to Try: Ah-gei, iron eggs, tower ice creamPros: Pleasant atmosphere, unique food items, great place to spend the dayCons: About 40 mins from downtown Taipei

If you visit Tamsui, then be sure to try ah-gei. It’s a specialty of Tamsui District and consists of fried tofu skin stuffed with cooked green bean noodles and sealed with surimi, a fish paste mixture.

Many places along Tamsui Old Street offer ah-gei, but one of the best places to try it is at the Original Ah-Gei shop which is credited for inventing the dish in 1965.

Like ah-gei, iron eggs are a specialty of Tamsui. They’re chicken, pigeon, or quail eggs that have been repeatedly stewed in a tea, soy sauce, and spice mixture before being air-dried.

The stewing process shrinks the eggs and turns them a dark brown color, almost black, making them chewier and more concentrated in flavor.

You’ll find iron eggs sold in vacuum-sealed packs like these throughout Tamsui.

Tamsui Old Street

Address: Zhongzheng Road, Tamsui District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 251Operating Hours: 9AM-10PM, dailyHow to Get There: Take the MRT to Tamsui Station (Red Line). Make a left after exiting and walk along the waterfront to Tamsui Old Street.

TAICHUNG

5. Fengjia (Feng Chia) Night Market

Described as the largest night market in Taiwan, Taichung’s Fengjia night market is home to an estimated 15,000 shops, restaurants, and stalls.

Like Shilin or Raohe night markets in Taipei, it’s a hugely popular night market with a wide selection of food. If you’re keen on visiting just one night market in Taichung, then Fengjia night market is the one you should go to.

Things to Try: Grilled abalone, sausage with sticky rice, fried chicken chopPros: Big night market, great selection of foodCons: Can get crowded, no MRT system in Taichung so it’s a little harder to get to

On the grill at Fengjia night market are many different types of seafood like scallops, clams, squid, oysters, sea snails, and abalone.

We had this huge fried chicken chop from a popular stall at Fengjia night market. Chicken cutlets the size of your face are dredged in flour and deep-fried to golden perfection before being flavored with your choice of seasoning like salt and pepper, chili pepper, sweet and sour, or teriyaki.

Fengjia Night Market

Address: Wenhua Road, Xitun District, Taichung City, Taiwan 407Operating Hours: 4PM-2AM, Tue-Sun / 4PM-1AM, MonHow to Get There: There’s no MRT system in Taichung so the fastest and easiest way is to go by Uber (about 20-25 mins from Taichung TRA Station). It’s cheaper than taxis. If you’d prefer to take the bus, then I suggest downloading the Google Maps app (iOS ]]