16 MUST EAT TAIWAN FOOD AND… WHERE TO FIND THEM!

Taiwan is one of the countries that I enjoy visiting very much. With its all-around adventure landscape, heritage-rich capital, diverse folk traditions and vibrant night market scene, Taiwan offers a continent-sized travel list for one green island.

With a wide variety of small eats, snacks and street food, Taiwan is definitely a foodie’s paradise which is filled with so much joy just by eating! There are so much food in Taiwan but here is a list of food which I strongly think that every tourist should try when visiting this lovely country.

1. Traditional Taiwanese Breakfast 臺灣傳統早餐

There are several stores selling traditional breakfast but the one that I strongly recommend is Yonghe Doujiang 永和豆漿. The Cheese and Egg Pancake (蛋餅) is one of our favourite items. A pancake with cheese, egg and spring onion, it was a simple yet enjoyable item especially when eaten hot; love how the cheese melted in my mouth!

Yonghe Doujiang 永和豆漿
Address: No. 30 Hankou Street, Zhongzheng District, Taipei
Metro Station (捷運站): Ximen （西門） Station, Exit 6

2. Oyster Omelette 蚵仔煎

The Oyster Omelette in Taiwan is slightly different from the Orh Luak we find in Singapore. Singapore’s oyster omelette is slightly oiler and comes with luak chili. The Oyster Omelette in Taiwan is more chewy given that sweet potato starch is added. It is drenched in a thick chilli sauce which was more to the sweeter side and not spicy at all. Extremely tasty but oh so sinful!

365台湾小吃
Address: No. 34, Hanzhong St, Wanhua District Taipei City, Taiwan 108
Metro Station (捷運站): Ximen （西門） Station

3. Braised Pork Rice 滷肉飯
I love Braised Pork Rice in Taiwan. Usually flavourful and delicious, I thought this store did not live up to our expectations. Nevertheless, it is still a decent place to try some cheap and standard Taiwanese dishes. A good bowl of lu rou fan comprises fatty bits of stewed pork slow-cooked in aromatic soy sauce and topped over hot steamed rice.

365台湾小吃
Address: No. 34, Hanzhong St, Wanhua District Taipei City, Taiwan 108
Metro Station (捷运站): Ximen （西門） Station

Jinfeng Braised Meat Rice 金峰魯肉飯 has a lot of good reviews, I will check it out the next time I am in Taiwan:
Address: No. 10, Section 1, Roosevelt Rd, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100
Metro Station (捷運站): Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall (中正紀念堂) Station, Exit 5

4. Fried Chicken Cutlet 大雞排

Hot Star is still my favourite place for oversized chicken cutlet. This gigantic deep fried chicken cutlet which was coated with a crispy crust was tender and juicy . Generously seasoned with powder of your choice, this is best eaten on a cold Taiwanese winter night. The outlet at Ximending sells other deep fried snacks such as Japanese Tempura and Sweet Potato Balls too!

Hot-Star Large Fried Chicken (豪大大雞排)
Address: No. 36, Hànzhōng St (漢中街), Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108
Metro Station (捷運站): Ximen （西門） Station (Opposite of Rainbow Hotel 長虹大飯店)

5. Oyster Mee Sua 蚵仔麵線

Situated in the busy streets of Xi Men Ding (西門町), travelers to Taiwan will head to Ah Zhong Mee Sua for their mee sua fix. While many have agreed that their standards are not so great anymore, I’d say you should go try it first and decide for yourself. I still love how comforting this dish is especially on a cold and rainy night.

Ah Zong Mian Xian 阿宗麵線
Address: No. 8~1 Emei St., Taipei (East XMD Pedestrian Area) 臺北市峨嵋街8號之1 (Ximending)
Metro Station (捷運站): Ximen （西門） Station

6. Prince Cheese Potato 王子起司馬鈴薯

This a MUST EAT whenever I am in Taiwan! Overflowing of warm cheese and ingredients such as ham, bacon bits, ham, turkey, corn, pineapple, broccoli and an egg are stuffed in the potato ‘shell’. I love how crunchy the potato is on the outside and how the cheese and mashed potato melts with the ingredients. Definitely for a cheese lover like me! Can they please bring this into Singapore?!?!

Prince Cheese Potato 王子起司馬鈴薯
Location: Small Alley filled with food at Ximending (西門町)
Metro Station (捷運站): Ximen （西門） Station

7. Taiwan Sausages 臺灣香肠

This store sells such tasty mini sausages which made us coming back for more! They were so juicy and the meat was perfectly grilled, soft and tender. Taiwan Sausages 臺灣香肠 are commonly found in the streets of Taiwan and most of them taste as delicious.

Location: Right in the middle of the streets of Ximending (西門町), in front of the Metro Station
Metro Station (捷運站): Ximen （西門） Station

8. Muah Chee 麻糍

Muah Chee is definitely one of my favourite childhood snacks as I can never resist that chewy glutinous rice dough coated with toasted crunchy fine peanut and sugar. The interesting thing about the muah chee in Taiwan is that the dough is not cut with scissors like those from the Pasar Malams in Singapore. This lady pinches the handmade dough by hand and dabs them in the peanut/sugar mixture. These muah chee are soft, fragrant and oh-so-addictive. I love the black sesame and red bean ones, something unique which is rarely seen in Singapore.

Location: Right in the middle of the streets of Ximending (西門町), in front of the Metro Station
Metro Station (捷運站): Ximen （西門） Station

9. Mango Snowflake Ice 芒果雪花冰

Smoothie House (思慕昔) offers a tantalizing combination of shaved ice topped with fruit slices and ice cream, with syrup drizzled over it. A huge scoop of mango ice cream topped the mountain of shaved ice and cascading chunks of fresh mango. This dessert is great for sharing between two to five people. So perfect for the sweltering Taiwanese summer!

Smoothie House 思慕昔

Website: http://www.smoothiehouse.com/index_e.php
Outlet 1- Smoothie House No. 15
Address:  No.15, Yongkang St., Da’an Dist., Taipei City 10650, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
Opening Hours: 10:00 – 23:00

Outlet 2- Smoothie House NO. 15 2F

Address:  No.15, Yongkang St., Da’an Dist., Taipei City 10650, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
Opening Hours: 12:00 – 21:00
Metro Station (捷運站): Dongmen (東門) Station Exit 5)

Outlet 3- Smoothie House Shilin-Shop
Address: No.106, Jihe Road, Shihlin District, Taipei

10. Scallops 干貝燒
These scallops are seasoned with different flavours. I tried the Original （天然海盐）, Black Pepper (美式黑胡椒) and Japanese Seaweed (日式海苔) flavour. One of the recommended flavours is Black Pepper. I do not fancy black pepper but I have to admit that it is irresistibly good especially for those who love a strong aroma and heavy aftertaste. The savoury taste is well-infused into the scallop without overwhelming its natural sweetness. Smoky from the grill, the taste of sea was further boasted by the seasonings. Scallops were juicy but a lil too tiny. 4 sticks were not enough, we should have ordered more!

Golden Scallops 黄金干貝燒
Location: Fengjia Night Market (逢甲夜市)
Address: Fengjia Rd., Xitun Dist., Taichung City 407, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
Directions:
By Bus :
1. From Taichung Train Station(台中火車站), take TCBus(台中客運) number 35, exit Fengchia University (逢甲大學) to reach.
2. From High Speed Rail Station (高鐵臺中站), take shuttle bus number 160 towards Chinese Overseas University (僑光科技大學) and alight at Feng Chia University (逢甲大學). The bus ride is free for HSR passengers with the receipt, so do remember to keep your HSR receipts to enjoy this.

11. Big Sausage Wrap Small Sausage 大腸包小腸

Right next to Feng Chia University (逢甲大學), several stalls sell this famous item and this store attracted long queues of patrons, more than all the rest. This snack looks almost like the hotdog bun, except that the Chinese sausage is wrapped within glutinous rice. The Da Chang Bao Xiao Chang 大腸包小腸 is topped with lettuce, salted vegetables, a generous amount of garlic which makes it such a flavourful snack. You get to choose from different flavours, ranging from original to spicy, black pepper and even wasabi! Carb-loaded glutinous rice with an oily sausage seems to worth so much calories but when holidaying in Taiwan, who cares about diet?!?!

Location: Fengjia Night Market (逢甲夜市)
Address: Fengjia Rd., Xitun Dist., Taichung City 407, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
Directions:
By Bus :
1. From Taichung Train Station(臺中火車站), take TCBus(臺中客運) number 35, exit Fengchia University (逢甲大學) to reach.
2. From High Speed Rail Station (高鐵臺中站), take shuttle bus number 160 towards Chinese Overseas University (僑光科技大學) and alight at Feng Chia University (逢甲大學). The bus ride is free for HSR passengers with the receipt, so do remember to keep your HSR receipts to enjoy this.

12. Rib Eye Roll Beef

These beef slices were tender and so juicy! Priced so affordably, this dish was certainly a delight! It can be found in many night markets, but I tried this at Fengjia Night Market (逢甲夜市). I remembered trying a better one at Raohe Night market.

Location: Fengjia Night Market (逢甲夜市)
Address: Fengjia Rd., Xitun Dist., Taichung City 407, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
Directions:
By Bus :
1. From Taichung Train Station(臺中火車站), take TCBus(臺中客運) number 35, exit Fengchia University (逢甲大學) to reach.
2. From High Speed Rail Station (高鐵臺中站), take shuttle bus number 160 towards Chinese Overseas University (僑光科技大學) and alight at Feng Chia University (逢甲大學). The bus ride is free for HSR passengers with the receipt, so do remember to keep your HSR receipts to enjoy this.

Location: Raohe Night Market (饒河街觀光夜市)
Directions:
By Metro (捷運):
Take the Green Line to the Songshan station(松山站) and look for exit 5. The night market entrance is just to the right across the street next to the Ciyou Temple (慈祐宮).
By Train
From Taipei Main Station, take to Songshan Station (松山站), then locate MRT exit 5.

13. Railway Bento 臺灣鐵路便當
The Railway Bento is served in a paper bento box accompanied with a huge piece of pork cutlet, braised hard boiled egg, fried shishamo, fish cake and steamed vegetables. A great and filling meal to fuel your tummy while on a trip on their trains.

14. Peanut Ice Cream 花生捲冰淇淋

This shop encourages photo-taking by having a mock-up of their ice-cream roll for you to snap pictures! Taro ice cream sprinkled with grounded peanut candy, maltose and cilantro wrapped in handmade popiah skin make this dessert sound weird. But this combination turned out to be so yummy, making it my favourite dessert out of all Taiwan snacks. However, do remember to ask the staff to remove the cilantro, it was too strong for my liking.

A-Zhu Peanut Ice Cream Roll 九份阿珠雪在燒
Location: Jiufen 九份
Directions: From Taipei Railway Station (臺北火車站), take train to Rui Fang (瑞芳). The journey is about 20 minutess. Upon reaching the station, look for the black sign that heads towards Jiu Fen (往九份). It is relatively easy, just follow the crowd. After exiting the station, cross the street to the bus stop next to the Welcome (顶好) Supermarket and board the Keelung Transit bus towards Jiufen (九份).

15. Taiwan Sun Biscuits 奶油太陽鉼

The crust texture of Lee Yi’s Sun Biscuits is flaky but smooth with a buttery taste. The chewy maltose fillings of the biscuits are not overly sweet and every bite is a smooth blend of crust and filling. This is definitely one of Taiwan’s best food souvenirs and I always lug several boxes back to Singapore from each Taiwan trip.

Le Cake Shop (李儀餅店)
Website/官網： http://www.lecake.com.tw/
Jiufen Main Shop
Address:  Ruifang Township, Taipei Country (opposite of 7-11)
Opening Hours:
Weekdays: 09:00 – 18:30
Weekends: 09:00 – 20:00
Taipei Branch
Address: Taipei Main Station, Underground Mall, Unit 11-2B
Directions: It is located at the underground mall of Taipei Main Station. Look for unit #11-2B which is near to Z3 and Z6 exit.
Opening Hours: 10:00 – 20:30

16. Coffin Bread 棺材板

This interestingly-named item is a a popular street snack similar to french toasts or bread bowl soups. The Coffin Bread is one of the signature dishes from Tainan and it was named this way because of its shape. The snack will have the centre portion of the deep-fried thick toast removed and filled with plentiful of ingredients and sauce! I tried the Coffin Bread from at Ziqiang Night Market (自強夜市) which was at Hualien (花蓮). The Seafood Stew Coffin Board (南瓜海鲜) comes with a mix of succulent prawns and fresh squid with tasty pumpkin broth stuffed in the deep-fried buttery bread.

Ziqiang Night Market (自強夜市)
Location: Hualien 花蓮
Address: Ziqiang Rd, Ji’an Township, Hualien County, Taiwan 973

Despite being a food paradise, Taiwan is also known as a shopping heaven. On top of that, for people who wish to unwind and have a relaxing holiday, Taiwan also offers places with absolutely breathtaking landscapes such as Hualien and Cingjing.

I hope this post has been beneficial for you and I wish you a safe and pleasant trip to Taiwan!

Have lots of fun, foodies! <3

With lots of love,
Xue Wei
Instagram: @anaffairwithfood
Facebook: An Affair With Food

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Xue Wei

A foodie at heart, Xue Wei’s passion for food and travel translates to her daily snippets of her affairs on this website and Instagram. She enjoys quality family time and hopes to fulfil her dream to travel around the world with her loved ones.

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