Taipei is the capital of Taiwan, a dense and walkable city of night markets, hot springs, temples, and mountain trails set in a basin ringed by green hills. Its skyline is anchored by Taipei 101, while the National Palace Museum holds one of the world's great collections of Chinese imperial art. Taipei pairs an efficient metro, a famously food-obsessed street culture, and easy access to hot springs and tea-growing hills within the city limits.
Taipei's cuisine blends Hokkien and Hakka home cooking with the Chinese regional food brought by post-1949 migrants, producing beef noodle soup, xiaolongbao, lu rou fan (braised pork rice), oyster omelettes, salty soybean milk breakfasts and bubble tea. Night markets are the city's main dining stage, while Din Tai Fung and Michelin-listed shops set the restaurant standard.
Must-try dishes
Iconic dishes that define Taipei.
Beef Noodle Soup
Braised beef with wheat noodles in red-braised or clear broth
Where to try: Yong Kang Beef Noodles, Lin Dong Fang
Price: TWD 200-450 (USD 6-14)
Xiaolongbao
Thin-skinned steamed soup dumplings
Where to try: Din Tai Fung Xinyi
Price: TWD 250-450 (USD 8-14)
Lu Rou Fan
Minced or sliced braised pork over rice
Where to try: Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice
Price: TWD 40-150 (USD 1-5)
Oyster Omelette
Eggs, oysters and starch sauce fried on a griddle
Where to try: Ningxia and Shilin night markets
Price: TWD 60-100 (USD 2-3)
Salty Soybean Milk
Warm soybean milk curdled with vinegar and served with fried dough
Where to try: Fuhang Soybean Milk
Price: TWD 30-80 (USD 1-3)
Mango Shaved Ice
Shaved milk ice with fresh mango, seasonal May-September
Where to try: Smoothie House, Yongkang Street
Price: TWD 200-300 (USD 6-9)
Top restaurants
Handpicked picks for the best dining experiences.
Din Tai Fung Xinyi Flagship
The original Din Tai Fung shop on Xinyi Road grew from a cooking-oil retailer into the world's best-known xiaolongbao house, and the Michelin-listed kitchen still folds each dumpling with 18 pleats.
Known for: Taiwanese - xiaolongbao; known for pork xiaolongbao
No. 194, Section 2, Xinyi Road, Da'an District, Taipei 106
Din Tai Fung Taipei 101
A large branch in the basement of the Taipei 101 mall that serves the same xiaolongbao and noodle menu with a shorter wait than the Xinyi Road original.
Known for: Taiwanese - xiaolongbao; known for pork xiaolongbao
B1, Taipei 101 Mall, No. 45, Shifu Road, Xinyi District, Taipei 110
Yong Kang Beef Noodles
A Bib Gourmand-recognised shop just off Yongkang Street that has served Taipei-style braised beef noodle soup since 1963 in a rich, spicy broth.
Known for: Taiwanese - beef noodle soup; known for beef noodle soup (half tendon, half meat)
No. 17, Lane 31, Section 2, Jinshan South Road, Da'an District, Taipei 106
Fuhang Soybean Milk
A second-floor breakfast hall near Shandao Temple known for warm salty soybean milk, thick egg pancakes (dan bing) and sesame flatbread with fried dough; queues start before 7AM.
Known for: Taiwanese - breakfast; known for salty soybean milk (xian doujiang)
2F, No. 108, Section 1, Zhongxiao East Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei 100
Raohe Street Night Market
A 600-metre lantern-lit lane beside Songshan Station, ending at Ciyou Temple, with about 100 stalls selling pepper buns, herbal pork-rib soup, stinky tofu and grilled skewers.
Known for: Taiwanese - street food; known for fuzhou pepper buns
Raohe Street, Songshan District, Taipei 105
Fuzhou Shizu Pepper Bun
A famous stall at the entrance of Raohe Street Night Market that bakes black-pepper pork buns against the wall of a clay drum oven; the queue moves quickly.
Known for: Taiwanese - baked buns; known for black-pepper pork bun
Near No. 249, Raohe Street, Songshan District, Taipei 105
Ningxia Night Market
A short, compact market in Datong District often praised for old-style Taiwanese snacks such as oyster omelettes, taro balls and fried chicken, and one of the few markets where locals dominate.
Known for: Taiwanese - traditional snacks; known for oyster omelette
Ningxia Road, Datong District, Taipei 103
Shilin Night Market
Taipei's largest and most visited night market, with a food hall in the Shilin Market basement and streets of stalls selling giant fried chicken, oyster vermicelli and sausage.
Known for: Taiwanese - street food; known for giant fried chicken cutlet
No. 101, Jihe Road, Shilin District, Taipei 111
Restaurants by cuisine
Browse picks grouped by cuisine type.
Taiwanese
Tonghua (Linjiang Street) Night Market
A long, bright market in Da'an District reached from Xinyi Anhe MRT, known for stalls selling grilled quail, Taiwanese-style skewers and fresh fruit.
Known for: Taiwanese - street food; known for stinky tofu
Tonghua Street, Da'an District, Taipei 106
Ay-Chung Flour-Rice Noodle
A standing-room stall near Ximending famous for a thick bowl of oyster-and-pork-intestine flour-rice noodles (mian xian) that is a Taipei snack institution.
Known for: Taiwanese - noodle; known for flour-rice noodle (mian xian) with pork intestine
No. 8-1, Emei Street, Wanhua District, Taipei 108
Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice
A Bib Gourmand-listed rice shop near Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall serving sliced braised pork on rice and a set menu of side dishes.
Known for: Taiwanese - lu rou fan; known for braised pork rice (lu rou fan)
No. 10, Section 1, Roosevelt Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei 100
Lin Dong Fang Beef Noodle Shop
One of Taipei's best-known beef noodle shops, with a clear or red-braised broth and handmade noodles since the 1970s; popular with taxi drivers and office workers.
Known for: Taiwanese - beef noodle soup; known for red-braised beef noodles
No. 274, Section 2, Bade Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei 104
Smoothie House (Si Mu Xi)
A Yongkang Street dessert shop known for mango shaved ice; a bowl is heaped with fresh mango and milk ice and is sized to share.
Known for: Taiwanese - shaved ice; known for mango snow ice
No. 15, Yongkang Street, Da'an District, Taipei 106
Lan Jia Gua Bao
A small stall-style shop near National Taiwan University serving Taiwan's braised-pork bao (gua bao) with peanut powder and pickled greens; listed by the Michelin Guide's Bib Gourmand.
Known for: Taiwanese - gua bao; known for gua bao (pork belly bun)
No. 3, Lane 316, Section 3, Roosevelt Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei 100
Chia Te Bakery
A bakery in Songshan that serves the pastry Taipei is best known for, the pineapple cake, in a buttery shell and pineapple-and-winter-melon filling; sells gift boxes.
Known for: Taiwanese - pineapple cake; known for pineapple cake
No. 88, Section 5, Nanjing East Road, Songshan District, Taipei 105
Chinese
Le Palais
A three-Michelin-star restaurant on the top floor of Palais de Chine Hotel that serves refined Cantonese plates such as Peking duck and roasted goose in a dining room decorated with ancient screens.
Known for: Cantonese and Chinese; known for peking duck
17F, No. 3, Section 1, Chengde Road, Datong District, Taipei 103
Taiwanese And Shanghainese
Kao Chi Restaurant
A long-running restaurant on Yongkang Street serving Jiangzhe and Taiwanese dishes, including drunken chicken, salted duck and stir-fried water spinach, with many small plates for groups.
Known for: Taiwanese and Shanghainese; known for drunken chicken
No. 28, Yongkang Street, Da'an District, Taipei 106
Taiwanese Tea
Wisteria Tea House (Zi Teng Lu)
A traditional tea house in a former Japanese-era house, once a gathering place for Taiwanese writers, with tea served by the pot and snacks such as pineapple cake.
Known for: Taiwanese tea; known for oolong tea by the pot
No. 1, Lane 16, Section 3, Xinsheng South Road, Da'an District, Taipei 106
Street food
Local flavours at affordable prices.
Pepper Bun (Hu Jiao Bing)
Pork bun baked in a clay oven
Find it at: Raohe Street Night Market
Stinky Tofu
Fermented tofu, fried or steamed
Find it at: Shilin, Raohe and Tonghua night markets
Flour-Rice Noodle (Mian Xian)
Thin noodle in thick broth with oyster or pork intestine
Find it at: Ay-Chung, Ximending
Bubble Tea
Milk tea with tapioca pearls, invented in Taiwan
Find it at: Shops across the city
Food markets
Where locals shop and graze.
Shilin Night Market
Largest night market, with an underground food hall
Hours: Daily about 4PM-midnight
Raohe Street Night Market
Lantern-lit lane near Songshan Station
Hours: Daily 5PM-midnight
Ningxia Night Market
Compact market for traditional snacks
Hours: Daily 5PM-midnight
Tonghua Night Market
Local Da'an market on Tonghua Street
Hours: Daily 6PM-1AM
Dining etiquette & tips
Navigate the local food scene confidently.
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- Vegetarian
- Excellent - Buddhist vegetarian buffets (su shi) are common, and 'su' on a sign means vegetarian; watch for fish sauce and pork lard at stalls
- Halal
- Limited; a few halal restaurants around Taipei Grand Mosque
- Gluten free
- Difficult - soy sauce and wheat noodles are ubiquitous
Food budget guide
What to expect at different price points.
| Level | Price | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | TWD 100-250 per meal (USD 3-8) | Night-market stalls, breakfast shops, lu rou fan |
| Mid-range | TWD 300-700 per meal (USD 9-22) | Din Tai Fung, beef noodle shops, Yongkang Street restaurants |
| Upscale | TWD 2,500+ per meal (USD 79+) | Michelin-starred Cantonese and modern Taiwanese fine dining |