A Guide to the Best Night Markets in Taipei

A lot of the Asian countries are known for night markets full of delicious food but Taipei has one of the highest concentrations and some of the best night markets in Asia. It can be daunting figuring out which of the night markets in Taipei are worth visiting but don’t worry, this guide has got you covered including MUST try food at each market!

WHAT IS TAIWAN’S NIGHT MARKET FAMOUS FOR?

The night markets sell absolutely everything and anything, but they are most famous for xiaochi, which means “small eats”. There’s so much delicious food at the night markets that you definitely won’t go hungry! Apart from food the night markets also sell a lot of electronics, gadgets and clothes.

WHAT TIME ARE THE NIGHT MARKETS IN TAIPEI?

The night markets usually run from 4pm – 11pm but the times vary depending on the market. Also they aren’t open every single day so make sure to check beforehand to avoid disappoint. I’d avoid going too late as some food stalls close early, especially the more popular ones once they run out of food.

BEST NIGHT MARKETS IN TAIPEI

1. SHILIN NIGHT MARKET

This is known as Taipei’s largest and most famous night market and because of this it is one of the most “touristy” ones. However, even though there are a lot of tourists, the food is still incredible and you’ll find many locals flocking here to enjoy it, especially as it is so cheap! The market was first located in the square in front of Shilin Cixian Temple, but it then developed into a permanent building structure across from the temple in 1913. It’s been renovated over time as the market was falling apart and in 2011 an underground food court was built, although this food court is under renovation until mid-2024. However, the market is still buzzing and the streets are filled with so many different food stalls and semi-permanent establishments that you can end up spending hours here.

Whilst there are lots of places to shop here for clothes and electronics, the main reason you’re really here is for the food! There are some favourite eats at the market which will undoubtedly have a long (but quick) queue, and I highly recommend making sure to visit these! There are also some lesser known food stalls which we stumbled upon – in my opinion don’t just stick to the stalls listed on all the blogs, make sure to explore and try new ones that stand out to you!

Some of the food stalls we tried include:

  • Hot Star Fried Chicken: this is the most-known stall in Shilin Market and there will be a large queue but it moves really quickly. The stall is located right opposite the Shilin Market entrance sign on one of the corners of the market. The chicken is delicious and you can either get the normal one or the spicy one, but of course we naturally opted for the spicy one (being Indian and all) and it was so good! You only need one between 2 people as they are huge, plus you need to keep space for all the other food.
  • Teppanyaki: this is not one listed on the other travel blogs and we decided to try it out as it looked and smelt amazing. It was next door to Hot Star Fried Chicken and doesn’t have a name in English but check out the picture to see what it looks like (you can’t really miss it). I loved that you could just sit in an open establishment and have a proper no-frills teppanyaki meal all at the cost of less than £10 pp. They love their beansprouts and cabbage here and these are complimentary so no need to buy it as a side (they give generous servings too). They also have a selection of meat and fish, but also tofu and vegetables in case you’re vegetarian – we had a mixture of both and it did not disappoint. Honestly, this was the best stall at Shilin Night Market in my opinion!
  • Blowtorched steak: You will see this at most night markets and it’s worth trying out at least once. Even at Shilin Market there are a few stalls selling this, but because I was starving when I got to the market I went to the very first one by the entrance. You can choose different seasonings (I went for teriyaki), and either a small or large size, and it takes around 10 minutes to cook as it was done to order. Note that not all stalls do this and will have a massive batch already pre-cooked – I would avoid these stalls!
  • Pork Pepper Buns: If you don’t have time to go to Raohe Street Night Market then try a pork pepper bun at Shilin Market (they apparently have the same stall as Raohe Street Market but we couldn’t find it). However, if you are going to be visiting Raohe Street Night Market, trust me and wait until there to have the pork pepper bun (see below for more details).
  • Stinky Tofu: I could not bring myself to try this and the smell was too much for me (it really does fill the atmosphere and you can smell it all around) BUT Taiwan is known for stinky tofu, so if you want to try something very local this is it! There are lots of stalls selling this so just take your pick.
  • Bubble Tea: You can’t go to Taiwan without trying bubble tea! There will be a lot of stalls selling this but also right opposite the market entrance you’ll see a few shops in a row selling bubble tea (more “upscale” than the market stalls but also means more variety in flavours). The brown sugar pearl tea was my absolute favourite but they also had other flavours like matcha. It’s the best way to end your food market experience in my opinion!
Hot Star Fried Chicken
Teppanyaki Stall

How To Get Here: Getting to Shilin Night Market is easy where you can take the MRT to Jiantan Station. From the station it’s a 5-10 minute walk and there are signs for the market that you can follow.

2. RAOHE STREET NIGHT MARKET

This was by far my favourite market simply because of the pork pepper buns! Unlike Shilin Night Market which covers a few different streets and has an underground food court, Raohe Street Night Market spans across one long street, which food stalls set up in the middle and also on the sides. This makes it a bit narrow to walk down especially with the crowds, but it’s all part of the fun and atmosphere, just be prepared that it will be chaotic! It’s also next door to Songshan Ciyou Temple which is beautiful from the outside and worth a visit either before or after the market.

The absolute MUST EAT is the Fuzhou pork pepper buns! You can’t really miss this stall as it is just inside of the main entrance and will have a massive queue (the queue moves very quickly). Warning: The buns are piping hot so make sure to let it cool down a bit before you burn your tongue (trust me, I made this mistake and it was not fun!). The buns are stuffed pork, green onions, and black pepper, and then put a charcoal-fired clay and brick oven to be cooked to perfection, with a crisp outside and juicy inside! We loved these so much that we ended up going back for another!

Another few of our favourite stalls were:

  • Taro balls: There’s a few stalls selling these but the most popular is Lao Yu Zai’s Taro Balls, which is towards the end of the games street, on the left and it has a purple sign. You’ll find sweet and savoury versions, and the locals often have it in the form of a dessert, but the stalls sell stuffed taro balls with cheese or pork or other stuffings as well.
  • King Oyster Mushrooms: Towards the far end of the street, nearly by the other entrance, there is a stall selling king oyster mushrooms with various seasonings. The queue again is long but the mushrooms are delicious and worth the wait!
  • Thai Banana Roti: I was obsessed with these rotis when I was travelling around Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. They are essentially crispy-ish pancakes filled with banana, Nutella and condensed milk and they are an absolute treat! I had mine without bananas as I don’t really like them and it was still delicious. Luckily, there was a stall (near to the mushroom stall) selling these and they did not disappoint!
  • Teppanyaki: The teppanyaki stall here has an indoor restaurant too and it is near to the thai banana roti stall and the 7/11. It’s not as good as the Shilin Market one but was still delicious.
King Oyster Mushrooms Stall

How To Get Here: To get to Raohe Night Market, get the MRT to Songshan MRT station and take exit 5. It’s pretty close by and you will spot the temple once you take the exit. If in doubt just follow the crowds!

3. NINGXIA NIGHT MARKET

This is a very traditional and more local market compared to Shilin Market and Raohe Street Night Market. It also has a fascinating history, where during the Japanese colonial period this area used to be a park where food stands started to gather inside the park. Over time and during the war it was rebuilt into water storage and the food stalls stopped, but post-war the market started to grow again until the fire broke out which meant it stopped yet again. However, the Government spent a lot of time rebuilding this and the old market finally was replaced by the Ningxia Night Market.

As it is a more traditional market it means the food is more traditional, and there are a lot of items you’ve probably never heard of before. We didn’t actually try very much at this market but here are some stalls recommended to us. Most of them are very local cuisine selling animal parts that I just wasn’t brave enough to try!

Thai Banana Roti
  • Liu Yu Zi: This is where you’ll find the best taro balls in Taipei, or so we were told. They’ve been continuously rated time and time again so they are definitely worth the try! It’s also probably the mildest form of local Taiwanese food you’ll find at this market.
  • Rong’s pork liver: This place is famous for the pork liver soup. It smelt delicious but I chickened out of trying it as I am not the biggest pork fan.
  • Lai Ji Oyster Omelette: You might have never have guessed from the name but this place sells oyster omelettes. These were very popular in all of the Taiwan night markets we visited and reminded me a lot of the Japanese dish okonomiyaki!
  • Niu Mama: This stall has been going strong for 60 odd years and sells a variety of beef dishes, including beef liver and heart. But don’t worry they also sell parts of the beef you may be more used to trying!
  • Zhi Gao Rice: The main focus of this stall is rice with meat. It has various rice dishes but its most famous one is pork trotter rice.
  • Lin Ji Spicy Stinky Tofu: The smell of stinky tofu was just too much for me that I couldn’t bring myself to try it. It’s an extremely strong and pungent smell that you just can’t get away from at the night markets as they sell stinky tofu EVERYWHERE! We met some people who tried it and said it tastes how it smells…so take from that what you will!

How To Get Here: The easiest way to get here is by MRT to Shuanglian MRT stop. At Shuanglian, walk out of Exit 1 and head west down Minsheng Road for about 15 minutes until you reach Ning Xia Road, where you’ll see the start of the market.

4. HUAXI NIGHT MARKET

We didn’t make it to this market but it was recommended to us by the hotel and is a good option if it is raining as it is covered. The Huaxi Night Market is also known as Snake Alley, and is located in the oldest district in Taipei, Wanhua District. It’s close by to the Bangka Lungshan Temple which you should absolutely visit! The reason it is also known as Snake Alley is because a number of the stalls used to serve snake meat which was eventually banned by the government so you won’t find any there now. However, you will find your typical Taiwanese food but also some things you would have never of seen elsewhere like turtle blood (god knows why they sell this!).

How To Get Here: This is a very easy market to get to and is only a few minutes walk from Bangka Lungshan Temple. You get the MRT to Longshan Temple and then take exit 1.

5. XIMENDING NIGHT MARKET

Most of the night markets are known for their food but this night market is actually known for clothing! It’s been dubbed as the “Harajuku of Taipei” and has a number of fashion shops, boutiques, and department stores. Don’t worry, you can also get street food here from your typical stinky tofu and oyster omelettes to more international dishes like fried chicken.

How To Get Here: It couldn’t be easier to get to Ximending Night Market where you can just get the MRT to Ximending Station and the market will be right outside.

WHICH NIGHT MARKET IS BETTER IN TAIPEI?

If you google which is the better night market in Taipei most results will say Shilin Night Market. BUT in my opinion it’s Raohe Night Market! The pork pepper buns here are absolutely to die for, plus there’s plenty of other amazing food stalls here as mentioned above. However, you can’t really go wrong with either option and to be honest each market has its star dishes, so really it comes down to personal preferences on which you think is better!

IS SHILIN OR RAOHE BETTER?

RAOHE street night market! But again this is based on personal preference. If you can, go to both, that way you won’t miss out.

IS NINGXIA NIGHT MARKET WORTH VISITING?

Ningxia night market is worth the visit especially if you want to try Taiwanese local food. However, the food isn’t for everyone and there are some questionable animal parts on the menu which I was not adventurous enough to try!

WHAT IS THE MOST POPULAR MARKET IN TAIWAN?

Again if you google this, it will say Shilin Night Market is the most popular market in Taiwan but I think this is slowly changing, especially post-Covid. When I visited in 2023, Raohe Night Market was much more busy than Shilin Night Market and also the atmosphere was a lot better. However, it is down to personal preference and to be honest you can’t really go wrong with any of the night markets you visit in Taiwan as they all have incredible food!

MORE ON TAIWAN

For more information and inspiration for your Taiwan trip check out my other blog posts on Taiwan:

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13 responses to “A Guide to the Best Night Markets in Taipei”

  12. I love street food. The Taipei night markets look great for this. So many different international delicacies.

    Reply

  13. One of my favourite things to do in a new city is to visit markets, including night markets as they are so colourful, full of life with many great things to buy. And the food options are so good! Looks like i will be busy every night at a night market in Taipei!

    Reply

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