25 Tasty Restaurants to Visit in Taipei
It’s the best Taiwanese breakfast place in the city!
“Where should I go for Taiwanese breakfast in Taipei?“ “Fu Hang Soy Milk! It’s the best Taiwanese breakfast place in the city! Everyone knows that.”
Address: No. 25號, Lane 49, Chifeng St, Guangneng Village, Datong District, Taipei City, Taiwan 10353 Operating Hours: Wed-Mon, 11:30AM-7:30PM (ceased trading Tuesdays) Zhongshan District, particularly the area around Chifeng Street, is one of the coolest neighborhoods in Taipei. As much as I love abalone and seafood, the noodles and chicken were so good that I’ll probably skip the more luxurious options and order this instead on our next trip back to Taipei.
Address: No. 67號, Luoyang St, Fuxing Village, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108 Like beef noodle soup, lu rou fan, or braised pork rice, is one of Taiwan’s signature dishes. Speaking of night trades and deliciousness, be sure to check out our article on the best night markets in Taipei for more recommendations on where to find good cheap food in the city.
Address: No. 1號, Lane 6, Yongkang St, Yongkang Village, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106 As its name hints, this next restaurant specializes in a dish called bawan, which translates to “crystal meatball“. This was our first time trying bawan, and it was interesting to learn that it was created in 1898 as food for disaster relief. Address: No. 7號, Lane 39, Tonghua St, Tonghua Village, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106 Din Tai Fung is the most internationally famous restaurant on this list.
They make it with the thinnest of wrappers, and every xiao long bao that comes out of their kitchen has eighteen pleats and weighs exactly 21 grams. There are several Din Tai Fung restaurants in Taipei, but we always go to the Taipei 101 branch. It’s located in the building’s basement and, like many of the restaurants on this list, expect a line when you go there.
Address: 110, Taiwan, Taipei City, Xinyi District, Xicun Village, City Hall Rd, 45號B1 We of late discovered the magic of Moon Moon on our most recent trip to Taipei. Address: 100, Taiwan, Taipei City, Zhongzheng District, Xingfu Village, 杭州南路一段27號 Operating Hours: Wed-Sun, 11:30AM-2PM, 5:30-9PM (shut down Mon-Tue) Like beef noodle soup and lu rou fan, hot pot or shabu shabu is a core Taiwanese dish. Address: 106, Taiwan, Taipei City, Da’an District, Ren’ai Village, Section 1, Da’an Rd, 135號B1 Another great hot pot restaurant to consider in Taipei is Wulao.
Address: 100, Taiwan, Taipei City, Zhongzheng District, Guangfu Village, Section 1, Zhonghua Rd, 55號2F Weekend Chicken Club has to be the coolest fried chicken joint we’ve ever been to. Address: No. 74號, Section 2, Keelung Rd, Zhongxing Village, Xinyi District, Taipei City, Taiwan 110 Operating Hours: Wed-Sun, 5PM-1:30AM (closed Mon-Tue) Thanks in part to Taiwan’s shared history with Japan, Japanese food is among the most common – and arguably the most ubiquitous – type of international cuisine in Taiwan.
We’ve been lucky to enjoy pizzas in some of the most famous hotspots around the world, and the pizza at this tiny takeaway shop is one of the best we’ve tried so far. It doesn’t explicitly say it on the menu, but I believe this may be The Clover’s take on vegetarian braised pork, but instead of rice, they serve it on a bed of noodles.
Address: 1樓, No. 99號, Kunming St, Ximen Village, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108 I go running every morning. The vegetarian pan-fried buns from this takeaway-only stall were my go-to recovery snack. Address: No. 63號, Yongkang St, Jin’an Village, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106 What’s the oddest dish you’ve encountered at a Taiwanese night marketplace?
Address: No. 31號, Lane 39, Tonghua St, Tonghua Village, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106 Located in Ximending, Crispy Milk Donuts is one of those viral food stalls that deserves to be on every donut lover’s Taipei itinerary. Address: 1樓 79攤, No. 92號, Section 4, Roosevelt Rd, Shuiyuan Village, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100 Operating Hours: Tue-Sat, 10AM-6PM / Sun, 10:30AM-6PM (ceased trading Mondays) To help you find the restaurants recommended in this Taipei food guide, I’ve pinned them all on this map.
TAIPEI RESTAURANTS QUICK LINKS
To help you with your Taipei trip planning, we’ve compiled links to top-rated hotels, tours, and other travel-related services here.
HOTELS
Recommended hotels in Ximending, one of the most convenient to stay for first-time visitors to Taipei.
TOURS & ACTIVITIES
OTHER SERVICES
TAIPEI TRAVEL GUIDE
Visiting Taipei for the first time? Be sure to check out our detailed Taipei travel guide . It’ll have all the information you need – like where to stay, which attractions to visit, how to get around, etc. – to help you plan your trip.
THE BEST RESTAURANTS IN TAIPEI
To help organize this guide, I’ve categorized the restaurants by the type of food they serve. You can click on the links to jump to any section of the guide. I’ve also pinned each restaurant’s location to a map at the end of this article.
TAIWANESE BREAKFAST
1. Gan Mei Alley
Fu Hang Soy Milk is easily the most-visited Taiwanese breakfast place in Taipei, at least among foreign tourists. It’s super popular with lines often snaking around the block. While they do serve tasty examples of soy milk, egg pancakes, and youtiao, Fu Hang is hardly the only breakfast spot worth waking up for in Taipei. I find Gan Mei Alley to be just as good, if not better. Plus, I never had to worry about dozens of early risers waiting ahead of me in line.
TRAVELEATER DEALS
Going on a trip soon? Enjoy up to 50% off on selected experiences and activities with Klook and Get Your Guide . Click on the links for a list of discounts, promo codes, and limited-time offers. Gan Mei offers a good range of Taiwanese breakfast staples like radish cake, steamed buns, soup dumplings, and Taiwanese omelette. You can order a la carte, but I like to get one of their combo meals. Pictured below is the Combo D – it consists of Taiwanese radish cake, a basil and cheese Chinese omelette, and a glass of either soy milk or black tea . The radish cake and omelette were tasty, but this steamed mantou with creamy cheese and egg made me do the happy dance. It’s delicious. Gan Mei Alley is conveniently located in Ximending. I’ve read that a crowd can form outside the restaurant, but never to the degree at Fu Hang.
Gan Mei Alley
Address: No. 130號, Kunming St, Ximen Village, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108 Operating Hours: Wed-Thurs, 7AM-2:30PM, 5-9PM / Fri-Sat, 7AM-11:30PM / Sun, 7-9PM / Mon, 7AM-2:30PM, 5-8:30PM (ceased trading Tuesdays)
TAIWANESE/CHINESE FOOD
2. 面線町
Mee sua with oysters and pork intestines is one of our favorite Taiwanese street foods. Ay-Chung has never disappointed us, but there are other places you can visit that may be better. 面線町, located along trendy Chifeng Street in Zhongshan District, is one of them. Like Ay-Chung, 面線町 offers just one dish on its menu – mee sua or vermicelli. It’s topped with any combination of oysters, pork intestines, chicken meatballs, squid, and fish crackers . Being “everything-but-the-kitchen-sink” type of eaters, we got our bowls fully loaded. Here’s a picture with every ingredient in clear view. These mee sua bowls are delicious and absolutely overflowing with elements. 面線町 is a tiny restaurant with just five or six counter seats and one container drum table for two. It’s popular, so I suggest arriving 15-20 minutes before first day to minimize the wait. If I remember correctly, we got there half a
面線町
Address: No. 25號, Lane 49, Chifeng St, Guangneng Village, Datong District, Taipei City, Taiwan 10353 Operating Hours: Wed-Mon, 11:30AM-7:30PM (ceased trading Tuesdays)
3. 螺螄福Rose Food正宗柳州螺螄粉
Zhongshan District, particularly the area around Chifeng Street, is one of the coolest neighborhoods in Taipei. It’s a great neighborhood to wander around in aimlessly, looking for trendy boutiques, cafes, and hidden restaurants. One of the places we stumbled upon was Rose Food, a small restaurant known for serving luosifen , or Guangxi-style snail rice noodles . We weren’t familiar with this dish until we saw it here, but what piqued our attention was its use of river snails. The dish gets its name from its soup base, which is prepared by slow-cooking river snails, pork bones, Sichuan peppercorns, and an assortment of Chinese medicinal herbs for at least three hours. The finished dish isn’t served with any snails, but the broth does boast a distinctly pungent, earthy savor that’s at once spicy, sour, savory, and aromatic. What you’re looking at below is the soup version, but they do of
螺螄福Rose Food正宗柳州螺螄粉
Address: No. 14-1號, Chifeng St, 大同區 Datong District, Taipei City, Taiwan 103 Operating Hours: 11AM-9:30PM, daily
4. 華承軒 麵館
We’re simple people. When we see “hand-pulled noodles” on a restaurant’s menu, we don’t ask any questions – we just go. And when a restaurant makes its own hand-pulled wide noodles, well, that’s doubly appealing. 華承軒 麵館 offers five types of noodle soup, ranging from relatively simple options to more luxurious bowls. Pictured below is the abalone and fish maw chicken soup noodles . Made with more premium components served in a rich and surprisingly flavorful broth, it may not look like much, but my god, was this delicious. I ordered this version mainly for the abalone, but it turned out to be the least interesting part of the dish. The thick, chewy noodles were the real star , as were the pieces of chicken, which caught me by surprise. They were tender and fragrant with the most wonderful texture. Here’s a closer look at the fish maw . If you’ve never had it before, it has a slippery, ge
華承軒 麵館
Address: No. 136號, Section 1, Zhongshan N Rd, Min’an Village, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 104001 Operating Hours: 11:30AM-3PM, 5:30-10PM, daily
5. Lao Shan Dong Homemade Noodles
Researching the best beef noodle soup in Taipei is an impossible task. Like finding the best laska in Singapore , every local has a strong opinion on who makes the best, and they’ll defend it to the death (at least from behind a keyboard). Without a clear number one, you’ll find over half a dozen eateries with some claim to having the best beef noodle soup in Taipei. We’ve tried many of these places over the years, and have come to find our own personal favorites. Lao Shan Dong is one of them. This humble eatery tucked away in the basement of a building in Ximending prepares its bowls with tender chunks of beef and the most delicious homemade noodles. Served in a deep and savory broth, these flat noodles are a big reason why we enjoyed this version so much. The portions are pretty good too. A Michelin-recommended restaurant for the last eight or nine years, Lao Shan Dong may be hidden in
Lao Shan Dong Homemade Noodles
Address: 108, Taiwan, Taipei City, Wanhua District, Ximen Village, Xining Rd, 70號B1之15室 Operating Hours: 10:30AM-9:30PM, daily
6. Fuhong Beef Noodles
Lao Shan Dong may be our favorite, but Fuhong isn’t too far behind. It’s another often-recommended contender for best beef noodle soup in Taipei. Unlike Lao Shan Dong, Fuhong offers diners a choice between two types of noodles – wide and knife-cut (similar to Lao Shan Dong), or a thinner, medium-thick version as pictured below. Both are delicious, though we personally prefer the wide, knife-cut noodles. We found the broth at Fuhong to be a little less pronounced than the bowls at Lao Shan Dong, but that may be by design. Within easy reach on every table is a set of condiments – pickled sour mustard, chili oil, black vinegar, raw garlic, tallow, and spiced tallow. Much like the choice of noodles, Fuhong gives you plenty of ways to customize your bowl and make it your own. The orange globs you see below are tallow , or rendered beef fat . Dense, rich, and wonderfully indulgent, they add an
Fuhong Beef Noodles
Address: No. 67號, Luoyang St, Fuxing Village, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108 Operating Hours: Open 24 hours
7. Wang’s Broth
Like beef noodle soup, lu rou fan , or braised pork rice , is one of Taiwan’s signature dishes. It’s the kind of humble, comforting dish that inspires fierce loyalty, and I can certainly understand why – it’s personally my favorite Taiwanese dish and something I look forward to on every return trip to Taiwan. Just like beef noodle soup, it seems every Taiwanese person has a favorite restaurant they’ll insist is better than the rest. We’ve been to a few lu rou fan restaurants in Taipei over the years, but Michelin-recommended Wang’s Broth might just be our favorite. Nicknamed “black gold” braised pork rice , they slow-cook the pork for 6-8 hours until the fat breaks down and infuses the meat with a deep, savory sweetness. Some places cook the pork for too little or too long, but Wang’s Broth does it just right. Wang’s Broth has been serving their signature lu rou fan at this exact same sp
Wang’s Broth
Address: 108, Taiwan, Taipei City, Wanhua District, Huaxi St, 17之4號攤位153號 Operating Hours: Wed-Mon, 9:30AM-8:40PM (closed Tuesdays)
8. Yuan Fang Gua Bao
Lu rou fan is my go-to comfort food in Taiwan, but Mrs Traveleater prefers gua bao . And it isn’t hard to see why. Not only is it easier to eat, but a perfectly slow-braised, melt-in-your-mouth hunk of pork belly stuffed in a cloud-like steamed bun with pickled mustard greens, cilantro, and ground peanuts is hard to beat. It’s a simple combination, but in the right hands, it’s magic. We had just finished dinner at Wang’s Broth when we spotted a crowd of people at this stall. Located at Huaxi Street Night Market, just a few doors down from Wang’s Broth, Yuan Fang is a Michelin-recommended gua bao stall that makes some of the best pork belly buns we’ve ever had in Taiwan. As I stated, long lines of people never lie. Gua bao and lu rou fan are relatively small meals, so you can easily enjoy both, one after the other, on the same day.
Yuan Fang Gua Bao
Address: 108, Taiwan, Taipei City, Wanhua District, 青山里華西街17-2號 Operating Hours: 11:30AM-8PM, daily
