There’s something irresistible about night markets. The endless rows of delicious looking food, the scent of grilled meat in the air, the glowing stall lights against the dark night sky, the crowds of people and the sounds of their chatter. It’s bright, it’s lively, it’s a recipe for a great time.
I may have already said it before, but I’ll definitely say it again. Tim and I travel for the food. And street food? Bought at a busy night market? That beats any kind of restaurant meal 100%. So it should come as no surprise that Taiwan, with its many, many night markets, became one of our favorite countries to travel to.
So join us as we explore the best Taipei night markets that you can easily add to your Taipei itinerary. And the best part, it’s so easy to get to them using Taipei’s public transportation.
Table of Contents
1. Shida Night Market
Nearest Metro: Taipower Building Station (Green Line)
Starting off with our favorite is Shida Night Market. This night market might not be the most well-known but we absolutely love it for the vibes. It’s located next to the National Taiwan Normal University which means that its students instead of tourists walking along the streets and queuing up for a pineapple bun.
Shida is definitely not as crowded as the other more popular markets but the local Taiwanese street food here is still out of this world. Tim absolutely loves the pan-fried pork buns from Hsu Ji Sheng Jian Bao, which are these insanely good meat and cabbage dumplings that are crispy on the bottom and soupy on the inside. As for me, my favorite has to be the pineapple buns from Ho Ho Mei, especially when they cut the piping hot bun in half and a slice of cold butter inside.
Also, Shida Night Market is located near Da’an Forest Park, so you can take a leisurely stroll, enjoy some birdwatching by the pond, and watch the fireflies at night before making your way to Shida Night Market.
2. Ningxia Night Market
Nearest Metro: Shuanglian Station (Red Line)
Another amazing Taipei night market is the Ningxia Night Market. It’s definitely not a very big market but you definitely won’t feel like there’s not enough food options because there are so many stalls lining the whole length of the market. And although narrow, it still felt neat and organized.
I could be so wrong, but from what I saw, this night market was the most focused on local Taiwanese street food. I especially loved the stinky tofu I got from one of the stalls here. Tim and I even convinced an Australian couple to give it a try (they were scared due to the smell). And of course the oyster omelette and fried sweet potato balls did not disappoint either.
3. Linjiang Night Market
Nearest Metro: Xinyi Anhe Station (Red Line)
Linjiang Night Market is another one of the more local, less crowded spots that we absolutely love. It’s honestly surprising how this night market isn’t so busy because it’s so close to Taipei 101. And there’s more than just food stalls here if you’re not in the mood to eat (although I can never resist a pineapple bun).
There are stalls selling clothes and souvenirs, and we even passed by a pet store that had the cutest cat with the biggest eyes ever.
And if you’re catching the sunset on Elephant Mountain, you can grab dinner at Linjiang Night Market right after since it’s only a 25 to 30 minute stroll from the trailhead.
4. Shilin Night Market
Nearest Metro: Jiantan or Shilin Station (Red Line)
Ok, enough about the night markets that aren’t that well known. For a popular, busy, and big option, you have to visit the Shilin Night Market. Once again, it’s popular and it’s busy so expect crowds. But honestly, the crowds are part of the fun too.
Shilin has great food from both the endless food stalls and from the many, many small restaurants in the area. Tim lined up for a fried chicken cutlet from Hometown BBQ Chicken where the fried chicken is dipped in sauce and then charcoal-grilled. 100% worth the long line. I then dragged him to a tofu restaurant (家湘涼麵) for a large order of mouth-watering stinky tofu and a plate of cold sesame noodles.
Shilin Night Market is a destination all by itself, but it’s also a great place to visit after hiking Battleship Rock nearby.
5. Ximen Night Market
Nearest Metro: Ximen Station (Blue/Green Line)
Another super, super popular Taipei night market option is Ximen Night Market. I feel like everyone knows about this one. It’s centrally located, super accessible, and is the perfect market to visit if you want more than gorging yourself with delicious local Taiwanese street food.
Ximending is less night market and more shopping district, and you can see that in the way there are fewer hawker stalls set up. Instead, there are plenty of small restaurants tucked between shops located in large buildings. There’s plenty of shopping, plenty of street performances, and plenty of people.
My favorites at Ximen are definitely the brown sugar boba milk and xiaolongbao from Xing Fu Tang where the brown sugar pearls and soup-filled dumplings are handmade, and the crispy milk donuts from Crispy Milk Donuts.
Honorable Mentions
So we’ve listed our favorite Taipei night markets above but we also wanted to share some honorable mentions that don’t quite fit the scope of a Taipei night market.
Zhongli Night Market
First is the Zhongli Night Market. Now you might ask, “Why didn’t they just stick this in the list above?” And the answer is that this night market isn’t even in Taipei. It’s actually in Taoyuan, 25 miles (or 40km) outside of Taipei.
Now the reason this night market is an honorable mention is because it’s perfect for long layovers at Taoyuan International Airport. It’s super accessible from the airport, you just take the Taoyuan Airport MRT to A22 Laojie River Station.
Zhongli Night Market is huge, with endless stalls for you to try local Taiwanese street food as well as game stalls and small shops.
This was actually the first Taiwanese night market that Tim and I visited (we had a five-hour layover in Taiwan on our flight from the Philippines to Los Angeles) and it immediately made us fall in love with Taiwanese food.
Dadaocheng Wharf Container Market
Now this spot is definitely in Taipei but it’s a stretch to call it a night market. Dadaocheng Wharf Container Market is a riverside collection of restaurants and bars built inside shipping containers.
It’s a beautiful place to unwind with a glass of frosty beer while enjoying the city lights across the Tamsui River.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, diving into the local food culture is one of the reasons why traveling is so exciting for us. And Taipei’s night markets really deliver. We just absolutely love wandering around, stopping by all the stalls that catch our eye, enjoying the atmosphere and the yummy smells and the cheerful sounds.
So whether you end up waiting in line for a massive fried chicken cutlet at Shilin or quietly enjoying a pineapple bun near Da’an Park, we hope you’re enjoying your food explorations.
Have you visited any of these night markets, or did we miss your favorite spot? Tell us about it in the comments below!
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