I could have eaten for days in Taipei. Actually, I did – and I barely scratched the surface. The food was incredible, the flavours amazing, and most of the time I had no idea what I was ordering… but that’s half the fun, right?
I went in with a rough idea of what to try, thanks to a few blogs, but not many of them helped with where to eat – and Taipei is huge. So, you kind of have to roll with it. You’re rarely in the “perfect” place at the perfect time, so you just go with whatever’s around, and honestly, that worked just fine.
Breakfast
Breakfast is a bit of an institution in Taipei, and you’ll find the locals lining up for soy milk, xia long bao (my fave), and other things I honestly couldn’t identify if I tried. I just picked the places with long queues and pointed at things via Google Translate. It always turned out delicious.
I’d get a bunch of little items for around $3 and sit among the locals eating who-knows-what, happy as. Heaven.
Beef Noodle Soup
I’d read a lot about Taiwanese beef noodle soup, so of course, I had to try a few. There are so many variations – different broths, different spice levels – it’s actually kind of overwhelming, and I found it hard to work out which ones were actually good via reviews online.
I wanted handmade noodles with that perfect QQ (chewy) texture, and I definitely got that. I can’t tell you where the “best” place is, because honestly, I couldn’t tell what was “the best” by local standards – but everything I had was delish.
I would 100% smash a bowl of these right now.
Night Markets
I visited two of the big night markets, but didn’t stay too long – mainly because I can’t deal with shoulder-to-shoulder crowds and people coughing all over the place. That said, the food? Worth the chaos.
I had juicy grilled squid, tasty dumplings, and a pineapple bun (which has nothing to do with pineapple, just FYI – it’s a sweet, fluffy bun with butter or cheese inside).
My tip? Go with friends so you can share and try more things without exploding. And just Google what’s famous at each market so you can go straight to the good stuff.
Din Tai Fung
This is where it all started. The OG DTF is takeaway only now and gets super busy, so go early. I got the xiao long bao and some spicy wontons to go – and yep, it still hits different. The dumplings are just next-level: paper-thin skin, rich soup, flavour-packed filling. Always worth it.
A Hidden Noodle Spot
On one of my last nights, I stumbled into this little noodle spot near my hotel – no English signs, just locals and good smells. I ordered poached chicken with fragrant herbs and Sichuan chilli, plus spicy wontons.
Hands down one of the best meals I had in Taiwan. No clue what the name was or if I could ever find it again – the magic of travel, I guess.
The Verdict
I didn’t get sick once – which, for me in Asia, is a rare and welcome surprise. I ate everything from street food to tiny noodle bars and felt amazing the whole time. Taipei is definitely up there for food adventures – especially if you like winging it and discovering things by accident (my specialty).
Would I go back just to eat? Absolutely.
