TAIWAN FOOD GUIDE: 8 MUST- EAT FOOD SPOTS IN TAIWAN
12:22:00 AM
Here’s one for the foodies!
Yay, food is very much part of the Taiwan experience, and this place is definitely a heaven for foodies. From traditional restaurants to cool cafes plus the authentic street foods in night markets, you’re guaranteed to find good food in Taiwan. So, here it is! Enjoy the gastronomical adventure (hihihi)!
1. Din Tai Fung Restaurant
Din Tai Fung was founded in Taiwan in 1958, and has grown from a small-humble restaurant into an internationally recognized brand. It is best known for its world- renowned dish which is the Xiaolongbao.
Xiaolongbao
or Steamed pork dumplings traditionally contain minced pork wrapped in a
delicate dough skin, which is then pleated, twisted at the top and steamed. Din
Tai Fung’s signature rendition consists of juicy meat filling wrapped in a
melt-in-your-mouth skin with a minimum of 18 exquisite folds.
Din Tai Fung was founded in Taiwan in 1958, and has grown from a small-humble restaurant into an internationally recognized brand. It is best known for its world- renowned dish which is the Xiaolongbao.
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| Xiaolongbao |
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| Wonton Noodle Soup |
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| Shredded Pork Fried Rice |
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| Pork Chop Fried Rice |
Aside from the Xiaolongbao, we also tried some dishes like the Pork Chop Fried Rice (with Egg), Shredded Pork Fried Rice (with Egg), and their Wonton Noodle Soup.
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| Din Tai Fung experience at the Taipei 101 branch |
DIN
TAI FUNG
Address:
B1, No. 45, Shifu Rd., Taipei 101 Mall, Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC
Operating
Hours: Sun-Thurs, 11AM-9:30PM / Fri, Sat, Day before
Holiday, 11AM-10PM
What
to Order: Xiao long bao, dim sum
Expect
to Pay: Around NTD 500 per person with
drinks
How
to Get There: By subway, get off at Taipei 101 World
Trade Center MRT station. Look for exit 4. Soon as you exit, you’ll see Din Tai
Fung on your right at the basement level of Taipei 101 Mall.
2. Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice
Braised
Pork Rice or best known as Lu Rou Fan is another Taiwanese cuisine which
is one of the simplest and most locally loved dishes in Taiwan.
It consists of
minced pork belly that’s been stir-fried and slow cooked in soy sauce until
tender, then served over a bowl of steamed rice. It is a rather simple yet
homely and satisfying dish. While it is available at countless restaurants
throughout Taiwan, possibly the most famous restaurant that serves it is Jin
Feng.
Address: No. 10-1, Sec. 1, Roosevelt Rd.,
Zhongzheng Dist, Taipei 100, Taiwan
Operating Hours: 8AM-1AM, daily
What to Order: Lu rou fan (braised pork rice)
Expect
to Pay: NTD 30 (small) / NTD 40 (medium) /
NTD 50 (large)
How to Get There: Take the MRT to CKS Memorial Hall
Station (Red/Green Line, Exit 2). Head south and the restaurant will be on your
right.
3. Gugu House Mushroom Restaurant
We had a blast here! (hihi) Before entering the restaurant, we toured first at their small mushroom farm wherein we were encouraged to choose and harvest mushrooms we want to eat for lunch. We were all so excited to do it since it’s our first.
We had a blast here! (hihi) Before entering the restaurant, we toured first at their small mushroom farm wherein we were encouraged to choose and harvest mushrooms we want to eat for lunch. We were all so excited to do it since it’s our first.
GUGU HOUSE MUSHROOM RESTAURANT
Address: No. 287 Xiezhong Street, Xinshe District, Taichung, Taiwan
4. Modern Toilet Restaurant
Want to experience a unique and quirky gastronomical adventure? Nay or yay? Haha, well, there’s one restaurant in Ximending that’s totally out of the street scene, and is rather on a not-so-typical dining theme. This local restaurant offers a unique dining experience with its toilet themed setup.
Want to experience a unique and quirky gastronomical adventure? Nay or yay? Haha, well, there’s one restaurant in Ximending that’s totally out of the street scene, and is rather on a not-so-typical dining theme. This local restaurant offers a unique dining experience with its toilet themed setup.
We
ordered the Modern Toilet Chicken Curry, Thai Spicy Stir- Fried Pork, Ham &
Cheese Stuffed Fried Chicken and a Hot Pot meal. The famous chocolate poop-
shaped ice cream and teas were included in each order.
MODERN
TOILET RESTAURANT
Address:
Ximending
Store, 2F., No.7, Lane 50, Sining S. Rd., Wanhua District, Taipei City
Operating
Hours: Weekdays:
11:30 am – 10:00 pm; Holidays:
11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Expect to Pay: Around
NTD 270 per person with drinks
How
to Get There: From Ximen MRT station, take exit 6 and
walk west of Chengdu Road. Once you see Starbucks across, turn right at Kunming
street. Walk until you see a huge parking lot (called Ximending-Emei parking
lots) and then turn right at Xining street. Walk up to the next block and
finally turn left at the small alley where the restaurant is located at.
5. Lavender Cottage
Further south in Taichung district, Lavender Cottage is a laid-back mountain farm where you can enjoy an ice cream, coffee, or tea on an outdoor patio overlooking hills covered in lavender. One of the must-try delicacies in Lavender Cottage is the Lavender Ice Cream.
Further south in Taichung district, Lavender Cottage is a laid-back mountain farm where you can enjoy an ice cream, coffee, or tea on an outdoor patio overlooking hills covered in lavender. One of the must-try delicacies in Lavender Cottage is the Lavender Ice Cream.
Hay, for the love of ice cream! (hihi) It really
smells and tastes like lavender and I really loved it. Aside from the lavender
flavored ice cream, they also offer Rose, Mint Chocolate, Berry Yogurt, and
Lemon Grass flavors.
Entrance
to the Lavender Cottage is $100 NT, but you get two $50 NT coupons that you can
spend within the area. I spent my first coupon on a scoop of lavender ice
cream! Yay!
Address: No.
20號, Zhongxing Street,
Xinshe District, Taichung City, Taiwan 426
Operating
Hours: 10:30 am- 6:30 pm
What
to Order: Lavender Ice Cream
Expect
to Pay: NTD 50 (one scoop)
6. Jiufen
From
traditional tea houses, souvenir shops and street- food shacks, Jiufen is there
to explore which is a mountain town in northeastern Taiwan, east of Taipei.
It is known for the narrow alleyways of its old town and the place is like a
replica of the setting of a Japanese animated coming-of-age fantasy film “Spirited
Away”. Aside from that, Jiufen is also known for its authentic Taiwanese street food.
Peanut
Ice Cream Roll: A must-try when you’re visiting Jiufen. It is basically an ice
cream peanut burrito. Peanut shavings are spread over traditional popiah skin (it
also looks like a lumpia wrapper in Ph) and topped with two scoops of ice
cream. It is then folded up like a thin flat burrito. It’s unbelievably
delicious. You should grab one!
7. Shilin Night Market
In Taipei, there are several night markets to choose from, but Raohe and Shilin Night Markets are often regarded as the best and most important. However, Shilin Night Market is considered as Taiwan’s biggest and most popular night market for its fun ambiance plus it has good food and you can shop ‘til you drop there.
In Taipei, there are several night markets to choose from, but Raohe and Shilin Night Markets are often regarded as the best and most important. However, Shilin Night Market is considered as Taiwan’s biggest and most popular night market for its fun ambiance plus it has good food and you can shop ‘til you drop there.
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| We tried Taiwanese sausages and Pork barbecue... |
I would like to highlight the food selection there. You can really find pretty
much any type of eye- catching display of mouthwatering street foods at Shilin Night Market.
SHILIN
NIGHT MARKET
Address:
No. 101, Jihe Road, Shilin District, Taipei City, Taiwan 111
Operating
Hours: 3PM-1AM, daily
What
to Try: Taiwanese
sausages and pork barbeque
Expect
to Pay: NTD 100-200 per person
How
to Get There: Take the MRT to Jiantan Station (Red
Line, Exit 1). Diagonally cross the street to the left to enter the night
market.
8. P.S. Bubu Café
Actually, I included P.S. Bubu Café in my must- visit spot in Taipei because I am a fan of the popular TV series in the Philippines in the early 2000s called Meteor Garden. So, I really took the opportunity to visit this place and experience being a “Shan Cai” even for a short time (hihi).
Well,
I was really in awe when we arrived at the place. It was well maintained by the
owners of the café. It has a very unique vintage car theme set-up.
As for the
food, we ordered two slices of cake, a bucket of fries, and shakes with
a so-so kind of taste. Well, if you’re a fan like me, I would still recommend
it and just enjoy the food while reminiscing your memories of the F4 and Shan
Cai.
Actually, I included P.S. Bubu Café in my must- visit spot in Taipei because I am a fan of the popular TV series in the Philippines in the early 2000s called Meteor Garden. So, I really took the opportunity to visit this place and experience being a “Shan Cai” even for a short time (hihi).
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| The F4! |
P.S.
BUBU CAFE
Address: No.
1號, Lane 140, Section 7,
Zhongshan North Road, Shilin District, Taipei City, Taiwan 111
Operating
Hours: 12:00 nn- 10:00 pm
Expect
to Pay: NTD 250- up per person
P.S. Don't forget to try Taiwan's famous Milk Tea/ Bubble Tea... Whether or not you’re a fan of this milky delight, it’s definitely worth trying when you’re in Taiwan! :)
P.S. Don't forget to try Taiwan's famous Milk Tea/ Bubble Tea... Whether or not you’re a fan of this milky delight, it’s definitely worth trying when you’re in Taiwan! :)
XOXO
Love,
Marie❤
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