Where to Eat in Taipei & Jiufen, Taiwan
It’s safe to say I spent more time eating in Taiwan than doing pretty much anything else. Can you blame me?
The food in Taiwan is amazing. Playing host to delicious corner shop dumplings, the original Din Tai Fung, and a robust café scene, the country is truly a dream for anyone who wants to eat extravagantly well on a reasonable budget. So read on for my top picks in Taipei and nearby Jiufen.
Best Food in Taipei
Din Tai Fung | There are multiple Din Tai Fung restaurants in Taipei, but the original one is on Xinyi Road. They have all the same menu staples you’ve grown to love at their international branches (my favorite dishes are the Spicy Wontons and Xiao Long Bao!), but this time with the knowledge that you’re actually eating the OG stuff.
The menu is outside the entrance to Din Tai Fung.
Enjoying a solo date of Taiwan Beer and Xiao Long Bao.
BaFang Dumpling | This dumpling chain was recommended to me by my best friend’s cousin, and it seriously delivers! I went to the Huating Branch (a short walk from the Meander Taipei hostel), but they have them all over the city. Ordering was… challenging. No one spoke English, there were no tourists there, and the staff wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about my attempt at gesture-speak, so I ended up randomly ticking a few boxes on the green order slip and awaiting my fate. Thankfully, it was delicious, albeit a lot of food. But it was cheap and yummy, so this makes a great stop anytime you’re nearby one of the chains.
My attempt at ordering blind involved randomly ticking off boxes on the order form…
… and this was the result! Two noodle dishes, two sheets of dumplings, and edamame. All delicious.
ACME Breakfast Club | This brunch spot isn’t the single best I’ve ever been to, but the ambiance is decent and the wifi is solid for getting some work done. The açaí bowl was tasty, and the coffee strong.
The very Instagramable entrance to ACME Breakfast Club.
My setup for a morning of web design work (and social media catch-ups).
Yong He Soy Milk King | This traditional breakfast spot was recommended to my by my MBA classmate Gary, a Taipei native, and it definitely made me feel like I had found a hidden gem. It was incredibly cheap, filling in a greasy sort of way, and very local.
The team at work making dan bing at Yong He Soy Milk King in Taipei, Taiwan.
A full breakfast of dumplings, a savory omelette, and fried bread.
Best Food in Jiufen
Taro Balls | Taro balls are super famous in Jiufen, and there are two main places to buy them at: Grandma Lai’s Taro Ball and Ah Gan Taro Balls. In either location, you can have yours hot or iced (I went for iced), and you’ll get a bowl filled with balls made of taro, sweet potato, mung bean, and other things. It took me a while to warm up to, but once I got most of the way through I came to actually quite like it! Except for the mung bean balls (the green ones).
Offering taro balls at Grandma Lai's Taro Ball stand in Jiufen, Taiwan.
Taro balls from Ah Gan Taro Balls in Jiufen, Taiwan.
Bubble Tea | This is a good thing to get anywhere in Taiwan, really, but I enjoyed my first one just outside of Jiufen. Check out Culture Trip’s article on where to find the best bubble tea in Taiwan.
Bubble tea in Taiwan!
This photo just feels important to include to prove that this exists (photo taken in Jiufen).
Custard Wheel Cake | Also called “car wheel cake” and “red bean cake,” these yummy “cakes” are made by pouring batter into a special pan and then stuffing it with fillings like custard, preserves, and sweet azuki bean paste. They’re delicious, and messy. You’ve been warned. You can get them all over at street stalls — I got mine near the train station in Keelung.
Paying for my custard wheel cake at a street stall in Keelung, Taiwan.
And eyeing the goods!
The Nitty Gritty
How to Get Around | I used Ubers or my feet to take me everywhere (it was a lazy long weekend) but there’s also robust public transportation, so take your pick.
Where to Stay | I stayed at Meander Taipei and loved it — really clean and organized, but also wonderfully social. And all their recommendations were stellar. I definitely recommend staying here!
And that’s a wrap!
A Final Note: There are a few other places that I didn’t make it to, but that came highly recommended to me, so I’ve included those in a separate section on the map above. Definitely let me know in the comments how those turn out!
