The Chinese often say that hunger breeds discontentment. It is no exaggeration to say that you can eat all the Chinese food in Taiwan. In addition to the famous Taiwan Beef Noodles and the popular Minced Pork Rice, there are also Oyster Omelets with the southern Fujian style, Stewed Stinky Tofu that is even stinker than Beijing’s stinky tofu, Ding Tai Fung Buns that are comparable to Shanghai’s Xiao Long Bao, and various innovative dishes such as “Small sausage in large sausage.” Such a variety of cuisines reflect the diversity of Chinese culture. Because of their low costs and variety of cuisines, locals and visitors find Taiwan street food in night markets well-liked. Taiwan’s night markets have developed into a distinctive cultural landscape. Taiwan’s tourism business has prospered because of the night markets. Statistics show that there are more than 30,000 sellers in Taipei alone. Because of this, a proverb states, “If you visit Taiwan for sightseeing and haven’t been to the night market for Taiwan street food, you haven’t been to Taiwan.” Food options in Taiwan’s night markets are incredibly diverse. We can’t try them all, so follow Michelin Guide for the most unmissable Taiwan street food.
Michelin Taiwan Street Food in Nanjichang Night Market
Unnamed Clay Oven Roll （無名推車燒餅）
Address: Lane 315, Section 2, Alley 5 Zhonghua Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei
Business Time: 16:00-20:00 (Wednesday closed)
Unnamed Clay Oven Roll sells four flavors of over rolls. Each one is baked on the spot. The wait is often long, but it’s worth it. The rolls are all handmade. The most recommended is the Sweet Oven Roll. The rolls are filled with sugar and have a crispy crust and a light sweet taste. The following recommendation is the Salty Oven Roll. The rolls have green onions and minced meat, and the crust is baked crispy, with the aroma of flour, green onions, charcoal, and meat.
Wu Wang Tsai Chi (吾旺再季 潤餅捲專賣）
Address: No. 29, Lane 313, Section 2, Zhonghua Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei
Business Time: 15:30-21:00 (Monday closed)
Many vendors are selling Taiwanese burritos, each with different fillings and seasonings. Wu Wang Tsai Chi has been recommended by Michelin for many years, featuring a wide range of ingredients and limited daily quantities. The homemade, hand-made burritos are coated with sweet and spicy sauce and then topped with nearly ten different toppings, including crispy fried pork, dried bean curd, shredded carrot, bean sprouts, cilantro, and so on. More important, the crushed peanut powder and seaweed powder are the souls of the stuffing. The restaurant also offers vegetarian burritos, but you need to inform the staff in advance when ordering, and the staff will remove the meat toppings.
A Nan Sesame Oil Chicken （阿男麻油雞）
Address: No. 34, Lane 311, Section 2, Zhonghua Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei
Business Time: 17:00-24:00 (Monday closed)
The golden sesame oil soup is sweet and mellow, releasing the aroma of ginger and sesame oil after stir-frying. The chef stir-fries the ginger and sesame oil at their best and cooks them in the soup. Although it has the aroma of wine, it is not too thick; it has the scent of sesame oil but is not too heavy. It is mild and tasty, the type of soup that you can’t help but drink a lot of sesame oil soup without feeling too heavy or overburdened. Taiwan’s “sesame oil chicken” restaurants are not just about chicken dishes. Sesame oil soup can be served with chicken thighs, chicken pieces, Matsusaka pork, loin, sliced pork with plum blossoms, pork liver, and pork heart to satisfy different tastes.
Shan-Nei Chicken （山内雞肉）
Address: No. 20-3, Lane 307, Section 2, Zhonghua Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei
Business Time: 11:00-21:00 (Saturday closed)
Shan-Nei Chicken at the Nanjichang Night Market has been originally a famous night market must-try food before Michelin recommended it and was later nicknamed Michelin Chicken Rice. Unlike other chicken-rice dishes where shredded chicken is spread on top of the rice, Shan-Nei Chicken Rice is a whole plate of white chopped chicken (brine chicken). Chickens eight months to a year old are slaughtered on the same day and then chilled to lock in the juices before chopping. The meat is thick and tender, and the skin of the chicken is crispy and sweet. Shan-Nei Chicken’s Brine Chicken Rice will make you want to come back again and again, and new and old customers crowd the small stall every day.
Stinky Tofu Boss (臭老板現蒸臭豆腐）
Address: No. 6, Lane 313, Section 2, Zhonghua Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei
Business Time: 11:30 – 22:30 (Wednesday closed)
Stinky Tofu Boss’s tofu is steamed in a wooden steamer and has always been one of the locals’ favorite dishes. With the recommendation of Michelin’s Bibendum Guide, more and more people know about this store and its delicious stinky tofu, vegetarian rice, red vinegar noodles, and sesame noodles. The food is vegetarian, but the taste is unforgettable and addictive.
Michelin Taiwan Street Food in Nanjichang Night Market
Unnamed Clay Oven Roll （無名推車燒餅）
Address: Lane 315, Section 2, Alley 5 Zhonghua Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei
Business Time: 16:00-20:00 (Wednesday closed)
Unnamed Clay Oven Roll sells four flavors of over rolls. Each one is baked on the spot. The wait is often long, but it’s worth it. The rolls are all handmade. The most recommended is the Sweet Oven Roll. The rolls are filled with sugar and have a crispy crust and a light sweet taste. The following recommendation is the Salty Oven Roll. The rolls have green onions and minced meat, and the crust is baked crispy, with the aroma of flour, green onions, charcoal, and meat.
Wu Wang Tsai Chi (吾旺再季 潤餅捲專賣）
Address: No. 29, Lane 313, Section 2, Zhonghua Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei
Business Time: 15:30-21:00 (Monday closed)
Many vendors are selling Taiwanese burritos, each with different fillings and seasonings. Wu Wang Tsai Chi has been recommended by Michelin for many years, featuring a wide range of ingredients and limited daily quantities. The homemade, hand-made burritos are coated with sweet and spicy sauce and then topped with nearly ten different toppings, including crispy fried pork, dried bean curd, shredded carrot, bean sprouts, cilantro, and so on. More important, the crushed peanut powder and seaweed powder are the souls of the stuffing. The restaurant also offers vegetarian burritos, but you need to inform the staff in advance when ordering, and the staff will remove the meat toppings.
A Nan Sesame Oil Chicken （阿男麻油雞）
Address: No. 34, Lane 311, Section 2, Zhonghua Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei
Business Time: 17:00-24:00 (Monday closed)
The golden sesame oil soup is sweet and mellow, releasing the aroma of ginger and sesame oil after stir-frying. The chef stir-fries the ginger and sesame oil at their best and cooks them in the soup. Although it has the aroma of wine, it is not too thick; it has the scent of sesame oil but is not too heavy. It is mild and tasty, the type of soup that you can’t help but drink a lot of sesame oil soup without feeling too heavy or overburdened. Taiwan’s “sesame oil chicken” restaurants are not just about chicken dishes. Sesame oil soup can be served with chicken thighs, chicken pieces, Matsusaka pork, loin, sliced pork with plum blossoms, pork liver, and pork heart to satisfy different tastes.
Shan-Nei Chicken （山内雞肉）
Address: No. 20-3, Lane 307, Section 2, Zhonghua Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei
Business Time: 11:00-21:00 (Saturday closed)
Shan-Nei Chicken at the Nanjichang Night Market has been originally a famous night market must-try food before Michelin recommended it and was later nicknamed Michelin Chicken Rice. Unlike other chicken-rice dishes where shredded chicken is spread on top of the rice, Shan-Nei Chicken Rice is a whole plate of white chopped chicken (brine chicken). Chickens eight months to a year old are slaughtered on the same day and then chilled to lock in the juices before chopping. The meat is thick and tender, and the skin of the chicken is crispy and sweet. Shan-Nei Chicken’s Brine Chicken Rice will make you want to come back again and again, and new and old customers crowd the small stall every day.
Stinky Tofu Boss (臭老板現蒸臭豆腐）
Address: No. 6, Lane 313, Section 2, Zhonghua Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei
Business Time: 11:30 – 22:30 (Wednesday closed)
Stinky Tofu Boss’s tofu is steamed in a wooden steamer and has always been one of the locals’ favorite dishes. With the recommendation of Michelin’s Bibendum Guide, more and more people know about this store and its delicious stinky tofu, vegetarian rice, red vinegar noodles, and sesame noodles. The food is vegetarian, but the taste is unforgettable and addictive.