If you’ve come to Taipei with a purpose (to experience the abundance of delicious and mouthwatering food), then we might as well be internet friends lol. We recently visited Shilin Night Market for that, and we had a lovely time walking around and feasting on delectable street food.

For those unfamiliar, Shilin Night Market is the most popular night market in Taiwan, and the biggest night market in Taipei. Some people find this a bit too touristy, but honestly, I think this is far too iconic to skip. I’m also seeing local recommendations online saying this is STILL a must-visit if you want to find out what Taiwan night markets are all about.

Aside from the tasty food, you’ll find clothing, household or furniture, and souvenir shops along the way. If you want a different activity, try tarot reading, test your luck with the carnival-style or claw machine games, visit the temple (note that most night markets started around temples), or find the best accessories from several fashion shops. You can easily spend half of your day here, and you won’t even notice the time.

So what do you say, YES to a Shilin Night Market foodtrip and everything in between? 😉

What we tried

The vibrant night market is definitely the best place to eat. I recommend you to start from the southern area, because it’s just across the MRT station (common entrance).

Okay, first things first. The Grilled King Oyster Mushrooms are a blockbuster. Coming to Shilin Night Market without comprehensive “food research,” we kind of just went with the flow and tried whatever looked delicious, or whichever stall found the biggest crowd.

We saw that there was a really long queue for the mushrooms and thought the vendors ought to serve something extraordinary. The staff grills the gigantic mushrooms over charcoal while glazing it with BBQ sauce. I read that it’s a way to preserve the original taste. You can choose from different powder flavors to go with your order. There’s Original, Spicy, Wasabi, Lemon, Seaweed, Cumin, Pepper, Curry to Rose Salt. We tried Rose Salt and Seaweed. [Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐]

Next, Taiwan sausages. I’d say these are decent selections too. However, it’s not anything special. I just appreciate how it gives just the right savory taste in every bite. If you prefer something seasoned after a sweet meal, this would be okay. [Personal Rating: ⭐⭐]

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You know what they say. Finding Xiao Long Bao in Taiwan is easy. All the more if you’re in Shilin Night Market. We were already craving this the day before, so we just naturally picked out an order from the first vendor we found. The soft dumpling filled with broth is so yummy! I was honestly kicking myself for not ordering a takeout. [Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐]

As a Reese’s girly, I couldn’t help but love the Peanut Ice Cream Roll. The clips I took are actually not from here, but there are plenty of vendors in the night market who also serve this. It is wrapped up in a crepe-like spring roll, and is really delicious. I don’t know if it’s just me or my sweet tooth, but there’s something about the sweetness and even the flakiness of the peanut shavings as I bite into it. I was planning to eat it fast after the rice-stuffed chicken, afraid my hands would be dripping with the dessert when it melted. Surprisingly, it didn’t melt as fast as I thought it might. You can get this roll with cilantro too. [Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐]

We saw lots of mochi vendors as we neared the exit. We tried the Peanut & Sesame Mochi because it’s obviously a safe choice. It’s only okay. I still prefer the peanut ice cream roll over this one if we’re talking about desserts. [Personal Rating: ⭐⭐]

If you are in need of refreshments, there are fresh fruit juices or milktea just about anywhere. I opted for the watermelon juice, and it was a much-needed drink as we ate our way through the busy market. After that, we couldn’t really leave without trying the milktea. We picked a small unassuming store, and I must say, the legit tea taste was so good despite me having to drink it from a plastic bag. Hahaha I thought the vendor asked me if I wanted to drink like a local. As it turns out, there’s just no cup left for the medium tea I wanted. [Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐]

Lastly, I might be exaggerating but I tasted the best Takoyaki I’ve ever had so far in the night market. Thank goodness it has a big serving, and is seasoned to perfection. [Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐]

We only spent around 2 hours here so we failed to try A Hui noodles while sitting on the stairs of Cixian Temple (which is how most people do it 😛).

Optional: There is a Shilin Night Market Food Walking Tour available if you prefer a more informative way of trying the appetizing cuisine in this famed market.

What else should you try?

We didn’t get the chance to try everything, but some of the items we missed that I think should still be on your list are:

• Cheese Potato
• Oyster Pancake
• Chicken Cutlets
• Coffin Bread
• Stinky Tofu
• Cold Noodles
• Black pepper buns
• Rice-Stuffed Chicken
• Grilled Squid
• Pineapple Cake
• Milktea
• Keelung-style tempura
• Whole pig’s brain soup

@positibetty

when it comes to food, #taiwan does not disappoint 🫡🍡 @Kirby Yao (39 hrs in taiwan – part 3) #taiwantiktok #foodtrip #travel #taipei #taipeifood #fypシ゚viral #xybca #foryou #foodtiktok #taiwanfood #shilinnightmarket #viraltiktok

♬ Espresso – On Vacation Version – Sabrina Carpenter

5 Food Crawl Tips to Keep in Mind

1) Go with a buddy

Believe me. Even if you’re fond of eating, the best strategy is to go with a buddy. Taiwan is a food haven, so naturally, there are so many options to choose from especially if you wander around the night market. It’s hard to keep yourself from drooling over the tasty and quintessential treats that are just there in front of you.

Think of it this way – if you come with a buddy, you also get to taste a bit of everything because you can share your orders. It’s a win-win! Just make sure he or she is equally hungry.

2) Remember to bring cash

Okay, so this might be more applicable for the night market food crawl because based on our experience, paying with cards wasn’t a problem for other areas. The transactions with vendors in the market are often very fast, so you need cash for that! Bringing small notes or loose change is the best strategy.

3) Try everything, including the unfamiliar

I was smiling from ear to ear the second we got to Shilin Night Market. I just knew that we were in for a fun night of nothing but delicious and affordable food. You can start with the common orders like Xiao Long Bao, Takoyaki, sausages, and more.

Anyway, chances are, you’ll also see food that will weird you out at first, but are actually delicious. I’m talking stinky tofu, and frog egg drink among others. I’m not going to be a hypocrite and try to preach this hard, though. I couldn’t try those even though it’s on my list because I prioritized the other dishes that I found “more appetizing.” By the time I was ready to get my fill, it felt like my tummy was about to burst.

4) A plastic bag might come in handy

Avoid inconvenient trips to the market entrance after every meal by bringing a small bag to carry your trash. Use it, then just dump everything once it’s full. In night markets, they keep the garbage bins in one place. FYI: The vendors weren’t too pleased with us asking if we could throw them in their own cans.

5) Pace yourself

Like with all things, remember to pace yourself so you can enjoy more food.

Note: This food crawl experience is limited to Shilin Night Market because we only stayed in Taiwan for 2 days. If you can spare more days touring foodtrip spots, I suggest you also consider Raohe Night Market, Ningxia Night Market.

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How to get there

It’s hard not to spot the area because it is marked with a big signage and festooned with traditional Chinese Lanterns.

Take the train (Red Line | Tamsui -Xinyi Line) to Jiantan Station before exiting No. 1 and walking around 2 minutes to get to Shilin Night Market. Don’t bring a car anymore because the parking is limited, and some parking slots are also far away.

If you’re really bad with directions, you can just follow the crowd who are probably also on their way to indulge in delectable street food.

Opening Hours

Shilin Night Market is open from the afternoon through to late night, from 4PM to 12AM.

Hope you have a good food crawl experience! Byeyyy!