Taipei's gourmet spot "Shilin Night Market". A food guide recommended by a local writer

*1 yuan = approximately 4.9 yen (as of July 2024)

5 gourmet foods recommended by a local writer

Hot and freshly made fried chicken to share with everyone at "HouDaDaJiPai"

"Haoda Da Ji Pai" is a big fried chicken stall that has become popular in Japan. It is famous for having a line every day from daylight hours, and it is one of the dishes that you cannot leave Shilin Night Market without trying. It features a crispy fried batter and a large, juicy piece of meat that is about 30 cm long. The meat is seasoned with a marinade made from a blend of Chinese herbal spices, but even those who do not like the smell of medicinal food will have no problem. The seasoning is easy for everyone to eat, and as proof of this, there are many foreign tourists as well as local residents in the line. Japanese tourists who are biting into the hot chicken on the spot can be heard saying, "It's delicious!"

The restaurant first opened in Taichung about 30 years ago (under a different name at the time). It is said to be the first restaurant in Taiwan to sell giant fried chicken. When it opened in Shilin Night Market about 20 years ago, it changed its name to "Hou Da Da Ji Pai" and quickly became a popular food stall. It now has many branches overseas, including in Asia, the United States, Canada, and Australia, and has 12 stores in Taiwan.

If you don't like waiting in line, we recommend avoiding weekends and Taiwanese holidays, or going early in the day when it's still light out. However, since they fry a large amount at a time, the length of the line will be much shorter once the frying is done. Another advantage is that if you wait a little, you can buy freshly fried food that is so hot you can't carry it. When it's your turn, the staff will smoothly handle your order and ask you how many you want and if you want chili powder.

Even if you don't add chili powder, they sprinkle Taiwanese pepper on it. It's big, so better to share it with 2-3 people. If you like fried chicken, you can't pass up the Hao Da Da Ji Pai.

Hao Da Da Ji Pai Jihe Branch

Slowly grilled king oyster mushrooms

King oyster mushrooms, known as Xin Bao Gu in Chinese because of their similar texture to abalone, are a favorite food of Taiwanese people. They are quite large in size compared to Japanese king oyster mushrooms. King oyster mushrooms are also one of the most popular foods at night markets. They are also fried, but recently they have become popular grilled, like barbecues.

"Shaokaoxinbaogu" means grilled king oyster mushrooms, and is a food stall named after the product. Taiwanese food bloggers have been introducing it as a "must-try food stall" at Shilin Night Market, and it is a famous shop with long lines even on weekdays. There are many food stalls lined up parallel to the line of customers. The grills continue like a train track, so you can enjoy watching the food being grilled while you wait. The longer the line, the more grills are in operation. Thanks to this style, which is not seen at other popular food stalls, you don't have to wait too long.

The whole grilled king oyster mushrooms ooze juice when you bite into them. The sweet soy sauce brushed on the grilled king oyster mushrooms is not as strong in flavor as it looks. The seasonings you top them with at the end are the deciding factor in the flavor. You can choose two from nine different seasonings: wasabi, spicy, white pepper, lemon salt and pepper, seaweed, cumin, black pepper, curry, and rose salt. They season it like a half-and-half pizza, all in one container.

Among the many stalls selling king oyster mushrooms, this one is popular because of the high quality of its ingredients. It goes without saying that the king oyster mushrooms are large and fresh. Even the toppings are carefully selected. Cumin and rose salt are rare, but the lemon salt and pepper flavor is made with organic lemons. Since most other stalls use chemical seasonings, this attention to detail is a nice touch.

Another key to their popularity is their cleanliness. Even though they are food stalls, those that are conscious of hygiene are popular, which is another plus for tourists. Night market food stalls often have dishes that use oil, so healthy grilled food also scores highly.

Roasted Apricot and Abalone Mushrooms (Xiaokaoxinbaogu)

"Hanakurayuki" is a fluffy shaved ice made with plenty of seasonal Taiwanese fruits.

Taiwanese shaved ice can be divided into fluffy shaved ice (Xuehuabing) and crunchy shaved ice (Zuobing), but at Hua Cang Xue you can enjoy Xuehuabing shaved ice. The owner is from Shilin. His mother ran a shaved ice shop in this area, and he thought, "I want to create somewhere comfortable here someday," and opened the shop in 2017.

Mango shaved ice "Mangguo Xue Xuan" is available from the end of August to early September. It is made from Aiwen mangoes, which are characterized by their rich sweetness, sourced from Pingtung, Tainan, Nantou, and other areas in central and southern Taiwan. Large pieces of mango pulp and cream are placed on top of ice made from fresh mango juice.

The watermelon shaved ice, also only available in summer, has a refreshing taste and can be enjoyed until mid-October. In winter, Taiwanese strawberries are available.

There are about 12 kinds of shaved ice, which have plenty of non-fruit varieties, and the tapioca milk tea shaved ice "Zhen Zhu Nai Cha" can be enjoyed all year round, and is made with Ceylon black tea sourced from Taipei's long-established tea wholesaler "Lin Hua Tai Cha Han." It comes with condensed milk, but it's a little sweet overall, so try it without it first.

Hua Tsang Xue

Worth waiting in a line. Great value for money Shanghai baked xiaolongbao "Zhongya Shanghai Shengjia Bao"

Shengjianbao (bao dumplings) are what we call Shanghai baked xiaolongbao in Japan. The thickness of the skin varies depending on the store, but Zhongjia Shanghai Shengjianbao (bao dumplings) have a thick skin that is skillfully wrapped up in front of the store and steamed as soon as it is wrapped. They insist on using fresh ingredients and do not prepare in advance. In an iron pot that seems to be about 1m in diameter, plump and cutely shaped baked xiaolongbao are lined up tightly. Water is added and the dumplings are steamed until juicy, and then sprinkled with white sesame seeds while frying to finish.

There are only two items on the menu. The signature dish, Xianrou Bao, is a pork filling stuffed with green onions and shallots, with a light taste and less meat juice. The Gaoli Tsai Bao, filled with plenty of crunchy cabbage, has a soft flavor of shiitake mushrooms and shallots in addition to the sweetness of the cabbage.

There is a similar store in Taipei City, but there is no branch. As it has been featured in Michelin's Bib Gourmand several times, there are huge queues in the evening, but if you go during the daytime, you won't have to wait so long. It is about a 1-minute walk from the shaved ice store "Hanazosetsu" and the yellow sign is the landmark.

Zhongjia Shanghai Fried Buns

Catch, grill and eat! A shrimp fishing experience unique to Taiwan, "Shilin Mini Shrimp Fishing"

Nowadays, there are several shrimp fishing specialty shops in Taipei City, but it seems that shrimp fishing gradually spread from southern Taiwan after the successful cultivation of Thai shrimp (Taiguo Xiao) in Pingtung County in southern Taiwan in the 1970s. About 30 years ago, a shop owner from Tainan started shrimp fishing at Shilin Night Market, which was still rare in the north, and was a huge success. It has now become one of the specialties of Shilin Market.

When I asked the owner about the best way to catch shrimp, he told me to hook the fishing line on the tail of a small shrimp. When you pull the shrimp out, it moves and the line breaks, so you have to be careful and put it in a pink bucket. I caught three shrimp in about 30 minutes. The shrimp I caught are sprinkled with salt and grilled on the spot.

Shrimp fishing can be enjoyed at specialty shops around town, but the night market stalls allow you to catch shrimp at close range, so it seems less difficult. It's perfect for your shrimp fishing debut. Next to the shrimp fishing stall, there was also a goldfish scooping event, which the local children enjoyed.

The cheerful and friendly owner will welcome you. Shrimp fishing is an activity that can be enjoyed by people of all ages, from children to adults, so please give it a try.

Shilin Mini Fishing Shrimp

More than 100 years of history. Basic information about Shilin Night Market

Shilin is sandwiched between the Keelung River, a tributary of the Tamsui River, and Yangmingshan Mountain, and was once a base for transporting agricultural products to various areas. It is said that the city was established when a market selling these products was built in front of Shilin Cixiangong Temple.

Here is some basic information about Shilin Night Market.

Access: Take the MRT from Jiantan Station or Shilin Station

Shilin Night Market is located a little north of Taipei's downtown area. Take Taipei Metro (MRT) Danshui-Xinyi Line's Jiantan Station, Exit 1, and cross the main street to find a row of food stalls. If you're heading south from the north, take Shilin Station, Exit 2. Both stations have toilets, coin lockers, and mobile battery rental stands.

By the way, it is convenient to have a transportation IC card, EasyCard, when traveling within Taipei city.

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It consists of three main areas:

There are many different food stalls and stores in the area, centered around Shilin Market. The lineup varies depending on the area, so if you have time, we recommend taking a walk around the whole area.

(1) Shilin Market

The first floor is a game and general merchandise store, and the basement is a gourmet area. As of July 2024, the basement is currently closed due to renovation work. It was originally scheduled to reopen in June 2024, but construction has been delayed and it is now scheduled to reopen in October 2024.

(2) Around Shilin Cixian Temple

Shilin Cixiang Temple is also known as Shilin Mazu Temple and enshrines the Heavenly Mother as its main deity. Popular food stalls are lined up in the surrounding area, making it a very lively place.

(3) Shopping Area

There are a variety of stores lined up, including fashion, sweets, and drink stands.

Things you need to know to enjoy Shilin Night Market

The recommended time is around 5pm.

Shilin Market and the surrounding food stalls are open from the evening to the night. It tends to get crowded between 6pm and 9pm, so we recommend visiting a little earlier, around 5pm. The area around Shilin Night Market has morning markets and other shops that are open during the day and have long lines, so you can enjoy it all day long. Just be aware that many of the shops in Shilin Night Market have irregular holidays.

Use notes or your smartphone when ordering

You can order by pointing at the menu or writing down what you want on a note. If you have a translation app on your smartphone, you can conveniently translate the menu into Japanese just by scanning it with your camera.

Useful things to bring to the night market

To make your visit to Shilin Night Market more enjoyable, it may be helpful to bring the following items with you:

Note when exploring the night market

(1) Alcoholic beverages are procured from convenience stores, etc.

Although some night markets serve alcohol, the supplies are limited and hard to come by, so if you want to enjoy some gourmet food with your drinks, we recommend that you stock up on alcohol at a convenience store or similar before you head out.

(2) Check the location of the toilets in advance

There are toilets inside Shilin Market, so let's check the locations in advance.

(3) Decide on a meeting place in advance

Shilin Night Market is a very large night market. If you are visiting with family or friends, be sure to decide in advance where to meet up in case you get separated.

(4) Take measures against pickpockets and bag snatchers

Pickpockets and bag snatchers do occur in crowded places. It is safer to keep valuables close to your body in a shoulder bag. Also, be careful not to put your wallet or smartphone in the back pocket of your pants, as they are likely to be targeted.

Recently, there are more opportunities to enjoy Taiwanese cuisine in Japan, but the taste is still special when you enjoy it locally. Night markets are a place where you can enjoy not only the neon lights and the excitement of the food stalls, but also the five senses. Enjoy eating your way around while searching for gourmet food that has been endorsed by local writers.

First post: August 30, 2019
*Some content was updated on July 29, 2024.

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