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I created a list that includes everything I love and the places that I go when I am in Taiwan. This is not meant to be a "Best 25 Restaurants" style ranking or authoritative guide to the "best" sights - there are plenty of resources that cover that already! Nor is it some kind of "secret" list. Instead, I just wanted to focus on the places that are personally meaningful to me and that I authentically love and visit when I am in Taiwan. I hope to show you Taiwan through a more personal lens, as seen through my local experiences and told through my family history! To learn more about Taiwan and why I love it so much, see my introduction to Taiwan.
FOOD ... THE ICONS
Famous food destinations in Taiwan that I also vouch for personally.
Din Tai Fung / Chun Shui Tang / Shin Yeh / Ningxia Market / Nanmen Market
FOOD ... THE FAVORITES
Personal favorites that I love and will return to repeatedly.
Le Xuan / The One / Moon Moon Foods / Dong Gang Fish Market / Kanpai Classic / Da He / Mitsui / Sausage Vendor / Oily Rice Vendor / Taiwanese Breakfast Stall / Afternoon Tea
FOOD ... THE OTHERS
Places that I ate at and enjoyed but have no specific plans to return.
Angel Cafe / Flamma Teppanyaki / b.u.t. we love butter
FOOD ... GROCERY
Unique stores with a curated selection.
City Super / Maji Treats / 24 Hour Fruit Stand / Where To Buy Tung Ting Oolong
FOOD ... LOW GI OPTIONS
When you need options other than white rice. Also yummy even for those without dietary restrictions!
Yuli Your Home [vegan] / Bagan Hood [vegan] / Two Half Moons / Ootoya / Family Mart
FOOD ... ON TAP
I ran out of time to eat everything :( so these are on the top of my list for next time.
Soy Milk Ice Cream / Tofu Pudding / Yongkang Street Tea Cafe / Kavalan Distillery / Omakase / Shipai Market / Famous Sausage Vendor Near Zhishan MRT / Taipei Spot / Mihan Honke Shabu Shabu
SHOPPING and CAFE LIFE
My favorite thing to do in Taipei - explore the back alleys full of unique stylish cafes and local designers.
Zhongshan District / East District / Songshan District / Eslite / Yongkang Street / Dihua Street / Bella Vita / Wholesale District / Olivia Yao / What I Stock Up On
CULTURE and HISTORY
See guidebooks for a full listing - these are just the ones that I have a personal connection with.
Bao An Temple / Xing Tian Temple / Grand Hotel / Regent Taipei / Museum of Fine Arts / National Symphony Hall
NATURE and GREEN SPACE
Just kidding this is my actual favorite thing to do in Taiwan. All accessible through public transit.
Yuanshan / Yang Ming Shan / Nei Shuang Xi / Da An Forest Park / Tamsui River Bike Path / Dajia Riverside Park
OUTSIDE TAIPEI
The title of this section is a massive understatement. This is the most beautiful natural scenery in Taiwan.
Sun Moon Lake / Taroko Gorge / Lala Mountain / Kenting National Park
DESTINATION HOTELS
Boutique hotels in retreat style natural settings, or with hot springs, and often both!
Fleur de Chine / The Lalu / Gloria Manor / Onsen Papawaqa / Shi Ti Ping
SERVICES
Some things are hard to find in the States - I usually do these when I visit Taiwan.
Six Star Massage / Massage Service In Hospitals / Jewelry Repair / Alterations / Haircut / Wellness Exam
TAIWANESE BREAKFAST STALL
So this is my usual routine: Get off the plane at Taoyuan Airport around 6 AM local time, drop my luggage at home, and head straight to the breakfast stall. It's always my first stop whenever I arrive. They open at 7 AM and close before noon or whenever they run out. What I eat here: egg omelette wrapped in jian bing, fan tuan, soy milk. You can find these in any older neighborhood - just walk around in the morning and look for a line of commuters grabbing breakfast on their way to the office.
24 HOUR FRUIT STAND
I have so many questions about this fruit stand, which sits on a stretch of highway near my parents house on the way to the beach, and is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Like - who is buying mangoes at 4am? (I imagine long distance truckers looking for a healthy snack...) In addition to fresh coconuts, guava, pineapple, they also have fruits like limboo that you can't get outside Taiwan (they spoil too quickly for long distance shipping). Being open 24 hours might seem unnecessary, but on this fruit loving island, they are so popular that last time I went to buy fruit at 10 PM, it was so busy there were 2 workers in the parking lot directing traffic.
YONGKANG STREET
One of the most atmospheric and unique places in Taipei. I love going here. The neighborhood is dedicated to all kinds of tea shops, ranging from the traditional (cluttered, cozy, super legit tea) to the modern (bougie, hipster, Insta friendly). Many traditional shops will offer intimate tea tastings just like wine tastings - you will sit down with the shop owner, who brews and pours tea for you as they explain different vintages. Tea is a serious business here - vintages are marked with the year they were harvested and the amount of rainfall that year which affects the flavor, and premium teas can run into the thousands of dollars per brick and are sometimes bought as investments.
CHUN SHUI TANG
If you love boba, get ready for this... Chun Shui Tang are the original inventors of boba, also known as pearl milk tea. In fact, both Chun Shui Tang and Hanlin Tea claim to be the inventors of boba and actually went to court over it - the court ultimately ruled that no one can establish ownership over boba. Regardless, a visit here is a must for any boba lovers. I've mostly stopped drinking boba for health reasons, but Chun Shui Tang is my weakness. Get the boba in store instead of takeaway so that you can get a frothy top on your drink. The rest of their food is hit or miss, but their beef noodles are standout in flavor. Many locations around Taipei but often small and cramped - my favorite is on the third floor of Eslite Songshan, which is elegantly spacious and has a nice view.
DONG GANG FISH MARKET
Warning: This is a fish market, not a bougie food hall. It smells like dead fish (yum), the floor is wet, and you may see large plastic buckets of fish guts. So the question is, how obsessed with sashimi are you? You can get a plate of high quality sashimi for $7 USD (my favorite is Stall 220), and there are also stalls selling a full cooked dinner. The specialty in Dong Gang is bluefin tuna ($40 USD for a big plate with 12 pieces) which is only caught in certain places - one of which is Dong Gang, which hosts an annual tuna festival. Dong Gang is in the countryside, not Taipei, so you'll need to make a trip here via high speed rail - I will be adding information on how to do this!
SHIN YEH
This is as classically Taiwanese as it gets. I have been ordering the same thing for the past 20 years: radish omelette, im xi oh, yam porridge, Taiwanese sausages, pork liver. Im xi oh (stir fried mini oysters) is possibly my favorite Taiwanese dish ever, and I haven't found a version better than the one Shin Yeh makes. Back in the day, my grandpa hosted business dinners here, and as a kid I always wanted to eat here if I ever got to pick for special occasions. Business culture is still alive and well here, and Shin Yeh has since earned a Michelin star. Multiple locations around Taipei but some have different menus - I like the Nanxi Mitsukoshi for its updated decor while still serving the classic dishes, or the original location on Shuangcheng Street if you want to go truly old school.
YUANSHAN
My great-grandmother used to hike this every day at 5 AM along with a group of neighborhood ladies that she met at the temple. Yuanshan is much less famous and not as challenging versus other mountains in Taipei, but I have a special affinity for it because it is so tied to the local community. You will see groups of elderly people hanging out, grilling food, and singing karaoke and pass by small temples set along the mountain. It's a very different experience from hiking in the US (for better or worse) - much more lively and community based.
THE ONE
Out of all the meals I ate in Taiwan this time, The One might be my favorite. You can't tell from the photo, but this fish was honestly the one of the best I have ever eaten - one side was perfectly crisp and the other was meltingly tender - super clean and sweet, no fishy taste at all. They create innovative and delicate dishes with a focus on high quality local Taiwanese ingredients. Despite all this they are not very popular and I honestly worry they will go out of business - last time I went there were only 2 tables in the entire place - but somehow they have stuck around for over a decade. The first floor has a gourmet shop with small-batch Taiwanese food products, like fleur de sel harvested in Taiwan ($30 a bag!!) and liquor distilled from Taiwanese yams. The One holds a special place in my heart as it encapsulates everything I love when I think about Taiwanese creativity - calm, playful, light, connected to nature, and a little bit melancholy. [Official Website]
ESLITE
If you're looking for high quality items or souvenirs, skip the night markets and head to Eslite instead. One of my favorite shopping destinations, it's a multistory select shop featuring unique items from indie designers in Taiwan - award winning jewelry, leather goods, artisanal snacks and teas, stationery and postcards. Taiwan has a strong culture of craftsmanship and this is a great way to see modern Taiwanese aesthetic and design. They also carry one of my favorite skincare brands - Yuan Soaps, which makes crisp scents from traditional herbs grown at their farm on Yang Ming Shan. Eslite first became famous for their bookstore, where I stock up on all kinds of art and design magazines I can never find in the US - I have fond memories because when I was a kid, my mom would always take me to the bookstore on days out. Several locations of Eslite around Taipei - my current favorite is the Eslite in Songshan District, which overlooks a beautiful park built around a reclaimed tobacco factory that is now home to design shops and galleries. [Official Website]
NINGXIA MARKET
Ningxia is my favorite night market - compared to Shilin it is much smaller and (used to be) less touristy. My absolute favorite oajien vendor is here, and it seems like half of Taipei agrees as there is always a line out the door. The oysters are super fresh and you can see them sitting in large vats. I also love the vendor for fried taro balls, which is apparently now recommended in the Michelin guide (lol). Three generations of the Lee family all love(d) to eat here (me, my dad, and my grandpa) so I am carrying on the family tradition! Photos coming soon.
LE XUAN
A multicourse tasting menu that is focused exclusively on wagyu. Do I need to say more? Le Xuan has several locations serving different menus - the tasting menu is served at the Regent Taipei location, where you sit at an intimate bar and watch the chef prepare your meal like in a sushi restaurant. Photos and details coming soon.
DIN TAI FUNG
The king of soup dumplings needs no introduction. Possibly Taiwan's most famous food export. Is it worth all the hype? Put it this way - if I could only eat one thing for the rest of my life, it would be this. I have eaten a LOT of dumplings in my life, both good and bad, and DTF has perfected it as an art form [*]. When I am in Taiwan, I sometimes eat here 2-3x per week. What I eat here: Skip the soup dumplings unless it is your first time, and go instead for the steamed dumplings, spicy wontons in chili oil, pork cutlet fried rice, and xiao cai. If you've only had DTF in the States, definitely try it in Taiwan - there is a big difference! That said, I know various people who are unimpressed with DTF for a variety of reasons... all I can say is that not everyone likes Beyonce either :p
[*] Stay tuned for my Manifesto on Dumplings - which will be the sequel to my Monologue on Cupcakes which some of you have unfortunately been forced to listen to.
SAUSAGE VENDOR & OILY RICE VENDOR
These are in the alleyway outside Xing Tian Temple. Two of my absolute favorite street foods!!!
MITSUI
One of the earliest upscale Japanese restaurants in Taipei, I love its uniquely Taiwanese spin on Japanese food. We often go here for big dinners with the extended family. Many politicians and businessmen eat here - it was even featured in the news as the scene of a major corruption scandal. (That said, many newer and trendier Japanese restaurants now - I need to do more research ie. eating haha.) Several locations - my current favorite is the one in Dazhi (a ritzy neighborhood in Taipei, the founder of TSMC lives here) - a dark and sexy multistory space with HUGE tanks filled with king crab, plus a gourmet shop where you can buy their products to take home. You can book a private room on the second floor and get the multicourse menu - you'll feel like a character in an Asian drama. [Official Website]
KAVALAN DISTILLERY
A little bird (and whisky expert) told me that Kavalan whisky, which is made in Taiwan, is highly regarded and has actually beat out famous Scottish whiskys in blind taste testing. I had no idea! You can visit their distillery, which is located in Yilan County - an easy hour's drive outside Taipei. I will definitely make a visit next time - I am no whisky expert, but will take any excuse to visit Yilan haha. Not only is it one of my favorite areas of countryside, it has some nice hot springs resorts. [Official Website]
MOON MOON FOODS
When you make street food that's good enough to get a popular following, then you get a slightly nicer location like this (this reminds me of how DTF started). The chairman of TSMC eats here (yes I mention him a lot, Taiwanese people are obsessed with TSMC). What I eat here: They are famous for their chicken soup but IMO it is overly sweet and lacks chicken flavor (YMMV) because it's overpowered by the cabbage in the soup - try the fish soup instead, plus lu wei and their perfectly chewy noodles ($2 per bowl). I saw someone else who ordered a giant plate of nothing but Taiwanese oysters (like seriously... at least 20 oysters) which was about $7 - I need to come back for this!!! [Michelin Review] [Official Website]
JEWELRY REPAIR
Go to Stall 98 in the Taipei City Mall (underground near Exit Y13). They are reliable and will repair your jewelry on the spot while you watch. (This is for crystal bracelets, not fine jewelry.) The mall itself is a fascinating cultural experience - this section is dedicated to old school vendors selling nothing but crystal beads and religious jewelry and sculptures - and the mall is very long and entirely underground between subway stops which gives it a unique (somewhat claustrophobic) feeling.
NEI SHUANG XI
Forest area easily reached by the Small 18 Bus from Jiantan MRT. Feels very mystical with waterfalls and dense forest and is often deserted other than groups of peaceful stray dogs. This is where my grandma lived with her dad, my great-grandfather, during World War II. More details to be added.
SHI TI PING
The coolest place I have stayed in Taiwan. Not sure if it even exists anymore or maybe it became famous (need to look up details), I first visited here over 10 years ago. Shi Ti Ping is the name of the town, not the hotel (if it can be called a hotel). This is a small architectural house made of concrete and set on a large plot of undeveloped land facing the ocean. The nearest town has a handful of stores and everything is shut after sundown. This is a good place to focus and unwind.
BAGAN HOOD
Really good vegan food (I bet you never thought I'd say that...) This super stylish and sleek cafe is in the Songshan District and I always see hipsters (and Buddhist monks) eating here. More details to be added soon.
TWO HALF MOONS
Soba shop in the Zhongshan District run by a Japanese couple who lives in Taiwan. Fresh handmade soba and outstanding side dishes - tender braised beef, giant crispy fried oysters, stir fried burdock root. Both hot and cold soba options. More details to be added soon.
KANPAI CLASSIC
Run by a Taiwanese restaurant group, they offer Japanese style grilled meat with many premium quality meats and wagyu options. Like Gyu-Kaku, but next level. When I went on a Saturday, the wait was 4 hours long (!!). The side dish of chicken nakameshi is super good! They are supposed to be opening locations in London and Los Angeles. More details to be added soon.
YANG MING SHAN NATIONAL PARK
Gorgeous national park that should be a world heritage site. I will be adding a full section on hiking in Taiwan.
HAIRCUT
Cannot reliably recommend someone as I have not got my hair cut regularly in Taiwan for many years. The last place I went was Hootalinqua on Fujin Street, where I got my bangs cut in 2022.
ALTERATIONS
Go to the shop near the Zhishan MRT. They also do a great job dry cleaning for things like fur coats, leather jackets, and designer bags. More details to be added.