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DineTaiwan
Beta — work in progress

A photography-led food guide

Discover Taiwan Through Food

Explore Taiwan city by city, dish by dish, and market by market.

Drag to turn the island. Click a city to open it.

  • 15 destinations
  • 20 dishes
  • 12 markets

Explore by food

What are you craving?

Start with a mood, not a map. Each category opens onto the dishes, the cities and the markets behind it.

Iconic dishes

Start with the classics

The dishes that define everyday eating in Taiwan, in the order we would suggest trying them. Mark what you have eaten as you go.

Destinations

Eat your way around the island

5 full guides to start with, and shorter notes on 10 more places. Each guide gathers a place's signature dishes, night markets and restaurants.

  • Taipei 101 and the city skyline glowing at dusk, seen over a dark forested hill under a deep blue sky
    North

    Taipei

    台北

    12 dishes3 markets

    A capital that eats from the first soy milk at dawn to the last night-market bite

    Known forBeef noodle soup · Soup dumplings (xiaolongbao) · Savory soy milk, shaobing and youtiao

  • Sun setting over the Gaomei Wetlands in Taichung, wind turbines silhouetted against golden clouds above shallow tidal flats
    Central

    Taichung

    台中

    7 dishes2 markets

    Sun cakes, the bubble tea debate, and ice cream in a former credit cooperative

    Known forBubble tea · Sun cake (tàiyáng bǐng) · Pineapple cake

  • Lit-up hotel and apartment towers beside Kaohsiung's Love River at night, their colorful lights reflected in the dark water
    South

    Kaohsiung

    高雄

    3 dishes2 markets

    A harbor city whose table is set by the port, the navy villages and the farm country

    Known forBraised pork rice (ròuzào fàn) · Cijin seafood · Gangshan goat (羊肉)

  • Chihkan Tower in Tainan, a red-tiled two-storey pavilion with upswept eaves behind a row of stone steles under blue sky
    South

    Tainan

    台南

    9 dishes1 market

    Taiwan's old capital and one of its great food cities

    Known forBeef soup · Danzai noodles · Milkfish

  • Misty green Qingshui Cliffs dropping into the turquoise Pacific Ocean on Hualien's coast under a soft, cloudy sky
    East

    Hualien

    花蓮

    4 dishes1 market

    Between the Central Range and the Pacific, a table shared by many peoples

    Known forHualien wonton (biǎnshí) · Mochi (máshǔ) · Egg scallion pancake

  • 15

    15 destinations in all

    Full guides for the big food cities, shorter notes for the rest of the island. Or pick one on the map.

    See all destinations

Night markets

Where Taiwan eats after dark

11 night markets across 8 destinations, with hours, how to get there and what to order.

  • A brick-paved Shilin Night Market lane at night, lined with glowing food stalls and red stools, an ornate temple roof at right
    Night market
    • Taipei
    • Daily 16:00–00:00

    Known forTaiwanese Fried Chicken · Oyster Omelet · Scallion Pancake

  • A packed Fengjia Night Market street at night under the glowing arch sign, with shoe stalls and neon signs on both sides
    Night market
    • Taichung
    • Daily 16:00–02:00

    Known forTaiwanese Sausage in Glutinous Rice (“Small Sausage in Large Sausage”) · Egg Crepe (Danbing) · Stinky Tofu

  • Red baskets of braised meats, tofu and vegetables fill a Garden Night Market stall at dusk, with banner flags overhead
    Night market
    • Tainan
    • Thu–Sun 17:00–00:00

    Known forOyster Omelet · Stinky Tofu · Taiwanese Sausage in Glutinous Rice (“Small Sausage in Large Sausage”)

  • Food carts and diners line a wide Liuhe Night Market street at night beneath a glowing ribbon-shaped light arch
    Night market

    Liuhe Night Market

    六合夜市

    • Kaohsiung
    • Daily 17:00–02:00

    Known forDanzai Noodles · Stinky Tofu

  • Visitors stroll a checkerboard-paved lane at night between neon-lit snack stalls at Hualien's Dongdamen Night Market
    Night market

    Dongdamen Night Market

    東大門夜市

    • Hualien
    • Daily 18:00–00:00

    Known forScallion Pancake · Taiwanese Fried Chicken · Sweet Potato Balls

  • A rain-slicked Raohe Street Night Market lane at night, stalls glowing on both sides and the lit entrance gate ahead
    Night market

    Raohe Street Night Market

    饒河街觀光夜市

    • Taipei
    • Daily 17:00–00:00

    Known forPepper Bun · Stinky Tofu · Braised Pork Rice

Food Passport

Eat your way to a full stamp book

Mark each dish as tried, save the ones you want next and watch the island fill in. Your passport lives on this device: no account, no sign-up.

Open your passport
Food Passport食在台灣

foods discovered

Try your first dish to earn the first stamp.

The first stamps in the book

  • Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup: not tried yet
  • Bubble Tea: not tried yet
  • Xiaolongbao (Soup Dumplings): not tried yet
  • Braised Pork Rice: not tried yet
  • Stinky Tofu: not tried yet
  • Oyster Omelet: not tried yet
  • Taiwanese Fried Chicken: not tried yet
  • Pineapple Cake: not tried yet

Milestones to unlock

  • First BiteNot yet
  • Taipei ExplorerNot yet
  • Night Market MasterNot yet

Search

Find something to eat

Search by dish, city, district or landmark, in English or Chinese.

Photo credits for this page

Every photograph on this page, with its author and license.

Full credits and licenses
Red lacquered bowl of beef noodle soup with wide flat noodles, braised beef chunks and greens on a steel counter

Not sure where to begin?

Start with a bowl of beef noodle soup

Tender braised beef and chewy wheat noodles in a deep, aromatic broth — often called Taiwan's unofficial national dish.