Since we have guests frequently stay at our house, one question that we face time and again is “What are we eating?” No doubt, if you are hosting friends you hope to show them the best Taipei has to offer, but on a limited schedule, what is one to do? Well look no further, because by the end of this tailored food tour, they will be happy, full, and probably several pounds heavier 🙂
BREAKFAST
Tian Jin Onion Pancake‘s Scallion Pancakes
No. 1, Lane 6, Yongkang Street, Da’an District, Taipei City, 106
9am-10:30pm everyday
Get the #1 Original (25NT) or #3 Basil & Egg (40NT)
This place does the best scallion pancakes in Taipei. They are one of the few places that “fluff” the pancake, and their signature *whack*whack sounds can be heard every morning while passing by. They usually have long lines, but with covid they are much shorter. Either way, it moves fast. There is one lady in the mornings that has a bad habit of handling money, then uses the same hand to grab basil, so if you are worried about hygiene just get the #1 Original so you know there isn’t cross contamination.
Zenique Tea‘s Soft-serve Ice Cream
No. 7-1, Yongkang Street, Da’an District, Taipei City, 106
Open everyday 10am-10pm
They have one flavor that rotates daily, either green or black tea based. They are the only tea based soft serve I’ve had where you can really taste the tea leaves themselves. In fact, the leaves are actually blended into the soft serve, giving a very unique texture and full-flavor experience. All of their flavors are good, but if they happen to have the chocolate black tea consider yourself truly blessed. 80NT for a small
LUNCH
You Sushi – 游壽司 for the best value sushi you will ever have
No. 7, Lane 7, Lishui Street, Da’an District, Taipei City, 106
Lunch special only available Tues-Friday for a 12pm or 1pm sitting.
Reservations are required, and make them a week in advance! Ask for Xiao3Gu1 to be your chef. While all the chefs are very skilled, he is the manager of this location and his skill is just that much better. They have 3-daily lunch specials ranging from 430-460NT. My personal favorite is the 食綜合定食 （Shí zònghé dìngshí） basically “Comprehensive Set Meal”. It comes with soup, salad, several pieces of sushi, chirashi bowl, and roasted fish. I’d also highly, highly recommend additionally ordering the 比目魚 （Bǐmùyú）flounder (90NT). It is hands down the best piece of sushi I have ever had anywhere period, and nowhere else I’ve been to matches the flounder the way they prepare it here.
Irga Coffee‘s ice drip coffee flights
No. 3, Lane 9, Lishui Street, Da’an District, Taipei City, 106
Only open Thursday-Saturday 1-9pm, Sunday 1-7pm
[3, 4, or 5 set coffee tasting (250, 320, 390NT)]
If you are truly a coffee lover then this place is a cannot miss. The owner roasts her own beans and offers tastings of various ice drip coffees. She will also gladly show you the “proper” way of drinking her coffee, so make sure you pay attention! Expect to spend about an hour here.
*INSIDER’S TIP* After coffee, grab a ticket from Din Tai Feng. There can often be a long line at Din Tai Feng; by grabbing a ticket now even if they are past your number you should be first in line when you return for dinner.
DINNER
Din Tai Fung‘s XiaoLongBao
No. 194, Section 2, Xinyi Road, Da’an District, Taipei City, 106
Open Weekdays 11:30am-9pm, Weekends 10:30am-9pm
This is the original Din Tai Fung that started it all. Many say it is the best XiaoLongBao (Soup Dumplings) in Taiwan, however, this White Sox vs Cubs debate continues to rage on. My personal opinion is that DinTaiFung is the most consistent. There are several other places that produce better XiaoLongBao on their good days. But because of consistency, it isn’t guaranteed. DinTaiFung will get you 95% of the way there every time.
Ice Monster‘s Shaved Snow
Open Weekdays noon-10pm, Weekends 10:30am-10pm
Taiwan shaved snow is a must try and this place has some of the best. Unlike shaved ice, shaved snow is an already flavored ice block shaved extremely thin to give it a fluffy texture. The almond/seasame and coffee shaved snows are highly recommended. The story is that a couple owning a shaved snow business got a divorce, and afterwards they both opened their own establishments and so were born this one and the famous Smoothie House around the corner on Yongkang St. This one is hands down superior. Quality, creativity, everything.
Cost: 150-180NT/bowl
GOT MORE ROOM
in between meals for more meals? 😊 I’d highly recommend the following walkable places:
No. 11號, Lane 8, Yongkang Street, Da’an District, Taipei City, 106
They will give you a free cup of tea and Sunnyhills Pineapple cake when you come in. Of course, the intention is you really like the tea or pineapple cakes, and tasting them just might be enough to convince you to make a purchase. The pineapple cake rivalry in Taipei is between Sunnyhills (which you can purchase here) or Chia Te (which you can purchase at any of the 7-11s in that area).
No. 9-1, Yongkang Street, Da’an District, Taipei City, 106
Open everyday 11:30am-10pm
One of the most famous restaurant chains from Tainan, their DanZai Noodles are a cannot miss. This dish is an “oil noodle” dish with the soup base usually made of pork, prawn, garlic, and depending on the establishment, a variety of other ingredients. Dan Zai Noodles are only 50NT. The serving is small, so no need to be concerned with filling up.
No. 7號, Lane 10, Yongkang Street, Da’an District, Taipei City, 106
Open everyday: Lunch 11:30am-2pm, Dinner 5:30pm-10pm
One of the most consistent Japanese ramen experiences in Taipei.
The ordering is done off of tablets set on your table. There are options regarding the boldness of soup flavor as well as noodle size and consistency. I would recommend getting the “most flavor” for the soup, and the thin noodles on the “hardest” setting. This is the most authentic style. There are some that complain that even the most flavorful here is not enough, but the other “more flavorful” ramen establishments around Taipei usually have the soup so salty, that I simple can’t consume any of the broth after finishing the noodles. They’re basically make-your-back-itch level of saltiness. Also, they allow you for free refills of noodles here, and who doesn’t like that? There are two sister locations here almost next door to each other. The one in the middle of the lane (No. 7) has better broth consistency in my opinion.
No. 3, Lane 14, Yongkang Street, Da’an District, Taipei City, 106
Open everyday: Lunch 11:30am-2pm, Dinner 5 :30pm-9pm
Unique noodle dishes you won’t find anywhere else.
If you want noodles but outside of “the usual” this is your place. The closest thing I can describe it is a tsukemen-style, Taiwanese noodle. The options are straight forward, 1. spicy or stewed broth, and 2. meat or meat/tendon mixed. But the true star of the show is the tangy and slightly mesquite sauce which you use to dip your meat or noodles. Lastly, I always recommend replacing the side of duck blood with the braised bean curd.
No. 9號, Lane 31, Yongkang Street, Da’an District, Taipei City, 106
Weekdays: 12-8:30pm, Weekends: 10:30am-8:30pm
This traditional Taiwanese tea house also serves some traditional Taiwanese snacks. Douhua is a tofu pudding many enjoy for a light dessert. This tea house has an outside counter facing the park which opens sporadically throughout the day serving the long lines of Douhua-hungry patrons. For 60NT you can get the original that comes with a caramelized peanut powder. They have upgrades which add tapioca pearls or a peach jelly.
Getting a Taiwan Beverage
This street has at least 5 drink stable shops, with several others rotating in and out. Listed here cardinally from North to South: Soma, KQ Tea, TenRen, Coco, & 50Lan. Of these five, TenRen has the best bubbles (but they frequently run out), 50Lan has the best grapefruit green tea. But these are all big chains for a reason, so you probably won’t go wrong with whatever you choose.
We hope this list gives you and your friends as much joy as it gives us. Questions, comments? We’d love to hear any input you guys have!
INSIDER TIPS-SKIP THESE PLACES
Sunmerry
This bakery looks great and always has lots of customers, what could be wrong? Don’t be fooled by the outward appearance. The breads are dry and every pastry we have tried has had a waxy, unnatural texture. There is also no flavor. To put it bluntly, this chain is an insult to true Asian baking skills and shouldn’t be allowed to be in such a prominent place misrepresenting the truly awesome baked goods that come out of Taiwan. Please don’t waste your body on these empty calories. Instead, take a 2min walk due East to IJY Sheng. This chain is much, much better.
Smoothie House
As inferred in the Ice Monster review above, this just doesn’t cut it. The only reason they are so popular is marketing and location. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t terrible. But why have “eh” when you can have “whoa”.
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