Ask anyone who has been to Taiwan what their top recommendations are, and odds are food will dominate the list. With choices ranging from mouth-watering street snacks to exquisitely crafted cuisines, Taiwan is one of the top foodie destinations in the world. Anyone who has ever done any research on Taipei has heard of Din Tai Fung’s famous soup dumplings and Sunny Hill’s number one pineapple cakes, so for this post I wanted to share some of my new, mostly lesser known discoveries from this past trip.
Jiang Jia (江家牛肉麵&永和豆漿) - The best way to start an argument is to ask a group of Taiwanese people what the best breakfast place is. I can’t claim to know the number one place in Taipei, but Jiang Jia is pretty damn good if you’re craving some delicious fried carbs, AKA Taiwanese breakfast. A solid combination is to get the sesame cake with egg and a Taiwanese donut with a side of soy milk. They’re even open 24/7 so if you happen to miss the last MRT home you can still come here to get some comfort food.
Jiang Jia store
Taiwanese breakfast at Jiang Jia
Hong Jing Beef Noodle (鈜景國產肉品專賣店) - I can’t believe how long it took to discover this place considering it’s basically across the street from where I usually stay. There are a lot of great beef noodle places in Taipei, but this is the first I’ve seen to serve “sashimi beef”. The bowls come out with freshly sliced pieces of raw beef arranged over noodles and veggies. They then pour steaming soup over the meat, cooking it right in front of you. The result is super tender and fresh tasting beef. Prices are a little high for Taiwan (and by that I mean slightly below average for Bay Area), but worth it for the true beef noodle connoisseur.
Sashimi beef at Hong Jing Beef Noodle
Uncle Tetsu (徹思叔叔) - There are many examples of Taiwan taking foods from other cultures and adding their own local twist. Uncle Tetsu originated in Japan, but has since expanded to multiple stores in Taiwan with several in Taipei. Having tried Hokkaido style cheese tarts in Hokkaido, I can honestly say that these are just as good. Highly recommended and best eaten fresh.
Uncle Tetsu's cheese tarts
Uncle Tetsu's cakes
Zhangmen Brewery (掌門精釀啤酒) - Not strictly a food place, but Zhang Men is a local brewery and a solid place to try some local beers. They have a huge selection of rotating taps with light beers, dark beers, and everything in between. Drinks here aren’t super cheap - roughly 150 NT for a small glass and 600 NT for a flight of six drinks - but not too bad for a night out. I really liked the passion fruit beer!
Inside the tasting room at Zhangmen
Beer flight for 600 NT
Oia Cafe (伊亞藝術咖啡館) - This isn’t really a food place either, and it’s not even technically in Taipei, but none of that matters because Oia Cafe is so much more than your typical cafe - it’s an alpaca cafe. Adjacent to the cafe is a large pen zoo with alpacas, goats, and donkeys that you can pet and feed carrots to. But the real stars are the two snowy white alpacas running free inside the cafe. With the purchase of a drink, you can spend as much time with the alpacas as you want. Pro tip: to get the best pictures with the alpacas, wait until they start chewing on the furniture - it’s the only time they stay still enough to get a good shot.
Alpacas at Oia Cafe
Shing Peng Lai (興蓬萊) - My cousin brought us here for an impromptu last meal in Taiwan, and they had quite possibly the best fried pork chops I’ve ever eaten. Shing Peng Lai serves traditional Taiwanese fare with a wide assortment of seafood, soups, and meats. Everything we had there was good, but the pork chops were absolutely heavenly. Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, they were so good I couldn’t resist going for seconds, even if I could feel my arteries clogging with every bite. Located in Tian Mu, one of the suburbs of Taipei, Shing Peng Lai is a little out of the way, but 100% worth the trek for anyone looking for great Taiwanese cuisine a few steps above night market food.
Best fried pork chops ever at Shing Peng Lai
It’s always nice to revisit old favorites, but I’m glad I had the chance to try out some new places and discover new go-to’s. I’m always looking for new things to try - do you have any lesser known favorite food places in Taipei? Let me know in the comments below!
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