Discover Authentic Taiwanese Flavors and International Cuisine at Must-try Restaurants Across Taipei
Written by Kaelie Piscitello
Taipei has so many excellent, delicious restaurants that it’s impossible to discover them all! There is a vast quantity of traditional Taiwanese food on every street corner, and of course, because Taipei houses people from all over the world, there is also great food from other Asian countries.
For example, Taipei has many restaurants with Japanese food similar in quality to Japan. Taipei also has many Thai and Vietnamese restaurants, which I have grown to love over the past few months. During my time here, I also tried Malaysian and Indonesian food for the first time and loved it.
Toasteria Cafe
Toasteria has some of the best Mediterranean food in Taiwan. Each meal comes with fresh pita bread and hummus with great textures. Toasteria also includes a complimentary shot glass of red wine.
I avoid eating pasta in Taiwan because they always add baby corn. However, Toasteria serves delicious, creamy carbonara and an unbeatable nutty pesto topped with olives that I can’t get enough of. Few olives exist in Taiwan, but Toasteria has them! I also love their shakshuka because sit tastes authentic and has loads of flavor packed into it.
Daqiaotou Tube Rice
Daqiaotou Tube Rice has become a favorite of mine for a quick lunch on a busy school day. They serve takeout orders at lightning speed and have low prices for their high-quality food.
It truly serves some of the tastiest rice and pork meals I have ever tried. My students recommended the restaurant to me when they wrote a report about some of the best traditional restaurants in our school’s neighborhood.
The pork has fantastic flavor, and the sauce the restaurant serves it with adds a sweet tang to it and makes the rice gooey and chewy all at once. They also serve an incredible fish and meatball soup containing two fish balls, one meatball, and one meatball coated in a rice shell. They also are Michelin recommended.
Jin Yue Dim Sum Restaurant
Jin Yue Dim Sum has also become another favorite of mine to eat during school. I frequent it during the school week when my roommates and I meet up for lunch. Jin Yue offers low prices for dim sum and other options.
The black and gold custard buns taste best with their oozing cream filling. Do not burn your mouth when you eat them, though. They always come out hot! The pineapple shrimp rolls offer a unique take on the traditional spring roll, making the lunch experience more pleasurable.
I also love their stir-fried instant noodle dish with chicken. It has a salty flavor, contains many vegetables, and costs around $2 USD. It is perfect for a Friday afternoon.
Gyuu Niku
Gyuu Niku is a delectable steakhouse with fun twists on Taiwan’s traditional rice bowl or bento box. To lighten the stomach before the heavy meal, the restaurant provides each customer with small apple chunks and apple cider vinegar.
Then, the customer chooses the steak dish that looks best to them. Reviews online praise the meat volcano with a raw egg and salmon roe decorating the top of the food. Other people enjoy ordering the fried steak rice bowl with garnish on the side. Customers can also order a tender teriyaki steak plate with crispy baked garlic slices and green onion on top.
The Master Spicy Noodle Zhongshan Restaurant
The Master Spicy Noodle in Zhongshan became famous on TikTok for a minute there, and for good reason. Customers come in for spicy noodles with a flavorful beef soup and a side of tofu or pig’s blood.
The beef soup contains a variety of meats, including regular beef, tendon, and options with different intestines. Master Spicy Noodle makes noodles with spicy dough, which it sells in the shop for people to purchase and try making at home. This makes great birthday gifts for friends and family who love experimenting with cooking.
Xiang-Song Hanoi Rice Noodles with BBQ
Xiang-Song Hanoi Rice Noodles in the Huaxi Street Market has some of the most delicious Vietnamese food in Wanhua District. They serve almost everything anyone wants, from rare beef pho to spring rolls.
Their pho is loaded with flavor, and customers can order it with a variety of meats cooked at their preferred temperature. Beware: the spring rolls are huge and can become a meal themselves, so order them to share with a friend if you also intend to order other dishes at this restaurant.
