What to Eat in Taipei

Mana wasn’t able to go on this trip because of work so I went solo to Taipei. There is so much to see and eat in Taiwan that it’s impossible to do it all in a few days, but I tried to pack in as much food as I could stuff myself within the four days I was there. Here are my top favorite foods I ate in Taipei.

Traditional Taiwanese Breakfast

There are breakfast spots all over Taiwan, but Yonghe Soymilk King is one of the top restaurants. I decided to go after the breakfast rush because crowds make me anxious and I lucked out with having an entire table to myself. I did an internal dance of victory.

Thankfully I didn’t have to do my go-to point and nod because there is a menu with pictures. I ordered yǒu tiáo (fried breadstick), sū bīng (crip cake with sweet filling), bǐng dòu jiāng (cold soymilk), and cí fàn tuán (rice roll with meat & pickled vegetable filling). Yǒu tiáo is my favorite part of this breakfast. It is light and keeps it shape when you dip it in the soymilk, which I couldn’t do because mine was in a closed cup because I ordered it cold, but it was still delicious. The rice roll is very filling and surprisingly flavorful. I thought the amount of rice would overpower the flavor of the filling but they balance each other very well. The filling is the perfect blend of salty, crunchy, and slightly sweet. The crip cake was hollow inside but it was flaky and mildly sweet. My second favorite part of this breakfast is the soymilk. It is slightly sweet and is incredibly smooth. It’s perfect for dipping your yǒu tiáo, when you’re able to, but it also gives you something to cleanse your palate before you eat the other dishes. 

Bubble Tea

Bubble tea is originally from Taiwan and there is no shortage of bubble tea shops, so I was able to stuff myself with bubble tea every day. However, this was my favorite bubble tea. I noticed each shop had its own unique flavor, despite having similar menus to other shops. This bubble tea balanced the bitterness of the tea and sweetness of the sugar into a harmonious blend and the chewy pearls were the perfect addition.

Beef Noodles

You can’t come to Taiwan without eating beef noodles. Most shops will have it on their menu and you will get a good bowl almost anywhere you go. The beef is tender and full of the flavor of the broth, which has been simmered for hours to reach peak flavor. The pickled vegetables added a crunchy and sour element to the rich broth and the noodles were chewy and dense.

Beef Roll

This pancake is similar to da bing, but the difference is in the meat and sauce. The meat is marinated and cooked, then rolled with scallions into the thin pancake. What I love about this dish is how easy it is to eat and how well it accompanies other dishes. The sauce is slightly sweet and the scallions add a fresh burst of flavor to the meat.

Din Tai Fung

I was lucky to get to go to the original Din Tai Fung. It was only a few hundred meters away from my hotel so I was able to avoid the afternoon rush and enjoy my meal at my leisure. I accidentally ordered the beef soup instead of the beef noodle soup but it was just as delicious. The beef was the most tender beef I have ever tasted and it melted in my mouth. The shrimp dumplings tasted very refreshing and were wrapped in the thinnest dumpling skin. I left so full that I had to walk for a while to properly digest my food, but no regrets.

King Mango Shaved Ice

I can’t believe I ate this by myself, but this was the most amazing shaved ice I have ever had. I love mango, so I am particular whenever I eat a dish that has mango, but this mango was fresh and sweet. The serving was more than generous and topping it with a scoop of mango ice cream was the pinnacle of joy for my mouth. That, and the drizzled condensed milk was so refreshing and the perfect blend of flavors.

There is so much to eat in Taipei and while you can’t eat it all you can always try. Happy eats.

Link to our youtube video → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMQQ5VqMztw