Taipei Dinning - Taipei Travel Guide - Canton Fair, Guangzhou Hotels

Taipei Dinning - Taipei Travel Guide

Taipei probably has one of the highest densities of restaurants in the world. Almost every street and alley offers some kind of eatery. Of course, Chinese food (from all provinces) is well represented, but in addition, Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean and Italian cuisines are also popular. Basically, East Taipei, especially around Dunhua and Anhe Roads, and also the expat enclave of Tienmu are where to clash chopsticks with the rich and famous, whereas West Taipei offers more homey, small restaurants.

Due to the sheer number of restaurants, it is almost impossible to compile a thorough list, but below are a few recommended restaurants catering to specialist tastes.

Night markets

The most famous one in Taipei is the Shilin Night Market. Vendor food is nearly always safe to eat and offers a cheap way to sample delicious Chinese 'home cooking'. Use common sense though if you have a sensitive stomach!

Stinky Tofu at Shilin Market

Some of the best known night market snacks are:

Oyster omelet
Tianbula - A Taiwanese version of tempura.

Stinky tofu a.k.a. Chinese cheese
Oyster vermicelli
Fried chicken fillet
Pearl milk tea a classic drink invented by a tea vendor in Taichung.
Stir fried cuttlefish
Spareribs with herbs)
Fig Jelly
Mango ice
Pan fried pork buns
Soy braised foods
Taiwanese sausage

Chinese cuisine

Din Tai Fung Shrimp Dumplings

Tien Hsiang Lo, B1, 41 Minquan East Road, Sec. 2. (The Landis Taipei Hotel). Tel:+886 2 2597-1234,. Authentic Hangzhou cuisine. Reservations are recommended.
Yin-Yi Restaurant, 2F 18 Jinshan South Road Sec. 2. Tel:+886 2 2341-7799. Dedicated to old style Yangzhou cuisine.
Pearl Liang, 2F, 2 Songshou Road (Grand Hyatt Taipei). Tel:+886 2 2720-1200,. Offers unique, fresh, live seafood and dim sum.
Shang Palace, 6F, 201 Dunhua South Road Sec. 2. (Far Eastern Plaza Hotel). Tel:+886 2 2378-8888,. Specialize in Cantonese and regional Chinese cuisines. Note: Dim sum is available for lunch only.
Din Tai Fung, 218 Zhongxiao East Road Sec. 4. Tel:+886 2 2721-7890,. Famous for its steamed pork dumplings. Worth a detour. Several locations in Taipei and worldwide.
Yi-yaji Restaurant, 16, Lane 286, Roosevelt Road Sec. 3. Tel:+886 2 2367-8218. Near the Taiwan National University, dedicated to Cantonese dumplings, shaomais (Chinese steamed pork dumplings) and desserts.
Longmen Hostelry Dumplings Restaurant, 19, Lane 61, Linsen South Road. Tel:+886 2 2351-0729. This restaurant serves traditional Shantonese dumplings.
Shan Xi Dao Xiao Mian, 2, Lane 118, Heping East Road Sec. 2. (@ Fuxing S Road, near Technology Bldg MRT station, in an alley of Taiwan National University) Tel:+886 2 2378-7890. Serving knife cut noodles, which are known for their chewy texture. As the name suggests, a block of noodle dough is held and the noodles are cut straight off of the block. Cheap and very popular, but no English menus.
Yongkang Beef Noodle, 17, Lane 31, Jinshan South Road Sec. 2. Tel:+886 2 2351-1051, [47], One of the top-twenty beef noodle shops in Taipei.
Kiki Restaurant, 28, Fuxing South Road Sec. 1. Tel:+886 2 2752-2781, Opposited the Breeze Center. This restaurant dedicated to Szechwan peppery hot pot, fried tofu and more.

Taiwanese cuisine

Tainan Tan-tsu-mien Seafood Restaurant, 31 Huaxi Street. Tel:+886 2 2308-1123. Legendary in the Huaxi Street Tourist Night Market (Snake Alley).
Ching-Yeh, 1, Lane 105, Zhongshan North Road Sec. 1. Tel:+886 2 2551-7957. The famous Taiwanese restaurant in Taipei, beside the Zhongshan North Road.
Shinyeh' Table, 2F 201 Zhongxiao East Road Sec.4. Tel:+886 2 2778-8712. Near the MRT Zhongxiao Fuxing Station, located right inside the Tongling Department Store. It's the newest Taiwanese cuisine restaurant in Taipei. Menu has English.

Thai cuisine

Thai Guo Xiao Guan, 219 Tingzhou Road Sec. 3. (Near the Taiwan National University) Tel:+886 2 2367-0739. The small Thai restaurant in Gongguan. The owner is a Thai, you can enjoy authentic Thai food at low price.
Thai Heaven Restaurant, 60 Roosevelt Road Sec. 2. Tel:+886 2 2392-5969. Near the Taiwan Normal University (Shi-da). Authentic fire-hot Thai cuisine is served here. Try the Moon Shrimp Cake and Green Papaya Salad, Tasty!

Japanese cuisine

Mitsui Japanese Cuisine, 30 Nong-an Street. Tel:+886 2 2594-3394.. The best Japanese cuisine in Taipei.
Mei Guan Yuan, 36 Emei Street, Tel:+886 2 2331-0377. Located in Ximending Pedestrian Area. This restaurant serves authentic Japanese sushi and sashimi since 1946.

Korean

Korean P&L B.B.Q Restaurant, 47, Longquan Street. Tel:+886 2 2362-1637. Near the Taiwan Normal University (Shida) and located in Shida Night market. This small place serves traditional Korean barbecue, kimchi hot pot and spicy ricecake.

Indian

Tandoor Indian Restaurant, 10, Lane 73, Hejiang Street. Tel:+886 2 2509-9853.
Out of India, 26, Lane 13, Pucheng Street (second lane on right off Shi-Da Road when traveling from Heping East Road). Tel:+886 2 2363-3054 - food ok, but not great value.
Namaste Curry, 2F. 16, Lane 316, Roosevelt Road sec 3 (near Gongguan MRT Station). Tel:+886 2 2362-9538 - friendly and warm atmosphere - good reasonably priced food.
Carnegie's, Anhe Road, Section 2, No.100 (near Far Eastern Hotel). Tel:+886 2 2325-4433 - While not an Indian restaurant per se, Carnegie's features many Indian dishes, and they have an excellent "Curry-Out" menu if you feel like bringing a curry or two home with you.

Middle Eastern

Sababa, 8, Alley 54, Lane 118, Heping East Road, Sec. 2. (across from the Xinhai Road entrance to Taiwan National University). Tel:+886 2 2738-7769, and 17 Lane 283, Roosevelt Road, sec 3. Tel:+886 2 2363-8009.. Authentic Middle Eastern cuisine at very reasonable prices - warm and cozy atmosphere.

International

JB's, 148, Shida Road. Tel:+886 2 2364-8222. An European pub and restaurant in Shida night market serves traditional European fare on the first floor (The second floor features the main bar and activity center). Steak pie and fish and chips are Taipei's best.
ECCO Italian Cuisine, 10, Civic Boulevard, Sec. 4. Tel:+886 2 2778-6338. The famous Italian cuisine in Taipei. This restaurant is between Breeze Center and Sogo Department Store.
Cafe Onion Restaurant, 1, Lane 9, Tianmu North Road. Tel:+886 2 2873-9992. A Tianmu institution since 1992, it is situated in the narrow lane. Cafe Onion serves the best of pastas, pork knuckles and steaks. Menu in English.

Pizza

Pizza is easy to find in Taiwan with major chains such as Pizza Hut and Domino's. Besides the usual variety, Taiwan also has its localized variants e.g. seafood supreme, pepper steak, corn, peas etc.

Alleycat's Pizza, B1, 6-1 Lishui Street (near the intersection of Xinyi Road and Jinshan South Road). Tel:886 2 2321-8949.. Generally considered by ex-pats to be the best traditional Italian pizza in Taipei.
Casa Della Pasta, 7-1, Lane 11, Zhongshan North Road, sec 2. Tel:886 2 2567-8769. Reasonable pizzas at good prices served among authentic Italian decor.

Steak

Ruth's Chris Steak House, 2F, 135 Minsheng East Road, Sec 3. Tel+886 2 2545-8888,. Perhaps Taipei's best-known and best American steakhouse.
Wang Steak House, 169 Nanjing East Road, Sec 4. Tel:886 2 8770-7989.. An upscale chain steakhouse known for its signature "Wang steak".
Lawry's Steak House, 12F Core Pacific Living Mall, 138 Bade Road, sec 4.

Vegetarian

Vegetarian food is also common fare, with the city boasting more than two hundred such restaurants and vendor stands. Another Taipei specialty is vegetarian buffets. They are common in every neighborhood, and unlike the 'all-you-can-eat' buffets listed below (which charge a set price, usually ranging from NT$250 - NT$350 including dessert and coffee/tea), the cost is estimated by the weight of the food on your plate. Rice (there is usually a choice of brown or white) is charged separately, but soup is free and you can refill as many times as you like. NT$75-120 will buy you a good sized, nutritious meal. Note that many of these veggie restaurants are Buddhist in nature and so meals do not contain garlic or onion (which traditionalists claim inflames passion).

Lotus Pavilion Restaurant, B1, 153-155 Xinyi Road, Sec. 4 (entrance in alley behind Changhwa Bank. Tel:+886 2 2703-5612) - up-scale all-you-can-eat buffet.
Heart of the Lotus Garden, 2F No. 108 Xinsheng North Road, Sec. 2 (near intersection with Jinzhou Street - Tel:+886 2 2560-1950) - up-scale all-you-can-eat buffet.
Om Ah Hum, No. 6, Alley 18, Lane 60, Taishun Street (off Shida Road - Tel:+886 2 2362-3919) - menu style - located in traditional wooden building.
For a special Taipei street experience, check out the veggie vendor outside No. 30, Lane 216, Zhongxiao East Road Sec. 4 (in the alleys behind the Dunhua South Road Eslite Mall and book store) - The rice noodles are especially delicious and cheap and a plate of their dougan (dried tofu) makes a great side dish.
Fei Chang Su, 19-3, Lane 107, Fuxing South Road, Sec.1 (alley behind Zhongxiao East Road Sogo - Tel:+886 2 2731-5089) - menu style - inexpensive and delicious Thai cuisine.
Shui-Ge, B1, 270 Zhongxiao East Road, Sec. 4 (Tel:886 2 2711-1871) - up-scale all-you-can-eat buffet.
Armillydo, 13, Lane 170, Xinsheng South Road, Sec. 1 (enter from Lane 243, Xinyi Road, sec 2 - Tel:+886 2 2358-2677) - an organic restaurant with Zen style decor.

Taipei Dinning - Taipei Travel Guide