Halal, which means “lawful” or “allowed” in Arabic, in dietary terms refers to food standards permissible under Islamic law, focusing on cleanliness, humane animal treatment, and ethical sourcing. In recent years, Taipei has become a popular Muslim tourist destination and is internationally recognized as Muslim-friendly. From larger restaurants serving food from various Muslim countries to authentic Turkish cuisine, halal beef noodles, and fast food, the city’s halal dining options are constantly improving.

Mouna Restaurant

On a quiet stretch of Yanping South Road near the Taipei Botanical Garden, Mouna serves up some of the best halal food in Taipei, with dishes originating across the Muslim world, from Morocco to northern India. Moroccan lamps hang from the ceiling, and a zellige tile pattern adorns the walls. Comfortable seating rounds out a spacious dining area, with a buffet set up at one end for busy times and large groups.

Owner and proprietor Mouna’s story of founding her eponymous restaurant is tinged with both tragedy and inspiration. A native of Morocco, she met her late Taiwanese husband and moved to Taipei to start a family. After his passing, she stayed to raise their children, opening a small shawarma stand in Maji Square near MRT Yuanshan Station. Her food was popular enough that it turned into counters at high-end department store food courts and a stall at the Ningxia Night Market. After hearing from Indonesian and Malaysian tourism officials that there “was no halal food in Taiwan” despite her locations being halal, she decided to open a restaurant.

The concept at Mouna is not food from a specific country, although dishes from Mouna’s native Morocco are on the menu. Instead, it is a halal dining experience; more generally, each dish is executed with admirable skill. Travelers from across the Middle East and Southeast Asia come to Mouna for everything from hummus to tajine (a slowcooked stew) to curry.

The hummus and babaghanoush (an appetizer with a creamy dip) are quite possibly the best in Taipei. Biryani (a mixed-rice dish) with lamb and rosewater is served on gilded, onion-domed platters. Lamb and chicken kebab, fresh from the grill, arrive sizzling at the table. Moroccan dishes such as cubed beef with plums and chicken with preserved lemon are served in ornate tajines, some colored a deep turmeric yellow and embellished with designs, others painted in detailed patterns. Snacks and sides include luscious flatbread with perfect chewiness and peanuts tossed in the restaurant’s own blend of spices.

Mouna Restaurant 暮娜餐館
🚩252, Yanping S. Rd., Zhongzheng Dist.
📞(02) 2389-6093
🔗instagram.com/mouna_restaurant
🕝Tue-Sun 11:00am-2:30pm, 5:00pm-9:30pm

Safranbolu Turkish Restaurant

Mention Turkish food in Taipei, and the first word on the lips of many people in the know will be “Safranbolu.” Located at the intersection of Jilin and Nanjing East roads near MRT Songjiang Nanjing Station, this restaurant has been serving up authentic Turkish fare for years.

Running a halal restaurant comes with specific challenges, as some ingredients are difficult to import, and others are subject to price fluctuations and other factors. “There’s only one halal chicken supplier in Taiwan, so they can change prices at will,” proprietor Recep Cetin points out. “All of what we use has to be halal, and that’s very important.”

At Safranbolu, all the chefs are from Turkey, and they cook their native foods with gusto. There are different chefs for different types of food, as Cetin believes in matching the best-suited people to each kitchen task.

The grilled meat platter for groups is popular, piled high with succulent lamb chops, shish kebabs (skewered and grilled cubes of meat), grilled chicken, and beef köfte (meatballs) served on mounds of buttery pilaf. Turkish dips with homemade bread or balloon lavash (a type of flatbread that puffs when cooked) go quickly, especially the ezme, a spicy pepper and tomato salad with herbs, and mutabal, a yoghurt, roasted garlic, and roasted eggplant dish.

▲Turkish dips with homemade bread

The lahmaçun and pide taste exactly as they would in Turkey. Lahmaçun is a flatbread that has both a crispy and tender mouthfeel, topped with spiced ground lamb and herbs, best eaten when wrapped around a serving of salad in a tangy dressing. Pide, a boat-shaped flatbread dish, consists of a fluffier bread topped with cheese, meat, and occasionally egg, and is sometimes called “Turkish pizza.”

The individual meat dishes at Safranbolu are not to be missed. Adana Kebab is a type of shish kebab that is spiced and grilled. Or try Ali Nazik, featuring a mutabal base topped with grilled lamb. Beyti Kebab, which features tender grilled minced meat wrapped in flatbread and melts in the mouth, is also popular.

Safranbolu Turkish Restaurant 番紅花城土耳其餐廳
🚩60, Sec. 2, Nanjing E. Rd., Zhongshan Dist.
📞(02) 2522-2939
🔗facebook.com/safranboluturkishrestaurant
🕝11:00am-10:00pm

Halal Chinese Beef Noodles

Located just a few minutes’ walk from MRT Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall Station, the first signs that this otherwise unassuming beef-noodle joint is a standout are evident before you walk in: a street-level sign in Arabic, several Michelin stickers, and the line that often forms outside.

In fact, Halal Chinese Beef Noodles is not only halal, as the name proclaims, but has also been a Michelin-recommended restaurant. It earned a place on the Michelin Bib Gourmand list for seven consecutive years before that.

The noodles come in two varieties, clear broth and red-braised broth, both of which are simmered for hours to develop an unctuous, meaty flavor. The clear broth allows diners to enjoy a purer beef flavor, while the red-braised broth contains more herbs and spices. Tender beef cuts such as shank, neck, and short rib are sourced from freshly slaughtered Taiwanese cattle. The restaurant also offers Middle Eastern-style flatbread, as well as dishes for larger groups.

Halal Chinese Beef Noodles 清真中國牛肉麵食館
🚩1, Aly. 7, Ln. 137, Yanji St., Daan Dist.
📞(02) 2721-4771
🔗facebook.com/halal.chinese.beef.noodle
🕝Thu-Tue 11:30am-2:00pm, 5:00pm-8:30pm

Furger

This takeaway spot in the Gongguan Shopping District provides a combination of halal-certified vegetarian burgers and fast, friendly service popular with the local university crowd, especially Muslim students. Breakfast is a busy time, with the shop opening at 7:30am. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill vegetarian burger joint offering just one type of patty with different toppings. Rather, Furger has sweet potato, taro, mushroom, and mountain yam burgers on the menu, with one especially popular option, the truffle burger, imitating a steak and truffle burger. Other options include a numbing-spice mushroom burger and a lion’s head mushroom burger.

Patrons pair their burgers with tea or lemonade, with an intriguing salted lemonade drink available. Tea options include green, oolong, and honey-scented black tea, which isn’t sweetened with honey but rather has a natural honey aroma. Sides include fried mushroom “chicken nuggets,” fries, and sweet-potato balls. 

Furger 芙格漢堡
🚩2, Ln. 52, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Zhongzheng Dist.
📞0910-033-568
🔗facebook.com/future_burger
🕝7:30am-8:30pm

Fried Chicken Master

This is not just the only halal-certified fried chicken franchise in Taiwan (there are several branches in the city, including one in the Gongguan Shopping District); it has also branched out internationally, with stores in Southeast Asia. In operation since 2015, its outlets deliver crispy and juicy fried chicken seasoned with a proprietary marinade that highlights local Taiwanese flavors.

There is a wide array of fried chicken on offer. Flavors include Taiwanese salt and pepper, Thai spicy sauce, and Chinese hot sauce, as well as powdered flavorings such as cheese, black pepper, plum, and seaweed. The half and whole chicken options are popular, but customers can also choose wings, boneless chicken breast, chicken tenders, or chicken cartilage. Chicken gua bao (“Taiwanese hamburger”), fried chicken breast, and thigh are also on offer, along with a variety of set meals. In true Taiwanese fashion, fries are not the only side dish. Hash browns, purple sweet-potato fries, and Taiwanese radish cake all rank highly with customers.

©Fried Chicken Master

In true Taiwanese fashion, fries are not the only side dish. Hash browns, purple sweet-potato fries, and Taiwanese radish cake all rank highly with customers. 

Fried Chicken Master 炸雞大獅
🔗www.chickenmaster.com.tw

Beyond the above halal dining options, you can find a comprehensive Halal Travel Guide online at travel.taipei/en/must-visit/halal, featuring Muslim-friendly attractions, facilities, and services throughout the city. Muslim travelers are warmly welcomed to explore Taipei with confidence and peace of mind.

🔎
Gongguan Shopping District | 公館商圈
gua bao | 刈包
Maji Square | 集食行樂
Ningxia Night Market | 寧夏夜市
Taipei Botanical Garden | 台北植物園

🗺️Click here to see aforementioned spots on Google Map

This article is reproduced under the permission of TAIPEI. Original content can be found on the website of Taipei Travel Net (www.travel.taipei/en).

Text　Jenna Lynn Cody
Photoa　VISION
Editor　Levarcy Chen

Taipei’s East District is typically considered to span the greater area around Zhongxiao East Road running east from the Zhongxiao-Fuxing intersection, including lanes to the north and south. The area, easily accessible by the Taipei Metro’s Blue Line, is known mostly for its brightly-lit shopping streets and has a lot to offer. From the sleek contemporary exhibitions at JUT Art Museum to quiet photography bookshops, bustling dumpling houses, stylish vintage stores, and inventive cocktail bars, a day in the East District reveals the neighborhood’s mix of creativity, flavor, and local charm.

The East District is commonly thought of as a destination for shopping, eating, and not much else. The area also has some notable cultural attractions, however, rewarding those who look a little deeper.

Just to the east of National Taipei University of Technology and within walking distance from MRT Zhongxiao Xinsheng Station, an unassuming office building hides a small gem: the JUT Art Museum. The museum focuses on urban art and architecture, curated in a space that is both sleek and calming. JUT’s collection and exhibitions are focused on the themes of “the city” and “the future” seen through contemporary art.

The facility was designed by Japanese architect Jun Aoki and designer Atsuki Kikuchi as a calm, refined space that integrates with the visual language of Taipei. A changing lineup of international exhibitions, lectures, and cultural programs is hosted, engaging visitors in dialogues about art and urban architecture.

JUT Art Museum 忠泰美術館
🚩178, Sec. 3, Civic Blvd., Daan Dist.
📞(02) 8772-6178
🔗jam.jutfoundation.org.tw
🕝Tue-Thu, Sat-Sun 10:00am-6:00pm; Fri 10:00am-4:00pm

Museums aren’t the only cultural offering. The East District is also home to unexpected storefront s for those in the mood to contemplate and learn.

Located a short walk southeast from the JUT Art Museum is moom bookshop, a quiet bookstore focused on photography books. The shop manages to be both buzzing with visitors and quiet as a church; the dominant sound is the leafing of pages as patrons enjoy pictures from innumerable eclectic photography collections. One wall is heavily focused on Asia. Another displays books on minimalist shelves, turning the books themselves into art.

This treasure trove has just about any photography book that a person could want, including books showing Japanese toilets, the outlines of gabled roofs from buildings that have been torn down, New York in the 1970s, and cats in mid-century advertisements. It’s a bookshop where it doesn’t matter what language you read; anyone can stop in for a few relaxing moments.

moom bookshop
🚩16, Aly. 8, Ln. 251, Sec. 3, Zhongxiao E. Rd., Daan Dist.
📞(02) 2750-4001
🔗moom.com.tw
🕝12:00pm-8:00pm

After walking past the two SOGO department stores that are located kitty-corner to each other along Zhongxiao East Road, to the east of the SOGO Zhongxiao Branch you’ll come to a leafy walking area commonly referred to as Dinghao Plaza. This is where the creative Hangout Market comes alive every weekend. The real culinary attractions in the area, however, are hidden underground, in the basement of the Dinghao Mall.

Stacks of bamboo steamers and a long queue greet you at Ding Hao Zi Lin, the local-favorite steamed-dumpling house. Don’t worry about joining the line: tables turn over quickly, so you should be seated within a couple of minutes. The restaurant is justifiably famous for its pan-fried potstickers, but the steamed dumplings, hot and sour soup, and pork or beef pancake rolls are also popular.

Ding Hao Zi Lin Steamed Dumplings 頂好紫琳蒸餃
🚩B1, 97, Sec. 4, Zhongxiao E. Rd., Daan Dist.
📞(02) 2752-0962
🕝11:00am-9:00pm

For a burst of healthy hydration, head to HOW & the Juice, next to Ding Hao Zi Lin. Fresh, seasonal fruit is used to make treats that many call the best juices in the East District. Drinks here pair well with the food consumed at the two eateries introduced on this page. You can grab drinks with names like It’s Not “a” Strawberry Juice, made with pineapple, apple, raspberry, and lemon. Other options include the Kiwi Pineapple Juice, the Apple Pineapple with Celery, and also The Boss’ Choice.

HOW & the Juice
🚩B1, 97, Sec. 4, Zhongxiao E. Rd., Daan Dist.
📞(02) 2771-4145
🕝12:00pm-8:30pm

If you’re jonesing for some heat, you’ll find May Jing Red Chili Wonton, which specializes in one of Taipei’s tastiest, spiciest dishes. May Jing is designed like a night market stall, with classic red-and-white signage and seating along a bar behind which the food is prepared. A variety of Sichuan-style dishes is offered, from hot and sour soup with or without wontons to dry dan-dan noodles and other classics such as pork rib noodles or soup.

May Jing Red Chili Wonton 美景紅油抄手
🚩B1, 97, Sec. 4, Zhongxiao E. Rd., Daan Dist.
📞(02) 2781-9004
🔗mayjingwonton.com
🕝Tue-Fri 11:00am-3:30pm, 4:30pm-8:30pm

This area isn’t just known for meals and drinks; there are many pastry and confectionery shops worth visiting as well.

Buy gifts of local pastries for your favorite people at Sun Tone, advertised as the “King of Filling.” This shop offers everything from pineapple cakes to peanut rolls. Founded in Taiwan and beloved across the country, the Sun Tone chain is known for its dedication to traditional flavors made with carefully selected local ingredients. The pineapple cakes have been called “the perfect mix of sweet and savory,” and the taro pastries, mung bean cakes, and milk butter cakes also receive rave reviews.

▲Egg Yolk Pastry and Taro Pastry from Sun Tone

Sun Tone 三統漢菓子
🚩B2, 45, Sec. 4, Zhongxiao E. Rd., Daan Dist. (SOGO Zhongxiao Branch)
📞0902-653-730
🔗www.suntone.com.tw
🕝Sun-Thu 9:00am-9:30pm, Fri-Sat 9:00am-10:00pm

Some of the best Japanese mochi in Taiwan can be found at Meigetsudo, a Japanese confectionery founded in 1935. Meigetsudo is known for preserving traditional wagashi craftsmanship from the Japanese era (1895~1945). Wagashi are small treats typically enjoyed with tea. The shop specializes in handcrafted sweets made with natural ingredients using classic techniques. These include seasonal namagashi – high-end wagashi sweets that should be eaten fresh – and baked treats.

▲Strawberry daifuku and yuzu daifuku

Meigetsudo 明月堂和菓子
🚩B3, 300, Sec. 3, Zhongxiao E. Rd., Daan Dist. (SOGO Fuxing Branch)
📞(02) 8772-0335
🔗www.meigetsudo.com.tw
🕝9:30am-7:30pm

Although the East District is generally known for its fashionable shopping malls, it also has niche boutique shops tucked away in its backstreets. The most fashionable people know to look for vintage and eclectic finds in the lanes and alleys northeast of the Zhongxiao-Dunhua intersection.

Trendy people in Taipei shop at The Cellar, a vintage store located close to Civic Boulevard, known for its curated and funky clothing selection. The shop specializes in high-quality vintage and secondhand pieces from Japan, Europe, and the U.S., as well as popular Taiwanese brands. The vibe here is distinctly “Japanese vintage” with a Taiwanese twist: this is a place where you go to build a unique wardrobe. The Cellar’s employees will even help you craft and style outfits from its racks, so even the most fashion-challenged person can emerge looking cool and creative.

The Cellar 地窖日常
🚩B1, 1, Aly. 35, Ln. 181, Sec. 4, Zhongxiao E. Rd., Daan Dist.
📞(02) 2771-0385
🔗cellarshops.com
🕝2:00pm-10:00pm

Just a short walk southeast from The Cellar, GoodsForEye is exactly what the name implies: a style-forward glasses shop favored by Taipei’s tastemakers. Customers love the service here, with staff not only helping patrons adjust frames and prepare lenses but also giving tips and suggestions on which glasses suit them best.

The shop carries a thoughtfully curated mix of international and independent eyewear brands, making it a top destination for those who see glasses as both a fashion statement and an everyday essential.

GoodsForEye
🚩71, Ln. 161, Sec. 1, Dunhua S. Rd., Daan Dist.
📞(02) 2771-2800
🔗www.goodsforeye.com
🕝2:00pm-10:00pm

After dark, the East District transforms from a shopping and food haven into a trendy neighborhood for nightlife. Bistros and Bars in Taipei love to experiment with local ingredients in their food and drink, from jujube to sesame to Taiwanese tea, and East District Plus‘ recommendations are no exception.

A few blocks northeast of the SOGO department store, Bar Mood looks like a sleek science lab, with a front standing area filled with white-and-gray marble tables. Inside, behind curtains, a plush lounge awaits, featuring intimate seating and a dark-wood bar framed by elaborate floral displays. Bar Mood, included in the Asia’s 50 Best Bars list multiple times, takes an ingredient-focused approach, sourcing herbs and flowers from across Taiwan. Seasonal botanical cocktails include offerings redolent of cucumber, basil, lemongrass, lime, and smoked marshmallow foam, or drinks made with herbal tea, longan, jujube, goji, and Jinxuan tea.

Bar Mood 吧沐
🚩53, Ln. 160, Sec. 1, Dunhua S. Rd., Daan Dist.
📞0905-773-621
🔗instagram.com/barmood_taipei
🕝Sun-Thu 6:00pm-1:00am, Fri-Sat 6:00pm-2:00am

Silk & Linen, a 3 minutes’ walk from Bar Mood, is a stylish bar known for its creative cocktails and elevated small plates that are international with a Taiwanese sensibility. A cozy and moody space, it offers a relaxed atmosphere with comfortable seating perfect for dates, celebrations, or a night out with friends. Guests praise the inventive drink menu, which mixes classic spirits with local flavors like black sesame, oolong tea, plum, and charcoal kumquat, as well as thoughtfully crafted dishes like Butter Chicken, curry crab toast, and meat rolls. Some drinks play on Silk & Linen’s name, with names like Amber, Wool, Cement, and Cotton.

© Silk & Linen

Silk & Linen
🚩28, Ln. 19, Sec. 1, Daan Rd., Daan Dist.
📞(02) 2772-2339
🔗instagram.com/bar_silknlinen
🕝Sun-Thu 7:00pm-1:00am, Fri-Sat 7:00pm-4:00am

🔎
Dinghao Mall | 頂好名店城
Dinghao Plaza | 頂好廣場
East District | 東區
SOGO Fuxing Branch | SOGO 百貨復興館
SOGO Zhongxiao Branch | SOGO 百貨忠孝館

🗺️Click here to see aforementioned spots on Google Map

This article is reproduced under the permission of TAIPEI. Original content can be found on the website of Taipei Travel Net (www.travel.taipei/en).

Text　Rick Charette
Photos　VISION
Editor　Levarcy Chen

Taipei City is a top regional destination for digital-savvy young travelers, and its potently wide blend of the cultural pursuits Zoomers find irresistible has put it on the radar for experience-hunters from lands further afield as well.

High-energy urban hubs, niche subcultures, “slow living” hipster enclaves, quirky interactive experiences… the Gen Z traveler desires curated aesthetic experiences to be shared on social media. The focus is on candid, nostalgic, or “real” imperfect moments, bold visuals (neon, 3D art, retro), and local cultural immersion (food, festivals).

What draws Gen Z travelers to Taipei? Four distinctive cultural pursuits have emerged as defining experiences: stan culture – from concert venues to idol merchandise shops and random play dance gatherings; immersive photo experiences at retro-styled booths and atmospheric studios; café hopping through heritage neighborhoods in search of Instagram-worthy spaces serving Taiwanese-fusion drinks; and hands-on crafts offering therapeutic respite from digital life. These activities reflect Gen Z’s desire for parasocial connection, visual storytelling, nostalgic aesthetics, and meaningful creative expression.

Taipei delivers on all fronts, with world-class performance venues like the Taipei Dome and Taipei Arena drawing international idols, atmospheric neighborhoods like Dadaocheng and Wanhua housing vintage photo studios and heritage cafés, and specialized workshops offering everything from Taiwanese pastry-making to personalized perfume creation. The city’s compact, metro-connected layout makes it easy to dive deep into each experience, while its blend of Japanese-era heritage, Korean pop culture influence, and distinctive Taiwanese character creates a unique East Asian cultural crossroads.

And now, a more detailed dive into specific spots and experiences where Gen Z is making its mark around the city:

✦Stan Culture

For Gen Z, stan culture centers on “idols” – carefully curated figures with specific aesthetic styles and strict image management – rather than traditional celebrities. What distinguishes this culture is interaction through social media engagement and offline events like concerts and fan meetings. Taipei’s venues are ideally suited to support these interactive fan experiences.

Stargazing Venues

Any city seeking Gen Z traveler consideration must have international-caliber concert venues to entice top global talent, and Taipei supplies with a dynamic duo, the Taipei Dome and Taipei Arena, both striking award-winning architectural artworks and iconic city landmarks. The freshly minted Taipei Dome, doors thrown open in late 2023, is a multi-purpose domed stadium used both for cultural performances and sports events, with seating reaching up to 40,000 for the former. The Taipei Arena is a multi-function sporting/cultural events complex that is comparatively modest in size, though still large; the main arena is used for concerts, with seating for up to 13,000. Their distinctive shapes have given rise to the dome and arena being affectionately called in Chinese the “Big Egg” and “Little Egg,” respectively.

Among the recent big-name performers at the Dome has been Super Junior, G-Dragon and i-dle, at the Arena, BABYMONSTER and Ayumi Hamasaki. Perhaps the most anticipated upcoming shows will be put on by TWICE at the Dome later in March 2026.

Note that the first-rate Taipei Metro system has stops right at the doorstep of both these venues, and all other locations presented hereafter are either very close to or just a short distance away from a metro station. While using the system, you’ll likely see lightbox messages created by fans, addressed to favorite idols (see the Fandom Culture section below), and metro-system announcements sometimes incorporate iconic pop tracks or even special greetings from idols to their fans. Beyond this, the city government has recently commenced creating city landscapes in support of colors, check-in spots, and banners.

Merch Shopping

Idol shops are retail spaces themed on pop idols, selling related merchandise, with some also staging fan events. Gen Z focuses on unique, shareable experiences like interactive photo opportunities, live performances/demonstrations, and curated environments (with a specific music or décor theme, for example). These shops provide a space for fans to gather and make it convenient for them to find partners for filming dance challenges and exchanging merchandise.

The K-MONSTAR chain, which has three Taipei branches, is a K-pop merchandise specialist – albums to photocards to apparel and accessories to much beyond. It emphasizes genuine product s from K-pop idols, ensuring authenticity for collectors, and regularly stages fan interaction events. Another dedicated K-POP store is PLATBUM, located near the MRT Zhongshan Station. It specializes in a wide range of idol albums and official merchandise.

When you think of Japanese kawaii cutesy, you think of pink. As you turn into the fanfancy+ shop in the Garden City underground retail/dining complex at the Taipei Dome, prepare yourself for a pink onslaught. This specialty concept store is a fandom realm dedicated to Japanese pop-culture figures, especially anime and J-pop. The first overseas branch of the Japanese fanfancy+ brand, all stock is Japanese-brand merchandise. It’s designed to be a fan community space as well as a shop. Providing more than just collectibles, clothing, and accessories, it’s a veritable fan experience destination. There are themed mini-areas where fans can take photos with their favorite characters or merch, and Taiwan-exclusive items, such as photo frames, are also available.

Random Play Dancing

A hot new Gen Z phenomenon in East Asia is Random Play Dancing (RPD), adapted from the K-Pop dance challenge. It is a spontaneous group challenge where fans gather at a spot designated on social media (no registration required), and snippets of popular songs are played, allowing anyone who knows the choreography in question to jump into a center circle to strut their stuff. Originating with Korean variety shows like Weekly Idol, RPD events happen in public spaces or online, letting fans showcase their skills on famous choreographies from different idols, blurring the lines between audience and performer, fostering fan connection through shared passion for top music hits and their iconic moves. In Taipei, RPD gatherings mostly happen in the posh Xinyi District and Ximending.

Fandom Culture

Prior to Gen Z coming of age with money to spend, fandom culture in Taipei/Taiwan was most exuberantly expressed in the form of Japanese comic/anime culture. Over the past decade, younger generations have become hot for all things (South) Korean, and for Gen Z, it is K-pop. In tandem with this has been the import of Korea-style idol-worshipping, such as billboard/LED wall messages created by fans, rented multimedia advertising trucks, cafés where fans meet for special gatherings, such as the celebration of an idol’s birthday, and even idol messages scrolling on the façade of the giant Taipei 101 tower.

A prime example of the fandom café is the revealingly named IDOL coffee, located along a narrow, quiet lane not far from Taipei Main Station, the city’s major transportation hub. A bright space done up in blonde-hue woods, a rotating display of idol posters with personalized messages brackets the entrance door, and idol photos and figurines fill up the interior. Celebratory balloon-spelled birthday wishes adorn the walls most days, accompanied by dedicated parties for the idol of the day. Other types of support events are also regularly held, especially for idols’ upcoming Taipei concerts.

✦Photo Studios/Booths

Vintage and retro-style aesthetics – especially Y2K elements and a sense of “perfect imperfection” – have become defining trends for Gen Z. Grainy textures, dated tones, and slightly flawed compositions are embraced as expressions of authenticity and attitude. This is why photo booths, retro-style portraits, and old-school CCD cameras have surged back into popularity. With Gen Z, two new phenomena have taken hold: specialist photo studios and new-style photo booths.

Yingshing Candy Shop is such a studio. It is located in the old, heritage rich Wanhua neighborhood, not far from the famed Bangka Lungshan Temple. This studio offers diverse shoot-sets looking like, for example, an old-time Japanese general store and traditional Japanese home with a tatami area filled with iconic Japanese-style bric-a-brac. You hire studio photographers for different-style shoots – portrait, fashion, cosplay, and wedding photography. Diverse theme apparel is available, allowing you to effortlessly style and shine in every frame.

As for the photo booth trend, these spots often feature cameras mounted on the walls, ceiling, and floor. They incorporate vintage and film-inspired effects, along with distinctive settings such as subway cars, airplane restrooms, and elevators. A variety of props and accessories are also available, and digital copies of the photos can be downloaded via QR code for instant sharing on social media.

One of the most popular spots is the Lucky Star Photo Booth by SNAPPP in the Dadaocheng neighborhood just off Dihua Street, famous for its heritage shops and architecture. This destination celebrates old-time Taiwanese culture with four photo booths in the old Fuji/Kodak style, featuring classic Taiwanese background/foreground props: pachinko tables, fruit-stand racks, old-time movie posters, convex road-safety mirrors….

There are also several SNAPPP outlets in the city. These are photo service and community hubs with a strong focus on film (analog) photography culture, selling film and gear, staging photo events/contests, and magazine projects, etc.

✦Café Hopping

It seems every generation in Taiwan under 50 loves café lingering, each cohort in each locale having its distinguishing set of prized café hangouts and café-character style. Research shows that Gen Z natives spend far more time thinking of good food and drink than other generations, and love to share their café and restaurant discoveries with their peers via Instagram and other social media platforms, especially through reviews and comments – with pretty pics + short videos.

Another characteristic is café hopping, that is either following peer recommendations and trying a new café experience each outing, or going to more than one café in a day alone or with friends to experience the best of peer-recommended best at each.

What determines which cafés become Taipei Gen Z favorites? The golden trio: “good-looking, photogenic, delicious.” The first refers to the décor; in Taipei, three favored styles are artsy hipster, raw industrial, and nostalgic old house. The second means the food and drinks are easy to photograph and present. The last is more than just food and drink taste, also including whether the price-performance ratio is enough to warrant a repeat visit.

Two joints currently at the zenith of local Gen Z popularity are TWATUTIA COFFEE & Co. and Ao Tao Zu Cafe. TWATUTIA is in one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, and its richest in heritage architecture, Dadaocheng, which started as a riverport trading in regional goods in the mid-1800s. “Twatutia” is the transliteration for the Taigi (Taiwanese Hokkien 台語) pronunciation of “Dadaocheng.” The theme here: vintage-décor café in a re-missioned old low-rise commercial/residential building, where a tea shop originally operated. The décor is industrial-style, with mottled exposed-concrete walls, exposed ceiling piping and wiring, plus such furnishing touches as a vintage retail counter and weighing machine.

The café serves premium coffees from around Taiwan and the world, plus traditional Taiwanese pastry treats, and sells a curated selection of lifestyle items on the second floor, including café-themed merchandise. Amongst the coffee selections, the Gen Z crowd is sweetest on the Coconut Sweetened Latte, while the mooncakes are their dearest baked-goodie choice, followed by the pineapple cakes and mungbean cakes.

Ao Tao Zu Cafe is another Dadaocheng denizen, also in a mid-20thcentury commercial/residential low-rise renovated and given a new purpose. Open till midnight, it is one of this neighborhood’s few late-night cafés. Step beyond the gleaming-white exterior, which has the look of a Mediterranean seaside villa, and you step into the Taiwan of yesteryear, the premises retro-busy with such icons of past times (primarily the 1960s~1980s) as white-ceramic-tile walling and vintage table lamps, radios, speakers, and beverage bottles. The Z-favored coffee choices feature flavorings quintessentially Taiwanese: Brown Sugar Cappuccino, Sesame Latte, and Tieguanyin Cappuccino. From the edibles side, it’s the hot things that get the Zoomers salivating, particularly the Chinese dumplings and chicken wings, with the lemon tart commonly called on as a sweet exclamation point to the experience.

✦Crafts

Gen Z treats crafts like therapeutic medicine, finding community and connection through group participation in pastimes associated with “slow living” and the simpler times of their grandparents. These slow hobbies provide regenerative respite from digital fatigue, affordable creative recreation, plus, often, usable practical physical skills. Such sustainable, screen-free self-expression births personalized “Grandma core” items that merge the nostalgic with the modern, and of course, these one-of-a-kind works of art are shared with peers on social media.

ABC Cooking Studio has two franchises in the city, with the flagship outlet in the Taipei 101 complex. Founded in Japan in 1985, the enterprise has outlets throughout East Asia. Its stated mission is to convey the value of food culture through its beginner-friendly hands-on cooking, breadmaking, and dessert classes. The experience is designed to make your cooking studio a social place, perfect for groups of friends or, if coming on your own, to share with new friends.

There are 1-day sessions specially designed around festive themes and unique ingredients; mini-classes that utilize semi-finished products and multifunctional cooking utensils to help you quickly prepare dishes within one hour; and, most in demand, 1~2-hour tablet-based sessions (English available) that allow you to learn at your own speed, conducted in the large, bright, and comfy studio with you sitting at your own individual-table workstation – a friendly approach for sometimes socially anxious Gen Zers. Staff can also provide simple English assistance.

Among the most popular class choices is Taiwanese pastries; create your own culturally iconic mung-bean cakes, pineapple cakes, double-flavor mugwort cakes (taro and adzuki bean), or peanut mochi pork floss scones.

Close to the city’s renowned Dongmen Market, and just a few blocks from Yongkang Street, the core of a popular trendy eatery/boutique neighborhood, CAME perfume is an elegant studio space featuring a red-brick façade and, inside, clean white walls and ceiling offset by deep-black furniture and sash-window frames.

Relaxing, immersive DIY perfume experiences are what’s on offer, crafting your own personalized fragrance from scratch – each session is 90 minutes, your choice of bottle size (session fee varies), and your own workstation along a large, long worktable shared with others. This enables you to work peacefully on your own or work in collaboration with a group.

A complete set of perfume-making tools is provided at each workstation, which is outfitted with a laptop, with instructions provided via headphones, ensuring comfort for socially introverted Zoomers. “Live” instructors are also on hand, with good English guidance available. The laptop guidance is clear, easy to follow even for beginners, and you are able to both adjust the playback speed and replay sections, learning at your desired pace. Mix from an assortment of 60 fragrance ingredients displayed on the in-house fragrance wall, all of which are explained to you, all guaranteed safe to use and environmentally harmless. Each personalized fragrance is a masterpiece of artistry, making the perfect city souvenir – a personalized signature “scent of Taipei.”

🔎
Ao Tao Zu Cafe | 初二咖啡
Dadaocheng | 大稻埕
Dongmen Market | 東門市場
IDOLcoffee | 愛豆應援咖啡
Lucky Star Photo Booth by SNAPPP | 小福星拍貼機
SNAPPP | 寫真私館
Taipei Arena | 台北小巨蛋
Taipei Dome | 台北大巨蛋
TWATUTIA COFFEE & Co. | 大稻埕咖啡
Ximending | 西門町
Yingshing Candy Shop | 影心菓子舖

🗺️Click here to see aforementioned spots on Google Map

This article is reproduced under the permission of TAIPEI. Original content can be found on the website of Taipei Travel Net (www.travel.taipei/en).

Text　Hollie Younger
Photos　VISION
Editor　Levarcy Chen

Taipei’s older neighborhoods, such as Dadaocheng, are known for their numerous Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) shops, which offer ingredients like ginseng (人蔘), goji berries (枸杞), and jujubes (紅棗). If you want to gain a deeper understanding of the city’s old herbal ways, consider taking a DIY class that allows you to smell, taste, and work with a variety of herbal ingredients to concoct your own Coke-inspired brew.

The class is offered by Caomuzhushi (草木竹石), a group that provides cultural experiences and states that its mission is to “promote Taiwanese farmers and handmade-crafts designers.”

Our classroom for the day (Caomuzhushi does not have a fixed location) is a quiet and airy studio on the third floor of an old narrow-front building featuring a Baroque façade, located right in the center of the action on historic Dihua Street. The edifice is sandwiched between bustling shops selling all sorts of dried goods, their storefront wares wafting herbal aromas.

For the past two years, Caomuzhushi (lit. Grass, Wood, Bamboo, and Stone) has been offering specialized experiences to reinvent classic flavors. The team teaches how to craft herbal versions of cola, coffee, chocolate, etc., using TCM herbs and other locally sourced ingredients to promote sustainable living and celebrate the rich cultural heritage of this historical area.

We have signed up for a two-hour herbal DIY class that’ll take us through the history of cola, from its invention to the famous carbonated soft drink in red-labeled bottles people consume today. We’ll then be taught how to create an herbal version with a homemade brew of cinnamon, cloves, and a host of other traditional ingredients you might never have even heard of before.

TCM is an ancient practice still widely used across East Asia to this day, balancing yin and yang (陰陽), observing the body’s qi (氣), or energy, and relieving all manner of ailments. Our class serves as a crash course in TCM, allowing us to understand how the ingredients can aid in cooling the body down on hot summer days or heating it during chilly winter days, how they can help with digestion or with lowering blood pressure, and, more importantly for our experience, how they taste in a self-made brew.

Our teacher, Qiqi, first takes us through a fun presentation running through the history of cola and how it has been consumed through time. We then explore its present-day forms the world over, including the Japanese brand Iyoshi Cola (伊良可樂), a pop-culture icon in Taiwan, and the modern-day Coca-Cola brand, known for its fizziness and high levels of sugar. This leads us to the health benefits of our own brew, in which only a limited amount of brown sugar will be used, a somewhat healthier alternative to white sugar or corn syrup, and we learn about the drink’s medicinal benefits.

Qiqi gives us an overview of the ingredients we’ll be working with, from sealwort, favored by fasting Daoist ascetics, to the potentially poisonous nutmeg, which can induce hallucinations if improperly consumed. Then we get to the brewing. Qiqi asks us to smell and test each of 17 ingredients before we pick six to eight for our colas, depending on personal taste and medicinal needs.

I select slightly sweeter ingredients such as dried jujubes and mulberries, and those beneficial for women’s health, including ginseng. Meanwhile, my friend chooses a more bitter selection, suitable for someone more accustomed to traditionally used herbal ingredients, which is sweetened with dried chrysanthemum flower.

Next, I measure out each of the ingredients: a piece of cinnamon bark, a handful of jujubes and mulberries, and five grams each of goji berries, cloves, and tangerine peel. Then it’s time to bring the ingredients to a boil in a dash of water, followed by simmering the mix for 25 minutes.

While we wait, Qiqi brings us tastings of two of his special cola recipes, one more sweet with an herbaceous aftertaste, and one more bitter with a hit of classic TCM aromatics. Once our brews have simmered down into a deep amber liquid, we turn off the heat and add in brown sugar to taste, stirring until it turns to that deep mahogany cola color.

Qiqi helps us to strain out the liquid into a jug before we each measure 200ml for our mini take-home glass bottles. We each apply a “herbal cola” label, and voilà, we have a keepsake of our time on Dihua Street (迪化街). Once we get home, we can simply mix one part cola to two parts soda over ice to enjoy our very own brew. Before we leave, Qiqi prepares leftover cola so we can try our creations on the spot. Sweet, floral, and herbaceous, they go down a treat.

This herbal-cola DIY class is especially great for cultural experience activities, team-building sessions, educational trips, and even family outings, with participants receiving an introduction to traditional local industries and practices, and taking home some unique souvenirs.

Caomuzhushi 草木竹石
🔗www.caomuzhushi.com
🔗instagram.com/caomuzhushi.___
🕝Reservations can be made via the LINE app; Upcoming workshops are announced on Instagram

TEXT　Jenna Lynn Cody
PHOTOS　Courtesy Of Restaurants
Editor　Levarcy Chen

A restaurant’s first Michelin star is more than an achievement for the establishment; it’s a rite of passage for the chef. In 2025, a number of Taipei restaurants were honored with this distinction – offering a range of dining experiences from eco-friendly and sustainable to hyper-local, from bold Tuscan-style to delicate European-Asian fusion, as well as some of the finest Japanese cuisine available in and outside Japan.

aMaze

aMaze is just steps away from MRT Dazhi Station. Its austere façade evokes a Japanese gilt-iron tetsuyu glaze, complemented by bonsai-like twisting trees. The minimalist exterior gives way to an inviting space decorated in warm neutrals, wood, and art by contemporary Taiwanese artists, bringing splashes of cobalt and crimson to the space.

Chef Yang Guang-zong (楊光宗) not only creates but also reinvents Chinese cuisine, primarily from the Jiangsu (江蘇) and Zhejiang (浙江) traditions. His dishes incorporate elements of Western technique, Japanese accents, and local Taiwanese ingredients. The restaurant’s recent “Concerto” menu featured fresh mussels from the Matsu islands, green Huadiao bamboo shoots marinated in local wine, and smoked fish in a fusion of Zhejiang and Japanese flavors. The latest menu, “A Taste of Gratitude,” continues with premium seafood creations, high-quality wagyu beef, and warming ginger duck, perfect for the colder season.

aMaze was distinguished with its first Michelin star just a year after opening, but Chef Yang is no stranger to Michelin. As a chef at Tien Hsiang Lo (天香樓) in the Landis Taipei hotel, Yang helped that restaurant earn Michelin stars for five consecutive years.

aMaze 心宴
🚩598, Mingshui Rd., Zhongshan Dist.
📞(02) 8501-5980
🔗www.amaze598.com
🕝By reservation only

Chuan Ya

This is a fine-dining restaurant with some of the best views in Taipei. Located on the 46^th floor of the Breeze Nan Shan mall (微風南山), it offers carefully crafted set menus that move between different expressions of Sichuan cuisine – from the hearty comforts of home cooking to the refined dishes once served at official imperial banquets. Chef Jason Wang (王國政) formerly served as head chef at the local W Hotel’s YEN Chinese restaurant (紫艷中餐廳).

The Chuan Ya interior is warm and composed, using tones of cream, amber, and caramel with warm wood. This calm space allows the food to take center stage. Windows take up most of the exterior-wall space to take advantage of the views.

One of the signature dishes is the Golden Sour Soup with Crab Meat, Assorted Seafood, Mushrooms and Crispy Rice. This golden-hued sour soup is crafted with abalone, scallops, crab meat, dried mountain jelly greens, and straw mushrooms, with its flavor beautifully balanced by pickled vegetables, tomatoes, and yellow bell peppers. Into this aromatic broth, golden rice, which is first steamed, then fried, is immersed. The rice absorbs the soup’s essence while retaining a delicate crunch. Luxurious and layered, the soup delivers a springy texture enriched with depth.

Chuan Ya 川雅
🚩46F, 17, Songzhi Rd., Xinyi Dist.
📞(02) 2722-0303
🔗www.chuan-ya.com
🕝By reservation only

HoSu

This restaurant takes sustainability seriously. Although it earned its first Michelin star this year, it has earned a Michelin green star, given out for “green” or eco-friendly fine-dining establishments, each year since 2023. The restaurant relies on Taiwanese ingredients to reduce unsustainable shipping practices and engages in food composting. It also provides detailed explanations of each dish, enabling diners to grasp the ecological principles underpinning their luxury experience.

The interior reflects the same philosophy: natural materials, a garden courtyard with five-needle pine, and oyster shell paint walls. Everything else, however, evolves with the seasons. Most high-end restaurants change their menus seasonally; HoSu changes its decor as well.

Located interior reflects the same philosophy: natural materials, a garden courtyard with five-needle pine, and oyster shell paint walls. Everything else, however, evolves with the seasons. Most high-end restaurants change their menus seasonally; HoSu changes its decor as well.

HoSu 好嶼
🚩17, Aly. 20, Ln. 300, Sec. 4, Renai Rd., Daan Dist.
🔗 www.hosutaiwan.com
🕝By reservation only

La Vie by Thomas Bühner

Helmed by German star chef Thomas Bühner and Hong Kong-born executive chef Xavier Yeung, La Vie blends European techniques with local Taiwanese produce. Located on the first floor of Noke Mall, walking into the striking dining space is like visiting a modern art museum: bathed in cool neutrals accented with gold, the smooth curves of tablescapes and space-age light fixtures are something out of another world.

The menu is prix fixe, and for the most part seasonal, with courses that range from delicate starters – think steamed oysters with horseradish oil and celeriac ravioli – to luxurious mains such as blue lobster, frog leg Kiev, and roasted Hampshire Down lamb rack. Desserts include “ice pearls,” hazelnut praline, and petits kougelhof.

Apart from its Michelin star, La Vie has also been recognized for its rich fine-wine collection, spanning different regions and confidently presenting various vintages from top winemakers. Head Sommelier Max Huang and his team earned a prestigious “Best of Award of Excellence,” represented by two wine glasses, from the American magazine Wine Spectator in 2025.

La Vie by Thomas Bühner
🚩200, Lequn 3rd Rd., Zhongshan Dist.
📞0937-857-869
🔗www.laviebythomasbuehner.com
🕝By reservation only

FRASSI

Italian styling is rarely understated, and FRASSI takes its cues from the boldness of this design ethos. Geometric gold chairs play against walls of Calacatta marble and accent walls that evoke meteor showers at sunset for a look that’s both brash and unique. FRASSI offers especially elegant bar- and family-style seating options that can accommodate individuals, couples, or groups.

Originally from Tuscany, Chef Iacopo Frassi has called Taipei home for several years. He draws on both his Tuscan roots and experiences in Asia to create a memorable contemporary Italian-fusion dining experience. His kitchen cures its own meats, including a ten-day-aged duck that is the stuff of legend, served with earthy beetroot and black apple.

FRASSI offers a multi-course tasting menu and wine pairings. Lobster risotto is served with chive and avocado, followed by white asparagus with koji and parsley. Something special happens when the tagliatelle with rabbit and salsa verde is served, followed by the celebrated aged duck, the neck stuffed with pork, veal, and Parmesan cheese.

FRASSI
🚩299, Lequn 3rd Rd., Zhongshan Dist.
📞(02) 8502-6383
🔗www.frassi.com.tw
🕝By reservation only

Motoichi

One doesn’t typically think of Japanese tempura as Michelin-worthy food, but Motoichi manages to surprise at every turn. The team at this tiny space – there are only 16 seats – carefully selects seasonal ingredients for an evening of omakase-style dining. Omakase means “I leave it up to you”: it’s a Japanese dining experience where the chef is trusted to create a unique tasting menu for each patron.

Tucked away in an alley near busy Zhongxiao East Road, Motoichi’s interior is both modern and thoroughly Japanese, blending blond wood, carved elements, and off-white walls with contemporary style. Diners across the two rooms watch the chefs create each dish.

Some might expect the tempura to be heavy or oily, but Motoichi’s creations are light, fried in a delicate batter that seals in both juices and flavor. The lightness is achieved by using a unique liquid nitrogen technique that eliminates the moisture and water contained in the flour. Apart from the fresh shrimp, fish, and vegetable selections available one might choose something more unexpected, such as asparagus or even olives. Texture is an important part of omakase-style tempura, and Motoichi has been praised as nailing this element perfectly, earning it its first Michelin star.

Motoichi 元一
🚩11, Aly. 27, Ln. 216, Sec. 4, Zhongxiao E. Rd., Daan Dist.
📞(02) 2778-3380
🕝By reservation only

Sushi Kajin

At first glance, Sushi Kajin looks like every other high-end sushi restaurant in Taipei. You would be remiss in dismissing it, however, as it crafts some of the finest sushi in the city. The ambiance is elegant yet warm, imbued with Japanese minimalism: a counter made of Taiwanese cypress, subdued lighting, lacquerware, and a quiet, focused energy.

The core of the experience lies in its Edomae-style sushi, a sushi preparation method from Tokyo that originated in the city’s Edo period. Fish from Tokyo’s Toyosu Market is flown in and prepared precisely to enhance the depth of flavor. In some cases, this may involve aging or curing.

Chef Okuchi Taichi, formerly of the Michelin-starred Sushi Wakon in Kyoto, leads the kitchen. His renown is so great that a prominent Taiwanese investor funded his Taipei venture so that he could showcase his skills here, in a city that may not be Japanese but where many food lovers have a list of favorite gourmet sushi restaurants.

The restaurant is known for upholding a philosophy of craftsmanship, such as limiting sugar in the sushi rice, tailoring aging times by fish species, and emphasizing seasonality. In winter, the focus is on delicacies like kobako crab, bonito, and winter yellowtail.

Sushi Kajin 鮨嘉仁
🚩28, Jilin Rd., Zhongshan Dist.
📞(02) 2581-8999
🔗www.sushi-kajin.com
🕝By reservation only

🔎
Ian Lee | 李易晏
Tien Hsiang Lo | 天香樓
Jason Wang | 王國政
Yang Guang-zong | 楊光宗

🗺️Click here to see aforementioned spots on Google Map

This article is reproduced under the permission of TAIPEI. Original content can be found on the website of Taipei Travel Net (www.travel.taipei/en).

Stepping off the train in Hualien, I’m greeted by crystalline mountain peaks framed against an impossibly blue sky. A taxi driver’s warm inquiry—”Where are you headed?”—launches us into easy conversation as we wind through narrow alleys toward Chongqing Traditional Market on the city’s southern, seaside edge. This welcoming spirit, I’ll soon learn, is woven into every aspect of the day ahead.

At the market entrance, Sofia Chiu waits beneath a fisherman’s hat, her wheat-toned skin and confident posture immediately distinguishing her from the regular market-goers. She spots me quickly—I’m clearly an out-of-town visitor, and she greets me with an easy warmth.

After brief introductions, we dive into today’s agenda: exploring the indigenous section of Chongqing Market.

Where Indigenous Traditions Meet Daily Life

Within Chongqing Market (重慶市場) lies a designated corridor reserved exclusively for indigenous vendors—a living archive of Taiwan’s indigenous food heritage. Taiwan is home to 16 officially recognized indigenous tribes, each with distinct languages, traditions, and culinary practices. The Amis (阿美族), Taiwan’s largest indigenous group, are particularly prominent in Hualien, known for their deep knowledge of wild edible plants and coastal resources. The Bunun people (布農族), traditionally mountain dwellers, are renowned for their hunting expertise and intimate relationship with Taiwan’s highlands. Though Hualien is home to multiple indigenous groups, the Amis people form the largest community here, and their agricultural wisdom dominates the market’s offerings.

Sofia’s market introduction focuses less on tribal distinctions and more on the overarching philosophy that unites indigenous food culture: eat what nature provides today. This isn’t simply about sourcing locally—it’s about moving in rhythm with the land’s natural cycles, taking only what’s given, and honoring each season’s bounty.

Our first stop introduces me to amla (餘甘子), small green fruits resembling oversized grapes. The vendor places several in my palm and explains their nutritional prowess with unhurried confidence. The eating experience itself is a journey: initial sourness gradually transforms into sweetness, a metaphor perhaps for patience rewarded. As she lists the fruit’s health benefits, I let the tartness linger while absorbing the market’s ambient sounds and rhythms.

Further down the corridor, Sofia gestures toward an elderly woman carefully sorting through herbs and vegetables. “She’s nearly one hundred years old,” Sofia says quietly, admiration evident in her voice. The Amis grandmother’s hands move with practiced precision, selecting wild greens with the kind of knowledge that comes from a lifetime of foraging. “The Amis are sometimes called ‘the grass-eating tribe,'” Sofia explains. “Their ability to identify edible wild plants is genetic—they have stomachs like lawnmowers.” Even as a Bunun person, Sofia admits she can’t match their botanical expertise.

The market tour becomes a parade of unfamiliar produce: gac fruit (木鱉果) with its spiky orange exterior reminiscent of a small durian, delicate wheel-shaped eggplants (車輪茄), and fuzzy-skinned persimmons (毛柿). At one stall processing snails, a vendor enthusiastically invites us to share a drink, insisting we meet up later that evening. Sofia leans in with a conspiratorial whisper: “They’ve already started their daytime party—maintaining a perfect level of tipsy.” I can’t help but laugh at the contrast between Hualien’s relaxed pace and the restrained formality of big city life.

This openness, however, isn’t universal. Many indigenous vendors maintain a quieter presence, going about their daily routines with modest reserve. Yet when asked about their produce or offered a taste, none refuse. Instead, they respond with generous portions, worried you might not have enough—a warmth that transcends words.

From Ingredients to Kitchen

With our basket filled with indigenous specialties, common aromatics, and fresh meat, we drive along Hualien’s coast to Sofia’s cooking space. A member of the Bunun tribe who relocated to Hualien from the city, Sofia started Karenko Cooking Class out of a simple love for cooking and meeting people. Her fluent English allows her to welcome guests from around the world, sharing indigenous food culture across language barriers. She laughs as she explains the venue’s unexpected evolution: “I originally chose this location as a rest stop for digital nomads. But somehow, it turned into a cooking classroom instead.” Though teaching remains her side business, she treasures each guest who walks through her door.

I ask about the pandemic years—surely they were difficult? “Not really,” she says with surprising candor. “Domestic tourism actually kept us incredibly busy. It took a while before I finally got a break.” As we chat, Sofia moves fluidly through the space—donning an apron, shuttling ingredients from kitchen to workspace, offering drinks. “Coffee, tea, or maybe some of my homemade pomelo wine?”

A sudden movement catches my eye: a round, grey creature with enormous eyes peers from around the corner. The beautiful grey cat approaches with gentle curiosity, waiting patiently to be noticed before offering a friendly meow. For someone unaccustomed to cats seeking attention, this warm reception feels like a blessing—a perfect prelude to the cooking ahead.

Hands in the Work, Heart in the Process

We begin with rice, though not the everyday variety. Today’s base is glutinous rice mixed with red quinoa, destined to be wrapped in shell ginger leaves. Sofia demonstrates how to lightly toast the broad leaves over flame, and I watch water vapor escape rapidly from their surface pores. The toasting softens the leaves while releasing their distinctive aroma—ginger-like but sweeter—that soon fills the entire room.

Sofia guides my hands through folding the leaf into a small pouch, filling it with the rice mixture, then using the leaf’s own stem as natural twine to seal the bundle. These charming packets go into the rice cooker for an hour of steaming. While modern indigenous cooking often uses rice as filling, Sofia notes that traditionally, anything could be wrapped inside—a testament to the cuisine’s adaptability.

Next comes the gac fruit and pork rib soup. Since I’m cooking solo today, Sofia alternates between instructing and prepping, ensuring I can both participate and document each moment. Cutting into the gac fruit reveals pumpkin-like flesh housing a citrus-textured interior. Nervous about wasting this unfamiliar ingredient, I work slowly and carefully. Sofia and I fall into easy conversation—swapping life stories, discussing relationships, sharing the kind of comfortable gossip that happens between friends. It feels less like a cooking class and more like visiting an old friend’s kitchen.

As ingredients came together, Sofia helped sear the pork ribs with garlic and ginger before adding water and gac fruit to a clay pot, which we set to simmer gently. Then we move to my favorite part: grinding maqaw (also known as Mountain Litsea) in a mortar and pestle. These small black seeds, called mountain pepper by some, have earned international recognition as possessing a “sexy” flavor profile. Like a perfumer’s creation, maqaw evolves on the palate—opening with ginger and lemon notes, transitioning to lemongrass, finishing with a peppery kick. Combined with the shell ginger leaves steaming nearby, the air becomes a feast in itself, anticipation building with every aromatic layer.

I massage the ground maqaw into chicken thighs, leaving them to marinate while we move to the rear kitchen. Two large skillets heat simultaneously as Sofia adds vegetables in a rainbow of colors—red, green, yellow. “I like incorporating different colored vegetables,” she explains. “It makes the dish beautiful and ensures balanced nutrition.” Finally, the marinated chicken hits a hot pan, skin-side down. As the Maillard reaction works its magic, transforming the skin golden and crispy, our cooking duties officially conclude.

We also prepare a coastal specialty: seaweed salad brightened with indigenous chili sauce, its particular heat adding another dimension of flavor that coastal areas have perfected over generations.

The Ritual of Eating

Each dish finds its place in elegant serving bowls, and suddenly, a complete feast emerges—one created by my own hands. Sofia urges me to eat while it’s hot, busying herself with cleaning the workspace and stovetop. After documenting the spread properly, I approach the meal with something like reverence.

Every bite carries layers of meaning: indigenous history, generations of culinary wisdom, and the ingenuity born from living closely with the land. When Sofia emerges from the kitchen and asks how it tastes, I’m too absorbed in eating to respond verbally. My enthusiasm, however, speaks volumes.

More Than a Cooking Class

From that first glimpse of mountains upon arriving at the station, through the preserved indigenous culture coexisting harmoniously within the market, to physically engaging with ancestral knowledge and wisdom, the experience offered exactly what my city-rushed soul needed. A leisurely morning. Unhurried shopping. Meandering conversation while cooking. Slow, mindful eating.

This wasn’t simply about learning recipes—it was about remembering that life can be savored, that food connects us to place and history, and that sometimes the best medicine for modern exhaustion is returning to fundamental rhythms: gathering, preparing, sharing, enjoying.

Karenko Cooking Class

🔗 Link: Facebook
⏳ Duration: 3 hours (cooking and dining only) / 4 hours (including market tour)
💰 Fee: NTD$1,800~NTD$2,200 / person
🕰️ Operating Hours: 09:30-13:30 & 15:30-1830 2 sessions
⚠️ A 2-day advance appointment is a must.
📍 Location: No. 7-1, Minquan Rd, Hualien City, Hualien County, 970
📌 Note: Advanced booking required. Cancellation upon the day of arrival with no refund.

For the most current information and reservations, visit their website or contact directly through their social media channels.

The Yuanshan and Dalongdong area is spread out parallel to the south of the Keelung River in the city core’s northwest, centered on the Taipei Metro’s Yuanshan Station. Here you’ll find a delightful mosaic of heritage religious centers of worship, a time-honored night market, traditional Taiwanese and international-cuisine eateries, and a sprawling leisure-plus-entertainment park with outdoor food court and shops, a weekend farmers’ market, and a leading fine-arts museum.

Religious Sites

Walking west of MRT Yuanshan Station is a peregrination deep into Taipei’s past. Dalongdong Baoan Temple and Taipei Confucius Temple were once the beating hearts of Dalongdong, a community spread out along the Keelung River.

Dalongdong Baoan Temple is one of the city’s most ornate and busiest, recognized for its extraordinary decorative arts. Dedicated to the God of Medicine, temple construction began in 1804, replacing a shrine dating to 1742. This is a priceless work of art that has been recognized with national heritage protection status and a UNESCO Asia- Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation. The virtuoso wood and stone sculptures, paintings, and koji pottery have been created over different periods by Taiwan’s greatest masters, making it a showcase gallery of religious art.

Dalongdong Baoan Temple 大龍峒保安宮
🚩61, Hami St., Datong Dist.
📞(02) 2595-1676
🔗baoan.org.tw
🕝6:00am-9:00pm

Diagonally across the street is Taipei Confucius Temple, built 1920s-1930s. Though magnificent in its own right, it is a world apart from Baoan Temple’s visual gaiety – honoring the Great Sage’s valuing of simplicity, its mien is appropriately austere. Modeled after the original Confucius Temple in Qufu (曲阜市), China, no stone lions guard the entrance, no inscriptions adorn columns, doors, or windows, and there’s no image of Confucius, simply a memorial tablet. The site’s 4D Theater introduces the temple and Confucian cultural spirit.

Taipei Confucius Temple 台北孔廟
🚩275, Dalong St., Datong Dist.
📞(02) 2592-3934
🔗www.tctcc.taipei
🕝Tue-Sun 8:30am-9pm

Traditional Eats

Tasty options abound in the neighborhood. Tang Shan Po Retro Bistro (唐山婆古早味炸肉) is an adorable little eatery, a short walk west of Dalong Street Night Market’s north end.

It specializes in classic Taiwan-style bento and side dishes, with a decor emulating homespun old-time diners. Fried meats are their specialty, declared right in their Chinese name. The pork is beloved for its crispy exterior and tender, flavorful meat.

Order at the street-facing window counter, and if eating in, enter the long and narrow diner-style eating area through the old-style wood door. You’ll be entering yesteryear Taiwan: terrazzo floor, ceramic tiling, climbing halfway up the walls (for coolness/ easier cleaning), vintage conical farmer’s hats, and straw-woven raingear as wall adornments. The bestselling house bento options are the old-fashioned fried breaded pork strips and fried pork chop.

Tang Shan Po Retro Bistro 唐山婆古早味炸肉
🚩72, Jiuquan St., Datong Dist.
📞(02) 2599-7699
🕝Wed-Sun 11:15am-11:30pm; Mon 11:15am-9:00pm

Between Tang Shan Po and Dalong Street is Ice Cool (二水三京), another Dalongdong culinary icon. If you’re in Taiwan, you’re likely here on a hot day, and this modern-décor eat-in shop is a specialist in traditional shaved-ice treats and tofu pudding, two islander treasured means to beating the subtropical heat.

Among the quintessential toppings available are sweetened adzuki and mung beans, tapioca pearls, grass jelly cubes, taro balls, pineapple, and hard/soft peanuts. Note, however, that when cool times come, there are also hot items available, notably the warming tofu pudding creations.

Ice Cool 二水三京
🚩66, Jiuquan St., Datong Dist.
📞(02) 2595-8048
🔗instagram.com/icecoolyummy
🕝Sun-Mon 11:00am-10:00pm

Step east from MRT Yuanshan Station and you’re immediately in the Yuanshan Park Area of Taipei Expo Park, one of several contiguous areas used for the hugely attended Taipei International Flora Expo in 2010~2011. Inviting MAJI Square (MAJI 集食行樂), covered by a high protective roof, is one of this city’s precious places where you can eat and drink outdoors. In the Yuanshan Park Area’s south sector, a food court is its centerpiece, surrounded by a bazaar-style selection of restaurants, shops, and vendor stalls, many housed in cargo containers and shed-like kiosks.

The square’s MAJI Food & Deli is a select shop stuffed with myriad Taiwanese artisanal food and household products, many of which are great take-home gifts/souvenirs. As one suggestion, you can’t go wrong with Taiwan’s premium boutique mountain cultivated teas and coffees.

Among MAJI Square’s most popular vendors are those offering diverse international cuisine, including Latin American dishes, alongside classic Taiwanese street food stalls, a local bagel shop, a prominent British-style pub, and two bars focused on craft beer.

Maji Square
🚩1, Yumen St., Zhongshan Dist.
📞(02) 2597-7112
🕝11:00am-9:00pm

Taipei Expo Farmers Market Held outside the square each Sat/Sun, the daytime Taipei Expo Farmers Market (expofarmersmarket.gov.taipei) provides 120-plus booths run by small farms across Taiwan, emphasizing the agri-products unique to each region, from fresh produce to processed goods.

Fine Arts

In the contiguous Fine Arts Park Area to the east is the Taipei Fine Arts Museum (TFAM), opened in 1983 as the island’s first facility dedicated to the exhibition of contemporary artworks, its collection containing works starting from the early 20^th century.

It sits on the former site of the United States Taiwan Defense Command. The shape of the striking white-facade structure, seen from above, is the Chinese character 井, a form inspired by the traditional Chinese siheyuan (四合院), a residential complex centered on a courtyard with conjoined buildings on all four sides. The museum features four long, cylinder-shaped sections that intersect, creating promenade-style exhibition spaces. 

With a mission to promote Taiwanese contemporary art and fostering international exchange, its key internationally renowned museum-organized happening – Taiwan’s most prestigious art event – is the Taipei Biennial (taipeibiennial.org), overseen by international star curators. The 14^th Taipei Biennial, themed Whispers on the Horizon, will run from November 1 to March 29 next year, featuring 33 newly commissioned works and site-specific installations across diverse mediums and styles.

Taipei Fine Arts Museum 台北市立美術館
🚩181, Sec. 3, Zhongshan N. Rd., Zhongshan Dist.
📞(02) 2595-7656
🔗www.tfam.museum
🕝Tue-Sun 9:30am-5:30pm (Sat till 8:30 pm)

Situated by the south entrance of the TFAM, Rolling Dough is a recently hatched offspring of Taiwan’s acclaimed MUME Hospitality Group (MMHG), which operates multiple Michelin restaurants. The concept here is a specialty-coffee café where, in keeping with its location, the croissant is treated as a work of art (along with other artful pastries). The kitchen’s master artist is a celebrated Swiss pastry chef. His croissant masterpieces are post-traditional, molded into cubes, cylinders, and spheres beyond the standard crescents. There are six flavor choices on the menu, including Pain au chocolat, Seasonal Fruit chausson, and Marguerita Chausson (savory pastry). Other flavors, such as the popular Pistachio, might be offered as well. A unique non-culinary treat at this immaculate-white space of floor-to-ceiling windows is the thrilling sight of airplanes flying very low overhead – Taipei Songshan Airport is just to the east.

▲Rolling Dough © MMHG

ROLLING DOUGH
🔗instagram.com/rollingdough_tw
🕝Tue-Sun 9:30am-5:30pm

Bonami, also in the south entrance area, is another MMHG invention. Starring a Hong Kong-born chef who has worked in multiple Michelin-starred kitchens, this is a bistro serving French home-style dishes, but with a twist, classic French techniques refined with local-flavor tweaks, crafting works comfortingly familiar yet subtly refined. For example, the classic pâté de campagne is created with chicken liver, minced pork, and pork back fat. The labor-intensive, slow cooked pork head roll features crispy and crunchy pork skin, tongue, and ear, and is served with a side of perilla leaves.

▲Bonami © MMGH

“Bon ami” means “good friend” in French, and the stress here, with a nod to the TFAM’s “shared-with-friends” exhibition-visit experiences: no set menus, instead dining groups customizing shared-repast choices based on group size and preferences. Currently, only dinner (multi-course meals) is available; lunch offerings (light meals such as pastas and sandwiches) are planned for the future.

BONAMI
📞(02) 2585-0161
🔗instagram.com/bonami_tw
🕝Tue-Sun 5:30pm-11:00pm

If you visit on a Saturday, you can continue your art appreciation after a nice dinner, as the museum is open until 8:30pm.

🔎
Dalongdong | 大龍峒
Dalong Street Night Market | 大龍街夜市
Fine Arts Park Area | 美術園區
MAJI Square | 集食行樂
Taipei Biennial | 台北雙年展
Taipei Expo Park | 花博公園
Yuanshan Park Area | 圓山園區

🗺️Click here to see aforementioned spots on Google Map

🍷Please drink responsibly.

This article is reproduced under the permission of TAIPEI. Original content can be found on the website of Taipei Travel Net (www.travel.taipei/en).

Fulong Beach is a summer staple for its golden sand and annual sand sculpture festival, but the northeast coast holds far more than this single stretch of shore. Within a short drive lies a collection of experiences that reveal a different side of Taiwan—fishing villages with stone-house alleys, clifftop cafés with ocean views, sunset boat tours along dramatic coastlines, and trails that wind between mountains and sea.

Getting There: The Scenic Route

From Taipei, Fulong sits about 1.5-2 hours away, depending on traffic. While trains run directly to Fulong station and avoid holiday congestion, driving opens up the surrounding coast. Highway 2—the North Coast Scenic Highway—hugs the shoreline for much of the journey, offering continuous ocean views on one side and green mountains on the other. The road itself becomes part of the experience, with the freedom to stop wherever the view catches your eye.

For those approaching from Yilan through the Hsuehshan Tunnel, the northern route along Highway 2 passes through quieter fishing villages where life moves at a different pace. Either direction rewards drivers with some of Taiwan’s most spectacular coastal scenery.

Stone Villages and Historic Trails

Dali: A Village Frozen in Time

About 15 minutes south of Fulong by car, Dali village feels like a place the modern world forgot. Stone houses line narrow streets, their walls built from local rock in an era before modern construction materials reached this isolated corner of the coast. The village sits against a backdrop of mountains that once completely cut off residents from the outside world—supplies meant crossing steep ridges on foot.

Today, that isolation has preserved Dali’s character. Walk the quiet lanes and you’ll find traditional architecture, small temples, and a pace of life that contrasts sharply with Taipei’s energy. A few young locals have returned to restore old buildings, opening small cafés and shops like Dali 63, where you can rest with local snacks before or after hiking.

The main draw here is the Caoling Historic Trail, which connects Dali to Fulong via a mountain crossing. The trail takes 3-4 hours and offers constantly changing views—dense forest giving way to open ridgelines with ocean vistas, then descending back toward the coast. It’s moderately challenging but well-maintained, and hiking in either direction means you end near a train station for easy return transport.

Best for: Photography, hiking, experiencing traditional village atmosphere
Time needed: 1-2 hours for village exploration; 3-4 hours for the full trail
Note: The trail can be muddy after rain; good shoes essential

Coastal Dining Worth the Drive

AMIMOTO: Ocean-View Seafood

Positioned right along the coast with panoramic water views, Wangyuan operates its own fishing boats and Set Net fishing grounds, which means the seafood arrives remarkably fresh—often caught the same day you’re eating it. The restaurant runs a no-menu operation: you’ll be served whatever came in from the boats that morning.

Expect a parade of dishes—sashimi from fish swimming hours earlier, whole steamed catches, fried preparations, braised seafood—all determined by the day’s haul rather than your order. It’s the kind of meal that reminds you why coastal Taiwan excels at seafood: there’s simply no distance between ocean and table. The setting amplifies the experience, with windows overlooking the same waters your meal came from.

The restaurant accommodates parties from couples to larger groups (2-6 people), with portions adjusted accordingly. Prices reflect the quality and freshness—mid to upper-mid range by Taiwan standards, though still reasonable by international measures. Calling ahead is essential, both for reservations and to confirm availability of seasonal catches.

Atmosphere: Casual with stunning ocean views
Best for: Couples and groups, seafood lovers, special meals
Note: Contact in advance to reserve and check seasonal seafood availability
Price range: NT$1,000-2,000/person

Coffee with a View

B1 Cafe, Bitou Harbor

Near the dramatic headland of Bitou Cape sits what might be Taiwan’s most scenically positioned café. B1 Cafe occupies a building practically at the water’s edge, surrounded by rocky coastline and the traditional stone houses of Bitou village. The location alone makes it worth the visit—waves crash nearby, eagles circle overhead hunting fish, and the views extend across the meeting point of two ocean currents.

Owner Grace Yu, a former interior designer from Taipei who lived in New Zealand for several years, discovered Bitou through diving and fell so deeply in love with the area that she made it her home. She filled the café interior with repurposed furniture and vintage finds, creating a space that feels lived-in and welcoming. The café allows pets and maintains a relaxed atmosphere where coffee comes with conversation.

The real appeal here is the combination: excellent coffee, dramatic surroundings, and a sense of being somewhere special. After visiting, walk through Bitou village’s narrow alleys to discover more stone houses and the quiet lanes where locals have lived for generations. The entire village shares a single street name—”Bitou Road”—which tells you something about its intimate scale.

Atmosphere: Relaxed, artistic, ocean-adjacent
Best for: Coffee lovers, photographers, and afternoon breaks
Time needed: 1-2 hours
Bonus: Pet-friendly; owner passionate about marine conservation

Adventures on Water

Bitou Cape Boat Tours

Weather permitting, boat operators at Bitou Harbor run sunset tours along one of Taiwan’s most geologically dramatic coastlines. These aren’t large tourist boats—they’re smaller vessels that can navigate close to the cliffs and rock formations, giving you an intimate perspective on features invisible from land.

The coast here reveals millions of years of geological drama: towering cliffs, sea caves, unusual rock formations, and layers of different colored stone exposed where the ocean has carved into the headlands. The boat passes through waters where the Pacific Ocean meets the East China Sea, creating currents that support abundant marine life.

Timing tours for sunset adds another dimension—the fading light turns the cliffs golden and the ocean takes on deeper colors. You’ll also see traditional fishermen working from the rocks, standing steady despite the swells, using single-line fishing methods passed down through generations.

Duration: 1-2 hours
Best time: Sunset
Weather dependent: Requires calm seas
Combine with: Bitou Cape Trail, B1 Coffee
Note: Book ahead; bring a light jacket for wind, available each year from May- September. Operators cancel if seas are too rough, so build flexibility into your plans if you want to include this experience.

On Land: Bitou Cape Area

Beyond the boat tours and café, Bitou Cape offers land-based exploration. The cape itself juts into the ocean at the meeting point of two seas, creating conditions that attract diverse marine life—and the eagles that hunt them. Walk the cape’s trails and you’ll frequently see raptors soaring overhead or diving toward the water.

The coastline here features tide pools rich with marine life in spring and summer, when locals harvest gelidium, a type of red algae (石花菜), using traditional methods. This seaweed is prized for making agar jelly desserts and is rich in nutrients, including algae protein, B vitamins, potassium, iodine, and fiber. Watching the harvest is a seasonal scene unique to the northeast coast—worth witnessing if your timing aligns.

Bitou Cape Park, nicknamed “Squid Park” by locals, is popular for snorkeling when conditions allow. The underwater topography creates natural breeding grounds for squid, making it one of the region’s better diving spots.

Time needed: 1-3 hours depending on activities
Best for: Nature lovers, photography, coastal walks
Note: Tide pools best at low tide; check tide tables

Beach Conservation Volunteer Days

Here’s something you won’t find in typical tourist itineraries: joining a beach cleanup organized by Race for the Beach, a local volunteer group that’s been clearing marine debris from northeast coast beaches for four years. Started by local resident Chiang Yun-chien, these events have grown from a handful of participants to hundreds.

The experience offers an unusual way to see the coast—cleanups often access lesser-known beaches that aren’t on tourist maps, and there’s something satisfying about leaving a place better than you found it. It’s physical work, but the group atmosphere and the chance to interact with locals (and other volunteers) creates unexpected connections. Plus, you’ll never look at plastic waste the same way after pulling it from a beach by the bagful.

Check their Facebook page “海邊的接力賽” (Race for the Beach) for upcoming dates. Events are free, though donations toward supplies are welcome.

Duration: Half-day
Physical level: Moderate (carrying trash bags, bending, walking on uneven surfaces)
What to bring: Work gloves, sun protection, water bottle, sturdy shoes
Best for: Active travelers interested in environmental issues
Note: Chance to access hidden beaches and meet locals

Planning Your Visit

Transportation:

By car/scooter: Having your own vehicle opens up the most possibilities and flexibility for visiting multiple locations in one trip.

By public transportation: More limited but feasible for key destinations:

• To Fulong:
  • Train from Taipei (most convenient, 1.5-2 hours)
  • From Ruifang: Keelung Bus Taiwan Tour Bus Golden Fulong Line 856 (Ruifang Station-Maogang) → get off at Fulong Visitor Center
  • From Keelung: Keelung Bus 791 (Guojia Xincheng-Fulong) → get off at Fulong Visitor Center
• To Dali:
  • Train from Taipei to Dali Station
  • From Yilan: Take Green Line 19 bus from Jiaoxi
• To Bitou:
  • From Ruifang: Keelung Bus Taiwan Tour Bus Golden Fulong Line 856 (Ruifang Station-Maogang) → get off at Bitou Cape Station
  • From Ruifang: Keelung Bus 886 (Ruifang-Hemei Elementary School) → get off at Bitou Cape Station
  • From Keelung: Keelung Bus 791 (Guojia Xincheng-Fulong) → get off at Bitou Cape Station

Note: Bus schedules can be infrequent, especially on weekdays. Check schedules in advance and plan extra time for connections. Taxis are available but limited in smaller villages.

Timing: These destinations work as day trips from Taipei, but staying overnight in Fulong allows unhurried exploration without worrying about return traffic. Most activities take 1-4 hours individually.

Best seasons:

• Spring/Fall: Mild weather, fewer crowds, comfortable for hiking and outdoor activities
• Summer: Beach season, warmest water, most crowded
• Winter: Dramatic weather, rougher seas, fewer tourists but windier and wetter

Language: English is limited outside Fulong beach area. Translation apps help significantly. Restaurant staffs may not speak English, but pointing and gestures work for basic communication.

What to bring:

• Rain gear (weather changes quickly on the coast)
• Good walking shoes with grip
• Sun protection
• Reusable water bottle
• Light jacket (ocean wind, air-conditioned spaces)

Practical notes:
1. Seafood restaurants work best for groups who can share multiple dishes.
2. Many small establishments keep irregular hours; calling ahead prevents disappointment.
3. Boat tours and outdoor activities may cancel in bad weather—its’ always better to have backup plans.
4. ATMs are very limited in smaller villages; carry cash!

In Taipei, restaurants and street stalls that look humble can still attract serious star power. Restaurants visited by Jensen Huang (黃仁勳), the CEO of NVIDIA, regularly make the news. K-pop idols also constantly create buzz when they eat out in Taipei. Sometimes it’s a night-market stall with sizzling oyster omelets, a beef noodle restaurant that is open well past midnight, or a local favorite for pork trotters – all of these spots gain a bit more fame when celebrities pull up a seat.

Jensen Huang’s Favorites

Few business leaders are as well-regarded in Taiwan as Jensen Huang, the co-founder and CEO of NVIDIA. For many, he embodies the middle-class-to-riches dream. His frequent visits to Taiwan have earned a great deal of positive publicity. Entire articles are written about the places he visits while in Taiwan, including restaurants.

▲Goose meat, fried rice, and stir-fried water snowflake

On a recent visit, Huang was spotted at Goose City Seafood, a well-known quick-fry establishment in Zhongshan District with an extensive menu and quick service. As with most such restaurants, the seafood here is on display on ice and in water-filled tubs and small tanks; patrons choose what they want by looking over the day’s fresh catch. Among the most popular choices are the restaurant’s signature goose, along with classic seafood dishes like whole fish, a variety of shrimp plates, and fresh sashimi. The menu also features classic Taiwanese dishes, including items like stinky tofu and century egg cooked in a three-cup sauce—a mixture of sesame oil, light soy sauce, and rice wine. You can also find other staples common in stir-fry restaurants, such as fried rice and stir-fried water snowflake.

Of course, the goose is popular as well, with tender sliced goose meat served with fragrant basil, slivered ginger, and tangy dipping sauce, and both goose liver and gizzard, on the menu. And as with every quick-fry restaurant, no meal is complete without a bottle of Taiwan Beer.

Goose City Seafood  (鵝肉城活海鮮)
🚩77, Liaoning St., Zhongshan Dist.
📞(02) 2751-6922
🕝4:30pm-1:00am

Huang also visited Fu Ba Wang Pork Restaurant (富霸王豬腳) on Nanjing East Road. Pork knuckle is a quintessential dish in Taiwanese cuisine: braised in rich soy sauce, green onion, sugar, and spices – usually a combination of cinnamon, fennel, star anise, pepper, and clove – until the skin and meat turn a dark caramel color, it’s as indulgent as it is fattening. Fu Ba Wang regularly draws long queues for its bento lunchboxes, and also because dine-in seating is limited.

▲Pork trotters

The kitchen’s top dishes are all pork leg cuts: hock, knuckle, and trotter. The pork hock is a sliced cut of leg, the knuckle is the whole joint cut, and the trotter is the foot. They’re all succulent, collagen-rich dishes, but the trotter is known specifically for being collagen and gelatin-forward after the long braising process.

▲Pork knuckles

Fu Ba Wang Pork Restaurant (富霸王豬腳)
🚩20, Ln. 115, Sec. 2, Nanjing E. Rd., Zhongshan Dist.
📞(02) 2507-1918
🕝Tue-Sat 11:00am-7:30pm

K-Pop Stars Raving about Beef Noodles

When K-pop artists lend their star power to Taiwanese eateries, the country takes notice. Tien Hsia San Chueh (天下三絕) in Daan District, long recognized by Bib Gourmand for seven years, has gained even more popularity among K-pop fans after visits by Woozi and Hoshi, members of the Billboard chart regular boy band Seventeen. During their tour visit in July 2025, Woozi was so impressed by the restaurant’s beef noodle soup that he shared his culinary experience with fans during their Taipei concert. They even went to the restaurant again the next day. The visits, along with Woozi’s expressed desire to learn the recipe, and Hoshi’s Instagram photo dump, created a stir online and made the restaurant a must-visit destination for many of their fans.

The restaurant has always been popular for its exceptional food quality at affordable prices. Boldly proclaiming to serve “The Rolls Royce of Beef Noodles,” the restaurant is known for its upscale atmosphere, a stark contrast to the typical simple and often cramped beef noodle eatery. The key component of the beef noodles is the broth, which is created by simmering beef bones, ribs, and four different types of tomatoes for eight hours, resulting in a deep, rich, and sweet flavor profile.. 

▲Beef noodle soup with the upgraded tomato broth is a top pick

The Signature Beef Noodle Soup is particularly special as it features four distinct cuts of Australian beef, including beef tail, beef shank, beef tendon, and beef heel muscle, allowing patrons to savor a range of textures and flavors in a single bowl. What also distinguishes this restaurant from other beef noodle establishments is that it offers a selection of red wines (Cabernet Sauvignon), the perfect complement to the high-end beef noodle offerings.

Tien Hsia San Chueh (天下三絕)
🚩3, Ln. 27, Sec. 4, Renai Rd., Daan Dist.
📞(02) 2741-6299
🔗www.noodle3.com.tw
🕝11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30pm-8:30pm

Woozi and Hoshi aren’t the only K-pop artists making waves in Taiwan. Enter Jeon Somi and Taeyang (also known as SOL). Somi is a South Korean and Canadian singer-songwriter known for her hit singles Birthday, Dumb Dumb, and Fast Forward, and Taeyang, a member of the legendary K-pop group BigBang, has pursued a successful solo career since his boy band days.

Both artists have visited Taiwan Beef Noodles · Chicken Soup while in town, a popular late-night beef noodle spot in Taipei’s fashionable East District, where there’s always at least a half-hour wait. The thick-cut beef noodles here are chewy perfection and served with tender cuts of beef in a mouthwatering broth with a hit of spice; one small bowl will sate the heartiest appetite after a night out. The chicken soup is a must-try as well, with its generous chunks of bone-in dark meat and clams working to create a savory broth with a hint of seafood that will have you slurping to the last drop.

Taiwan Beef Noodles．Chicken Soup (牛肉麵．雞湯)
🚩164, Sec. 1, Dunhua S. Rd., Daan Dist.
📞(02) 2778-7776
🔗facebook.com/Taipei.Midnight.BeefNoodles
🕝6:00pm-3:30am

Three Must-Try Treasures on Quanzhou Street (泉州街)

While in Taipei, Taeyang enjoyed more than beef noodles. He also went to the quietly famous Three Treasures of Quanzhou Street, a local nickname for a trio of simple joints dishing up food so tasty that cars sit double-parked on the road while their drivers line up to buy snacks for themselves and, judging by the size of some of the orders, all of their friends, family, or coworkers as well.

Taeyang and J-Hope from the K-pop trend-setter BTS, who has since launched a successful solo career, including a collaboration with American rap legend J. Cole in 2023, both tried the chargrilled sausage at Huang’s Sausages. This is a hole-in-the-wall establishment where the grill starts working (and the people start waiting in line) at 12:45 and doesn’t stop until 7pm or so. The Huangs churn out massive quantities of grilled sausage for the long lines, which usually form before they’ve opened for the day. It may take as much as an hour to get your snack as you share the sidewalk with senior citizens, parents with children, and people in business attire, but it’s well worth it.

The sausages themselves are larger than the typical snack eatery fare, and are the perfect balance of juicy and charred, especially when eaten with small bites of raw garlic clove. Raw sausages are sold at Huang’s as well, and can be purchased without lining up.

Huang’s Sausages (黃家香腸)
🚩32-3, Quanzhou St., Zhongzheng Dist.
📞(02) 2309-7428
🕝Tue-Sun 12:45pm-7:00pm

A few steps away, Authentic Auntie’s Large Intestine Vermicelli has been visited by Taeyang as well. The classic Taiwanese “vermicelli,” or thin noodles, are served in small blue-andwhite bowls and are surprisingly filling. The thick soup contains large oysters, which add salty umami, and slices of large intestine, which are soft and chewy without being rubbery. The enterprise shares a small space and two steel dining tables with Yuanfu Lemon and runs a brisk takeout business as well. It’s not uncommon to see diners pick up a bowl to go with their sausage from Huang’s, flavoring it with condiments on the table: chili bean paste, black vinegar, and white pepper. The chili bean paste creates an Instagram-worthy splash of color, but the essential addition is the black vinegar, which adds a complex sourness. 

Authentic Auntie’s Large Intestine Vermicelli 正宗阿桑大腸麵線
🚩32-2, Quanzhou St., Zhongzheng Dist.
📞0958-273-597
🕝Tue-Sun 11:00am-7:00am

The sausage and noodles pair perfectly with a lemon and calamansi (small Philippine lemon) drink from Yuanfu Lemon. It’s the consummate refresher on a humid Taipei day. Traditionally, a dried sour plum is added to this lemonade, a taste which may be surprising to foreigners but pairs impeccably.

Yuanfu Lemon (元富檸檬)
🚩32-2, Quanzhou St., Zhongzheng Dist.
📞0958-273-597
🕝Tue-Sun 11:00-until sold out

🗺️Click here to see aforementioned spots on Google Map

This article is reproduced under the permission of TAIPEI. Original content can be found on the website of Taipei Travel Net (www.travel.taipei/en).

Travelers often say that Chiayi is “Taiwan for Taiwanese people.” This isn’t just because the city preserves so much of old Taiwan’s way of life, but because every dish here carries an unhurried, down-to-earth flavor. From traditional morning treats to farm-to-table lunches, private chef dinners, and the steaming hustle of Dongshi Market with its time-honored establishments, Chiayi’s food scene moves at the same pace as the city itself—simple, heartfelt, and never in a rush.

8:00 AM – Chiayi East Market: The Heart of Daily Life in Chiayi

Chiayi East Market in the morning is one of Chiayi’s most vibrant places. Old stalls, vintage tiles, rising steam, and vendors’ calls create a rhythm that hits you the moment you walk in—you can almost feel the “stomach of the city” waking up. There’s no Instagram-worthy plating here, just the breakfast flavors that live in locals’ memories.

Beef offal soup is a morning staple for many Chiayi residents. Wang Family Beef Offal Soup (王家祖傳本產牛雜湯), now in its fourth generation, uses freshly slaughtered beef and various offal to create a clear, sweet broth. Beef heart, tripe, liver, and tendon each offer different textures—no gamey smell, just a gentle meaty aroma. The large soup pot on the table with “free refills” written on it is the most direct expression of local warmth.

The “net-wrapped meat roll” (阿富網絲肉捲) at Chiayi East Market is what old Chiayi folks call a classic traditional dish. It used to appear at banquet feasts and has now become a beloved everyday treat at the market. The shop insists on using pork caul fat and the pig’s diaphragm to wrap the filling—the diaphragm is a rare cut with only one piece per pig, extremely time-consuming to clean and prepare, but it releases a delicate aroma and tender texture when deep-fried. The outer caul fat becomes golden and crispy, while the inside perfectly blends pork, fish paste, and scallions with distinct layers of flavor. Unlike modern versions that often use tofu skin as a substitute, this dedication preserves the most authentic old-time taste. Because it’s so delicious, it evolved from a banquet dish to a signature daily item at market stalls, becoming a traditional flavor that Chiayi people can’t bear to give up.

This kind of morning—filling and familiar—is the simplest happiness in a Chiayi person’s daily life.

Chiayi East Market
Cash only · No reservations
Hours: Closed Monday, Tuesday-Sunday 6:00 AM until sold out

10:00 AM – Sweetness from an Old Hospital

After a hot soup breakfast, a bowl of douhua (tofu pudding) is just right. Taocheng Douhua (桃城豆花) occupies a building that was originally Ren’ai Hospital from the Japanese colonial period, one of the area’s earliest clinics with real scale. After decades of silence, the building was carefully restored by second-generation owner Sam Liu, born in the 1980s. He preserved the arched windows, terrazzo walls, and old wooden window frames, transforming it into a quiet dessert haven on the street.

The handmade douhua is silky smooth with a subtle soy aroma, and the sugar syrup is warm without being cloying. Toppings like peanuts, tapioca pearls, red beans, or white fungus each bring their own character. Beyond douhua, they also serve brunch items like open-faced sandwiches on sourdough and avocado salads, enriching your rest time with quality ingredients that show care for daily details. Sitting by the window with sunlight streaming onto wooden chairs, a bowl of douhua becomes the gentlest confession of the afternoon.

Taocheng Douhua (Guang-Hua Road)
No. 65, Guanghua Road, East District, Chiayi City 600
Hours: Closed Wednesday, other days 9:00 AM–10:00 PM

12:00 PM – SMART HOT POT (New Brand from SMART FISH)

Featured in the Netflix series “Street Food Asia”,The SMART FISH(林聰明沙鍋魚頭) has been running business for over 70 years, growing from a roadside stall to nationwide fame. It’s not only the first dish many visitors associate with Chiayi, but also a familiar taste many locals have been waiting for “since childhood.” After the 3rd generation took over, they successfully expanded beyond Chiayi to Taipei 101, and even airplanes. 

In 2024, along the road to Alishan, they opened SMART HOT POT (聰明鍋), reinterpreting the classic with a “one pot per person” light meal concept. The broth is still made with sa-cha sauce, garlic, and fish bones—rich aroma with distinct layers. Featuring personalized options, besides the traditional fish head pot, they offer new flavors like pickled cabbage pot and lobster pot, making it easy for travelers to enjoy. The space is more spacious too—no more squeezing into street corners to queue!!

The restaurant insists on using low-carbon Angus beef from local farms, linseed-fed pork that’s fresh without any gamey taste, naturally free-range chicken, locally delivered seafood, and small-leaf black tea from Alishan. Paired with cabbage, tofu, bean curd skin, and glass noodles, it’s abundant without being cluttered, relying on the sincerity of ingredients and well-developed traditional flavors.

Smart Hot Pot
No. 730-1, Section 1, Daya Road, East District, Chiayi City
Hours: Closed Monday & Tuesday, other days 11:30 AM–3:00 PM / 4:30 PM–8:30 PM

2:00 PM – Afternoon Tea Where Desserts and Historic Buildings Share the Stage

In the afternoon, stepping into Horikawa Tea Studio (堀川茶事)—converted from a Japanese-style old house—feels like entering an afternoon where time stands still. Originally from the Showa era, the building is over a hundred years old. The two-story wooden structure with wooden windows, tatami mats, old wooden cabinets, and vessels quietly displayed creates a space where light filters through latticed doors onto the floor, filled with the gentle atmosphere of careful daily preservation.

Desserts and drinks change with the seasons. The reservation-only “Cantaloupe Parfait” features seasonal cantaloupe as the star, paired with sorbet, macarons, and other fruit accents, layered like an edible dessert architecture—visually striking and rich in flavor complexity. For something refreshing, try a summer sparkling drink—passion fruit pulp, lemon slices, and pink sorbet blend colorfully in a glass; the moment sparkling water is poured in, the fruit fragrance bursts like fireworks, with refreshing sweet-and-sour notes adding soft tones to the afternoon.

Horikawa Tea Studio
No. 15, Lane 37, Wufeng S. Road, East District, Chiayi City 600
Hours: Closed Monday to Wednesday, other days 1:00 PM–7:00 PM

6:00 PM – A Sunset Dinner on the City Rooftop

As the sky gradually turns orange-red, if you want to create a memorable ending to your Chiayi food journey, consider booking the rooftop private chef experience at ROOF Bistro. This is a reservation-only, no-menu dining space hidden atop a building in downtown Chiayi—quiet environment, expansive views, and a well-regarded local “secret dining table.”

Chef A-Yao graduated from professional culinary school and has experience with both traditional Chinese banquets and Western cuisine, making fusion dishes no challenge. His passion for dining extends to tea, wine, and coffee. From appetizers to desserts, each course flows seamlessly. “I spent too much time in kitchens where I couldn’t see the sky outside,” he says, which inspired his vision for a future kitchen with outdoor views.

Fate brought him to this space. How to cleverly configure necessary kitchen equipment in a refined, compact space while maintaining a complete ventilation system and comfortable atmosphere for guests is worth discovering in person. Pair it with a glass of champagne or beer, watch the sunset cast its glow over the rooftop platform and distant mountains, and let the day’s flavor journey pause on a gentle note.

ROOF
5F, No. 172, Houyi Street, West District, Chiayi City
Reservations via Instagram or Facebook at least 2 days in advance
Hours: Monday-Sunday 12:00 PM–9:30 PM

Chiayi doesn’t win with glamour, but with a bowl of soup, a piece of candy, or a cup of tea, it slowly convinces travelers to stay. This two-day, one-night food journey is both a culinary wandering and a deep memory formed through gentle encounters with local culture.