While packing my bags, or even planning my trip to Taiwan, I've been thinking about what I'll eat when I arrive. Food is one of the main reasons to travel to Taiwan.

Is five meals a day the norm? Exploring Taiwan's local cuisine

When I come across people munching on steaming, fluffy xiaolongbao, fluffy soy milk (dujiang) that's like soft tofu, or freshly baked scallion pancakes (tsunyoubing) sold at food stalls, I can't just walk away. I don't mind eating five meals a day when I travel, but in Taiwan, I feel even more so, and it's scary to think of it this way (lol). This local food and sweet treats start early in the morning.

Soy milk is a quintessential breakfast food. Fuhang Doujiang, featured in many media outlets, is a popular restaurant with locals and tourists alike. The shop and workshop, open from 5:30 AM, allows visitors to see the process of deep-frying youtiao and baking bread in a baking oven. Recently, a Japanese menu has been added, allowing for hassle-free ordering at the counter. I order what the waitress calls "salty" salty soy milk and a bun with egg (thick pancake jiadan or thin pancake jiadan) and head to my table. I slurp down the salty soy milk, which tastes like warm, mushy tofu, and my first meal begins.



Taiwan is so hot in the summers and warm in the winters that the sun is even depicted on its flag (did you know that?). Walking around the city, I quickly get thirsty. When that happens, I find a fruit shop and enjoy freshly squeezed fruit juice. I'm happy to say the prices are surprisingly low compared to Japan. I visited Yongkang Water Garden (Yongkang Shui Guo Yuan) on Yongkang Street almost every day during my stay. Their juices are bottled, making them perfect for walking around the city. Eating and drinking are prohibited on the Taipei MRT, an essential part of walking around the city. Even tourists can be fined if caught, so bottled drinks are convenient.

Tapioca milk tea not only quenches thirst but also satisfies hunger. You can find it at drink stands all over the city. Munching on the large tapioca pearls sipped through a straw with the sweet milk tea leaves you feeling full after each cup. You can adjust the sweetness and amount of ice to create a customized drink.




Loco Shokudo doesn't serve alcohol!?

Loco Shokudo offers a wide variety of specialty rice bowls and popular noodle dishes. The rice bowls and noodles are small, making them perfect for those traveling for more than three meals a day. Many restaurants don't serve alcohol, so I usually go there for lunch. Lu rou fan, with sweet and spicy shredded pork on rice, and chicken rice, with hand-shredded chicken drizzled in soy sauce, are two of the most popular local rice bowls. Of all the local rice bowls, I'm a big fan of braised pork rice, so when I crave it, I head to Jinfeng Lu Rou Fan and enjoy it with winter melon soup.

The noodles I long to find in Japan are the dry noodles at Mu Ming Fuzhou Dry Noodles, simply seasoned with soy sauce, vinegar, and chili oil, and a bowl of Azong Mian Xian, featuring a sweet and spicy combination of tripe and bonito broth. I also frequent Yongkang Street, home to Yongkang Dao Xiao Mian, famous for its knife-cut noodles. My go-to is the slightly sweet eggplant beef noodles topped with tomato and braised beef.
Most restaurants have an order form with the name of the dish written on it. Ordering is easy; just check it off and hand it over. So, without hesitation, I head to the bustling local eatery.



Douhua (douhua) is a sweet treat loved by children and adults alike (including me, of course). Douhua, more of a sweet treat than a dessert, is made by solidifying soy milk with a coagulant, resulting in a soft, runny tofu-like texture. The smoothness and flavor of the touhua vary from shop to shop. Choose your toppings from sweetly simmered red beans, mung beans, tapioca, and rice dumplings, and they'll top it off with a drizzle of sugar water. With its smooth texture and just the right amount of sweetness, douhua is a uniquely Taiwanese treat.



If you're in Taiwan, you'll want to try "xiaolongbao" (soup dumplings) at least once! The main branch of Din Tai Fung, which has a branch in Japan, is a popular restaurant that's always crowded with tourists and long lines. That said, the wait time may be shorter if you visit early in the evening. I visited several times on weekdays, and I waited about 10 minutes after 5 PM, 20-30 minutes at 6 PM, and just under an hour at 7 PM. Din Tai Fung's xiaolongbao are, of course, delicious, but if you're looking for a more casual xiaolongbao experience, head to the highly local Hao Gong Dao (Jinjiyuan). They offer a wide variety of other dishes, and they're a great place to enjoy beer during the day (lol).



When I asked a Taiwanese friend for a local place that serves beer and is suitable for groups of around four, he recommended Lu Guang Xiaochiguan, located on the outskirts of the trendy East District. It's a cozy restaurant with an old-Taiwan-style interior. There is a menu, but you can also choose what you like from the small and large dishes lined up on the counter and take it to your table. Listening to the lively Chinese conversations of office ladies and salarymen will have you coming back for more beer and food.

This is my stroll through Taipei's local food and sweet treats, enjoyed from morning until night.

Next time, >>Strolling through the morning market, which is also fun for travelers
>>【Vol.2】 Strolling through Taipei's morning market. If you visit Taiwan, you should definitely buy some dried noodles, which make a great souvenir.
>>【Vol.3】 Wander around the cafes and hardware stores in Taipei's wholesale district. Ask the god of love for a specific ideal type!
>>【Vol.4】 A day trip to a hot spring just 30 minutes by subway from Taipei Station, and a stroll around a seaside book cafe
>>【Vol.5】 Papaya juice in tropical Taiwan! Wandering around Tainan's retro streets and renovated architecture />Momen Fuzhou Dry Stir Noodles No. 11, Lane 35, Section 2, Luosifu Road, Taipei City
Asong Noodle Line No. 8-1, Emei Street, Taipei City
Yongkang Sword Shaved Noodles No. 5, Lane 10, Yongkang Street, Taipei City
No. 28-1, Yongkang Street, Taipei City, Jinjien Road
Lu Guang Restaurant No. 63, Dongfeng Street, Da'an District, Taipei City
*The published data is from March 2017. Please check for details.


Interview and photography by Mori Yukiko
Her book "Edo Everyday Items" (Heibonsha), which connects Edo and the present through tools, was published in Taiwan in May 2016 as "Edo Everyday Items" (Nichigetsu Bunka Publishing). After the release of her book, she became completely engrossed in Taiwan on her first visit, and has since visited the country frequently. Her Taiwan fever has revived her once-failed interest in learning Chinese, and this spring she even studied abroad at a university in Taipei for a short period of time.

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