One of the inspirations for Mercato is the street food night market scene in Taiwan’s Shilin Market. We love the Xiao Tze (which means “small eats”) from the different food stalls in Shilin.
Here are the top food picks you should try when you visit Taiwan…
Read Related Post: Philippine STAR | Taiwanathon by RJ Ledesma
Flavors of Taiwan Series (2012):
- DIN TAI FUNG Experience @ Taipei 101!
- TAIPEI 101: On Top of the Tallest Building in Taiwan 🙂
- TIAN WAI TIAN Hot Pot – The BEST Hot Pot I’ve Ever Tasted
- The Making of Tea (Nantau, Taiwan)
- CHATIME: What We Can Learn from the Market Leader in International Bubble Tea Industry
- Taiwan’s SHILIN MARKET: #1 Shopping Attraction in Taiwan!
- SHILIN MARKET Taiwan: Xiao Tze (Small Eats) Food Trip Guide
- XIMENDING Market (popularly known as the Harajuku of Taipei) 🙂
1. STINKY TOFU @ SHILIN FOOD STREET
We were on a mission to try Taiwan’s famous Stinky Tofu, and we found it in the food street of Shilin Market.
You can see various stalls offering weird street food like Wow Frog Eggs.
Grilled Vegetable wrapped with Pork (NT$10).
Different meat barbecues.
Fried Siopao (NT$50).
Finally, we found the stall cooking the stinky tofu (follow your nose — you can tell where it is because of its repulsive canal smell).
The fermented tofu is fried and cut in half.
They are set aside to let the oil drip dry before serving.
Stinky Tofu (NT$50) is served with pickled vegetables.
My vegetarian friend and Mercato partner RJ Ledesma was brave enough to try the Stinky Tofu first.
It’s actually bearable and yummier if you eat it with the chili sauce.
Ivan Henares of Ivan About Town loved the Stinky Tofu too. 🙂
The perfect partner for Stinky Tofu? Lamien (NT$50) noodles…
…served with sweet peanut sauce and vegetables.
2. OH MISUA @ SHILIN MARKET FOOD STREET ARCH
Along the food street is a temple with a welcome arch. Here you can find more interesting food stalls.
Fish/Squid Ball Stall?
Barbecue, pork innards, chicken blood, etc.
Different sausages…
Finally, the Oh Misua Stall! This is a favorite snack of the Taiwanese.
The misua soup is served with oysters…
…and chili, plus other condiments.
Oh Misua (NT$30). Add this to your list of must-tries to complete your Taiwanese Street Food experience.
Chal Lontoc-del Rosario, a 50% Filipino 50% Taiwanese beauty, was our official Shilin Market food trip guide.
JM, the official Travelife photographer during the trip, was also happy checking out the flavors of the street food of Taiwan.
3. OYSTER CAKE @ SHILIN 1 B1 FOOD COURT
Another place to visit is the Basement 1 Food Court in the newly renovated area of Shilin Market.
It’s a series of food stalls in an airconditioned basement area. This is a good option, especially when it is raining, but it lacked the street food ambiance because of its more sanitized surroundings.
Another dish you must try is the Fried Oyster Cake. 🙂
Egg with oysters, topped with vegetables…
…and served with the stall’s special sauce.
The place has a cleaner and more organized dining area.
You can also try a wide variety of fruit juices, shave ice, and bubble tea.
4. HOT STAR LARGE FRIED CHICKEN
Don’t leave Taiwan without getting a taste of the popular Large Fried Chicken of Hot Star.
It’s a large, boneless fried chicken (NT$55) with signature spices.
(Big Daddy tried to replicate it here in Manila.)
It is so big that it is a meal in itself — good to share for two…or for one hungry person. 🙂
You can’t miss the blue Hot Star stall along the main road.
5. MOCHI PASALUBONG
There are a lot of Taiwanese candies and preserved fruits you can buy for pasalubong.
Some seemed a bit too exotic for our taste.
It’s also nice to check out the fruit stalls for a healthy dessert option.
Candied strawberries, anyone?
But the best pasalubong for me would be the Mochi with different flavors.
Tip: You have to buy the mochi in boxes versus the ones wrapped in plastic (although they are cheaper, they don’t taste as good.).
There’s still a lot of street food to try in the Shilin Market; any other recommendations?
Related Blog Posts:
TAIWAN: Guide to an Awesome Experience in Taipei! #CometoTaiwan
Awesome Taiwan #CometoTaiwan Series (2014):
- MODERN TOILET: Would you eat in this Poo-Poo & Pee-Pee Themed Restaurant in Taiwan?
- HOT-STAR Philippines: Taiwan’s Large Fried Chicken Chop in Manila (A Review)
- DIN TAI FUNG: Foodie Guide to an Awesome Xiao Long Bao Experience in Taiwan 🙂
- CHIANG KAI-SHEK 中正紀念堂: Must Read Guide to Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taiwan
- HAVE HOT POT: Memorable Yummy Hot Pot Experience in Taipei!
- SAND SCULPTURE: 2014 Fulong International Sand Sculpture Art Festival (Photo Essay)
- JIUFEN 九份: Spirited Away in a Gentrified Old Mining Town in Taiwan!
- A Pingxi 平溪 Sky Lantern Wish in Taipei!
- PALAIS DE CHINE HOTEL: Chinese Sophistication x French Elegance near Transpo Hub in Taipei!
- EASTERN STAR HOTEL: Budget Hotel in a Great Location in Taipei (A Review)
- EVA-AIR Manila to Taipei: Premium Economy & The Infinity Lounge
- TAIWAN VISA: How to Apply for Taiwan Visa in Manila for FREE, a FEE or HASSLE-FREE? @JeronTravel
Flavors of Taiwan Series (2012):
- DIN TAI FUNG Experience @ Taipei 101!
- TAIPEI 101: On Top of the Tallest Building in Taiwan 🙂
- TIAN WAI TIAN Hot Pot – The BEST Hot Pot I’ve Ever Tasted
- The Making of Tea (Nantau, Taiwan)
- CHATIME: What We Can Learn from the Market Leader in International Bubble Tea Industry
- Taiwan’s SHILIN MARKET: #1 Shopping Attraction in Taiwan!
- SHILIN MARKET Taiwan: Xiao Tze (Small Eats) Food Trip Guide
- XIMENDING Market (popularly known as the Harajuku of Taipei) 🙂
Live an Awesome Life,
Founder, www.OurAwesomePlanet.com
Follow @antondiaz on Twitter for the latest update on food and travel secrets. 🙂
Like our Official Facebook Page: Our Awesome Planet 🙂
Follow antondiaz on Pinterest for the latest awesome food and travel photos! 🙂
If you have tips on awesome food and travel destinations, please email me at anton@diaz.ph.
Thank you for following and supporting Our Awesome Planet!
Full Disclosure: The Taiwan Familiarization Trip was courtesy of the Taiwan Tourism Board. 🙂
P.S. Thank you to our companions in the Food Trip group who were game in tasting the different street food of Taiwan in the famous Shilin Market. 🙂
The large fried chicken looks yummy! Kulang nalang kanin hehehe
I don’t get why the Big Daddy chicken here has the bone included. If it were to be eaten like the girl in you picture did, the bone would definitely pose a danger to your teeth.
We love “Ta Thong E’s Beef Steak!” Their signage is the white one with red Chinese characters & an arrow below, right beside Hot Star’s chicken chop stall. Many of the Dynamic Youth Fil-Chi students who went to Taiwan for the summer know about this place. Our main purpose in visiting Shilin’s Night Market is to eat there. In addition, not all oyster cakes are created equal, though they all seem alike. The best oyster cake in Shilin is made by “Ta Thou Long,” if you’ve tried their version plus the other stalls’ versions, you’ll notice the big difference. The one by Ta Thou Long (literally translates to big head dragon) has more oysters & the sauce is so much tastier & the egg has better texture.
Where can I find "Ta Thou Long"?
Shilin is a great place to go in Taipei since it’s really big and chaotic! Lots of nice stuff too 🙂 Scallion pancakes, sesame pork dumplings!
I don’t recall where Da Tou Long (Big Head Dragon) is but if you do go back, perhaps you guys can ask for/look for this: 大头龙–anyway, the place really is famous for their oyster cakes.
You got Hot Star right with the Chicken chop haha–they sell really good chicken chops. But the one in Kaohsiung used to be the best too [the best one used to be a stall near Zhong Xian University but they moved, I used to eat there with my friends when were on a foreign exchange student program].
Also, if you’re more adventurous, try the stewed version of the stinky tofu. The ones they sell on sticks with veggies in it are actually quite mild. The stewed version…it’s a different story! Hahaha.
Other Night Markets worth mentioning in Taipei are Tong Hua Night Market for the yummy teppanyaki and also Huasi Night Market—if you’re more adventurous in terms of trying out “delicacies”.
Alsoooo… Sorry couldn’t stop sharing. Lantern Hot Stew is good in Shida Night Market. It’s near National Taiwan Normal University.
There are tons of nice places to visit and go on a food trip there hahahaha. I should go visit again soon.
Awww, this post made me remember a lot of memories! Makes me want to go back and visit Taiwan again haha!
was wondering too—will you have a KL version of this? =)) Jalan Alor, that wonderful restaurant behind Berjaya Times Square and the lovely restaurants around Bukit Bintang area yummmy!
Yes Planning to expand to South East Asia starting with Taipei 🙂 Maybe, KL Malacca next.
Anton
are you sure the hot star chicken is boneless? the last time i ate there there were bones.
Fresh Pepper Pork Bun – marinated pork with green onions, engulfed by handmade bread that is crusty on the outside and soft in the inside, sprinkled with sesame seeds, and cooked in Tandoor-like oven.
http://img215.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=203984401_PepperPorkBun_n_122_188lo.jpg
i want to visit to Taiwan to try all foods, looks yummy!.
I also remember hot star chicken is NOT boneless.
Where can I shop cheap souvenirs in taipei?