Must-see restaurants in Taiwan

  • The Mei Yuan

    Taroko National Park

    At the Silks Place Hotel, only guests can enjoy the dinner buffets but at lunchtime, when business is slow, the low-voltage Mei Yuan accepts all comers…

  • Miyahara

    Taichung

    The flagship store of pineapple-cake specialist Dawncake (日出鳳梨酥) also sells ice cream in flavours such as Hakka lei cha (擂茶, léi chá) and, of course,…

  • Orchid Ramen

    Eastern Taiwan & Taroko National Park

    Far more appealing than most of the other boxy shop-cafes in central Ruisui, this recently modernised ramen specialist also serves a typical range of…

  • Ya Jiao Seafood Restaurant

    Kaohsiung

    For fresh seafood, locals recommend Ya Jiao on Cijin Island. It's the kind of place for eating sautéed clams or local fish sashimi, drinking cheap beer,…

  • Dongyi Paigu

    Taipei

    Disco lives – or at least glitter balls, mirrored walls and stained-glass ceilings do – at this welcoming restaurant specialising in simple, well-prepared…

  • Chongwen Jinlu Noodles

    Chiayi

    This shop has been selling noodles since they were NT$1 a bowl. The signature strands (錦魯焿麵, jǐnlǔ gēngmiàn) come with fish meat in a thick soup. If you…

  • Grannie's Barley Soup

    Chiayi

    The old lady who runs this stall to support her two sick sons uses only natural ingredients and makes all her dessert soups and sweet drinks the old…

  • Epicurean Cafe

    Eastern Taiwan & Taroko National Park

    This bright yellow cafe has an attractive open-sided perch for tasting local Tao food or sipping coffee with views across stone-walled lotus ponds towards…

  • Huihuang Beef Shop

    Chiayi

    Behind Chaotian Temple, where Bo'ai Rd (博愛路) meets Datong Rd (大同路), a green awning and open frontage mark this old shop specialising in local beef (牛肉,…

  • Kao Wei Xian

    Pingtung County

    At this semi-outdoor barbecue joint, mark your selections on a slip of paper and hand it to waitstaff or, if you can't read Chinese, just point; have a…

  • Old Sichuan

    Taipei

    As soon as you walk in, you can smell the Sichuan peppercorns and hot oil. Old Sichuan is a theatrical experience from the decor, an over-the-top red-and…

  • Eight Immortals Barbecue Grill

    Taipei

    One of the city's best rèchǎo (熱炒) joints. Facing Da'an Park, this superpopular restaurant dishes up plate after plate of fried and grilled delights –…

  • Makaira Coffee

    Chenggong

    This misleadingly named seafood restaurant specialises in top-quality swordfish served in a multitude of ways, including raw as excellent sashimi. There's…

  • Du Hsiao Yueh

    Taipei

    An upscale branch of a famous Tainan-based snack restaurant. 'Slack Season' (which refers to the style of tangy noodles served during the fishing low…

  • Hadila

    Central East Coast

    It's the roughest-looking old shack, with open sides painted green and red, but this utterly simple place run by an older couple in central Changbin is…

  • Oma Ursel's German Bakery & Restaurant

    Taipei

    With its two-storey cottage design, including a pleasant brick terrace, this is a charming place to enjoy classic German fare such as sausages, pork…

  • Fulong Biandang

    Northern Taiwan

    Several shops all sell the same bento boxes outside Fulong train station. Choose from the standard Fulong bento (福隆便當; Fúlóng biàndāng) with pork, egg,…

  • Food Republic

    Taipei

    One of Taipei's more interesting food courts. This one, owned by a Singaporean company, is decorated to look like old-fashioned outdoor hawker stalls. The…

  • Fleisch

    Taipei

    In a historic building on Dihua St, this moody purple-walled cafe is a good place to stop for lunch. The short menu, true to its German name meaning …

  • Gamalan

    Central East Coast

    Widely reckoned to be the Fengbin area's best restaurant, this seafood specialist is famed for its lobster. Less extravagant diners will find plenty of…

  • Dulan Indian Cuisine

    Central East Coast

    For authentic curry set meals, search out this tiny Indian restaurant, run by Taiwanese hosts who learned to cook in Bangalore. The handmade ice cream…

  • Meinong Traditional Hakka Restaurant

    Southern Taiwan

    A proper sit-down restaurant favoured by families, this busy place dishes out simple bowls of stirfried bantiao noodles (flat-rice noodles, 炒粄條, chǎo…

  • Herban Kitchen & Bar

    Taipei

    Three great things about Herban: the little leafy garden, its wine bar, and the sheer imaginative variety of very yummy meatless dishes from aubergine…

  • Red Dragonfly

    Taipei

    Hugely popular, this Taiwan-influenced Japanese izakaya (gastropub) is a rowdy, happy place, where skewers of fish, mushrooms, squid and chicken are…

  • Island

    Taipei

    The yellow walls and palm trees bestow a fun tropical feel on this busy Taiwan-tamed Thai restaurant, about 1.2km northwest from the ferry pier along the…

  • Jinfeng Braised Meat Rice

    Taipei

    This long-running and often hectic place serves Taiwanese comfort food quickly and cheaply, without fuss or atmosphere. Try the lǔròu fàn (魯肉飯, rice and…

  • Jinsha Xiaoguan

    Matsu

    Handy for those sleeping in Jinsha, this visually forgettable restaurant serves excellent, archetypally local cuisine, including rice fried in Matsu red…

  • Beijing Do It True

    Xinyi

    This traditional northern China eatery – complete with stern middle-aged waitstaff and round tables with lazy Susans – began as a food stand in Kaohsiung…

  • Lin Dong Fang Beef Noodles

    Taipei

    This long-running family favourite (and famous restaurant) serves up bowls of noodles steeped in a light bone stew tempered with medicinal herbs…

  • Ri Ai Ciao

    Taipei

    This extremely cute breakfast nook is famous for its melted-cheese toasties that are literally a sea of delicious diary. Additional fillings are very…

  • Toast Box

    Xinyi

    This Singaporean chain is open until late but makes a tasty and unusual breakfast choice. Famous for its kaya-jam toast that pairs perfectly with coffee…

  • Yima's Kitchen

    Matsu

    This stone house. with big glass windows and a decor of signatures grafittied by guests, is a popular choice for in-season seafood and serves a multi-dish…

  • Cat Mouse Noodle

    Western Taiwan

    The Changhua tourist website claims that this shop's special noodle dish is one of the three culinary treasures of the city. It's a stretch, but the tangy…

  • Jia Chang Local Chicken

    Taiwan's Southwest Coast

    One of several restaurants serving local chicken in the area, busy Jia Chang is just across the road from the large entrance car park of Tianliao Moon…

  • Cafe Hifumi

    Kaohsiung

    A chilled cafe in an old Japanese-Taiwanese house (c 1900s) that's nostalgic and elegant without trying too hard. You can spend a relaxing hour here under…

  • Vegetarian Paradise

    Taipei

    Because of its location (next to Shida University), this vegetarian buffet is popular with expat students. It has a larger choice of dishes than many…

  • Yong Fu Ice Cream

    Ximending & Wanhua

    This corner store (with no English sign) has been serving customers since the 1940s and is easy to spot – there'll be gaggles of people outside eating ice…

  • Sababa Pita Bar

    Taipei

    This Israeli-American venture has been serving delicious, healthy, authentic Middle Eastern staples such as stuffed pittas and hummus for years now, and…

  • Asen Noodles

    Eastern Taiwan & Taroko National Park

    This bland-looking diner with its stainless-steel tables has been serving filling bowls of classic Yuli noodles since 1971 and still has the locals…

  • Guo's

    Chiayi

    A no-frills family-run shop in the Wenhua Road Night Market specialising in turkey rice (雞肉飯) and savoury rice pudding in soup (粿仔湯), with an assortment…