Restaurants in Taipei
-
A
Dintaifung
With Taipei's most celebrated dumplings, Dintaifung is deservedly popular for Shanghai-style treats made fresh to order. Try the classic xiǎolóng bāo (steamed pork dumplings). Very popular with locals and visitors alike, so either phone in reservations (they speak enough English) or prepare to queue up.
reviewed
-
Tainan Tan-tsu-mien
Odd though it may seem to have rooms decorated like Versailles and Vienna in Snake Alley, that's what you'll find here. Select your own fish and seafood out the front and the chef will suggest a preparation method (grilled, steamed, fried etc). Don't forget to try the shop's namesake noodles (made with ground pork).
reviewed
-
B
Amigo Mexican Food
Got a hankering for Mexican? Amigo has tacos, burritos, home-made soups and other 'south of the border' favourites. Dishes are served with flair matching a genuine taco-stand ambiance.
reviewed
-
C
Sababa
This excellent new eatery serving falafel, hummus and other middle-eastern food is already so popular that the kitchen exhausts their supply of delicious home-made pita before we get there for our typically late dinners. But it would be selfish to not list Sababa just to keep the pita for ourselves.
Instead, we're just going to exaggerate how hard the place is to find. Really. It's so very hard to find! You'll probably have to settle for one of the three dozen other restaurants on Alley 54, leaving the pita for us regulars. Good luck.
reviewed
-
D
Doggy & Yummy
One of the latest trends in Taipei is pet-friendly restaurants, that is, places where pet-loving city dwellers can take the pooch (or pot-bellied pig for that matter) out for a good meal. Though most tourists tend not to bring their own pets, doggy restaurants are fun places, especially for travellers with children (besides, we couldn't resist listing at least one of these odd eateries).
Doggy & Yummy has decent Western food such as pasta and fried chicken and an English menu that's definitely dog (and kid) friendly.
reviewed
-
E
Beitou Squid
It isn't in Beitou (though we're told there's another one there), and there's no squid. But we like this funky little eatery in Tianmu because, aside from the eats - great pork and seafood dumpling soup and tasty Taiwanese side dishes such as cold cucumber salad and tofu with thousand year eggs - the place is just way cool.
Old 1960s Taiwanese movie posters adorn the wall (they're for sale) and the shop sells kitsch nostalgia items including wind-up cars and candy cigarettes. John Waters would just love this place.
reviewed
-
F
He Xiang Delicious Food
A long-standing favourite street-side eatery in Tianmu, He Xiang has kept the same tiny menu for decades (The picture menu on the wall behind the counter has almost totally faded). The specialty of the house, and a local must-try, is the bamboo-steamed sticky rice with red pork and vegetables, wrapped in a lotus leaf and served with hot sauce. Look for the faded picture of this dish above the entrance.
Another excellent dish is the shrimp ball soup. Nothing fancy, just cheap, good and very Taiwanese.
reviewed
-
G
Grandma Nitti's
A mainstay of Taipei's Western community, Nitti's serves comfort food such as waffles, burgers, Philly-cheese steaks, Mexican dishes and family-size pastas. Breakfast is served until dinner time. There's a comfy street-side terrace and the windowed space upstairs is a great place to mull over newspapers. There's a long bookcase on the first floor with an excellent selection of second-hand books for sale, and the restaurant's owner is a mainstay in Taiwan's animal-protection community.
reviewed
-
H
Xiangyi Vegetarian Heaven
Easily one of the best vegetarian buffets in Taipei, this narrow two-storey restaurant is usually crowded, with the ground-floor seating generally taken by the monks who eat here daily. A beautiful assortment of Taiwanese vegetarian cuisine is cooked fresh and served to the lilting sounds of Buddhist songs coming from an overhead boom box. The restaurant has no English signboard, just look for a yellow sign above the door or follow the sounds of soft Buddhist chanting.
reviewed
-
I
Chiantan Food Court
Avoiding food in Shilin is a bit like avoiding casinos in Las Vegas; you really need to be committed to manage it. Until recently the centre of the night market had a food court with teppanyaki booths, noodle stalls and milk-tea joints, but after many artery-clogging decades, city elders deemed the place a fire risk, and moved most of the food court's purveyors of tasty grease to their new home in the Chiantan Food Court, located just across from the Jiantan station.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
J
Yang's Bakery
This 40-plus-year-old, northern-Chinese style place is unpretentious to the max and has no English menu, but that doesn't matter. Order yourself some dàguōtiē (long-rolled dumplings, steamed then fried) or yángjiāshuǐjiǎo (pork dumplings) and you'll see what we mean. Yang's is also a good place to get yourself a bowl of niúroù miàn (beef noodle soup), one of Taiwan's most famous dishes.
reviewed
-
K
Lavender Garden
At the bottom of a long, steep stairway that (eventually) leads up into Yangming Mountain lies this excellent restaurant set inside a two-storey home that's surrounded by an aquatic garden. Amazing health-oriented Chinese dishes such as 'health tonic hotpot with ten Chinese herbs' will give you strength for the climb ahead. Then again, as Lavender Garden's deserts are delicious as well, you might want to save the meal as a reward for the climb down.
reviewed
-
L
Ostrich
Welcome to Ostrich, Taipei's first and only (at least to our knowledge) restaurant specialising in the tall and gamey bird. Ostrich steaks, ostrich burgers and ostrich noodle soup are all on the menu at this upscale restaurant just around the corner from Core Pacific City. (That's the mall shaped like a large ostrich egg. Coincidence? We think not.) Ostrich also serves drinks and has a good selection of wines from California, Australia and France.
reviewed
-
M
Geneva
We were saddened to learn that Ticino's (our old favourite Taipei Swiss restaurant) had closed its doors, but happy that Geneva has picked up the flaming fondue torch. Though pricey, Geneva uses only the finest cheese to make its fondues and the best home-baked breads and imported meats for dipping. Leave room for desert, an amazingly decadent chocolate fondue served with fresh strawberries. And of course, don't forget to order the sparkling wine.
reviewed
-
N
Sweet Dynasty
Though specialising in Chinese desserts, Sweet Dynasty also serves a wide variety of mouth-watering dishes such as Shanghainese prawns, braised beef ribs with bitter melon and other Chinese classics. Desserts, of course, are amazing, so top off your meal with a slice of taro cake or a dish of mango pudding. Lines can be long, especially on the weekends, so make reservations or be prepared to spend some time people watching on the sidewalk outside.
reviewed
-
O
Bongos
Have a hankering for poutine (French fries topped with cheese curds and gravy) and pasta, or perhaps some salad served with a second-hand science-fiction paperback? Bongos, then, is undeniably the place. In addition to serving good Western-style lunches and dinners, including the aforementioned Canadian favourite, Bongos also has a comfortable reading area, outdoor seating, and a huge collection of second-hand paperbacks for sale.
reviewed
-
P
Haw Kuang Vegetarian Restaurant
Words can't describe how much we love this vegetarian buffet just a few blocks northwest of the Shilin Night Market. The chef is a genius, with an eye for both colour and flavour. Imagine yourself a painter and the white cardboard tray your canvas. Arrange your meal from dozens of beautifully prepared vegetarian dishes and enjoy. If you visit one vegetarian buffet during your time in Taipei, make it this one.
reviewed
-
Q
Hooters
The opening of Hooters in Taipei caused quite a stir. If you've ever been to a Hooters in America, you know that the women who work here are chosen for their looks, outgoing personalities, and willingness to join in spontaneous hula-hoop performances. The ladies of Hooters Taipei live up to the franchise's expectations. Food and decor is pure Americana - how you feel about that depends on your personal bias.
reviewed
-
R
Cottonfields
Need something to balance out the night markets' stick-meat, fried tofu and assorted artery-clogging goodness? Taipei has a number of places to get organic fruits, vegetables and other healthy products. Our favourite place is Cottonfields, which sells the sort of stuff you'd find at a farmer's market in places like San Francisco. They also sell salads and have a great juice bar with upstairs seating.
reviewed
-
S
Yonghe Congee King
One of our favourite postdrinking-binge breakfast joints, Yonghe Congee King is clean, well lit (but not too bright) and serves perfect post and prehangover foods such as home-made dòujiāng (soymilk), luóbuógāo (turnip cake) and qīngzhoù. If this doesn't settle your stomach, consider laying off the Taiwan beer and Whisbih for a while.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
T
Lanka Curry Restaurant
One of the less flashy (and less expensive) South-Asian restaurants in Taipei, Lanka has been serving excellent curries, sambals and dhal dishes for nearly two decades. If you're feeling especially adventurous, try the fish-head curry (the priciest item on the menu, but well worth it). Whatever you get, order their special appetizer, 'Lunu Dehi', it's diced onion mixed with lemon pickle.
reviewed
-
U
Yuan Shu Vegetarian
This restaurant has received a fair amount of press coverage for its new-school renditions of traditional Taiwanese favourites. Vegetarian meals are prepared in the classic Buddhist way, not merely meat but also garlic and pepper free. Hotpots are a specialty as are the pumpkin rice noodles and delicious tofu dishes. The sign outside reads simply 'Vegetarian'.
reviewed
-
V
Vegetarian Paradise
Because of its location (right across from Shida University), this is usually the first vegetarian buffet many newly arrived students visit. The owners haven't let success go to their heads though, and they still serve the same sublime vegetarian cuisine as they did when some of us came here as students, way back when. Price is by weight.
reviewed
-
W
Yuan Thai
A nice little Thai restaurant behind Ximending's Red Pavilion Theatre, Yuan Thai is a stone's throw away from the serious youth bustle of Ximending without actually being in the middle of it. Though a bit plain in ambiance, the restaurant gets points for price and quality, and is a good place to get your Pad Thai fix.
reviewed
-
X
Green Leaf
This local favourite literally serves everything Taiwanese from dumplings to full plates in vintage 1964 décor. Pluses are its friendly service and the well-translated menu. Some more expensive seafood options cost up to NT$1288, so unless your wallet is deep as the ocean you might want to steer clear of the lobster.
reviewed
