Hualien
This modern showroom sells souvenir packs of various dried fish products, most notably katsuo (柴魚; dried bonito) flakes, which are an important condiment…
Must-see shopping in Taiwan
Xinyi
Yes, there are lots of Eslite shopping malls around the city, but this one is special because it's set in the gorgeous grounds of Songshan Cultural &…
Taitung
Yang's moreish curls of roasted sweet potato are glazed in very light syrup. They are a locally celebrated mini chain but the shop opposite the post…
Taipei
Looking like a 1980s spaceship, Syntrend is a much-posher electronics mall than the scruffy Guanghua Digital Plaza next door. You'll find computers,…
Kaohsiung
You'd think you've stumbled into a bar or a mysterious Buddhist cave, but no, this is a bookshop. Save for dots of light on individual tomes, this quirky…
Taipei
In the funky loft space above a fusion restaurant in the Huashan 1914 Creative Park, you'll find this quirky, boutique design shop with a rich collection…
Hualien
Stocks an appealing selection of ceramics, hand-sculpted wooden animal figures and distinctive art postcards.
Eastern Taiwan & Taroko National Park
This community-run operation occupies an offbeat building with canoe-shaped prow set in its own organic vegetable garden. Partly built with nuclear…
Ximending & Wanhua
The place to get inexpensive boxes of pineapple cakes (NT$180 for 12 cakes), the standard gift to give people when you holiday in Taiwan. This small shop…
Taichung
The two-storey dormitories of an old water utility have been taken over by bookstores, fashion boutiques and other creative businesses. The premises have…
Xinyi
Spread over two floors, the Eslite bookshop here (open 10am to midnight) is one of the best in the city and has a fancy teahouse. There's also a great…
Taipei
There's no English name, but the colourful designs of Tibetan Buddhism and the Dalai Lama's portrait on the door will alert you to this cosy corner shop…
Taichung
Chu Jun ('maggot bacteria') is a cult space that marries Japanese schoolgirl culture with the grotesque. The shop sells '70s Japanese paraphernalia and…
Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung's largest grocery wholesale market, the southern equivalent of Taipei's Dihua St, is here in Sanmin District, near Kaohsiung Main Station. The…
Flying Squirrel Culture Studio
Taipei
On the ground floor of compact Huashan Market, this little shop (no English name, look for stall A19) sells some curious indigenous handicrafts, brightly…
Kaohsiung
This old shop makes unbleached winter-melon sugar (冬瓜糖, dōngguā táng) and snacks. The sugar can be consumed as sweets, added to tea, or melted in hot…
Eastern Taiwan & Taroko National Park
Originally founded in 1939 as a tiny vendor of rice dumplings and sweet potatoes, this store has morphed into a large and appealingly chaotic showcase for…
Taichung
A lovely shop and gallery inside an old house in a state of romantic crumble – there's skylight in the open kitchen, peeling pillars and hanging…
Tainan
Not 'just' a roadside stall, this one is run by the gregarious armchair historian Maru Yang. Mr Yang likes to share recommendations with travellers, some…
Shatao Dance & Glass Art Studio
Pingtung County
A glass-and-dance studio run by a Paiwan dancer. There's an adjoining shop where you can purchase accessories made with Paiwan glass beads. You can also…
Taipei
Hailing from a mountain tea-growing community in central Taiwan's Nantou, Mr and Mrs Chang have been selling organically grown oolong teas from all over…
Southern Taiwan
A large compound with a tile-making factory, a cafe, and a shop selling ceramic sculptures, tableware, crockery and vases for NT$50 to NT$2 million. Some…
Chiayi
An old timber house in an alley is the location of this vintage shop, selling clothes, wooden handicrafts, and music by indie bands from Taiwan and the…
Pingtung County
You'll find a nicely curated selection of ethnic garments, accessories and home products from Taiwan and Asia at this shop run by an indigenous Taiwanese…
Songshan
A tiny sliver of a shop, easy to overlook – hunt for the wolf-head logo. Gently designed gift boxes and tins in bright colours of Taiwan-grown teas,…
Chiayi
A nicely landscaped site where you'll find lily ponds and a crafts and coffee 'village' converted from Japanese-style dormitories of the Alishan Forest…
Taipei
This is Taipei's most renowned bookshop chain, with locations all over town. This branch is the famous 24-hour location. There's a good selection of…
Taipei
A shop for the lesbian community with both in-store and online sales. In recent years it has expanded into a cafe and hosts local events, tarot-card…
Taipei
GinGin's is a gay-and-lesbian shop offering books and adult magazines (Mandarin only), DVDs, stationery, gifts, posters, sex toys and clothing. See if you…
Songshan
Wufenpu is a lively grid of streets, selling cheap clothes and accessories, wholesale and retail. You'll find big bags of T-shirts, jeans and shoes. It's…
Songshan
Shen Bai stands out from the rest of Wufenpu with its focus on sparkly clothing. It is stacked with sequined denim shorts, T-shirts and tops. There are…
Ximending & Wanhua
One of the best sex shops in the gay bar district, selling underwear, swimwear, T-shirts, lube, condoms, sex toys and one of Taiwan's craziest novelty…
Shilin
Gifts for all price ranges based on the museum's collection. There's everything from a tiny jadeite cabbage phone pendant made from resin (NT$150) to an…
Taipei
Six storeys of electronics, software, hardware, laptops, peripherals, mobile phones and gadgets of all kinds. Dozens of smaller shops speckle the…
Taipei
This third-generation shop is the last remaining traditional embroidered shoe outlet in Taipei. Most of the dainty little items (with patterns such as…
Western Taiwan
The shop is on the right just before you enter the pedestrian-only area near Mazu Temple. Fans range from a few hundred dollars to many thousands for the…
Kaohsiung
An organic farmers market that takes place every weekend (and sometimes one weekday) in five venues across Kaohsiung. Produce on offer includes fruits and…
Taipei
This lovely independent bookshop, run by Mr Wu, stocks a selection of scholarly history and political books on Taiwan in English, as well as maps,…
Taipei
Traditional Chinese medicine store with both dried herbs and prepackaged remedies. There's no English sign. You can spot this place by its old wooden…
Tainan
All kinds of fragrant sugar-cane smoked and braised deliciousness, such as tofu and eggs for immediate consumption, or hock and an entire chicken, vacuum…
