Top Taiwanese Eats: Taipei, Taiwan

Taiwanese Eats

Part of the experience with travelling is the food. Taiwan had so much great food to offer, I put together my top favorites. Food was also very affordable, which made it even better.

Traditional Breakfast

Yong He Soy Milk King (永和豆漿大王)

Taiwanese breakfast, or simply breakfast in Taiwan, is a hearty meal made up of small dishes. It’s a must-have. Yong He was recommended to us. Make sure you go in the right line: to-go outside or dine-in inside. It’s cafeteria style here: order at the window, wait for your order, and look for a table. Luckily, they have English menus at the front.

We ordered a few things to try – hot soy milk: freshly grind soy milk with sugar; savory soy milk: hot soy milk with egg; turnip cakes: pan fried ground turnip cake; sesame egg wrap: sesame bread with egg; donut egg wrap: Chinese donut wrapped with egg. Everything was so good, and made to order! Our meal for 4 was less than $7 USD.

No. 102, Section 2, Fuxing S Rd, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106

Grass Jelly Desserts

Ai Yu Zhi Meng You Ai Yu Jelly & Grass Jelly (愛玉之夢遊仙草)

For warm nights in Taipei, cool off with desserts. We went to Ai Yu Zhi Meng for their homemade jelly. It’s a small shop with a few seats inside. There were also some stools on the sidewalk outside.

Ordered their most popular combo that comes with shaved ice, then topped with tapioca balls, taro balls, red beans, creamer. It’s a big portion for only NT$50 ($1.60 USD)!

No. 56, Tonghua St, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106

Boba Drinks

Chun Shui Tang (春水堂)

Chun Shui Tang is where boba milk tea originated, so of course we had to go! You can customize the level of ice and sweetness of your drinks. All of us got the original milk tea. It came in an almost white colored milk tea, some froth, and tapioca balls. The tapioca balls were smaller and tasty. Super chewy.

Chun Shui Tang also serves food and has multiple locations throughout Taipei.

50 Lan (50嵐)

50 Lan is a great chain for boba on the go. They have a great selection of teas and unique combos!

Shaved Ice Dessert

Ice Monster

Of all the shaved ice places we had, Ice Monster was the best one. We ordered the strawberry shaved ice that came with fresh strawberries, panna cotta and condensed milk. The ice was so fluffy!

It’s a bit pricey here. This one was almost $9 USD.

Xiao Long Bao

Din Tai Fung (鼎泰豐)

The birthplace of Din Tai Fung, famous for their xiao long bao: soup dumplings. We went to the location inside Taipei 101. Inside, you can watch teams of workers making the xiao long bao through the glass window. They were in sync, almost mesmerizing to watch.

We ordered their original xiao long bao and their crab ones. Both were so delicious! The dumpling skin was delicate, yet firm enough to hold the filling and soup. Add a dash of vinegar and enjoy the burst of flavors in a single bite.

Also ordered some dan dan noodles: peanut sauce noodles; garlic green beans. All so delicious. I don’t think I can have xiao long bao anywhere else now.

Din Tin Fung has multiple locations in Taiwan and worldwide.