# Taste the Street Food at Taiwan's Night Markets > From stinky tofu to sweet rice dumplings, here are 10 amazing street food dishes to try at Taiwan's night markets. Bring your appetite. - URL: https://langandtrip.com.ua/en/article/poprobuite-ulychnuiu-edu-na-nochnkh-rnkakh-taivania/ - Language: en - Published: 2025-07-31 - Categories: Culture, Leisure, Restaurants, Tours, Taiwan, Food & Drinks --- OK, so you don't head to a night market for a lavish, Michelin-worthy feast to write home about. But in Taiwan, the imagination and invention on display, even at some of the humblest food stalls, is something to marvel at. Night markets are packed with traditional dishes deliberately unchanged for generations, sitting right beside food vendors who take street food staples apart and rebuild them into something at least worth a quick email (or article). So here's a quick tour of the best night markets in four of Taiwan's major cities, and their 10 tastiest dishes. ## 1. Stinky Tofu ![](https://test.langandtrip.com.ua/wp-content/uploads/de_import_uploads/june-article-image-87-1-2025.jpg) It inspires the same love-it-or-hate-it reaction most people have to durian. Stinky, fermented tofu is deep-fried and served with pickled cabbage, carrot and chili sauce. I hated stinky tofu when I tried it on mainland China, in Hong Kong and in other Chinatowns across Asia, but I love the Taiwanese version. It's sold everywhere in Taiwan, so just follow that smell you catch drifting through the night market. Find your stinky tofu at: Raohe Night Market, Taipei ## 2. Rice/Taiwanese Sausage ![](https://test.langandtrip.com.ua/wp-content/uploads/de_import_uploads/june-article-image-87-2-2025.jpg) A rice sausage wrapped around a Taiwanese sausage. Sticky rice is stuffed into a sausage casing, grilled, split open and used as the "bun" for a classic sweet Taiwanese sausage. You won't mistake it for a New York street meat, but it's pretty good. For all your rice sausage needs: Ruifeng Night Market, Kaohsiung ## 3. Coffin Bread A specialty of Tainan's night markets, a slab of thick white bread is fried to a golden crust, then the top is cut open and filled with a creamy seafood chowder. Think of it as Tainan's take on San Francisco's chowder in a bread bowl. You'll find the best "coffin" at: Xiaobei Night Market, Tainan ## 4. Deep-Fried Shrimp The key to any deep-fried, savory dish is crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and this snack from Tainan nails it. Freshly caught shrimp are dipped in batter, flash-fried and served with a sweet brown sugar sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi for a sweet, sour, nose-clearing finish. Find them at: Xiaobei Night Market, Tainan ## 5. Braised Pork with Rice ![](https://test.langandtrip.com.ua/wp-content/uploads/de_import_uploads/june-article-image-87-3-2025.jpg) Pork belly or shoulder is slow-braised with no fewer than 10 ingredients, from the early morning hours until the night market opens. It's an open secret that any sauce left over from the day before gets used the next day, and that's exactly why it tastes so good. In northern Taiwan the pork is minced, while in the south they use pork cubes. It's a very common night market dish. Sometimes shredded chicken is added to a bowl of braised pork with rice. The tastiest version: Dai Tian Gong Night Market, Kaohsiung ## 6. Baked Black Pepper Pork Baked black pepper pork buns are a star snack at the popular Raohe Night Market in Taipei. Right behind the Ciyou Temple, a small army of workers turns out these savory little parcels of goodness, baking them against the wall of a clay oven. There's always a long line, but the moment the pork buns come out hot, steaming and savory, you'll be ready to join the queue all over again. Look for the ovens at: Raohe Night Market, Taipei ## 7. Scallion Pancakes ![](https://test.langandtrip.com.ua/wp-content/uploads/de_import_uploads/june-article-image-87-4-2025.jpg) Although they're served in many parts of China, the Taiwanese version of this beloved Chinese classic is deep-fried rather than pan-fried, and has a less doughy texture than traditional scallion pancakes. These scallion pancakes are sold at most of Taiwan's night markets. The scallion champions: Liuhe Night Market, Kaohsiung ## 8. Risotto-Stuffed Squid Perhaps inspired by an Italian cookbook, this snack from the famous Feng Chia Night Market in Taichung, the largest in Taiwan, is fried risotto stuffed inside a whole squid, then fried to a crispy, al dente crust and finished with a sweet Dijon mustard and mayonnaise sauce. It's big enough to be a full meal, but don't share this wonder with anyone: there are plenty to go around! Devour them at: Feng Chia Night Market, Taichung ## 9. Barbecue of Just About Anything ![](https://test.langandtrip.com.ua/wp-content/uploads/de_import_uploads/june-article-image-87-5-2025.jpg) Seafood of all kinds, chicken wings, cow stomach, tofu of every shape and size, snake beans... your culinary imagination is the only limit when it comes to Taiwanese night market barbecue. You also get a choice of dipping sauces: sweet and sour brown sugar sauce, sweet chili sauce and sha cha chili sauce (made with dried shrimp). Some customers skip the sauce entirely, and I can confirm the flavor is still fantastic. Barbecue stalls are popular at every night market in Taiwan. Best found at: Feng Chia Night Market, Taichung ## 10. Sweet Glass Rice Dumplings ![](https://test.langandtrip.com.ua/wp-content/uploads/de_import_uploads/june-article-image-87-6-2025.jpg) Dessert may not be the first thing on the average Chinese diner's mind, but this delicate treat is a wonderful way to cap off your culinary journey through the night markets. These dumplings are made from twice-steamed rice flour, and you can pick from glass dumplings filled with red bean, green tea, egg custard, taro and even green tea mochi flavor. You'll find these dumplings at most of Taiwan's night markets, but the best are made by southern Taiwanese, with a sweet tooth that would make Willy Wonka himself proud. Look for them at: Liuhe Night Market, Kaohsiung