Night Market in Taiwan

I believe the most of people may hear it or visited before to Taiwan.  Taiwan is a sovereign state in East Asia and a small island nation located off the coast of southwest of Okinawa, Japan and north of the Philippines.   Taiwan has some very impressive scenic sites and its capital, Taipei, is a vibrant culture and entertainment hub and I am going to talk about various things that I found when I visited Taiwan.

As in many Asian countries, night markets are a staple of Taiwanese entertainment, shopping and eating. Night markets are open-air markets, usually on a street or alleyway, with vendors selling all sorts of wares on every side.  Night markets in Taiwan have become famous for their xiaochi, a name of Chinese food which translate to as “small food”.  As it is exactly defined as small food, xiaochi is served in small portions, more of similar to fast food portion.  What’s interesting is that instead of serving xiaochi as carry-out items, many food stands sellers provide small folding tables and stools to sit for customers who would like to eat right away.  This is not the only thing that I found it very interesting.  What surprised me the most is how cheap these xiaochi are.  These dishes are offered at low prices, usually around $30NTD to $50NTD (in USD, it would be between the $1 and $1.75).  So visitors like you, who expect to enough to be full during a trip to night market can spend only around $100NTD to 300NTD (between $3 to $10 USD).  Most night markets also have some small restaurants, which provide a number of simple courses that allow people to finish a full meal without having to eat their way through the entire market. 

Most famous night markets: 

Famous night market that I am going to introduce is Shilin Night Markets (士林夜市 or 士林市場） .  It is one of the most famous and largest night markets in Taiwan, located in Taipei, capital of Taiwan.  In my experience, this night market is the busiest market I have ever been to in Taiwan.  The night market wakes up in the late afternoon and early evening, and as soon as shops start opening, waves of people like tsunami rushed into street.  I was astonished by how lively people were in Shilin Night Markets.  Locals people often came with family and friends to eat, and I was able to observe how friendly the locals were to everyone, even to a tourist like myself.  As I walked along the street of Shilin Night Market, I found a route to the National Palace Museum, making it a good next stop for museum for tourists.  

Here is the most famous snacks and my favorite snacks:

雞排 (jīpái) is a deep-fried chicken breasts seasoned with various spices

I really liked this fried-chicken because it was really soft and crunchy even though it was made from chicken breasts. 

Oyster Omelets: (蚵仔煎 ó āh jiān – It is made from eggs, oysters and the leaves of a local chrysanthemum, topped with sweet red sauce.

大腸包小腸 dàcháng bāo xiǎocháng (grilled Taiwanese sausages, small sausage wrapped in large sausage)

There are also drinks that visitors should never miss it in Shilin Market.  There are drinks such as pearl milk tea known as 珍珠奶茶 Zhēnzhū nǎichá, Chinese herbal teas, and juices made with fresh local fruits and vegetables.   

"CoCo" is one of the most popular beverage shops in Taiwan