Hi everyone! We are here in Taipei, Taiwan and when you think of Taiwan one of the
first things that pops into your mind is street food. On every corner you're gonna
find amazing eats served on skewers, in bags, in bowls, and they're all really cheap
Night markets and street food are a huge part of Taiwan's culture which
makes it one of my all-time favorite places to visit. And with so many options
it's hard to know which are the must eat places that you need to try. So I've
compiled a list of the top ten must-try street foods in Taipei. So I really hope
you enjoy it and let's get started!
Okay so I thought for this first stop we could start with Taiwanese breakfast and
this is my all-time favorite Taiwanese breakfast... of all time
And it is called fan tuan which is basically a kind of like a sticky rice burrito, that's how I
kind of think of it. But I grew up eating these and it was always one of my
favorite breakfast items ever. So basically when they make it they have
some rice, they flatten it out, and then they put on some pickled vegetables like
pickled greens or pickled radishes etc. And then they add some pork floss and
then they also add in a youtiao, which is a Chinese doughnut.
So then that's like the basis of a fan tuan but at this place you can also add
an egg to your order and so I added a fried egg to mine to add a little more protein
There's actually fan tuan carts all around Taipei so I recommend if you
do see one, you stop by and grab one because it's a perfect on-the-go like
breakfast/snack. But this one that I went to is right by the Yongchun MRT station
Okay let's go ahead and dig in
Mmm. I love how the texture of the rice
it's not too mushy or anything. It's cooked just enough and then it's stuck together
to kind of envelope all that goodness inside. You got that meatiness from the
pork floss as well as the little bit of sourness from that pickle vegetables
And one of my favorite things is when you first bite into the youtiao, and it's so crunchy and crispy
Mmm
Okay so I just stopped by Tianjing Chong Zhua Pancake and if you've seen my other
Taipei videos, you might be super sick of hearing me talk about this place but
I keep talking about it because it's literally my favorite thing like ever
So here they sell green onion pancakes but they're not like your typical green
onion pancakes. These are super special because they're extremely, extremely
flaky, almost like a hybrid between a green onion pancake and a croissant like
there's so many layers and they're so stretchy and chewy and they have a
variety of different toppings to choose from so I always go with the
Taiwanese basil and egg but they also have cheese, ham, corn, etc etc
I always ask them to put some spicy sauce on mine too, and
protip: if you don't ask for it, they probably won't put it on so make sure you tell
them you want it spicy. So it's super hot, it's fresh off of the griddle, and yeah
let's go ahead and try it!
Did you see the way that all those layers were stretching?
I feel like they put extra gluten in this or something to make it
so stretchy and chewy. Oh my gosh, it's so good with that fried egg and the Taiwanese basil
I just love how much basil they put in this and how strong of a flavor it has
Oh my gosh. And what's great about this, is that the toppings
yeah, they add a lot of flavor and they're an awesome addition to the green
onion pancake but really what's still the star is the green onion pancake and
it seems like such a simple thing but they make it so complex with that
delicious green oniony flavor, you got some sesame seeds in there as well, and
the way that they pan fry it to perfection
you got that crisp on the outside. Honestly my descriptions don't even give
enough credit to this green onion pancake, you just have to try for yourself yourself
So here we are at Tong Hua Night Market and our first stop here is tang yuan shaved ice
This is extra special because tang yuan is usually not served over ice
It's usually like in a soup or by itself. And basically, they are these
glutinous rice balls that are filled with different fillings, but at this spot
you can choose between peanut or sesame. Here I have half peanut, half sesame
So what makes this unique is that it served over shaved ice which they
freshly shave it for you into your bowl. They pour osmanthus syrup over it
and then they top it with the beautiful tang yuan, straight out of the pot
This is such a treat, I can't wait any longer, let's dig in!
Mmm
The outside is so incredibly soft and chewy. It's almost like mochi texture, a little more dense
and then it's literally filled to the brim. They do not skimp
And then once you get through the tang yuan part, you can enjoy this beautiful fluffy shaved ice
with their osmanthus syrup, and it's almost like having second dessert, you know?
First dessert is tang yuan, second dessert is shaved ice. That osmanthus
syrup adds such a nice light floral sweetness and if you want more of the syrup,
they actually have a station where you can add more and they also
have lemon juice. So you can kind of customize it to your liking
Okay so next up is one of my favorite Taiwanese desserts which is basically just like
grass jelly and they usually add a lot of different toppings on there. So this
one has sweet potato and taro balls, as well as boba and red bean. And this place
is right next to Tong Hua Night Market and I wanted to show you guys my
favorite peanut ice cream roll, but then I went there three times on separate
occasions and I couldn't find the stand that I love. So I decided to take you
guys here instead and I also love this place. And the reason that I like this
place in particular is because they're grass jelly is so silky smooth,
their taro and sweet potato balls are super on point, and they also give you a pack of
coffee creamer with it to mix into the dessert and it just makes for this very
light and refreshing, but creamy dessert. So let's dig in
I got a bite with the sweet potato ball as well as some boba and red bean and grass jelly
You got everything in this bite.
Oh yeah, that grass jelly just falls apart in your mouth
So soft, so smooth, and this is literally so refreshing
The sweet potato balls are so chewy, boba is nice and sweet, and of course
that red bean is adding even more flavor
Okay so-- Oh my God why did I say it like Ness
Okay so we just stopped by one of my favorite places
I feel like I say that about everything. Everything is my favorite, as you can tell
I just love Taiwanese street food. So this is a very famous shop
for Taiwanese hamburger also known as gua bao and this is actually
something I first tried in the US and I actually really didn't like it until I
tried this one in Taiwan. I was like, "dang, this is done right and it's so good"
So if you don't know what a gua bao is, it's basically a bun, think of those
fluffy buns that you usually make your Peking Duck buns with, but it's very big
it's so fluffy and soft, and inside there's pork belly so I chose to go with
half fat, half lean. That's usually the combination that I go with, but you can
also get full fat or full lean. So in addition to that, there is the peanut
sugar crumble, which sounds weird, but trust me it works really well in this
as well as pickled mustard greens and cilantro. So it's really nice because the
bun is sealed at the bottom so it can really catch all those flavorful juices
until the very last bite. This is definitely something I have to eat every time
I'm in Taiwan, I've been here three times now? This is probably my third time
on this trip alone, so that's how you know this is so good
Mmm
Every single time I bite into this, like I already know it so good, but every single time I
eat it I'm just amazed. You got the fattiness from that pork belly, as well
as a little bit of sourness from those pickled vegetables, and I love the hit of
cilantro in it too. The peanut sugar, of course adds a little bit of sweetness as well
So you have so much going on in this beautiful fluffy, fluffy, soft bun
It's like a pillow, like I would want to sleep on this at night. And like most
Taiwanese street food, this is super cheap, only 60 NT. So good
Okay so lighting is a little bit weird, but we're just going with it. So obviously if
you're in Taiwan, you need to drink boba. There is no question about it. If you
went to Taiwan and didn't drink boba, did you even go to Taiwan?
Right across the street, diagonally from Lan Jia Gua Bao, which was
our last stop, is the best boba in Taipei
So this place is called Chen San Ding and
this is what they're famous for, their brown sugar boba. And you might be
familiar with drinking milk tea with boba, but this one actually has no tea
It's pure milk with the caramelized brown sugar boba at the bottom. And this
brown sugar boba drink has been really hyped lately. I see a lot of places in
the US starting to serve brown sugar boba, but this is still always number one
in my heart. So this one cup is only 40 NT and I
have to say that there's another place in Taiwan that I love for their brown
sugar boba, which is called Xing Fu Tang, but the thing is that their
cup is 75 NT. So this is almost half the price and it's just as good if not better
I think it's better, but Xing Fu Tang is pretty good too, if you
want to try that. So basically they have their hot boba and they just pour it in
the cup and then they pour milk in it, and ice. So it's actually very very hot
on the bottom, and you mix it up, and it's just a beautiful combination together
That boba is so nice and sweet, and it's kind of like a warm hug in your mouth
Mmm
And not only does it have such a strong brown sugar boba flavor, it's also
so soft and so chewy. And what I love about this, is that since it's just milk then
it's really letting that boba be the star of the drink because if you get a
milk tea with boba, you're probably mostly tasting that really strong tea flavor
and then the boba is just kind of like as a topping. But in this drink,
oh my gosh, this is the headliner
Okay so our next stop on this street food tour, is Ay Chung Flour Rice Noodle
So this stand is super super popular, you will always find many people outside there
slurping up these bowl of noodles. So basically what this dish is, is kind of
like a noodle soup but it's more thicker, more of like a gravy kind of texture and
the soup is made out of bonito flakes so it has this really strong smoked flavor
to it. And in this soup, they have super silky smooth noodles, as well as some pig
intestines, and then they top it off with some fresh cilantro. And they also have
a little sauce bar on the side, where you can add chili, garlic or vinegar
So I decided to get a scoop of each to add even more flavor
So let's just dig right in
Mmm, mmm. Oh yeah. There is no lack of flavor in this bowl
These noodles are incredibly soft. You don't even need to chew them
They literally just slide right down.
Alright let me see if I can get some of these intestines
Not my favorite part but I'll try them on camera for you guys
It's chewy, almost like eating the head part of the octopus, so if I think about it
that way, it doesn't freak me out. But if I think about it as pig intestines,
I'm a little sketched
Alright let's go to the next stop
So now we are at the Raohe Night Market and we got one of my favorite items
I'm sure you guys have probably heard of this before but I really could not
exclude this from my list. It's so freaking good. So this is the hu jiao bing
also known as the pepper bun. And basically what they do is that they have
their dough for their bao, like the bun, and then they have a massive mound of
pork that they just scoop off some of that filling and then put it onto the
dough, and then they literally put the bun face down into green onions, and then
grab as many green onions as possible and stuff it in there. And somehow they
manage to seal it up perfectly. So really got to give them props because
they have perfected this technique. After they're done sealing up the bao, then
they top it with some sesame seeds and then they stick it inside of this kind
of barrel-shaped oven, kind of like a tandoori oven. I don't know how else to
describe it but it's basically kind of just like a huge barrel, and they're
sticking these buns to the very side of the barrels, so it gets really really
nice and crispy. It cooks it all around, and especially the bottom is super
crispy because that's the part that sticks to the oven. Like I don't know how
they do it but it has so much going on in this one little bao. And this bun
costs 55 NT and I remember the last time I came it was 50 NT so they be raising
the price. But well deserved, it is so worth it. Looking at the bun, you can
see that crispy, crispy exterior, as well as those sesames on the top. So when they
hand it to you, these things are piping hot. But since I've been here talking to
you guys for a while, mine has cooled down a little bit. But make sure to be careful
when you're biting into this thing because it's literally super hot and the
juices inside will literally go everywhere.
So let's take a bite
Oh my God!
Did you hear that?
The crunch is insane! And you got some flaky layers as well, in the bun
Oh my goodness, this is incredible. So one of the things I love about this that I
actually have not had anywhere else before, is that the outside is that
crispy hard shell that I was telling you guys about, but the inside, the bao stays
fluffy and it's soaking up all those pork juices
Oh it's amazing
You can just see inside, it's filled with that peppery pork and all those green onions
Oh my goodness
I'm speechless
Gotta stop by here. You will not regret it
Mmm!
Okay so now we are at the Shilin Night Market, and we stopped by, probably the
most popular stand here. They always have the longest line out of all the other
stalls at this huge night market, so that's how you really know it is good
And this item might surprise you, because it's actually a vegetarian. So basically
they use king oyster mushrooms, which are these fat mushrooms, and then they grill them
and get them really nice and tender. And then they slather this kind of like
soy saucey, teriyaki sauce all over the mushrooms. And then he cuts them up
and you can see that beautiful steam rising from each one. So then that's the
base of each mushroom, and then you can add on two flavors for it. So you can
choose from things like lemon pepper or spicy or curry or cumin, so I decided to
go with the spicy and the seaweed. So this plate of mushrooms is 100 NT
which is actually kind of pricey compared to the other things at the
night market. But it's really really good. My mushrooms are literally covered in
the spicy seasoning, which i think is togarashi, as well as the seaweed
Mmm!
The mushrooms are perfectly tender and very warm, they're fresh off that grill and I
love that sauce that he puts on there. It's a little bit salty, a little bit sweet
and then it goes together so well with the seasonings
Mmm. It's like once you pop it in your mouth,
you think that's really just gonna melt in there because it's so tender
but once you start chewing, you get that really nice springy, bouncy
texture from the mushrooms. It's so good
Okay so now we are at Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice. And they're famous for their
braised pork rice, which is also known as lu rou fan
And this is one of my all-time favorite Taiwanese dishes ever since I was a child
It just brings so much nostalgia. And this place does it so well
So basically braised pork rice is this pork belly cooked for so long and it
basically has all these fatty juices and they serve it over rice so that it
really really seeps into the rice. It just makes for this flavor explosion
So at this place they serve it with a little pickled melon here, but a lot of
places, they'll serve it with like pickled mustard greens or also a
marinated egg on the side. So this place does it really really simple, but it's
really good. So here I have one medium-sized bowl of their braised pork
rice, and a lot of people here, they'll just order one bowl of this and then
they'll also order an array of side dishes to enjoy, but today I just am
going with the basic, classic braised pork rice.
So let's just dig in I'm so excited to share this one with you guys
Mmm. Oh my gosh
All that fatty goodness from that pork belly melts all over the rice
and makes it so flavorful
Mmm, oh my God
It's such a great mix of the fatty pork with all those spices as well and the
soy sauce. And even though it seems like the ratio might be off, like there's way
more rice to meat sauce, there's so much flavor in that meat sauce that you're
gonna need this much rice to finish all that meat sauce. And each individual
grain of rice is coated in that beautiful fatty goodness
Okay so that was a lot of eating
I hope you guys really enjoyed that list of the top ten
must try street foods in Taipei. And let me know in the comments below, what was
your favorite thing that we ate today? I would love to hear your perspective
because I think they're all super amazing. So yeah if you want to see more
videos like this, make sure you hit the subscribe button and turn on the bell so
you get notified when I upload, give this video a thumbs up, and if you're hungry
for more Taipei videos, I have a bunch of them on my channel. I'm gonna put two of
them right here, so you can check them out
And yeah, I'll see you guys in the next one! Byeeee!