Best Night Markets in Taipei

This is what put Taiwan on the international radar for travelers. The night markets, some of which have been around for 40 or 50 years. There are basically two types of night markets. The first type are specifically aimed at tourists. These are the big night markets like Shilin and Raohe, which are arguably the two best night markets in Taipei. The second type of night market is the one the locals know about, but most tourists don’t. Each neighborhood or section of the city tends to have its own personal night market. In fact, my local night market is just a fifteen minute walk away. Everything is cheaper than at the big markets and (in my personal opinion) the food is better. The moral of this paragraph is not to dismiss the value of smaller markets.

1. Raohe

Perhaps my favorite, Raohe is the second largest night market in Taipei. It’s not quite as crowded as Shilin and you can find amazing pepper buns, stinky tofu kebabs and anything else you may be interested in. Like Shilin, it has a few Taiwanese brand clothing stores as well as an assortment of electronics, jewelry and other things for sale. It, also, is a great place for souvenirs and the temple at the market’s entrance is pretty cool. Overall, this market is a must see. It’s located at the end of the Green Line and, of course, it will be more crowded on weekends.

If you’re in the market for some cheap street clothes, this market is right next to Wufenpu. The best place to find cheap, unique and fashionable clothes from Korea and Japan. Try visiting the two places together. You can go clothes shopping and then head over to Raohe for dinner.

2. Shilin

This is Taiwan’s most famous night market. It is also the most touristy and largest. That said, I did buy souvenirs for my friends and family from here. It’s also a great place to eat. There’s an abundance of fresh fruit (don’t be fooled, some vendors add a little extra sugar to the samples), seaweed snacks, pineapple cake as well as the usual fair of squid, stinky tofu, pepper buns and scallion pancakes. Don’t forget to try the quail eggs! A large portion of the food stalls are located underground. As you’re walking through the market you’ll see some suspicious looking stairs leading down, take them. It’s worth a look around. However, be warned it is a fire hazard down there.

Like Raohe, Shilin has it’s own temple, but it’s basically located in the middle of the market. Shilin is located on the Red line. The most convenient way to access it is to get off one stop down from the actual Shilin station. You can reach the market from either stop, but getting off at Jiantan is the most direct way and it will take you straight to the Shilin pavilion. The Shilin stop will put you at the back of the market and you’ll have to walk around. Try starting at Jiantan and then walk down and leave through Shilin Station. That way you don’t have to back track.

3. Shida

Supposedly the third and second biggest market night market, Shida was a total let down. It’s mostly clothing stores. The same ones you can find at Raohe and Shilin plus a few others. You wont find much food in the night market itself, but the surrounding area has some great international eats.

Shida night market is located at the Taipei Power Building Stop, exit two. Since you won’t find much food at the market. Check out KGB Burger joint, which is at the same exit. The mango-jalapeno burger and ginger beer are heavenly. If you feel like walking there’s also a great Greek place called Sababa. Plus, right next to Sababa is an amazing cookie and cupcake stall. Take one of everything. It’s all delicious and will probably be the highlight of your night.

4. Lehua 

This is a shout out to my local market that I love. It has better food than any of the other markets (I might be biased). It’s not very touristy and you wont find many cliche souvenirs, but if you want the feel of something local, this market is the best. This market is located on the yellow line, at Dingxi Station. Use the second exit.

Other Markets

There are dozens of other markets in Taipei. Shilin and Raohe are the biggest and most popular, so the other markets may seem quite small by comparison. If you have some free extra time, they may be worth a visit though. Here are a few: Snake Alley, Jingmei, Liaoning, Linjiang, Ningxia and Tunghua. Again, all of these are smaller, more traditional night markets. Also, Snake Alley is mostly for those who want to eat crawly things and check out porn stores. Not my thing, but it may provide for some interesting people watching.

One last thing, these markets (big and small) provide a huge source of income to the residents in Taipei. For this reason many locals have mixed feelings about the markets. Essentially, they are good for commerce, but noisy. Many locals would keep the cash and leave the noise if they could. Despite the noise, all of these markets are very safe. It’s not unusual to see older kids wondering around unsupervised and, as a female, I’ve had no trouble either.