Linjiang Street Night Market

For tourists visiting Taipei for the first time, Taipei 101, which used to be the tallest building in the world, cannot be missed. Neither can the rich culture of Taiwanese night markets. Ever since the Xinyi MRT line came into operation, it has been even easier to visit Taipei 101 and Linjiang Street Night Market (which used to be called Tonghua Night Market, 通化夜市), situated less than one MRT stop away from Taipei 101. Many foreigners and tourists walk to this nearby night market to enjoy their dinner after watching the sunset on the observation deck of Taipei 101. Although Linjiang Street Night Market is not as famous as Shilin Night Market, at least you won’t find stalls that rip off tourists here. Although it is not as full of character as Raohe Street Night Market, it still successfully captures the atmosphere of normal people’s lives in this highly developed urban city. Although the clothes stalls are not as popular as Shida Night Market, you are sure to find some quirky accessories among the goods on sale. And although the Taiwanese snack foods are not as “local” as those you might find at Yansan Night Market, there is even more choice of delicacies here.

Linjiang Street Night Market extends 400 meters, from Keelung Road to Anhe Road. Even though it is not very big, at least you won’t get lost wandering along this stretch of road! If you are coming from the direction of Keelung Road, the first thing you see will be a long queue of customers waiting for Shanghai Fried Pork Buns (上海生煎包). Then you will see mobile phone accessories and clothes shops, before coming across a whole row of steakhouses. Because the price is not high, the quality of the meat is nothing more than ordinary. But you are provided with the unique experience of savoring a flat iron steak on the street, which is probably only possible in Taiwan! Yakou Steak (雅口牛排), which also sells stinky tofu, is definitely up to standard in the Taipei region. The back part of the street also has many food stalls, and you will probably even see “old grandma” with her dedicated thick makeup selling Angelica pork knuckle noodles (當歸豬腳麵線). Also there, you can find Liangji Braised Dishes (梁記滷味), for which you will probably need to queue 30 minutes before you get your dish. At the end of the street, you can find Dahua Sausages (大花香腸), of which there are many flavors. But the place most recommended for good food is also the one that most people queue for, salt chicken (鹽水雞), which doesn’t have a signboard and is situated in front of the Qingdao Soy Milk shop (青島豆漿店). After you pick which vegetables you want, the boss combines your choice with chicken, scallions and seasoning, before mixing it up and giving it to you in a plastic bag. Trust us, this delicious combination even makes eating out of a plastic bag memorably tasty!