Eat Recommendations
Late-night ramen, market kushikatsu, century-old shops — eating is the fastest way to travel.
Featured
Illustrative Zhong Family Original Shanghai Pan-Fried Bun is a long-running snack stall in Taipei's Shilin Night Market, with more than 30 years of history, specializing in freshly wrapped and freshly pan-friedsheng jian baoin two flavors: cabbage and fresh pork. Each bun costs about NT$20, fried to a golden, crispy bottom while the filling stays juicy, beloved by loyal regulars and tourists alike. The stall opens at 15:00 and closes at 20:00, with Wednesdays off. Its Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition often fuels long queues, making it a coin-purse-friendly must-eat at Shilin Night Market.
Illustrative Lao-Dan A-Zhang Ba-Wan is a century-old snack shop on Chang-An Street in Changhua, near the train station, founded in 1948. It is known for the springy oil-bathed skin, the generous meat filling, and the side options of dragon-marrow-bone soup or free pork-bone broth, and famously appeared in the film 'You Are the Apple of My Eye', which still draws queues of tourists. The dish has also been served at state banquets and remains affordably priced — a must-eat when visiting Changhua.
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Illustrative →Jian'an Chicken Rice
Jian-An Chicken Rice is on Xiao 3rd Road in Keelung's Ren'ai District. It opened only recently but has already become one of the most talked-about local eats in town. The signature dish is the chicken-and-braised-pork rice bowl, made with hand-cut braised pork and shredded free-range chicken breast for a tender, flavorful bite drenched in fragrant braising sauce. Alongside it, the braised pork rice, dry noodles, and other staples come in generous portions at fair prices. The dining room is bright and air-conditioned, clean and comfortable even when there is a queue. Both locals and visiting diners rate it highly, and many agree it is one spot on Xiao 3rd Road you should not skip.
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Illustrative →Pier 6 A Fen Specialty Shop
Pier 6 A-Fen is a long-standing breakfast and snack shop in Keelung's Zhongshan District, founded in 1923 and now nearly a century old. Tucked beside Keelung's Pier 6, it specializes in udon noodles and small plates of braised and boiled cuts, with side dishes like fried tofu, three-layer pork, five-layer pork intestine soup, and a limited daily quantity of the famously adventurous 'pig eye'. Open through the morning, it is the perfect stop for travelers who want a traditional Keelung breakfast and a taste of old-school harbor-town flavor.
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Illustrative →Liu Family Stinky Tofu
Liu Family Stinky Tofu is an old-time street snack near Keelung Harbor with over fifty years of history, located at No. 19, Gangxi Street in the Ren'ai District. The tofu comes out golden and crisp on the outside while staying soft inside, with a hollow scooped out at the center and packed with sweet-sour pickled cabbage, then splashed with hot brine. Bite into one and it goes 'puff' — the fermented aroma rising without ever becoming aggressive, just right for fans of old-school Taiwanese snacks. Prices are friendly, with an average meal around NT$100, and both locals and tourists keep coming back. It is a must-eat local landmark right by the harbor.
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Illustrative →North-South Snacks
Nan-Bei Snacks at No. 85, Ren 1st Road in Keelung's Ren'ai District is a seafood-and-stir-fry haunt that locals return to again and again. The shop is known for its freshly cooked seafood stir-fries, and signatures like red-yeast pork, hand-cut cuttlefish balls, and tender liver in soy glaze are all crowd-pleasers. Prices are friendly: a four-person set comes in around NT$2,150, which makes it a great value for families and groups of friends. The storefront is easy to miss, but the authentic flavors and fresh ingredients have turned it into a quietly spreading word-of-mouth favorite among Keelung residents and visitors alike.
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Illustrative →Nanrong Road Specialty Meatballs
Nan-Rong Road Professional Ba-Wan is a 40-plus-year-old local institution in Keelung's Ren'ai District. The stall hides under the arcade at the corner of Nan-Rong Road and Ai 3rd Road, and the exterior is low-key, but a queue often spills out anyway. The ba-wan features a thin, chewy wrapper with red-yeast pork filling studded with fresh bamboo shred and pork cubes — a touch oily, with a crisp-skinned bite. Order it with a bowl of dried-bean-curd-pouch soup and you have a complete meal, or take it to go. Open 11:00–22:00 daily (Fridays until 20:00, closed Sundays), phone 02-2426-0017. If you want to experience traditional Keelung snacks and the real flavor of the city, this stall is a must-visit.
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Illustrative →Keelung Curry Fried Noodles
Keelung Curry Stir-Fried Noodles is a quintessential night-market bite that fuses curry with satay sauce, tossing bouncy noodles with generous chunks of beef for a deeply savory, aromatic plate. Several long-running stalls cluster around the Miaokou area — among them A-De Stir-Fried Noodles and A-Lu Curry & Satay — and they are loved by locals and tourists alike, frequently recommended by food media and bloggers as a must-eat. Most stalls operate year-round at friendly prices, perfect for travelers looking for a quick, authentic taste of Keelung.
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