Eat Recommendations
Late-night ramen, market kushikatsu, century-old shops — eating is the fastest way to travel.
Featured
Illustrative Dong Jia San Xiong Di Ba Wan is a Shui Li, Nantou institution with more than seventy years of history, famous for freshly handmade ba wan dumplings paired with complimentary pork bone broth. The small shop has only about twenty four seats and frequently sees queues, with weekday hours roughly 2 pm to 6 pm and holiday closures often triggered by early sellouts. The dumpling skin is translucent, glossy, and springy, the filling juicy, and the house chili and numbing spicy sauces can also be dipped directly in the bone broth. Beloved by locals and tourists alike, it is a Shui Li must try snack.
Illustrative Ya-Mi Buffet in Kinmen County's JinCheng Township is a Chinese-style buffet. The doors open at 11 AM, with the spread rotating through a wide range of dishes - the affordable crispy fried chicken steak is a particular highlight. The dining room is kept clean, prices are wallet-friendly and the food quality has earned positive feedback online with an average rating of about 3.7 stars. A great pick for travellers who want to sample many Chinese dishes in one sitting without spending much.
-
Illustrative →Chenjia Dining Hall
Chen-Jia Shi-Tang in Hualien City began as the late-night Chen-Jia food cart on Nan-Jing Street and moved into a storefront that still keeps the old Taiwanese flavours. Hours run 4 PM to 1 AM, and the menu lists fried pork rice, fried noodles, braised pork rice, and mushroom chicken soup, all at coin-friendly prices. The house-made green-chili dried-fish condiment and herb wine are the signature seasonings that lift each dish. Affordable, late-night, and uniquely flavoured, the shop draws locals and tourists alike - a high value midnight snack stop in Hualien.
89 -
Illustrative →Goose Meat Master
E-Rou Xian-Sheng (Mr. Goose) on Zhong-Shan Road in Hualien City is a 40-plus-year restaurant famed for its tender, juicy goose dishes. The room is spacious - with arcade seating, a second floor, and a Lin-Sen branch over two floors - that suits solo diners, couples, and large parties alike. The signature goose is served with a garlic-soy dipping sauce, the meat soft and succulent; it pairs with local long-bean greens, goose-blood cake, and rice noodles in small or medium portions at friendly prices, beloved by locals and tourists alike.
95 -
Illustrative →Yellow Cart Bomb Scallion Pancake
Yellow-Truck Bomb Scallion Pancake at No. 102 Fu-Xing Street in Hualien City is a local favourite built around crisp-skinned, soft-layered fried-egg scallion pancakes; with a half-set egg and house sauce folded in, each bite delivers an exploding-egg rush. Hours run 12:30 PM to 6:30 PM, and the shop has earned nearly ten thousand Google reviews holding a 4-star rating, propelled by word-of-mouth and a Top-Ten-Food-Heroes recommendation. Visitors queue on site, or park further away and walk in to avoid tying up traffic - a Hualien must-queue snack.
88 -
Illustrative →Little Wooden House Crystal Dumplings
Little Wooden House Crystal Dumplings is a long-standing snack shop on Xinmiao Street in Miaoli City with over seventy years of history. Its signature chewy dry crystal dumplings and crystal dumpling soup infused with basil aroma gain extra flavor when paired with sweet chili sauce. The shop is small but clean and bright, often with morning queues, and operates until around 12:30 PM. Prices are friendly, with dry dumplings and soup both around NT$25, making it an unmissable local brunch choice on the South Miaoli Hakka food street.
71 -
Illustrative →Temple Grandma Stinky Tofu
Miaokou Grandma Stinky Tofu is a local old shop in Tongxiao Township, Miaoli County, with over fifty years of history. Originally a small cart at the Cihui Temple entrance, it has since moved to Zhongzheng Road, serving crispy outside and soft inside stinky tofu paired with house-made pickled cabbage and preserved vegetables for a unique flavor. Besides the signature stinky tofu, the menu also includes herbal spare ribs, pig trotters, spicy duck blood, and quail eggs, letting customers get full in one sitting. The space is spacious with plenty of seating, weekday wait times are short, and it offers a special children's promotion of free meal for perfect exam scores, beloved by locals and tourists alike.
49 -
Illustrative →Houlong Black Wheel Uncle
Houlong Oden Uncle is located in the temple square in front of Ciyun Temple in Houlong Township, Miaoli County, a beloved local oden snack shop. The menu centers on oden items such as fish cakes, assorted balls, tofu, and vegetables, with a rich broth that can be refilled unlimitedly, warming body and stomach on cold days. Besides oden, the shop also offers crispy outside, soft inside stinky tofu, rice cakes, and tofu pudding, with diverse items and authentic flavors that often draw queues. Operating for years with traditional handmade flavors, it is a must-try food spot when visiting Houlong or Ciyun Temple.
62