HualienEat Recommendations

Lao-Tan-Huo is a Japanese-style izakaya in Hualien whose signature is skewers paired with an all-you-can-drink drinks bar. East-Tokyo vibes — exposed wood, warm lighting, the smell of binchotan charcoal — make it ideal for friends who want grilled chicken skewers and draft beer after a long day at Taroko. The eat-all-you-can format is well-suited to group dinners and late-night bites.

Zhou-Jia Steamed Dumplings on Gong-Zheng Street in Hualien has been operating for nearly fifty years and is famed for its hand-folded steamed dumplings and soup dumplings made fresh to order. The menu offers three steamed-dumpling flavours, hand-made soup dumplings, hot-and-sour soup, pork-thickened soup, and braised pork rice, and the shop runs 24 hours a day - so breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a midnight snack are all on the table. Ten steamed dumplings run about NT$30, ten soup dumplings about NT$40, prices are friendly and flavours bright, and the regular queues mark it as a must-visit for locals and tourists alike.