MiaoliEat Recommendations

Gongguan Night Market in Taipei's Daan District sits beside MRT Gongguan Station, surrounded by NTU, NTUST, and NTNU, making it a popular gathering place for students and tourists. The market is famed for diverse Taiwanese snacks, from salty crispy chicken, oyster omelets, and braised snacks to assorted desserts, all at friendly prices and generous portions. The atmosphere is lively, with neatly arranged stalls, sparkling lights, street music, and bustling crowds after dark. Whether craving traditional Taiwanese flavors or innovative dishes, Gongguan Night Market satisfies many tastes and stands as an iconic landmark of Taipei nightlife.

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.

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.

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.

Dongbei Xiangbaba is tucked in an alley right behind Baishatun Gongtian Temple in Tongxiao Township, Miaoli County, a famous fried snack stand. Its signature made-to-order crispy rice cake (Xiangbaba) features a filling of minced meat, scallions, and dried baby shrimp, with a crispy outer layer that gains an extra kick from the house-made chili sauce. Besides Xiangbaba, the stand also offers shrimp rolls, crispy rice crust, Dajia taro, and cuttlefish balls, with friendly prices of about NT$45 per item and NT$130 for a three-item combo. Renowned for its unique taste and called the only one of its kind in Taiwan, queues are common, making it a must-visit local delicacy at the Baishatun temple entrance.

Tonghua Village on Shuimei Street in Sanyi, Miaoli, specializes in innovative Hakka cuisine, emphasizing low oil and salt with a healthy, refreshing profile. The dining room features dark brown wood tones paired with Hakka floral fabrics and bamboo-woven lighting, creating a warm setting that blends traditional and modern aesthetics. The menu includes classic Hakka dishes such as preserved-mustard braised pork, Hakka free-range chicken, grass jelly chicken soup, Hakka stir-fry, and lei cha, with average per-person spend around NT$300 to NT$600. Thanks to strong word of mouth and a 4.6-star rating, it is often full on weekdays; advance reservations or avoiding weekends are recommended. Parking is nearby, just a 3-minute drive from the Sanyi interchange, with very convenient transport.