The roof of Jiantan Station curves upward like the sails of a traditional dragon boat. Architects designed this distinctive shape to evoke the river culture of the nearby Keelung River. While most transit stops prioritize utility, this…
Shilin Night Market Classics
We will navigate the neon-lit lanes of Taipei's most legendary night market, focusing on its most historic and Michelin-approved food stalls. You will sample iconic snacks like giant fried chicken and herbal pork ribs while learning how a temple plaza birthed a culinary empire.
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1. MRT Jiantan Station
2. Hot-Star
The Hot-Star fried chicken stand is marked by a neon sign featuring a cartoon star wearing sunglasses and an apron. It originated at the Shilin Night Market in nineteen ninety-two, when founder Wang Zi-jian began flattening chicken breasts…
3. Shilin Cixian Temple
The Shilin Cixian Temple features a pair of stone lions carved from solid green sandstone guarding the main entrance. These lions arrived from Fujian in eighteen sixty-four, surviving the turbulent decades that saw the original structure…
4. Chung Chia Sheng Jian Bao
The thick, golden-brown crust of these pan-fried buns makes them recognizable long before the smell of pork and scallions reaches you. This shop in Renyong operates with a single focus: a steamed and fried bun that hides a hot, savory soup…
5. Hai You Pork Ribs
The scent of garlic and soy sauce thickens the air around the small storefront with the bright red sign. Hai You Pork Ribs serves a single specialty: medicinal pork rib soup simmered in large ceramic vats. The owner, a woman named Wang,…
6. Zhong Cheng Hao
The narrow storefront of Zhong Cheng Hao features a weathered wooden sign and shelves packed with aged, compressed tea cakes. This shop specializes in Pu-erh, a fermented tea from Yunnan, China, that deepens in flavor over decades. The…
7. Xin Fa Ting Shaved Ice
The bright yellow sign above the storefront belongs to Xin Fa Ting, a shop that occupies a small corner of the Shilin Night Market. While other stalls rely on fried chicken or stinky tofu to draw crowds, this place centers entirely on…