【Taiwan Food Tour】Explore Shilin Night Market with Insiders

When you are on a Taipei private tour, Shilin Night Market must be included in your Taiwan tour! Shilin Night Market is the one of the largest night markets in Taipei. Just like Keelung Night Market, the market is originally centered on Yangming Theater (was removed in 2020) and Cicheng Temple. built as early as in 1899, Shilin Market is formed by many prosperous shops on Wenlin Road, Dadong Road and Danan Road. With a variety of good selling here, Shilin Night Market not only attracts local students and citizens, but also foreign visitors from all around the world. Tourists flock into this place during their Taipei day tour.

If you have only one day here in Taipei, what street vendor has priority for you to visit them first? Let’s explore this tourist attraction in Taipei with locals:

First stop I am introducing you one of my favorite foods in Shilin Night Market – Wellyen Hometown Barbecue Chicken. Located in No. 1, Jihe Road, Shilin District, Taipei City, Wellyen is only 3-minute walk from Jiantan MRT station Exit 3. The charcoal fried chicken elevate the taste of fried chicken to the next level. Though there is always a long queue, you can totally be expecting a tasty and juicy chicken meat with a Ntd. 80 price. (I am always willing to spend 30 minutes ride on my scooter to taste this xxxx!)

Next stop, I am bringing this time-honored vendor up: Auntie’s Salty Chicken (since it does’t have official English name, I’m just translating directly from Mandarin). Auntie’s Salty Chicken was a little street vendor before, now they have a firm store address (but still vendor-look): No. 100, Jihe Road, Shilin District, Taipei City. If you have been to Taiwan for a while, you will definitely notice that there are Salty Chicken everywhere. What make this one so special? Well, have you seen any of them offers more 50 item to choose? You will have the most options here, and the fact always makes me Decidophobia.

Compared to others, this one might not have a long queue (possibly this one is categorized in Taiwanese Bizarre Food) when you are there; this is Fried Ice Cream. Locate in No. 101, Jihe Road, Shilin District, Taipei City, just across the street from Auntie’s Salty Chicken. Fried ice cream is not literally frying ice cream directly, the ice cream is hiding in the dough, and when the dough is fried the ice cream is frozen still. I can’t resist the crispy layer mix with sweetened ice-cream. To make you more mouthwatering is the fact that it has so many flavor for you to choose!

Last but not least, Hai Yu Pork Ribs has been selected by Taipei Bib Gourmand in both 2019 and 2020; it’s a time-honored restaurant as well. Stewing in Chinese Herb medicine soup, people (especially from Bib Gourmand) are addicted to its signature dish – pork ribs. Before selected by Bib Gourmand, Hai Yu Pork Ribs was already famous, now it’s getting even harder to taste this delicacy. The address: No. 49, Dadong Rd., Shilin District, Taipei City.

What’s your best choice in Shilin Night Market? Please share with us your secret street vendor treasure!