One can’t say they’ve travelled Taiwan if they haven’t visited a night market. There is no estimate for how many exist, but each city has a selection of their own, small and large, daily or otherwise. Night markets were set up because of the demand for quick, cheap, delicious food following temple visits in the evening, and the concept took off quickly from there. Though there are countries all over the world that have this sort of set up, Taiwan is undoubtedly one of the most famous places for them.

These markets all offer food ranging from small snacks and sweets to drink and full meals, all available at affordable prices. It’s often served at rapid speed to accommodate the huge volume of customers that visit, especially in the larger or more popular night markets. Many stalls even sell souvenirs, clothing, or other trinkets. Games are also available for the opportunity to flex your skills and win some prizes.

There are staple dishes that you’ll find in every night market, and must-visit stalls that are revered for the quality of a dish, or a unique item. Staples include QQ balls, crispy-chewy fried glutinous rice sweet potato balls; fried chicken, in the Taiwanese style of lightly floured and dusted with five spice; and of course, the ever-present pearl milk tea, sweet, milky, and full of chewy tapioca balls that spike blood sugar like nobody’s business. These are only some amongst a huge list, and with ample time in Taiwan and a goal to visit a ridiculous number of night markets, we aim to get a taster of all the basics and the unusual dishes alike.

While Kaohsiung’s night markets had been fairly basic, Tainan is considered one of the gastronomic cities of Taiwan and it’s reflected. There’s a large number of them ranging from small local markets to huge ones that draw in crowds of thousands each night; there’s enough that staying in Tainan for a week wouldn’t be long enough to exhaust your options. In order to accommodate to this number in such a small city, Tainan implements a system where the major night markets are on rotation in opening nights. That way, everyone has a good business opportunity without competing for customers, which would otherwise result in the closures of night markets – an occurrence that has happened before.

Datong Night Market (大東夜市)

Also known as Ta Tung or Da Dong, depending on the dialect. This night market is open three evenings a week and is most popular on Friday nights, especially amongst university students. It has a few game stalls, but we found it to be predominantly food.

Scallion Pancakes (蔥油餅)

More than the sights and smells of food, we’re attracted to long queues because nothing speaks louder than a bunch of locals willing to wait for everyday dishes. Early on in its opening time, we found ourselves lining up before we even knew what they were selling. It turned out to be scallion pancakes, a very popular Chinese snackfood of flaky pastry woven with spring onions and cooked on a hotplate with plenty of oil.

This stand (古曼蔥油餅) must be famous; you can find its specific listing and location on Google Maps. It requires a bit of waiting likely as the pancakes are hand-stretched and cooked to order, ensuring fresh, hot food that can be eaten at its peak. We bought a half-portion for NTD35 (US$1.15) and it was handed to us piping hot and dusted with a good serving of pepper.

The pancake was delicious – the outside is lightly crispy, the inside flaky and tender and fragrant with spring onions. For the portion you get it’s a good deal, but take care to eat it quickly. If it cools down too much you may find it becomes tough, which takes the enjoyment out of any food. This is definitely a cheap staple to help fill up with good food on a budget.

Crispy Ribs (香酥排骨)

It seems as though regardless of where in the world you are, you’ll find a population who values a good deep-fried food. Taiwan is no exception, with a popular street food in the area being deep-fried ribs – likely pork. We had to stop by at a stall whose savoury, meaty smell was irresistible for a bag of ribs at NTD50 (US$1.65).

This was one of the best things we ate that night – though not quite juicy, the ribs were far from dry with a meaty texture and the satisfying crisp of its lightly floured skin. It was sweeter than we expected and fragrant from garlic, similar to the flavour of pork floss or grilled Taiwanese sausages. For anyone who likes pork ribs this is a definite must-eat. This stall may not be as famous as another in the same night market which garnered way more queuing, but we’ll never know what we missed – and we certainly wouldn’t have given up the experience of eating these.

Grilled Hotplate Chicken Skewers (韓醬鐵板串燒)

When you’re advertising how good you are on a little monitor above your cooking hotplate you’re probably confident that your product is good. That was basically how we gauged this next stand, who only had one item: huge chunks of juicy chicken, skewered and grilled to aromatic perfection. One stick costs NTD45 (US$1.45), and for the sheer size of it, was not unreasonable. You can have it with the addition of pepper or chilli flakes. In our case we had both, thanks to Jos mishearing the question regarding it.

A badly done chicken skewer can be a dry affair, and thankfully this was not one of them. Though it could have done with a little salt, the chicken was moist and soft, dripping from a light coat of grease that made it all the more flavoursome and mouthwatering. The sauce may have not contributed anything to the skewer, but the texture is what made this a delight. It’s a great bulky option for those with big appetites who love their meat.

Fried Milk (炸鮮奶)

Taiwan stops at no length to deep-fry foods that they’re obsessed with, and liquids are no exception. Deep-fried milk is a common dessert not only in Taiwan but Hong Kong, Spain, and Italy to name a few. It’s made by first cooking a custard with starch to hold its shape enough to withstand the battering and frying process. The final result should be a light, crisp exterior and a custardy filling that’s not quite liquid but melts in the mouth for a delicious milky flavour.

It turns out, not all fried milks are made equally. We’ve had some reasonable renditions in our time, with some select yum cha / dim sum establishments in Auckland offering such a dish, but it seems we take this difficult dish for granted. At NTD30 (US$1) for one portion, we were commiserating over the measly number of cubes we received, but it turned out to be more than enough. The starch made the milk custard grainy, the skin greasy and soggy and tasting very much of old oil. You may have better luck, whether it be on another occasion or in a different location, but this one ended the night with some disappointment.

Garden Night Market (花園夜市)

This is the biggest night market in Tainan, and allegedly the largest fully open-air night market in the country. Compared to other night markets, there is plenty of parking available in the surrounding area and even some traffic wardens, with all the stalls operating on a massive expanse of an empty plot of land.

Fried Chicken Steak (香雞排) and Taiwanese Tempura (甜不辣)

This is yet another example of Taiwan’s love of fried food, demonstrated by an eatery who has its own stall-sized plot of land just for queuing customers. Even right at opening time, 統大碳烤香雞排 was pumping out bags and happy customers like they’d never closed. They offer a variety of foods including whole fried squid, but by far their most popular items are their chicken steaks and their tempura.

Those who know Taiwanese fried chicken are familiar with their serving style of a huge slab lightly floured and served either whole or sliced into strips. Unfortunately this restaurant is too busy to cook to order, which may result in a cold piece of chicken, but we were lucky with a temperature that was warm enough that we never questioned it. Unlike other places, the chicken here is coated in a thin sweet soy sauce. As long as you look out for the bones, it’s a hefty piece of meat.

Taiwanese tempura differs hugely from the Japanese version. In Taiwan, these tempura are strips of chewy fish cakes, which in the case of this stall is either coated with some sort of pastry or deep fried such that much of it becomes a thick, crunchy, sweet, soy sauce mess. The chewy pieces were occasional at best and otherwise the texture is similar to what you’d expect thick pieces of fried pastries to be – crunchy, and at times hard. For those who like chewing it’s not a bad pick. Jos liked it much more than Noms did, but it did become a little tedious to chew and too similar to the chicken steak in comparison to a plethora of other options available around. In total, both items came to NTD90 (US$2.95). Retrospectively, maybe a little spendy for the quality.

Coffin Toast (棺材板)

Coffin toast is a popular Tainanese dish, and not as ominous as it sounds. A thick piece of bread – ideally Asian-style fluffy, white, slightly sweet, square bread – is deep fried until crispy and golden. Then, a portion of its top is removed, filled with meat, vegetables, and gravy, and then the lid replaced to resemble a coffin. It was likely an adaption from western bread-bowl chowders done to suit whatever the Taiwanese had on hand. There several variations including curry coffin toasts, but the classic is without a doubt, the most popular.

Despite its popularity, Garden Night Market was the only night market during our time in Taiwan that we found to have this dish, though many restaurants also feature this on the menu if you know where to go. One portion is NTD60 (US$1.95). We chose the plain flavour (原味), which we suspect has pork in it from the menu signboard, though there are also options for shrimp (蝦仁), squid (花枝), satay lamb (沙茶羊肉), satay beef (沙茶牛肉), and spicy beef (辣味牛肉).

As to be expected, this was a delicious dish, with light, crispy toast and a slightly sweet, creamy gravy, which was a little bit like a thickened corn soup. The addition of the vegetables and meat added good flavour and texture regardless of how skimpy. Inevitably, the best part is the combination of the fried bread to mop up that gravy. Can’t go wrong, really.

Garlic Brick (大蒜吐司砖)

A brick of garlic might only be appealing to a very specific demographic, but garlic toast brick is a whole different ball game. If you love garlic bread but are frustrated with the minimal application of all that garlic-butter goodness, then the Taiwanese garlic brick is the answer to that particular problem. A large loaf of bread – white sandwich bread, obviously – is sliced into brick-sized cuboids, with each of their 6 sides painted with a garlic parsley butter and toasted for those perfect crispy brown edges.

They were always Noms’ favourite when visiting the Taiwanese bakeries back at home, but we noticed on this trip that we didn’t see them as much as we’d expected to. As such, Noms jumped at the chance to savour one of her favourite baked goods when we encountered it, purchasing a garlic brick for NTD40 (US$1.30) at one of the bread stalls that you’ll find at every night market.

It was cold, but still as tasty as we remembered. Much lighter and less greasy than a typical bread, the butter on every surface made for a 360° experience. Perhaps not a must-try when you’re in a night market, but definitely a guilty pleasure for a garlic bread aficionado.

Taro Milk (芋香牛奶)

The Taiwanese love their root vegetables so much, that many liken the shape of Taiwan to a sweet potato. The taro is another beloved vege thanks to its fragrant and creamy flesh, and the purple colour is always a bonus. It’s a popular flavouring for desserts including milk tea drinks, and as such, taro milk is a beverage that may seem outlandish to some, but a tasty treat in this starchy country.

Mashed cooked taro, which is inherently a little sweet, is blended with milk and other creamers for a thick, creamy drink with a few bits to chew on. There isn’t too much additional sugar, but the drink itself is very hefty thanks to the addition of the taro. For those who love the purple vegetable, it’s super tasty though very filling.

Wusheng Night Market (台南武聖夜市)

Wusheng is open 2 days a week, and in a bit of a strange location in a suburban area. Still, it’s fairly sizeable, with a fair number of clothing stalls and games, too. Though not as large as the other two markets it is still sizeable with a few unique choices of their own.

Gua Bao Filled Steamed Sandwiches (掛包)

It’s difficult to find a single word in English to describe a gua bao. A piece of steamed bread is folded once around a selection of fillings, most popularly a thick slice of braised pork belly, pickled mustard greens, fresh coriander leaves, and crushed peanuts. More recently, it has risen in popularity in fusion restaurants throughout non-Chinese countries thanks to their flexibility in accepting whatever filling you please. Softshell crab? Why not. Deep-fried with a scoop of ice cream? You got it. Still, there’s nothing like getting the OG combination if you can find it, and Taiwan is one of the places to seek them.

One little truck on the outskirts of Wusheng caught our fancy because of a crowd of school-aged kids waiting for their order. These bao were assembled to order, so we got one for an incredibly cheap NTD40 (US$1.30). It was a great start to the night. The bao was pillow-light and fluffy, the pork belly smoky, tender and greasy and flavourful with sweet, salty umami. The pickled vegetables and coriander added flavour, the peanuts added texture, but best of all was the raw onions, whose slight spicy bite helped to reduce the richness of the meat.

Absolutely delicious, highly recommended, and best of all, not too big, leaving us with plenty of room to keep snacking our way through the night market.

Small sausage inside large sausage (大腸包小腸)

This bizarre Taiwanese street food has gained traction thanks to its weird name, and perhaps even stranger appearance. Cooked rice is packed tightly into a large sausage-esque shape, then grilled alongside the fragrant Taiwanese sausage before being split open like a hot dog bun, filled with said sausage, and then served as a heft meal to the customer.

Thanks to the bulk of food, it does become an exceptionally filling item to eat, but one very popular stand in Wusheng offers a dish with much the same components in a smaller size (NTD50; US$1.65), sliced up into cubes rather than filled. They top it off with what seemed to be a little bit of basil, and you can add sliced raw garlic, pickled cucumbers, and soy-marinated onions as you please.

It may sound like a very basic dish, but the components come together better than it might seem. The rice has been seasoned so it’s fragrant and not bland, going well with the sweet, smoky sausage and the additional condiments. It’s definitely a meal rather than a snack, though it will probably leave a little bit of room to have something sweet.

More Fried Chicken – This time with Plum Powder (梅子)

Fried chicken is a staple in every night market in Taiwan, because no meat eater dislikes fried chicken. This one was much more promising than our other experiences, thanks to a huge queue that meant we could guarantee a fresh batch, and we were not disappointed. Thanks to the constant stream of customers and a 15 or 20 minute wait, our chicken was piping hot, and liberally dusted with plum powder, though other flavours include their most popular seaweed (海苔), pepper (胡椒), and curry (咖哩). One small portion is NTD30 (US$1).

Plum powder is a little sweet and a little sour, a popular seasoning for fried foods thanks to how it balances the greasiness of the dish. It was tasty thanks to the crispy batter and the seasoning powder, which helped us to conclude that it’s always worth it waiting a little bit for fried food.

Fresh Milk Mochi (鮮奶麻糬)

Mochi is a fairly ubiquitous dessert throughout Asia, consisting of glutinous rice flour and water mixed together and gelatinised into a soft, chewy white cake. Despite our experiences with mochi, however, we’ve never come across a milk mochi, which we suppose uses milk instead of water when making the dough. It intrigued us, especially as we’d never seen it in another night market – and we never did see it again. Though the stand also offered other mochi-like desserts, we went for their 6-piece box of milk mochi for NTD70 (US$2.30), getting a combination of their 4 milk flavours and coatings.

The four flavours available were the plain milk (奶), milk tea (奶茶), green tea (抹茶), and chocolate (可可), and the options for the coatings peanut (花生), coconut (椰子), and cocoa (可可). It was surprisingly cold, and the texture was nothing like we imagined. Rather than the chewiness of normal mochi, this was much more pudding-like. Though it had a stretchy pull it required very little chewing, dissolving in the mouth for a wobbly custard or pudding texture. The milk is lovely and mild, the green tea surprisingly strong though not at all bitter. The chocolate one is unexpectedly rich, the bitter cocoa powder fuelling the flavour, and the milk tea is a classic, enjoyable flavour.

If you ever come across fresh milk mochi, we would say to not hesitate in getting some. This was by far one of the most delicious things we ate in any of the night markets despite dozens of genuinely tasty snacks and meals. This dish is inevitably the Twins’ Pick.

Tainan by far became our favourite city for eating, and the night markets around was no exception. Thanks to the influence of many cultures and the creativity of the locals, there are dishes galore that made each of these three night markets not only fun to visit, but delightful to eat. If you’re a foody up for a visit to Taiwan, Tainan is definitely recommended as a stop, and these night markets should be at the very top of your eating list.

Definitely check out our visit to Kaohsiung night markets too, for a different experience, and stay tuned for our upcoming cities as we head north.