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 night markets 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.

Despite Kaohsiung’s lesser popularity in comparison to the country’s capital and cities featured on gastronomic guides, it offers nothing sort of an equivalent experience to what you might find in bigger cities. In Kaohsiung we visit two: Ruifeng (Rueifong), and Pier 2.

Ruifeng (Rueifong) Night Market 瑞豐夜市

One of the biggest and most popular night markets in Kaohsiung area, our limited time meant we gave up the chances to go to Liouhe (Liuhe; 六合夜市/六合觀光夜市) and Kaisyuan (凱旋青年觀光夜市) Night Markets, but those are also great ones to visit.

This night market is surprisingly large, with food on the outside and plenty of clothes, accessories, and games as you go further in. With many options for snacking or sit-down dining, as well as a plethora of fusion and foreign cuisine, it’s sure to have something for all palates and budgets.

Chu Ge Western Steak 廚閣碳燒牛排

In Asian cuisine it isn’t common to be eating large pieces of meat in one sitting, and steak is one example. It’s viewed more as a “foreign” food, or specifically Western, as described in the name of this eatery. As such, this dish is served with other components that may be considered “western”, often pasta, though in this case it’s noodles.

This being our first night market, we thought that this was an interesting selection, but you can find this style of cooking in several other locations. Because of our limited intake capacity, we just ordered the hotplate with noodles without the steak. Options include pepper sauce, plum sauce, or a mix of both, which is marked on the card and handed in with payment. Cutlery and drinks can be picked up from a self-service table.

The sauce is clearly peppery, though the sweetness is not definitively plum. Mixed with the flour noodles and the fried egg, it makes for a filling meal, especially at NTD60 (US$1.95) for the portion. Perhaps not a great choice if you want to snack around, but it makes for a filling meal.

Hotplate Cake Bites 雞蛋糕

Though the Chinese translation is literally “(chicken) egg cake”, it isn’t a traditional western-style version. Instead, an egg and flour batter is poured into heated metal moulds that are clamped together to make a bite-sized treat. It’s often filled with chocolate, cheese, or custard and has the fluffy texture of a pancake, though with a very lightly crisp crust when fresh from the hotplate.

These are also available in virtually every night market, with varying shapes and fillings. We’re always keen on trying the most interesting flavour so we went for the pork floss (dried meat jerky whose fibres are separated during drying to be floss-like) and cheese (NTD45; US$1.45). To our luck, these were made fresh, likely because it’s not a very popular flavour compared to others – we never saw this combination anywhere else in Taiwan.

Fresh and piping hot, the cake is a little sweet, and the fillings salty and savoury. Though it might be a strange combination to others we enjoyed it a lot. We’d recommend it in any night market, though any flavour would be just as good.

Stinky Tofu “French Fries” 臭薯条

Stinky tofu is also a Taiwanese must-eat. Tofu that is fermented is often fried and served with a sauce, though there are variations depending on where you might eat it. In the case of this stand, they’ve modernised it by slicing it into sticks to create “French fries” of stinky tofu, served with pickled cabbage and a seasoning of choice. Despite the name and the initial smell, the flavour is not very pungent.

One small portion at this stand is NTD60 (US$1.95), and there are flavours such as sweet chilli and black pepper. With the crunch of the batter and the soft tofu inside, it’s a great snack to eat, especially with the generous serve of cabbage.

QQ Balls

QQ balls are everywhere in Taiwan, famed for the distinctly chewy texture of the deep-fried dough made with mashed sweet potatoes and glutinous rice flour. You’ll find at least one in every night market not only because it’s a huge money-maker, but also due to its demand. Taiwanese – and Asian people – are addicted to the toothsome “QQ” texture in many of their foods, such as in the bite of their noodles, or most famously in the tapioca pearls of their bubble tea.

One small bag of these at Ruifeng was NTD30 (US$1), and it’s delicious. It has a fragrance of sweet potatoes and the light sweetness from it too, and of course chewing it is a pastime in its own right.

Pier 2 Night Market

This small night market is located in west Kaohsiung near the Pier 2 Art Center. It only opens once a week on Saturday evenings, which rounds off a trip to Qijin Island and the Art Center quite nicely. Compared to its larger counterparts, this night market is small but it has all the basics: fried chicken, QQ balls, milk tea, bread, and plenty of sit-down meals, which means you can still have a lot to choose from without being overwhelmed with options.

Fried Chicken

This is another night market staple. This stand had an option of four flavours: pepper (胡椒), sweet plum powder (ganmei; 甘梅), seaweed (海苔), and chilli (辣椒). A small bag is NTD50 (US$1.60), and the quantity is weighed.

Fried chicken is Jos’ weakness, but more often than not it’s better hot, fresh straight from the fryer. While the flavour was good, it was a little dry and chewy due to having cooled down already. Still, Taiwanese fried chicken has its own distinct flavour, which makes it a must-try if you’re to visit a night market.

Dafu Town 大虎茶堂

Of course, when in Taiwan, you’ve got to have a pearl milk tea! Often also called boba or bubble tea, it has become an international sensation and is a staple to many people’s diets in Taiwan, which was a bit of a shock to us.

Dafu was packed when we did our rounds, so we had to try it. We got ourselves a small black sugar pearl milk tea with fresh milk for NTD35 (US$1.15), arguably one of the most popular flavours, and for good reason. The black sugar lends a fragrance of molasses, and when mixed with the thick, creamy fresh milk and the aroma of tea makes for a perfect, cold drink on a hot evening.

Steamed Stinky Tofu 清蒸臭豆腐

We stopped at a sit-down stand for our main meal because it looked very popular. Described as steamed stinky tofu, it’s a hotplate filled with tofu, mushrooms, vegetables, duck’s blood tofu, all swimming in a soup and topped off with Taiwanese barbecue sauce. You can also choose to add noodles or rice, as well as how spicy you’d like the dish to be.

We never saw a stand like this in another night market throughout the remainder of our trip in Taiwan, so it was a great place to stop. The soup is salty and very savoury, thanks to the dried shrimp and seasonings of the barbecue sauce that is favoured in Taiwanese cuisine. It complements the bland, firm tofu well, with a variety of textures from the slippery, bouncy duck’s blood, the crispy enoki mushrooms, and the firm cabbage. It’s a cheap, filling, hearty dish, especially for NTD60 (US$1.95).

QQ Balls

Another night market, another QQ ball. This one differs in that it’s a little bigger than the previous night, but also that there are purple ones too. As to what it’s like – simply read the description above. Despite our initial excitement in trying these, it’s so prevalent that it’s really nothing special the second, or third time around. Don’t get us wrong, it’s not as if they’re not delicious, it’s just that they do all taste the same.

Having never visited a night market in Taiwan, we had no idea what to expect on our first goes. They weren’t our best raids, as retrospectively we passed on some interesting dishes we wouldn’t have hesitated on if we’d visited later. Our lack of experience made us hesitant, but don’t let that deter you from giving anything a go. Eat what you like – regret for passing up something that looks tasty always outweighs having tried it!