Taiwan is known for its great eats, with foodies flocking in from all over the world to sample its cuisine. Distinctly different from its Mainland Chinese and Hong Kong counterparts, Taiwanese cuisine has its own indescribably unique palate, developed from huge periods of colonisation and adapting to its climate and environment. Perhaps its food can be described in comparison as a little bit richer and funkier, but inarguably nonetheless downright delicious.

Taipei, of course as the capital and the hub where everything gathers, has its own unique vein of cuisine. Its diversity compared to smaller cities is unparalleled, with so many restaurants and good eats concentrated in the densely populated city. Already we’d sampled 100% vegetarian dim sum and what is possibly the best bubble tea store in the country, but these were specialty restaurants we actively endeavoured to experience. However, we’ve found that you don’t have to rely on listicles and travelling out of your way to eat incredible food in Taiwan.

In the last of our Eat Your Neighbourhoods series, we take a look at the restaurants around Shida in the southern Da’an District of Taipei. Searches are easy: simply use Google maps to seek restaurants near your accommodation and filter for the ones with the higher ratings. Bonus points if the reviews are predominantly in Chinese! We’d already had great experiences with this in Keelung and Tainan, so now it was time to put Taipei to the test.

Taiwanese Niu Rou Mian Beef Noodle Soup (牛肉麵)

Taiwanese beef noodle soup has gained itself a huge reputation internationally. Thanks to its complex profile of a savoury broth made by braising beef, soy sauce, aromatics, spices, and tomatoes, which also adds acidity and sweetness. There are several variations, but for the most part the dark, red-tinged soup is served with wheat noodles, slices of fork-tender braised beef, and depending on where you are, suan cai (酸菜) pickled vegetables.

Though its origins hail from mainland China, Taiwan’s version has become much more recognised compared to its Sichuanese older brother. Its status amongst the Asian community is equivalent to noodle favourites such as Vietnamese phở or Japanese ramen, thanks to its utter deliciousness. It’s the obvious dish that comes to mind when thinking of Taiwanese food, which means it could come as a shock if people were to learn we hadn’t touched the dish virtually in the first 3 weeks of our time in Taiwan.

Granted, we did have dumplings served in the soup in Tainan, but we know it’s just not the same. We argue that there’s just so much good food all throughout Taiwan, so it just slipped our mind when it came to actively searching for a good beef noodle restaurant. But as we came up to the last leg of our Taiwanese stay in Taipei, we knew we had to take advantage of the dense restaurant population and seek out this one dish.

Guo Ji Beef Noodle Soup (郭記牛肉麵)

Barely a couple minutes’ walk from Guting Station is a popular little restaurant whose seats fill by opening time. We arrived a couple of minutes before Google’s suggested 11:30am opening to find a crowd outside already waiting for takeaway orders, and only a handful of empty seats, two of which we fortunately snagged. Several tables were already eating, and the kitchen was in full swing. This was despite it reflecting their Facebook page’s hours, so we knew by then that we were onto something good.

Their style of ordering is typical of Taiwan – fill out a card with your order and table number and submit it to the kitchen. Payment is afterwards. We ordered the typical braised beef noodle soup (紅燒牛肉麵) with hand-pulled noodles (拉麵), though there are also options for wider noodles (粄條) or vermicelli (冬粉). A small portion of this is NTD110 (US$3.70), an excellent price considering the size of the portion.

Though rich in flavour it isn’t greasy, and the addition of the pickled vegetables rounds the dish off to produce a dish with a balance in sweet, salty, umami, and sour, all the while so complex that it becomes moreish. The beef is so tender you can bite against the fibre, and paired with the slippery noodle makes for a delicious, hearty lunch that isn’t too heavy at all.

Pidan doufu (皮蛋豆腐; NTD35; US$1.20) is also a popular dish in Taiwan – pidan is a preserved egg whose yolk turns a greyish black, and its white turns a translucent, jelly-like deep golden brown through a complex curing process. Though unusual, its flavour is surprisingly mild, though understandably the combination of the strangely creamy yolk and the firm, gelatinous albumin might through some people off. Adding it on top of soft tofu, topped with soy sauce, spring onions, and bonito flakes disguises some of the funky textures and flavours. Mush up the chilled dish and consume as such, it’s surprisingly satisfying.

We also ordered wontons in chilli oil (紅油抄手; NTD60; US$2) as it was highly recommended in the Google reviews. Though the filling has some sort of starch fillers which contributes to a slightly poor texture, it is very fragrant with ginger, and the chilli oil is super tasty, well-seasoned and just a little bit numbing.

Finally, we also ordered the zhajiangmian (炸醬麵; small NTD40; US$1.35), another Chinese classic of wheat noodles topped with a salty, fermented bean paste. Its flavour is similar to soy sauce if it were thicker, meatier, and much more complex. In this restaurant, the sauce is lightly sweetened so as to not become overwhelmingly salty. Though a simple dish, it’s also hugely satisfying.

With a store this busy, it was not surprising at how delicious the food was. Though we may never know how it compares with the most famous restaurants, it also doesn’t matter to us – we enjoyed it, and it was walking distance from home.

ShaoLin Noodle House

To make up for our pitiful lack of beef noodle soup in Taiwan, it seemed reasonable to have another so soon. Only a couple hundred metres from Guo Ji is another beef noodle restaurant with a slightly different style of cooking. We ordered a tomato beef noodle soup (茄汁牛肉麵; small NTD130; US$4.30).

It hits the nasal passages even before the soup comes into contact with your tongue. Incredibly fragrant, the beefiness is toned down by what tastes of a very light selection of medicinal spices, and the sweet-sour flavour of a braised tomato. The fruit’s acid also removes any need for the pickled vegetables. The noodles and beef are both perfectly textured, with the beef having a combination of tender, chewy muscle and melty tendon. Strangely, the more we drank of the soup the sweeter it gradually became, though not in an unpleasant or cloying manner.

We missed out on the highly-recommended duck blood and tofu soup (鴨血豆腐湯; small NTD50; US$1.70), but we managed to order their signature chicken feet (招牌鳯爪; 2pc for NTD60; US$2), which is a little pricy but also has many great reviews on Google. The delicacy may be strange to some, but it’s nothing more than a little bit of cartilage and skin clinging onto a strange array of tiny bones. This one is braised in soy sauce and spices, resulting in a slightly herbal texture that may be an acquired taste for some. Still, we really enjoyed it, and it’s a great taster for people who are looking for an adventurous dish to try!

Finally, the blanched vegetables (燙青菜; NTD35; US$1.20) was so light and satisfying. We were served water spinach, also known as kangkung, whose crisp stalk and tender leaves makes for great eating. It was a great way to get a little bit of fibre, making for a surprisingly light meal.

Cold Noodles for a Hot Day

Cold noodles are enjoyed all over Asia, with variations in each country you may visit. Some of our favourites include Korean naengmyeon, and noodles in sesame sauce, which are also popular in Taiwan. However, when looking for a late breakfast one hot day in Taipei, we came across a little restaurant serving its own variety of cold noodles that we’d never seen before, so we thought we’d give it a go.

SanLang Century Egg Cold Noodles (三郎皮蛋涼麵)

Already the name intrigued us, but even more so was the menu, which featured cold whole wheat noodles in Thai, Japanese, and Korean style, amongst other things. We were recommended the sesame century egg whole wheat cold noodles (芝麻皮蛋全麥涼麵; NTD55; US$1.85), and the Thai coconut curry whole wheat cold noodles (泰式咖哩椰奶全麥涼麵; NTD60; US$2), which we were happy to choose. Both dishes were gorgeously plated – a generous pile of chilled noodles sitting in thick sauce and topped high with julienned carrot, cucumber, and egg. Simply mix it all through, and enjoy.

Much like whole wheat bread or pasta, the noodles are a little grainier, but not very noticeably so. The sesame noodles are a familiar flavour, nutty and smooth like a creamy peanut butter, a little funky from the century egg, with just a touch of sweetness to round off the dish. The Thai curry was something special – the sauce tastes like a green curry, with a generous fiery spice which was surprising but very welcome. It was aromatic and shockingly good as a cold dish. We devoured both plates, slowing down just a touch at the end from one minor flaw; thanks to the creamy sauces, it became a little bit rich. If it had been accompanied by a touch of lemon or vinegar, it would have been absolutely perfect. Still, we enjoyed it immensely, one of our favourite discoveries of Taipei, that we would highly recommend if you’re for any reason in this little neighbourhood.

Taiwanese Breakfasts – Hot, Fast, and Cheap

Taiwan, much like the rest of Asia, may have a less-fixed idea of what breakfast is supposed to be, but it seems as though the concept of hot, fast, and cheap food is pretty universal. Breakfast stores exist all around the country, with a standard menu of Chinese danbing egg crepes (蛋餅), sweet or savoury doujiang soy milk (豆浆), filled fantuan rice rolls (飯糰), luobogao radish/turnip cake (蘿蔔糕), and in some cases, sandwiches. Of course, the menu varies, but one thing stays pretty consistent: it’s filling, fairly portable, and high in carbs to get you through the first leg of the day.

Grandma’s Breakfast Restaurant (阿婆早餐)

Already, we’ve tried a couple of breakfast shops, such as the one near the Sun Moon Lake bus stop before it closed down, or our first taste of savoury soy milk in Keelung. Grandma’s Breakfast Restaurant is along the same vein, ordering from a menu behind the wall and receiving your food very shortly afterwards.

Jos chose a rice roll (飯糰; NTD20; US$0.70) wrapped with an egg (加蛋; +NTD5; +US$0.20). The filling can vary from place to place, with this restaurant also using red or purple rice compared to white. Within the roll was some pork floss, adding texture and some sweetness, as well as a fried youtiao dough stick (油條) which was surprisingly still crispy despite the fresh, steamy rice. The addition of the pickled vegetables balanced the meal out by adding a touch of sourness.

Noms chose a cheese and egg crepe (起士蛋餅; NTD25; US$0.85), comprised of a flaky pancake with egg and a slice of processed cheese. In combination with the fresh spring onions and the side of julienned cucumbers, it’s a satisfyingly light meal. The side of radish cake wasn’t much to speak of – grated radish steamed with a dough of rice flour, this one was more flour than radish, resulting in quite a sticky, dense cake. Thanks to the starch it was also mostly bland.

The soy milk (豆浆; small NTD12; US$0.40) is lightly sweetened, creamy and nutty without an overbearing grassy flavour. In all, the food was generally lacking a little bit of flavour, perhaps some salt or a sauce, but because of its ridiculously cheap prices fairly close to a university area, it’s easy to see why it was so highly rated on Google. Even if not this restaurant, checking out a breakfast stop in Taiwan is highly recommended as an experience on its own.

Besides from these restaurants, there a few other eats in Taipei that we highly enjoyed, including a braised food restaurant where you choose your own fillings to be stewed in a fragrant soy-based stock that Jos favoured, or a small diner with Taiwanese-style dishes of meat on rice with side vegetables, popular with its locals. With our unexpectedly successful trawls around our neighbourhoods throughout all of Taiwan it’s definitively possible to eat well without venturing too far away.

With that, we can say with confidence – you can travel for good food, but sometimes you really don’t need to. Don’t forget to eat local, and you might find some of your favourite eats of your trip!