Ultimate Taichung Food Guide: Best Markets & Restaurants

I didn’t actually intend to put together a Taichung food guide. I planned to visit for 2 days and spend one exploring the Rainbow Village and one at Sun Moon Lake.

But due to some seriously bad weather, Sun Moon Lake was off the cards. Instead, I decided to spend a leisurely day wandering and finding the best food in Taichung. If I’m ever at a lose end in a new city, this is usually what I do.

I’d done some research already on where to eat in Taichung so, armed with my camera and the fact I’d only had a banana for breakfast, I headed out on a mission.

TAICHUNG ESSENTIALS

Accommodation – Booking.com / Hostelworld

Getting there – car hire / bus / train (12Go)

Activities: GetYourGuide / Viator

Guidebook: Lonely Planet Taiwan

Staying connected: unlimited 4G SIM card

The best food in Taichung

Can we include drinks in a Taichung food guide? Yeah, we can.

Bubble tea is basically a dessert when you consider the amount of sugar it contains, as well as the chewy tapioca bubbles which I have grown to adore.

I’ve heard that Taiwanese people really love the different textures of food and, after visiting, that’s something I can totally understand. The texture of bean paste desserts is equally odd but strangely satisfying.

While I love sampling authentic local foods served for generations, there’s nothing like an Instagrammable ice cream, amirite?

Dessert lovers wondering where to eat in Taichung should head to Miyahara, a Taichung institution known for its endless flavours of ice cream made with real fruit and cacao. The chocolate ice cream counter has 18 flavours from countries renowned for their beans, ranging from 100% to white chocolate.

Miyahara is also known for its seriously impressive interior, decked out with bookshelves and chandeliers. If you’re looking for holiday gifts, this is the place to find sweets, peanut brittle and mochi, all in gorgeous packaging.

It’s pretty expensive but that’s to be expected. I paid NT$180 for two scoops of ice cream in a waffle cone with two toppings. The toppings alone are entire desserts ranging from flower and teddy bear-shaped biscuits, Taiwanese pineapple cakes and fresh fruit.

Balancing out Instagrammable ice creams with some of the best local food in Taichung, enter the Second Market.

I really enjoyed visiting this place because it was different to the modern night markets I’d seen so far in Taiwan. The gritty feel and sights and smells of raw meat and fish felt more like the Asian markets I’m used to, even if they can be a little overwhelming.

Before wandering deeper into the Second Market, grab yourself a traditional Taichung breakfast at the front. I joined the back of a queue and came away with a glutinous plate of fried goodies.

A typical Taichung breakfast includes a giant slab of rice batter, topped with a fried egg and slathered in a rich sauce that tasted a little like barbeque.

On the side was served what looked like a meat sausage but was actually made of rice. These are quite popular in Taiwan and you’ll often find them served at night markets, cut open with a real sausage inside. Sometimes these are translated as ‘little sausage in big sausage’!.

Many people were eating their Taichung breakfast with a clear soup full of herbs and what looked like fish balls and pig’s blood cubes. You’ll find all over Asia, they’re basically like English black pudding. My meal was already enormous and very rice heavy so I definitely didn’t need soup, too!

When you visit Taichung Second Market, you will need to do a bit of pointing and miming as there’s no much English spoken. However, the breakfast plate is a simple meal and there aren’t many combinations available so it’s pretty easy. I paid NT$60 for my meal.

Sushi fans: I spied a fresh fish stand near the back that served generous cuts of tuna with soy sauce and wasabi. It looked fantastic: go, go, go.

Next in my Taichung food guide, markets! My top Taiwan tip is to eat at night markets wherever possible.

Yizhong Street was just down the road from my hostel so I ate there both nights. It reminded me of Taipei’s Shilin Market because the stands merged with the permanent takeaway cafes and bubble tea shops with lots of them playing loud music. It was hard to know where the high street ended and the market began.

Yizhong is a busy Taichung night market with a party atmosphere and people of all ages out enjoying themselves. I really like that about Taiwan – it feels so safe and relaxed to be out and about at night.

Where to eat in Taichung if you want a break from Taiwanese food? I can’t imagine ever having enough but I was also excited to eat some authentic Japanese food in Taichung.

Also, around the Yizhong area is a multitude of Japanese restaurants. I’m not sure why they’re so condensed in this area but I’m not complaining. They’re a great place to try cutlet curries and ramen without the price tag of flying to Japan. Or the price tag of eating them back home for that matter.

For NT$150 (less than US$5) you’ll get a giant meal that will keep you full all day. I would recommend the following two Taichung restaurants for some of the best food in Taichung, however I’m going to have to pin their locations and describe them because their names are in Chinese!

• Cutlet curry (above) – this modest cafe is run by the sweetest old man who tried his best to explain everything to me in English. There are loads of combinations to choose from including pork and chicken cutlets served with rich curry sauce flavoured with ginger. It’s NT$150 for a large serving of meat or 130 for a small one – I went with the latter. The Taichung restaurant is pinned here (find it next door to Bridge Cafe).
• Ramen (below) – there are loads of different types of ramen at this authentic Japanese restaurant in Taichung. I went with a spicy one that wasn’t particularly spicy but that says more about Taiwanese food as a whole. For NT$180, it came with a sweet iced tea. Find it pinned here next door to Boba House.

International food in Taichung

I decided to include some home comforts in my Taichung food guide, even though they’re not what I usually seek out in Asia.

For international food, I can’t recommend anywhere better than Getcha Hostel and Bistro. I stayed overnight here but you can visit the bistro just for food and drinks. They serve spaghetti carbonara which is as tasty as any I’ve had in Europe and excellent cocktails and flat whites.

I hope you have a better idea of where to eat and drink in Taichung and these options have made you hungry. Until next time, Taichung!