While you can easily find information about Beitou’s hot springs, there’s little mentioned about Beitou’s traditional market and eateries. Just a short walk downhill from the hotels you will find a bustling market where locals shop for the freshest ingredients. Dotted throughout the market are casual restaurants and street food stalls. Lines of eager patrons mark places where prices are low and satisfaction is high. I hope you enjoy this collection of my favorite Beitou eats!
Chicken Rice 手作雞絲飯
Casual eatery serving made-to-order local favorites. Try the shredded chicken on rice with fried shallots and an order of yam leaves. Limited seating inside.
No. 23 Gongguan Road, Lane 63
Chitterling Vermicelli 大腸麵線
You can find Chitterling Vermicelli, or intestine noodles, in just about every neighborhood in Taiwan. This stand is quite delicious and a bowl of noodles will only set you back 45 NT. Limited seating.
No. 24 Qingjiang Road
Different Soup Dumplings 不貽樣湯包
Simple shop with a strange name serves up freshly steamed soup dumplings. 8 dumplings 50 NT.
No. 97 Zhongyang South Road, Section 1
Fiery Coffee
A cafe for true coffee aficionados. Best espresso drinks outside of Italy. The owner really knows her craft and creates each drink using the proper pressure, temperature, and milk for each drink.
No. 69 Zhongzheng Street
High Quality Tea 高記茶莊
Located in the back of Beitou’s indoor market, locals queue up for their refreshing teas. The flavor is light and clean.
No. 30, Xinshi Street
Hakka Restaurant
Don’t be fooled by this unassuming establishment. There’s a reason this family owned restaurant is packed each night. Meals are served family style with very large portions. Not to be missed are the soups and jumbo prawn fried rice.
No. 14-1 Zhongyang South Road, Section 2
Izakaya 蔦燒日式居酒屋-北投店
Cozy place for a sake fueled, protein packed dinner. Nice date night spot with great ambiance. Must pose for selfie with samurai armor.
No. 24 Wenquan Road, Lane 30
JING YING NIOU 京盈牛
Jing Ying offers beef noodles soup in a choice of 3 different broths; clear, traditional, and mala. I noticed almost every table ordered the fried pork chop. It was tender and delicious! The friendly staff suggested their appetizer platter of boiled peanuts, seaweed, sliced pig ear, braised tofu and egg, and seasoned yuba. Definitely worth ordering! Look around the restaurant and you see smiling faces and full bellies.
No. 240 Zhonghe Street
Lion’s Head Noodles 拾斤獅子麵
The owners welcome you like family. A year after my first visit they still remembered me and that we were in Taiwan learning Mandarin! Her little shop is up the hill and hidden from the main street. They were featured on a local show for her ever popular lion’s head noodles.
No. 69-3 Wenquan Road
Lu rou fan 滷肉饭
This may be the most famous eatery in all of Beitou, known for their 25 NT bowl of rice topped with fragrant minced pork stew. They are located on the 2nd floor of the indoor market. Arrive early as lines sometimes wrap all the way out the building. Limited seating available.
Beitou Market 2F, No. 30, Xinshi Street
Oyster Omelette 蚵仔煎
Crisp edges surround a chewy egg batter filled with fresh oysters and greens, topped with a sweet garlicky sauce. So many textures and flavors packed into one dish, more reminiscent of a thick crepe rather than an omelet. 60 NT. Limited seating.
No. 20 Huanggang Road
Wok Noodles 鼎邊銼
This stall is known for their pot-sticker noodles, named for the way the noodles are made (not the meat filled dumplings). Stop by early Saturday mornings to see the noodle making process in action. 50 NT buys you a bowl of fragrant seafood broth with chewy rice noodles and assorting meatballs. I dream of these noodles!
Beitou Market 2F, No. 30, Xinshi Street
Puti Sushi Breakfast Restaurant 菩提素食早餐店
Popular stand where locals line up for vegetarian Fàn tuán (範團 ), a Taiwanese breakfast staple of glutenous rice, fried donut, and pickled radish. 28 NT each
No. 63 Datong Street
Righteous Cuisine 正靖美食
Food stand offering home-made traditional delicacies, such as Taiwanese Sticky Rice ( 油飯), mua chee, hakka steamed rice cakes (艾草粿), and Taiwanese Steamed Rice Bowl Cakes (碗糕)
No. 12, Qingjiang Road
Soup Dumplings小籠包
A favorite food stall popular with young eaters for their mini mantou (steamed bread). The long line of patrons wait to devour freshly steamed soup dumplings and shumai handmade daily. Limited seating available.
No. 1 Gongguan Road
Taiwanese Shaved Ice 陳家剉冰
Traditional Taiwanese shaved ice is the perfect way to beat the summer heat. Locals like this spot for their toppings, cooked to the perfect “qq” texture. Limited seating available.
No. 22 Xinshi Street
Tea Shop 北投本土味明泉紅茶
This easily missed small tea shop is the perfect pit stop on a hot day. With patrons blocking the narrow sidewalk, you know it’s a place worth checking out. Their traditional black tea on ice really hits the spot!
No. 129 Guangming Road
Wu’s Beef Noodles
Quite well-known spot for Taiwanese beef noodle soup. Order at the register and find a table next door. There is a small playground outside and across the street.
No. 224 Zhongyang North Road號, Section 1
Zhong Mei Bakery – Green Onion Bread
Tucked a few shops into Xingsen Alley is a pop-up bakery only open on Mondays at 3:30. They are usually sold out within half an hour. The owner is semi-retired and once ran a full bakery at this location. She now only bakes up her famous green onion buns and occasionally offers pineapple buns too. It was the aroma that led me down the alley to this tiny shop. My son says her green onion buns are too good! He can eat a whole bag in one sitting!
No 26 Xingsen Alley
Beitou Eats Google Map
Although Beitou’s star attraction are the hot springs, this district also boasts one of the larger free Parent Child Centers in Taipei. This location offers cooking classes for the ages 2 – 6, must sign up online. It’s a nice place to escape the heat in the summer months, and a warm place to play during the cold and wet seasons. In the summer, Beitou’s public pool with giant slide are also a relief from the sweltering heat. Beitou also has several parks playgrounds to keep your little ones entertained.
Interested in learning more about Beitou’s history, hot springs, and kid friendly attractions? I thoroughly enjoyed this highly informative post!