Taiwan has been called the food capital of the world by the CNN, so it would be absolutely criminal to miss out on good old-style Taiwanese cuisine while visiting. But although there is a huge number of Taiwanese style restaurants offering a wide range of different delicacies, sometimes it can be really hard to know where to go. Here, we have compiled a list of our top 10 Taiwanese style restaurants in Taiwan. All of them are relatively upmarket, offering a great dining experience and delicious food. There is something here to suit everyone, from vegetarian food, to Chinese duck, from all-you-can-eat to Bubble Tea. Enjoy!
Top 10 Taiwanese Restaurants
Tripod King Hot Pot (Taichung, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Taoyuan, Hsinchu) – HOT pot
This is Taiwan』s most famous spicy hot pot restaurant, and can sometimes have queues of more than half an hour as a result. The atmosphere here is traditional Chinese-style dining, featuring a beautiful and expensive interior design. Waiters dress in traditional costume and provide excellent customer service, even bowing an impressive ninety degrees whenever a customer makes a request or enters the restaurant. The many loyal patrons are testament to the enduring quality of the hot pot served here, as well as the famous tofu and duck blood cake and sour plum juice. From 1991 to today, this is classic Taiwan.
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Top 10 Taiwanese Restaurants
Kao Chi (Taipei) – Better than Din Tai Fung!
Like the famous Din Tai Fung, Kao Chi is famous for its xiaolongbao. But unlike Din Tai Fung, you shouldn』t need to queue up for over an hour to be seated here, making it the preferred option for many tourists and locals alike. As well as offering xiaolongbao well and truly up to the standard of its famous rival, Kao Chi boasts some delicious unique options, such as its Shanghai pot-fried meat bun (上海鐵鍋生煎包). Choose Kao Chi over Din Tai Fung if you want more time to explore Taipei.
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Top 10 Taiwanese Restaurants
Red Lantern (Yilan)- Succulent Chinese Duck
The world-famous Red Lantern specializes in its exclusive Cherry Duck, which features a duck especially bred in England』s Cherry Valley before being cooked five ways in Yilan. This restaurant offers something of an interactive eating experience, the chef even coming over to help you slice your meat and introduce the uniqueness of the flavors and colors of the meal before you begin eating. This food is not for the small-stomached. In fact, we recommend sharing each dish between four!
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Top 10 Taiwanese Restaurants
Banana New Paradise (Taichung) – Step Back in Time
One of the most extraordinary teahouses in Taichung, Banana New Paradise comes alive with a recreation of a Taiwan street between 1920 and 1940, complete with Qing dynasty and colonial-era store fronts, and original antiques and collector items. The street includes such quirks as a 50 years old taxi, a camera store, a dentist office, a barber shop and a movie theatre. Visitors can sit at tables along the street or inside shops to enjoy Taiwanese meals in a very Taiwanese setting. Highly recommended!
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Top 10 Taiwanese Restaurants
Zen Ho Uang Yunnan Restaurant (Taipei) – The Best Food in Taiwan
While this Yunnan style cuisine is not strictly Taiwanese, it makes this list because of the sheer quality of its food. One of the roundTAIWANround team members has even said that this place serves the best food he has ever eaten in Taiwan. And that』s not a claim we take lightly. Indeed, this place has a sense of being genuine. The décor is old-fashioned and the staff are mature. Best of all, the food is timeless.
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Top 10 Taiwanese Restaurants
Dufu House (New Taipei City, Kaohsiung) – Vegetarian that Everyone Loves
Vegetarian? Want to try traditional Taiwanese food without all the meat? Dufu House is ideal. The stylish décor of this place attracts a more upmarket, health-conscious crowd who enjoy good food and company. As well as Taiwanese cuisine, the restaurant offers a range of Japanese, Thai, Korean or even western options. Dufu House defies the stereotype that vegetarian food is bland. Ask any meat-eater who』s been here and they』ll agree.
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Top 10 Taiwanese Restaurants
Vicky』s BBQ House (Taipei) – All-You-Can-Eat
Vicky』s BBQ House is one of the few Mongolian BBQ restaurants still open in Taipei. Recent rumors have raised the suspicion that its Mongolian origins are doubtful, and that it is actually much more Taiwanese than everyone previously thought! Customers can choose their own ingredients before taking them to the chefs, who will cook them immediately. As well as ingredients such as pork, tofu and beef, there are also soups, fruits, desserts and beverages at the bar. We love this all-you-can-eat restaurant.
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Top 10 Taiwanese Restaurants
Brick Kiln Restaurant (Taipei) – Retro Museum Dining
Go to Brick Kiln Restaurant if you』re after retro food and decoration. The owners of Brick Kiln Restaurant have carefully collected posters, children』s toys and farming tools from abandoned residences, military dependent villages and flea markets to make their restaurant into a nostalgic walk down memory』s lane. The meals here are reasonably priced and reasonably sized. In fact, this is another case where you would do well to bring a couple of friends along to help out!
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Top 10 Taiwanese Restaurants
Chun Shui Tang Cultural Tea House (Taichung, whole Taiwan) – The Home of Bubble Tea
The home of Bubble Tea, this place is Taiwan in a smoothie cup and straw. Although Chen Shui Tang started as a tiny little teahouse, it is now a very successful franchise with more than 40 shops dotted all over Taiwan. Offering hotpots, meal sets, traditional noodles and delicious side orders, along with every kind of Taiwanese drink imaginable, this is a must-visit for anyone curious about where Taiwan』s national drink of Bubble Tea originated from.
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Top 10 Taiwanese Restaurants
Caifeng Restaurant (Yangmingshan) – Flavor Bomb
Caifeng Restaurant is renowned among locals, but unknown to the many guide books that cover Taiwan. This means the restaurant still retains its Taiwanese local appeal and reasonable prices. The interior décor is simple, much in the style of traditional Taiwanese restaurants. Dining here you get the impression that this place really cares about food, with decorations coming second. But beware that this is a Sichuan inspired restaurant! Things can get hot in here!
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