Location: In Songshan District, near the Songshan train station.
Hours: Basically whatever they feel like.
It might not surprise you that what I love most about Taiwan is the food (family and women excluded of course). As a child, then a adolescent, and eventually as an adult....the excitement of a pending visit to Taiwan really was centered around the 10 to 15 pounds that I was about to happily put on. What made me most giddy was the thought of strolling through the night markets and coming back home with a hoard of goodies for me to ingest at my leisure. Our home in those days was in the heart of the Shilin Night Market, so you might be able to imagine the damage that I was able to inflict on a nightly basis. Part of me laments the fact that I no longer have such easy access to those Taiwanese 'xiao chi' (small eats), but not having to buy larger and larger pants probably offsets those feelings somewhat.
As a visitor, I always gravitated back towards the Shilin Night market over other night markets for a variety of reasons. It's the largest of the night markets for one, but I probably chose it more out of nostalgia than anything else. But now as an resident of this island paradise, I figured it was time to broaden my perspectives and to put myself in danger of getting crippling lost.
We start with the Raohe Street Night Market (饒河街觀光夜市).
We got there pretty early on a Friday evening. The masses have yet to arrive.
Lots of wrinkly looking things..
Prepping for a busy Friday evening ahead.
It seems to me that while night markets have always been popular, they have exploded in notoriety in recent years. This probably has something to do with the ease of which information is spread these days. You will now see armies of tourists equipped with high powered cameras soaking in what these cultural landmarks of Taiwan have to offer.
Raohe Street Night Market (饒河街觀光夜市) is set up incredibly efficiently. Unlike many of the night markets you're gonna find in Taiwan that are a sprawling mess, Raohe is simply two aisles with all of its stores and stands lined up either down the middle of the aisles or to the sides.
Not exactly Taiwanese.. But started it off with some Takoyaki.
Battered balls with a creamy mayo/octopus center, topped off with bonito flakes. Can be found in almost any night market these days. Comparable to any that I have had. Good, but doesn't stand out.
Okay okay... we'll get to the Taiwanese Xiao Chi soon.. I promise.
Breaded bottom with a layer of tuna bonita flakes and creamy mayo like sauce. Goes well with the wasabi. The tuna has a very strong taste so if you don't like the fishiness of cooked tuna, you might want to avoid this.
It isn't a particularly large night market, but I liked that. It was easy to backtrack to a stand that you previously passed up without wondering if it was down this alley or that alley. Its roughly about 600 meters in length and can be traversed quickly if you are willing to just stampede over people once it gets crowded.
You know you made it when you get your own picture collage. Congrats to the Raohe Street Night Market (饒河街觀光夜市) pepper meat bun! It was fortunate that we got here relatively early cause I've heard that there can be quite long lines for this bun. I'm a big fan of this dish everywhere I go, and to be perfectly honest, I don't think this is all that much better than the one that I usually get from the Shilin Night Market. This stand can be found at the very end of the night market and will cost you 45NT for a bun.. so please go and give it a try yourself and tell me if i'm misguided in my opinion of their pepper meat bun.
Another popular stand. Selling a calamari/squid dish. I didn't get to try it.. but who wouldn't want to buy seafood from that man.
Simultaneously the cutest and saddest thing i saw during the night. Adorable puppies for sale in itty bitty cubby holes. That dog on the left... hes gonna be a heart breaker one day.
Pakistani cuisine. Very popular shop at the night market.
What the Raohe Street Night Market is most known for. The stewed pork ribs in herbal medicine.
The stewed pork ribs in herbal medicine is likely what this particular night market is most known for. I'm pretty sure there were two shops serving this and both were situated in the center aisle. I am unable to tell you which one was better because I didn't try either. I'm not a big fan of the herbal medicine flavor infused into this dish, but the large groups of people milling about waiting to dig in just goes to show you what an idiot I probably am on this and many other matters.
Awesome stinky tofu. Very crisp and full of flavor. 40NT for a small dish like this is a lot by night market standards. But it was so good I got three to go orders to take back home. Can be found at a stand by the entrance.
Onion pancake with egg. A favorite of the nephew.
What better way to cool off than some milk shaved ice? Pudding and red beans... it hit the spot nicely.
Not much beats this on a hot night.
I hesitate to hand out a rating to something like a night market. But I was more than pleased by my first trip here. It wasn't overly crowded and again, was very easy to navigate. There was more than enough tasty treats on hand that it is going to take multiple visits to consume it all. I'm up for the task, and will visit again. So let's just say I recommend the Raohe Street Night Market (饒河街觀光夜市) and all it has to offer.
Til next time - some more treats for your eyeballs.
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