Location : Most convenient way to get to the Shilin Night Market is to take the MRT to the Jiantan Station on the Tamsui (red) line.
Hours: Basically whatever they feel like.
The grandpooba of all Taiwan Night Markets. The Shilin Night Market - 士林夜市 is easily the largest of the night markets of Taiwan, and probably enjoys the distinction as the most famous and popular. It is a behemoth of a night market encompassing thousands upon thousands of vendors and stores across a number of avenues, alleyways, streets and structures. Its best to bring your appetite and walking shoes if this is your first time here, but don't worry if you don't manage to get to everything... no human being can ever be that hungry to experience it all in one outing
The food court you see above is the newest addition to the Shilin Night Market - 士林夜市. I find that this is a good place to start your food adventure since as you can see, much of the best food that the night market has to offer is nicely located here in one easy to navigate spot. The room is thankfully air conditioned for the nights where not having to take a breath of dense humid air is all the reward a man could hope for.
Even on a somewhat chilly Tuesday night that was evincing signs of rain, the night market and the food court was a bee hive of activity. This vendor was our first stop, and we made our decision based on the fact that a group of people were waiting for a seat to open up. When in doubt, follow the masses, at least when food is concerned. It always seemed sad to me that these eateries are in such close proximity to each other and while some may be thriving, right next door there might be a vendor that has nothing to do but twiddle his/her thumbs. Regardless, I thought the oyster pancake here was very very good. It was easy to bite through and wasn't overly chewy like how some oyster pancakes can be.
What you see above is a must have at the Shilin Night Market - 士林夜市. It is 大餅包小餅, or if translated verbatim, literally means small bun wrapped in a large bun. The outside is a tortilla like disc of dough that has a very good texture when combined with the crispyness of the fried bun that is crumpled together underneath. The inside bun will come in a variety of flavors and it is left to your discretion to try which ever one you like. Like much of the food at the Shilin Night Market - 士林夜市, there are numerous food stands that serve this dish, and many of them are fantastic, so just walk around and see which creation seems most appetizing to you and go hog wild.
More than any other night market that inhabits Taiwan, the Shilin Night Market - 士林夜市has more choices of the same food over and over again. If you aren't careful you won't sample the really famous stands and instead just try a dish from a less renowned vendor (although to be honest with you, its hard to error in the quality of the food). Let's cover two very popular dishes offered here and the two must try vendors.
This is after multiple multiple bites by my buddy there. You're gonna get your monies worth.
First up.. the Fried Chicken Steak. It is easy to locate, as it's directly in front of the movie theater, if you need help to find it, just ask any person and they will direct you. Invariably, when asked about what to eat at the Shilin Night Market - 士林夜市, this particular item comes up over and over again. It is a MASSIVE piece of meat that is fried perfection. The skin is packed full of flavor and is a little bit sweet while the meat itself is very very juicy. This is something I typically get when I return to Shilin, but it's probably best that you have a rotating crew of people to hand this chicken steak off to like a baton or else it'll fill you up quickly.
feeling silly i only ordered three.
This dish here is called 生煎包 (fried bun) and lucky you! It's located very close to where the chicken fried steak stand was. Facing directly the movie theater, you'll want to go to your left until you enter the first alley you see, but be sure to bypass the first few fried bun stands that you (tricky tricky) see. This particular stand will be on your left and chances are.. the line of people will tip you off that you have arrived. This is honestly the best fried bun that I've had the pleasure of having and you'll be doing yourself a favor to try both the meat and vegetable variety.
It'd be silly to not give you one more.. things come better in threes. Facing directly the theater again, this time you'll want to go the right and again enter the first alley you see. It is a short walk from there and this milk ice shop will gloriously appear before your eyes. On a warm night.. this store might really be your best friend. They have a wide range of selections, but a really famous option of theirs is the green tea ice. Its probably best to just order up a few choices based on the number in your group. It is a tremendous capper to a night of heavy foods, and a great lasting memory to a night of shopping, sight seeing and eating.
The Shilin Night Market - 士林夜市 will forever hold significant meaning to me as it was where I spent much of my summers and winters as a child, but even if I were to judge it entirely on its own merits, there is ample reason to see why it has become what it is, and that is the number one night market in a city full of them. It's not just the food (but thank god for the food right?), there are more games than anywhere else, more quality goods on sale, more diversity, just... more and often times just simply better as well. Any tourist will invariably find themselves treading through the Shilin Night Market - 士林夜市's thoroughfares at some point along their journey, as well they should, because nothing is as quintessentially Taiwan as night markets, and no one does a night market like Shilin.
Til Next Time - Some more treats for your eyeballs.
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