Food Tour in Taiwan: City of Tainan
You can’t find this on the internet. But you can find it on wfhnomad.com ;)
I’m biased. Taiwanese food is a top cuisine and is famous around the world.
To get into the nitty gritty, the food in Taipei, the capital city, is also very good, but the food in the elusive city of Tainan is better and unique to Taiwan and the culture.
What Is “Taiwanese Food”?
Some classic examples of what defines Taiwanese food:
Boba Tea!
Beef Noodle Soup
Hot Pot
Scallion Pancakes
Dumplings (steamed) and Potstickers (fried)
Gua Bao
Fried Chicken
Sticky Rice Dumpling
Xiao Long Bao
Taiwan gets full credit for Boba Tea. The other examples I provided above are “shared” across China and other East Asian countries. For example, Korea has their own version of Scallion Pancakes, Hong Kong/Guandong has their own version of Sticky Rice Dumpling, Shanghai is most famous for their Xiao Long Bao, and Japan has their version of potstickers called Gyoza.
But other than the classics and the more “obvious” dishes, Taiwan has very specific dishes that would be challenging to find outside of Taiwan.
Fun Story Time
I was in Taipei next to Taipei 101 (Xinyi) on my way home when I flagged down a taxi. The old taxi driver broke the ice and asked if I was a basketball player (aaand yes I get that a lot). He proceeded to ask how I learned Mandarin because he could tell I had a slight American accent.
I told him I was in Taiwan to visit family and that I would go to another city, Tainan, in the south of the island, to visit other extended family.
He told me he spent two months in Tainan nomading just so that he could experience the food. He remembers every restaurant and cross streets and listed them to me with great enthusiasm.
I wrote the places down and consulted with my family. I will never forget this taxi driver and the spontaneous interaction and really appreciated his genuine passion.
Tainan, Taiwan Food Tour
Here are some of the most famous restaurants and food stands in Tainan, Taiwan.
1. Six Thousand Beef Noodle Soup
They marinate the beef and boil the soup overnight. They open at 5am and there is already a line. The soup has a great balance between sweet and savory tastes.
2. Ah Tang Porridge
The fish soup is ridiculously good with the fried dough. The fish is really fresh from the ocean a few miles west.
3. Bao Chen Lamb
The lamb soup was incredibly good. They organically raise the lamb themselves and make the meat.
4. Hao Wei Xiao Long Bao
This place has more traditional Taiwanese food. The Xiao Long Bao here was incredible.