Hotels near Shilin Night Market

Shilin is the biggest night market in Taipei and the one most first-time visitors head straight for. The covered food court sits underground beneath Cixian Temple, while the street stalls sprawl across Dadong Road and the lanes off Jihe Road above it. Order the oyster omelette (o-a-tsian) at around TWD 80 (about EUR 2.30), a fried chicken cutlet the size of your face at TWD 90, and tianbula, the Taiwanese take on tempura served in sweet chilli sauce, at TWD 60.

Come on a weeknight. Friday and Saturday crowds turn the narrow lanes into a shuffle, and the clothing stalls at the northern end are not why you made the trip. Most food stalls open around 16:00 and run past midnight, while the underground court winds down closer to 23:00. Carry small notes, since plenty of stalls still take cash only.

Pro Tip: Eat at the street stalls along Dadong Road rather than in the underground court - same dishes, faster turnover, and you can walk while you eat. Leave room for a frog egg drink (qingwa xiadan), which is sago pearls in tea, not frogs.