This post is a work in progress and information transfered from my other guide on things to do in Ximending. This post has all relevant information to what you’re looking for.
But I just need to work on a few minor things.
Anyway.
Best Restaurants, Bars, & Cafes in Ximending
Here are a bunch of places I recommend eating/drinking at:
| Restaurant | Chinese Name | Best Food | Address |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xing Fu Tang | 幸福堂 | Brown sugar bubble tea | No. 101號, Hanzhong St, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108 |
| Hot Star Fried Chicken | 豪大大雞排 | Fried chicken breasts | No. 36, Hanzhong St, Wanhua District, Taipei City, 108 |
| Drift Brewery | 西門町 | Craft beer | No. 46, Kunming St, Wanhua District, Taipei City, 108 |
| Snow King | 雪王冰淇淋 | Exotic ice cream | 100, Taiwan, Taipei City, Zhongzheng District, Section 1, Wuchang St, 65號2樓 |
| Fuhong Beef Noodles | 富宏牛肉麵 | Beef noodles | No. 67–69, Luoyang St, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108 |
| Yong He Soy Milk | 永和豆漿 | Deep fried dough sticks & soy milk | No. 30號, Section 2, Hankou St, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108 |
| Starbucks Chengdu Ximen | NA | Coffee | No. 87號, Chengdu Rd, Wanhua District, Taipei City, 108 |
| Ay-Chung Flour Rice noodle | 阿宗麵線 | Flour rice noodles | No. 8-1號, Emei St, Wanhua District, Taipei City, 108 |
| FUFU Cat Cafe | NA | Cat cafe | 號 3 樓, No. 53, Section 2, Wuchang St, Wanhua District, Taipei City, 108 |
| Eighty Eightea Rinbansyo Tea House | 八拾捌茶輪番所 | Japanese-style tea house | No. 174, Section 1, Zhonghua Rd, Wanhua District, Taipei City, 108 |
| Lilith in Wonderland | 台灣主題女僕咖啡廳 | Maid cafe | 10843, Taipei City, Wanhua District, Section 2, Wuchang St, 29號3樓 |
| Mong Kok Stone Hot Pot | 旺角石头火锅 | Best hot pot restaurant | No. 74號, Section 1, Zhonghua Rd, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108 |
| No English name | 天天利小吃店 | Traditional Taiwanese dishes | No. 118號, Desheng St, Luzhou District, New Taipei City, 247 |
| The Duck House | 鴨肉扁土鵝專賣店 | Best goose restaurant | No. 98之2號, Section 1, Zhonghua Rd, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108 |
I don’t have enough room to also include the hours of each business. Type each address into Google and you’ll also see each business’ hours.
Ximending’s Modern Toilet Restaurant is popular restaurant for a due to serving food out of dishes shaped like toilet bowls. I haven’t been here yet. However, it’s what a million other bloggers in Taiwan will recommend.
Does Ximending have a night market? Kind of. There are several alleyways filled with street food vendors, which technically defines a Taiwanese night market.
I’ll provide more details on some of my favorite food places below.
1. Snow King: Best Ice Cream
| Chinese name | 王冰淇淋 |
| Address | 100, Taiwan, Taipei City, Zhongzheng District, Section 1, Wuchang St, 65號2樓 |
| Hours | 12–8 PM |
| Price | NT$100+ per scoop |
雪王冰淇淋 (Xuě wáng bīngqílín), or the Snow King, opened its doors to Taiwanese and foreigners alike in 1947. From there, Kao Jih-hsing, the owner, conjured hundreds of flavors that I never knew anyone could turn into ice cream.
There are plenty of unique flavors you won’t around most places in the world like:
Most of these flavors cost around NT$100 ($3.00) per scoop, which makes them a great deal compared to other ice cream shops in the area.
When I went, I tried the osmanthus and mochi flavors. The mochi flavor was strong, but it counteracted the interesting salty and sugary taste of the osmanthus ice cream.
Don’t get me wrong, both flavors tasted good, which was a surprise. However, it’s just not something that I’m used to.
Snow King has an English and Chinese menu. Moreover, the staff won’t have a difficult time figuring out what you’re saying.
All the flavors Snow King has in March 2022.
The seating wasn’t cramped. If you sit alongside the wall, you’ll see the small business’ awards and newspaper clippings. Read these while you’re waiting for your ice cream and eating.
You may have a hard time finding Snow King, because they don’t have an English sign. However, here’s a picture of what to look for. Once you arrive, make your way up the stairs and the staff will give you a menu.
From there, you choose your seat. Whenever you’re ready to order, make your way to the counter and tell (or show) them what ice cream you want.
Snow king flavors
| Osmantus | Custard apple | Kaoliang liquor |
| Oolong tea | Egg | Wasabi |
| Curry | Basil | Sesame oil chicken |
| Sticky rice | Ginger | Chili pepper |
Pictures of Snow King
2. Fuhong Beef Noodles: Best Beef Noodles
| Recommended restaurant | Fuhong Beef Noodles |
| Restaurant Chinese name | 富宏牛肉麵 |
| Address | No. 67–69, Luoyang St, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108 |
| Hours | 24/7 |
| Price | NT$100 |
Taiwanese brought red braised beef noodle soup to life in 1949 after the Kuomintang (KMT) fled China during the Chinese Civil War [2].
Now you’ll find beef noodle shops throughout Taiwan. However, a noteworthy one resides in Ximending.
Fuhong Beef Noodles. It’s a humble restaurant that looks like any regular Taiwanese restaurant. Yet, they cook up some of the best beef noodles the city has to offer.
I love thick noodles and prefer a little softer meat, which my meal had. The noodles also weren’t too soft or thick—they had an ideal texture.
Price-wise—a medium-sized bowl, which is likely all you’ll need, will cost you NT$100 ($3.00). It’s an amazing deal, considering the amount of food you get. Also get a free soda with your meal.
I recommend first trying your beef noodles without any sauces. Afterward, if you want to experiment, add chili sauce, black or white vinegar, and other sauces to your noodles. I don’t recommend adding too much chili sauce, though. If you don’t like too much salt, you’ll want to be careful at Fuhong.
I didn’t see an English menu when I went there. Order by saying 中碗牛肉麵 (zhong wan niu rou mian), or show the staff this Chinese word. 中 (zhong) is medium. If you want a small bowl, say 小 (xiao). Or, say 大 (da) for large.
You can also translate this list on Google Translate, pick what you want, and show it to the staff. These Chinese characters are written vertically (top to bottom).
After ordering, just wait at your spot, play on your phone, and once your noodles arrive, feast.
Images
Menu; probably not accurate.
3. Yong He Soy Milk: Best Breakfast Spot in Ximending
| Address | No. 30號, Section 2, Hankou St, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108 |
| Hours | 12 AM–2:30 PM7:45 PM–12 AM |
| Price | <NT$100 per item |
Lots of foreigners have good things to say about Yong He Soy Milk, even though they have multiple locations throughout Taiwan. However, if you’re planning a trip to Ximending, Yong He is where you’ll want to go for the first meal of your day.
It’s a traditional Taiwanese breakfast joint that has:
- Great-tasting soy milk
- Fried breadsticks
- Radish cakes
- Dumplings with ginger
- Rice rolls
The meals won’t cost you much—you can usually find items under NT$100 each at the cost of not having much English support.
They have an English menu, take your menu to the staff and point at what you want. When they announce your total, they’ll likely do what most Taiwanese do to foreigners, show you the total on a calculator.
You can find seating inside and out, depending on the weather.
Other Recommendations
I haven’t eaten here. However, my wife (Taiwanese) says this is a good place to get hotpot.
