Nanjichang Night Market (or South Airport Night Market) is a street food market focused on locals. Yet, it has many Michelin-recommended restaurants like A Nan Sesame Oil Chicken. Keep reading to learn whether it’s worth visiting.
I’ve been to Nanjichang Night Market and want to help you determine whether it’s worth visiting. I pulled up a bunch of information regarding this night market hotspot.
Important Information
| Hours | Daily: 5 PM–12 AM |
| Number of Stalls | Unknown |
| Closest Rail Station | Longshan Temple (Taipei MRT Blue Line) |
| Opening Date | Unknown |
| City Located | Taipei City |
| Address | Lane 307, Section 2, Zhonghua Rd, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100 |
| Chinese Name | 南機場夜市 (Nán jīchǎng yèshì) |
Foods To Try
Here’s what you’ll want to try at Nanjichang Night Market:
| Food | Restaurant/Stand | Restaurant Chinese Name | Address |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sesame Oil Chicken Soup | A Nan | 阿男麻油雞 | No. 34號, Lane 311, Section 2, Zhonghua Rd, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, 100 |
| Dumplings | Lai Lai Dumpling | 來來水餃店 | No. 9, Lane 309, Section 2, Zhonghua Rd, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, 100 |
| Clay Oven Rolls | Unnamed | Unnamed | Stall 74, Lane 311, Section 2, Zhonghua Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei, Taipei & Taichung |
| Steamed Stinky Tofu | Smelly Boss | 臭老闆 | No. 6號, Lane 313, Section 2, Zhonghua Rd, Wanhua District, Taipei City, 100 |
| Taiwanese Burritos | Sung Ching | 松青潤餅 | 100, Taipei City, Zhongzheng District, Lane 313, Section 2, Zhonghua Rd, 29號1 樓 |
| Taro Shaved Ice | Taro Shaved Ice King | 南機場芋頭大王 | No. 5, Lane 313, Section 2, Zhonghua Rd, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, 100 |
A Nan Sesame Oil Chicken is a restaurant that Michelin recommends. Meaning, a bunch of judges ranked the restaurant as serving the best food in their category. The soup itself is fragrant, and the meat tender.
Some recommend trying it with vermicelli noodles.
Michelin also recommended the clay oven rolls, but didn’t provide a restaurant name [1]. You’ll need to follow the address and see whether you find a stand where people are cooking rolls over a clay oven.
And Smelly Boss has Michelin-recommended stinky tofu.
Whew. Nanjichang’s on a roll with all the good stalls. Let’s learn how to get there.
How To Get There
Take one of the following Taipei MRT lines:
- Green Line: get off at Xiaonanmen Station & leave the station through Exit 3
- Turn left on Bo’ai Road and walk for around 15 minutes.
- Blue Line: depart at Longshan Temple Station & leave the station at Exit 3
Taking the bus?
Take one of the following buses to the Shaanli stop (廈安里):
- 205
- 212
- 249
- 253
Or take these buses to the Nanjichang Gongyu stop (南機場公寓):
- 12
- 204
- 205
- 212
Nearby Attractions
Here are places nearby Nanjichang Night Market to visit:
| Attraction | Walking Time | To-Do |
|---|---|---|
| Taipei Botanical Garden | 15 min. | Great place for walks & many beautiful plants |
| Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall | 25 min. | Historical area |
| Bopiliao Historical Block | 18 min. | Historical area |
| Longshan Temple | 18 min. | Religious site |
| Machangting Memorial Park | 20 min. | Riverside park & cycling path |
Nanjichang sits far away from most tourist attractions. And its distance from the Metro stations makes it difficult to recommend nearby places.
There’s the botanical garden, though.
It closes at 8:00 PM. Get there and burn calories before that time. Or get there before heading to the night market. Regardless, you won’t regret coming here.
Longshan is Taiwan’s most popular religious temple. And Bopiliao Historical Block is just a historical block with a bunch of old buildings. Great ways to learn about Taiwanese culture and history.
Also consider renting a YouBike and rolling along the riverside.
You’re best off heading to the MRT station and riding to a different spot with more activities. Many consider Wanhua District as Taipei’s most crime-prone area [2]. While crimes seldom happen to those not involved with the mafia, it’s always better to practice caution.
Nanjichang Night Market is in Zhongzheng District, which is adjacent to Wanhua.
History
Nanjichang Night Market sprung to life on February 3rd, 1975 [3]. And it was originally known as South Airport Night Market (or South Airport). That’s because the Japanese Empire used the area as a military airport during their rule.
Once the Republic of China (ROC) controlled Taiwan, construction companies built various housing communities for military families. And that led to a night market forming to feed the locals.