Ximending Night Market technically isn’t a night market. It’s a series of food stalls assembled throughout the Ximending Pedestrian Area in Taipei City. It’s a great place to grab snacks while shopping.
I’ve been to Ximending probably 100 times by now. So I wrote my experience combined with information I could scramble from online.
Table of Contents
Important Information for Travelers
| Is It Worth Going to? | Yes if you’re in Ximending |
| Hours (As of 2024) | 5:00 – 10:00 PM daily |
| Number of Stalls | NA |
| Cost to Enter | Free |
| Opening Date | NA |
| City Located | Taipei City |
| Address | No. 127, Hanzhong Street, Wanhua District, Taipei City, 108 |
| Chinese Name | 西門町夜市 (Xīmén tīng yèshì) |
| Wheelchair-Accessible? | Yes |
| Free Wi-Fi | iTaiwan or Taipei Free |
Information about Ximending Night Market.
Watch out for pickpockets. Since you’re in a crowded area, you’re more likely to fall victim. So don’t keep stuff in your back pockets.
And wear your backpacks in front of you.
Traveler Tips & Considerations
- * Inform vendors about allergies. Use translation cards with allergen information.
- The “best time to visit” depends on the hours the food stall you want to visit opens.
- Food stand hours will differ from the night market’s operating hours.
- Most stalls won’t accept other payment methods than cash. Some may accept LINE Pay.
Information regarding food allergies.
Most Taiwanese people cannot read Simplified Chinese. Do not use Simplified Chinese characters. Also, consider Hiring someone from Taiwan to make an allergy card with Traditional Chinese characters.
Or, Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) has interactive chef card templates. And even if you have this card, ensure you carry an epinephrine autoinjector.
A majority of places in Taiwan don’t carry emergency autoinjectors.
If you need such a pen, ask for a “艾筆腎上腺素注射筆” at a pharmacy. They will likely tell you that you need a prescription from a doctor. Find a doctor who will prescribe it to you. From there, you’ll need to pay NT$4,200 – 4,500 (2021 price).
Try These Foods
There aren’t any noteworthy street food vendors you should try.
But if you insist on eating here, I’d recommend these foods:
- Beef cubes (best-tasting food here)
- Sesame oil chicken
- Candied tomatoes
- Fried chicken
- Tofu
- Korean food
I recommended Hot Star Fried Chicken. When updating this post, I noticed that it was permanently closed. That must be a place that was missing when I went to Ximending a few weeks ago.
No matter what you eat, you should pair it with a brown sugar bubble tea from Xing Fu Tang. It’s a little expensive and too sweet for my taste, but it’s the best brown sugar bubble tea I’ve had.
If you’re in Taipei for only a few days, I don’t recommend hunting for street food at Ximending. The restaurants are a different story. I talk about these in a separate guide.
Anyway.
If I had 3 or fewer days and had to choose a night market to go to after a day in Ximending, I’d take a journey to Shilin, Raohe, or Linjiang Night Markets. If you’re wandering around Ximen at night already, save the street food for another day.
How to Get There
I’m copying what I wrote from my Ximending guide post because they’re in the same area. Once you get to Ximending, walk around at night and you’ll see street food.
1. MRT / Subway:
The easiest way to get to the Ximending Pedestrian Area is by taking the Taipei MRT Blue or Green Line to Ximen Station.
2. Uber / taxi:
- I honestly recommend downloading one of these apps to book a taxi:
- Find Taxi (English): Book a taxi ahead of time and know the driver’s ratings (like Uber…)
- 55688 (English): Same as Find Taxi, but with a reward point system.
3. YouBike: There’s a YouBike station 3 minutes away (walking distance) from the night market.
4. Bus:
| Bus Station | Bus Numbers |
|---|---|
| MRT Ximen Station | 9, 12, 49, 202, 205, 206, 212, 218, 223, 231, 234, 242, 246, 249, 250, 252, 253, 260, 262, 263, 265, 302, 204, 207, 310, 527, 601, 604, 624, 628, 651, 652, 660, 667, 701, 702, 703 or 705 |
| Ximen Market stop | 18, 221, 232, 235, 257, 513, 621, 635, 540, 659, 663 or Blue 2 |
| Ximen Elementary School | 62, 229, 231, 234, 242, 264 or 310 Sub line |
I recommend using Moovit or Google Maps to navigate to Ximending from wherever you are. Taiwan’s bus system is nuanced, so don’t trust bloggers or websites (including myself) to help you with bus navigation.
Buses also take a long time to wait, especially in Taipei.
The Bus+ app will also help since it tells you where and when the buses will arrive.
Things To Do in Ximending (Not the Night Market)
If there’s a movie you want to see that isn’t already on Disney+ or other streaming services, check out Ximending’s Cinema Street. Choose any of the many movie theaters and watch something.
Once done, blow more steam by gambling at one of the hundreds of claw machine arcades.
On the way to the arcade, observe some of the most magnificent graffiti murals I’ve seen.
Don’t forget to go to Snow King for dessert. If you were to do only 1 thing in Ximending, I’d recommend visiting. They have a vast arsenal of interesting ice cream flavors like:
- Pork knuckle
- Taiwan beer
- Basil (delicious)
- Osmanthus
While walking through the main Ximending shopping area, browse the many shops with clothing, souvenirs, and random accessories. During your stroll, you’ll likely see street performers.
Whenever you’re bored, go to the Red House. They have affordable yet great drinks and a small market with handmade souvenirs.
I wrote a piece with more pictures and things you can do in Ximending. Check it out.
Are There Other Night Markets Near Ximending?
Not really.
The closest night market is Huaxi Street, but there’s not much food worth getting there.
You could jump onto the Taipei MRT’s Green Line and get off at their stations to get to these night markets:
- Zhongshan Station (Toward Songshan): Ningxia Night Market
- Xiaonanmen Station (Toward Xindian): Nanjichang Night Market
I’m not too big of a fan of either, but you might like them.
If you’ve been in Ximending the whole day, I recommend finding a restaurant and enjoying the air conditioning. Ximending has many great restaurants.
