Taichung Street Food

Taichung Street Food


Taichung Street Food is part of the overall cuisine in Taiwan, bringing together dishes that are a mish mash of influences from South Chinese, native Taiwanese aboriginals, Japanese, and Western culture. There is a substantial snacking culture here, and as the city modernises, it's increasingly common to find more Western style options, though Taiwanese and Japanese cuisines are still the most prevalent.

Guan Dong Zhu / Oden

Food in Taichung can be found along the streets in pushcarts, in kiosks, in small cafes, in mid-range restaurants, and fine-dining establishments. Street side stalls and kiosks are plentiful, especially in the popular Night Markets. Taiwanese cuisine is defined by their geographic location, as such, seafood and agricultural ingredients feature prominently. Common ingredients used in many Taichung dishes include beef, chicken, pork, fish, rice, wheat, seafood, tofu, corn, basil, soy bean, cabbage, chinese cabbage / bok choy, cilantro, sweet potato, taro yam, tapioca, scallions / spring onions, peanuts, papaya, mango, watermelon, flour, milk, and more.

Breakfast in Taichung tends to be simple, one-dish, quick affairs; usually a bowl of porridge or a steamed bun or steamed cake. A biandang, or boxed lunch, inspired by the Japanese bento, is a common Taiwanese lunch, with a variety of meat, vegetables, and usually white rice. Quick dinners can be had at most night markets, though sit-down dinners at restaurants are common too.


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The Bamboo Shoot Buns are sticky, glutinous rice balls, infused with flavours of either Sweet Potato (orange colour), or Mountain Yam (purple colour). The hollow center is filled with chunks of tender, sweet young bamboo shoots. Satisfiying to bite in and watch the appetizing steam within waft out.

Bamboo Shoot Buns (Sweet Potato & Mountain Yam)

Bamboo Shoot Buns (Sweet Potato & Mountain Yam)

The Beer Honey is brewed by the state-owned Taiwan Tobacco And Liquor Corporation, using local longan flower honey. It has a clear, pale golden colour, with aromas and tastes of honey, wheat, light cardboard, and pale malts. The body is thin, crisp, and refreshing, with bold floral sweet flavours. An entry-level beverage, more like a honey soda than a beer.

Beer Honey

The Taiwanese really like infusing fruits into their food and drinks, and the best examples are the range of fruit beers brewed by the state-owned Taiwan Tobacco And Liquor Corporation, such as the Beer Taiwan Beer Grape, or the Beer Taiwan Beer Pineapple. Both are fruity sweet floral in flavour and aroma, with a crisp, thin, refreshing texture to the body. Can get somewhat cloying when drunk quickly, or in large amounts.

Beer Taiwan Beer Grape

Beer Taiwan Beer Pineapple

The Blanched Lettuce With Oyster Sauce is a simple side dish, with fresh, crunchy, vegetal sweet lettuce, in a savoury salty gravy of thick oyster sauce. Often accompanies a meal, rarely eaten on its own.

Blanched Lettuce With Oyster Sauce

The Castella Cake is a popular Japanese confectionery, made from sugar, flour, eggs, and starch syrup. This fluffy soft and sweet sponge cake has been adapted for the local palate, with the most popular Taiwanese version being honey infused, giving it a stronger floral sweet flavour.

Castella Cake

The grilled Fatty Pork Sausage, also known as Taiwan Pork Sausage, is a very popular street stick food in Taichung. Meaty, juicy, and tasty, it's great on its own. Most vendors also offer the Fatty Pork Sausage as an ingredient in the dish called 'Little Sausage In Big Sausage', which stuffs the Fatty Pork Sausage into a glutinous sticky rice casing shaped like a white sausage, topped with garnishings of garlic, basil, and sometimes chili. In recent times, there have been creative modern variations infused with an additional ingredient; including the Fatty Pork Sausage Squid Ink, and the Fatty Pork Sausage Shaoxing Rice Wine.

Fatty Pork Sausage Original

Fatty Pork Sausage Squid Ink

Fatty Pork Sausage Shaoxing Rice Wine

Available mostly in convenience stores and night markets across Taichung and Taiwan, Guan Dong Zhu / Oden is inspired by Japanese cuisine, specifically the dish known as Oden. It consists of several individual ingredients on sticks, such as tofu beancurd, fish cakes, mushrooms, fish balls, pork meat balls, coagulated pig's blood pudding, pork stuffed cabbage, tofu puffs, and more, simmering in a light soy and fish soup / broth. Often considered a slightly healthier option of street food.

Guan Dong Zhu / Oden

Guan Dong Zhu / Oden

Guan Dong Zhu / Oden

Guan Dong Zhu / Oden

Guan Dong Zhu / Oden

An iconic Taiwanese dish, Lu Rou Fan / Braised Pork Rice comprises of finely chopped, soy braised pork belly, with a good ration of meat to fat, slow cooked with chinese 5-spice powder till tender. It's then spooned piping hot over white rice, and served. The typical Taiwanese comfort food.

Lu Rou Fan / Braised Pork Rice

During hot summer days, locals like to cool off with Japanese-inspired Luxury Ice Cream. Scoops of creamy smooth and sweet ice cream, often flavoured with local or imported fruits and ingredients, such as Honey Lime, Irwin Mango, Kyoho Grape, No.9 Erlin Peanut, or Venezuela Chocolate 72 Percent. Usually garnished with elaborate local toppings, such as Almond Florentine Wafer, Cheesecake, Yoghurt, Fruit Skewer, Butterfly Cookie, Chocolate Wafer Cup, Chocolate Chip Cookie Crumbs, No.17 Pineapple Cake, or Butter Bear Biscuit Holding Almond. Though these desserts look rich, they're actually light on the palate.

Luxury Ice Cream - Honey Lime, Almond Florentine Wafer

Luxury Ice Cream - Irwin Mango, Cheesecake, Yoghurt, Fruit Skewer, Butterfly Cookie, Chocolate Wafer Cup

Luxury Ice Cream - Kyoho Grape, Chocolate Chip Cookie Crumbs, Yoghurt, Fruit Skewer, Butterfly Cookie, Chocolate Wafer Cup

Luxury Ice Cream - No.9 Erlin Peanut, No.17 Pineapple Cake

Luxury Ice Cream - Venezuela Chocolate 72 Percent, Butter Bear Biscuit Holding Almond

The Mei Cai Kou Rou Fan / Steamed Pork Belly Rice is a common street meal, and provides a hearty meal for most. A base of fluffy white rice, stacked with sharp sour crunchy pickled cabbage, along with a large slab of pork belly braised in a mix of light and dark soy sauce. The pork belly is tender, slippery, fatty savoury salty, and pairs well with the rice and cabbage. Sometimes, a braised egg is added.

Mei Cai Kou Rou Fan / Steamed Pork Belly Rice

A less common version is the Pai Gu Fan / Pan-Fried Pork Chop Rice. Like its counterpart, it features a base of fluffy white rice, stacked with sharp sour crunchy pickled cabbage. But a large slab of pan-fried pork chop / pork loin cutlet is used instead. Usually served bone-in, this has a more savoury sweet salty flavour, with a firm chew to texture. Sometimes, a braised egg is added.

Pai Gu Fan / Pan-Fried Pork Chop Rice

A common beverage on the streets, Milk Tea is made with fresh milk, black tea / red tea, and sugar. Always served chilled, it has a creamy, earthy, milky sweet flavour.

Milk Tea

The streetside Roast Suckling Pig is carefully portioned so you get some meat, and some skin. The suckling pig pork meat is tender and chewy, with a light gamey savoury flavour, but rather flat overall. The outstanding thing is the super crisp skin, which crunches loudly when bit. Best paired with a sweet spicy chili dipping sauce on the side.

Roast Suckling Pig

Roast Suckling Pig

A common plant-based beverage popular during breakfast, Soybean Milk is made from ground soy beans and water, which is then boiled to sterilize and stabilize the drink. Often served plain or with sugar, it's accompanied by a starch for a meal; including buns, flatbreads, dough fritters, or congee.

Soybean Milk

The Spring Onion Pancake is a savoury Chinese pancake, also known as Cong You Bing or Scallion Pancake. The flatbread is made from unleavened dough using all-purpose flour, folded with oil and minced spring onions / scallions, then fried. The Taiwanese variation on this Chinese dish is the addition of egg on one side, giving it a more fluffy chewy texture, along with an eggy sweet savoury flavour.

Spring Onion Pancake

The Sun Cake / Sun Biscuit is a signature pastry from Taichung, Taiwan. It has a filling of maltose / condensed malt sugar, in a round, crisp, flaky pastry crust, basted with butter. Has a buttery sweet floral flavour, with a crunchy alternating sticky and chewy texture.

Sun Cake / Sun Biscuit

Sun Cake / Sun Biscuit

Sun Cake / Sun Biscuit

The Sweet Potato Fries With Plum Salt is a modern presentation of a dish that has traditional flavours. The sweet potato is a common staple, popular for its earthy sweet flavour. With the addition of plum salt, it takes on a layer of tangy sour salty flavour, that contrasts the natural earthy sweetness. This is often served in cafes here.

Sweet Potato Fries With Plum Salt

Sweet Potato Fries With Plum Salt

Locals love the Taiwanese Fried Chicken Popcorn, more so than its larger cousin. Seems they like the crisp, crunchy texture, which is super satisfiying. The chunks of chicken here are slightly meaty, so you do get some of the chicken meat, with its sweet savoury flavour, and the layer of spices over it. Personally, I find it annoying to have bits of bone or cartilage in some of the pieces.

Taiwanese Fried Chicken Popcorn

Taiwanese Fried Chicken Popcorn

The Large Fried Chicken Cutlet / Taiwanese Fried Chicken Steak is a popular street snack in Taiwan, and Taichung. An oversized chicken fillet, as big as a person's face, is made from pounding flat an entire chicken breast, which is then battered and deep fried. It is often sprinkled with pepper and chinese 5-spice powder, and sometimes chili powder or seaweed flakes. The crust is crisp, and locks in the moisture of the chicken meat, making it tender and very juicy, with a delicate savoury sweet spicy flavour.

Large Fried Chicken Cutlet / Taiwanese Fried Chicken Steak

Large Fried Chicken Cutlet / Taiwanese Fried Chicken Steak

Large Fried Chicken Cutlet / Taiwanese Fried Chicken Steak

The Tea Braised Goose Eggs are slow braised for hours in a broth of tea and dark soy sauce, giving it an eggy sweet salty flavour. Using goose eggs just gives you a more satisfiying, albeit messier, experience.

Tea Braised Goose Eggs

The amusingly named Ti Gu Rou Fan / Pork Trotter Rice, or 'trouser pants leg meat rice', has a large pork trotter, served over a base of fluffy white rice, stacked with sharp sour crunchy pickled cabbage. More gelatinous fat than pork meat, the trotter is slow braised in a mix of light and dark soy sauce, till everything comes easily off the bone, and it has a fatty savoury salty flavour. Really decadent meal.

Ti Gu Rou Fan / Pork Trotter Rice

Ti Gu Rou Fan / Pork Trotter Rice

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