Beginner’s Guide To Dihua Street, Dadaocheng Taipei

Here is my beginner’s guide to Dihua Street 迪化街 and Dadaocheng 大稻埕 in Taipei! This historic shopping district in Taipei is one of my favorite places to walk around in Taipei. It’s packed full of cute little cafes and shops, but still full of reminders of its history. If you’re in Taipei looking to explore a new area, here’s a half day Dadaocheng tour with a few street foods I got to try this trip!

Dihua Street in Dadaocheng 大稻埕迪化街

Today, we’re here at Dadaocheng 大稻埕 in Taipei for a kai dong meeting for the holiday sales, which you guys have already COMPLETELY SOLD OUT! So, I’m taking you exploring around the neighborhood, including on my favorite street, Dihua Street 迪化街, one of the oldest streets in Taipei.

Dadaocheng has been the center of Taiwan’s tea, textiles, and other traditional craft industries since the mid-1800s. The preserved historical architecture of the area is a combination of Fujian-style family homes, warehouses, and Western storefronts. Walking around makes you feel like you’ve walked into a slice of Taiwan’s history. Today, this area is now a hub for designer boutiques, tea houses, and indie cafes. It’s where you get the most modern of experiences in the most historic part of Taipei.

How To Get To Dadaocheng

What To See At Dadaocheng

Dadaocheng is one of those neighborhoods surrounded by old shophouses, tea merchants, and the soft hum of riverside life. It’s an easy half-day adventure in Taipei that layers history, culture, and atmosphere. Start with a moment at Xiahai City God Temple, wander through the charm and texture of Dihua Street, and end your day with sunset at the Dadaocheng Wharf.

Xia Hai City God Temple 霞海城隍廟

Xia Hai City God Temple 霞海城隍廟 is a temple in the heart of Dadaocheng you can’t miss. It’s always buzzing with visitors because this is a famous temple for love and relationships! This temple is dedicated to the City God 城隍爺, a regional protector diety. It houses various other dieties, including Old Man Under the Moon 月老, who grants love and relationship blessings. Locals pray here for relationships, marriage, or clarity about their love life.

A lot of tourists come to this temple to specifically pray for good luck in relationships. To make a wish at the temple, you’ll have to go inside and purchase incense from the desk inside the temple. They should have instructions on how to complete the process there.

Dihua old Street 迪化街老街

One of the best parts about going to the office in Taiwan is that is located at one of my favorite streets in Taipei, Diwa Street. I can be shopping here for hours. This is the perfect blend of old Taipei charm, with everything like preserved historic buildings, traditional shops, tea houses, herbal stores, local artists, and of course, endless snacks. There are tons of different artist boutiques, cafes, and gift shops to buy souvenirs to take back home.

Dadaocheng hosts Taipei’s largest and most traditional New Year’s Street Market, where locals buy dried goods, snacks, decorations, and herbal ingredients. During those seasons, these streets are packed with families preparing for Chinese New Years. It’s a different Dihua street entirely!

Dadaocheng wharf 大稻埕碼頭

I like to end our walks around Dadaocheng with a sunset view at Dadaocheng Wharf. The wharf used to be the spot to unload all the merchandises sold in Dihua street. Now, it’s an amazing place for sunset views, bike rides, and more fun activities. This might be one of the best sunset views in Taipei, and I can definitely see myself going on a run here.

There’s other water activities, including a river cruises. It is also a hot spot for pop-ups and festivals! They range from craft fairs to street foods fests and pop-up bars, so there’s always something to do here.

Traditional Street Foods at Dihua Street

Dihua Street hits you with layers of old-school Taiwanese food smells from smoky sticky rice, and that unmistakable stinky tofu frying down the block. The street is full of stalls still making food the traditional way. Following your nose is honestly the best way to eat in Taiwan. If it smells good, I guaranteed it tastes even better.

Fresh Strawberry mochi

My must get every single time is the freshly made strawberry daifuku from 幸福草莓大福. Walking around Dihua Street, you’ll see tons of people lining up for different strawberry mochis stalls. This one is my go-to, because it’s affordable, and always super fresh.

Ranging around NT$40-60 depending on strawberry size, each mochi is wrapped fresh right in front of you. Their homemade mochi is soft and super stretchy. The staff first wrap some of the juiciest giant strawberries in your choose of either sweet red bean paste or taro paste. Then, they pull and street and tightly wrap that thin mochi dough around everything.

It’s really impossible to walk away with just one. We ordered a pack of 3, and finished it almost right away. We even went back and got extras to bring home for Dom’s grandma and family because it was that good. Their extra large strawberries often sell out, but the other sizes are equally as good. You’ll often find a line here, but it moves super fast.

Taiwanese Sticky Rice

Right next to it, we found a stall making traditional Taiwanese sticky rice 油飯 called 阿母灶咖 Or yummm kitchen. This little stall basically sells 2 things: steamed bao with pork belly 刈包, and sticky rice. Outside, the staff is mixing a super large pot of sticky rice. The smell alone pulled us right in. We’re supposed to have dinner in less than less than 30 minutes, but this smelled so good, I had to give it a try. I’m so excited.

At NT$50, each portion comes packed with sticky rice that has been seasoned, then steamed until perfectly chewy. Before serving, it’s mixed in large containers to break up the clumps stuck together, releasing that irresistible aroma that we smelled. Then, it is topped with chopped cilantro and a mix of pork and mushrooms that adds an extra fragrant flavor to each bite. Of course, we have to add the iconic sweet-spicy sauce on top.

It’s a super tiny stall, so there’s not a lot of room to sit and eat. Many people actually just grab them to-go, and enjoy them elsewhere. It’s a great option for taking back to your hotel to enjoy later! Next time, I might try their Taiwanese gua bao!

Stinky Tofu

Speaking of smelling foods, you have to try stinky tofu when you’re in Taiwan. If you’re around Dihua Street, you should try the fried sticky tofu at 阿華大腸麵線臭豆腐. This is another simple local spot where there’s only 2-3 items on the menu: Taiwanese Intestine Noodles, Stinky Tofu, and Tofu with Duck Blood. Honestly, they’re all pretty intimidating at first, but trust me, it is actually so delicious.

Dom and I shared an order of fried stinky tofu (NT$60), which comes in crispy chunks drenched in sauce, with some pickled Taiwanese cabbage on top. It’s not stinky at all when you eat it. It’s so umami and so juicy. I think if you’ve never tried it, it’s more of an acquired taste. But since Dom and I grew up on this, it’s super nostalgic and delicious for us. If you’re new to stinky tofu, the fried version is also much less smelly. Try it out while you’re here!

Explore more of Taiwan’s Traditional Street Foods with me!