Trying Iconic Taiwanese Eats at Taipei’s Ximending
Ximending ่ฅฟ้็บ is a hotspot for the younger crowd of Taipei as well as a food and shopping paradise! I had a chance to visit Ximending on my latest trip to Taiwan. It was an incredibly fun day packed with shopping and food! Home to some of the most iconic foods in Taiwan, I didn’t have time to try everything in an afternoon, but I sure did try!
How To Get To Ximending
From the Taipei Main Station, it’s a 6-8 minute ride on the MRT Blue Line to Ximen Station, which leads directly to the shopping district. You can also take a 15 minute walk from the Main Station as well, if you’d like to see more of the city. There are various bus lines that stop nearby, and you can pay for those with the same EasyCard as the MRT.
What To Do In Ximending
Ximending is well known as a popular shopping district. The streets of Ximending are lined with various clothing outlets, thrift shops, and souvenir shops. If you’re looking for great thrift finds or more modern fashion, it’s all in Ximending. Need last minute souvenirs and snacks to bring home to relatives and friends? This is also a great spot to gather all the unique Taiwanese treats before you fly home!
Ximending is also home to quite a few historical landmarks, from temples to the Red House Theatres. It’s such an interesting mix of the old and the new, walking through weekend craft fairs inside some of these old buildings! It’s often the venue for different promotional events and street fairs during the weekend, so you never know what you might find.
What I Ate Walking Around Ximending
As a super popular spot for locals and tourists alike, the shopping district has a large amount of street food stalls, takeout stands, and restaurants. It’s home to some of the most iconic foods for Taiwan tourism, and has so many different options at different times of the day.
I only had time to try a few, and I think i can spend DAYS trying to eat my way through Ximending! Today, I want to share some of the foods that I did get to try!
Ay Chung Flour Rice Noodle Soup – 8/10
While we’re in Ximending, my dad said I had to try one of his favorites: Ay Chung Flour-Rice Noodles ้ฟๅฎ้บต็ท. They have been around since 1975 serving only one thing – Flour Rice Noodles ้บต็ท. You won’t miss this place walking around, because as a true Taiwanese icon, it always has the largest line and a crowd of people standing outside, each with their own bowl of noodle soup.
The restaurant operates like a well-oiled machine, with the employees rapidly scooping bowls and taking orders. If you go, I highly highly recommend getting a big bowl (75 NTD)! You order in line, then add your own condiments when you get your bowls.
The noodles are soft, silky, and literally melt in your mouth. The soup is a slightly salty and smoky thickened umami-packed dashi gravy. The noodles are topped with braised pig intestines, which I know can be intimidating. Trust me on this and just take a bite, because it adds a rich, chewy fattiness to the noodles. Both pair so well with the noodles!
There’s always a line here, but it moves rapidly. Be prepared to be slurping your noodles soup standing up or sitting on a stool, because there are no tables! Of course, you can also take them home to enjoy in the comfort of your own home or hotel room.
Super Chewy Deep Fried Sweet Potato Balls
Walking down Ximending Gourmet Street, I was attracted by the smell of deep frying sweet potato balls! For a 100 NTD an order, you have 4 flavors to choose from: original, plum, cheese, and black pepper. Each cup is piled full of freshly fried sweet potato balls and skewers for easy eating.
They’re crispy on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside. This particular street food stall doesn’t have a full name, it simply has a sign that says “Molten Sweet Potato Balls“, but it’s located in the Ximending Gourmet Street near Levi’s (location tagged below). If you visit, take a stroll, and you should be able to find these piping hot Sweet Potato Balls!
Taiwanese Salted Chicken – ๅฅฝ้ๅฏ้นนๆฐด้ 9/10
Salted chicken ้นฝๆฐด้ is a Taiwanese street food of blanched salted chicken and other toppings mixed together with sauces and seasonings. It’s popular as a snack with Taiwan beer, or as an additional dish for a family meal, and my dad loves it! We grabbed some at ๅฅฝ้ๅฏ้นนๆฐด้-่ฅฟ้็บๆ่ฆๅบ, located near the Star Fruit Ice store.
Don’t get intimidated by the array of ingredients! Just let the staff know the items you’d like and what parts of the chicken you want. They’ll debone, blanch, chop it up, and season it either spicy or Thai flavored for you. I love picking all my favorite veggies and adding instant noodles to mix with the chicken! Depending on what and how much you order, a typical order ranges from 100 to 300 NTD.
Star Fruit Ice – ๆ้ฝๆฅๆกๅฐ 6.5/10
Star Fruit is one of those Taiwanese fruit that’s harder to find in Canada or the US. With the popularity and variety of boba, traditional star fruit ice is even harder to find in Taiwan! Star Fruit Ice ๆ้ฝๆฅๆกๅฐ is one of those rare shops that still offer these traditional treats in the center of Taipei’s hotspot – Ximending.
Pickled with salt, the slight salty flavor really boosts the sourness and sweetness of the star fruit. Your lips will pucker with every sip! If you’re not into a salty-fruity flavor, this drink can take a little getting used to in the beginning
They offer pineapple, star fruit, or salted plum ice for 50 NTD a cup, and it’s super refreshing for a really hot summer day of shopping around Ximending!
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