Taipei Adventures: Towers, Traditional Food, Trails
We spent a day in Taipei, trying out new foods and checking out cool spots. This city has so much to offer, but with just one day, we had to make the most of it. Luckily, Taipei didn’t let us down, so follow along and see what we discovered!
Fu Hang Soy Milk
We started our day lining up at Fu Hang Soy Milk at 5 am. This famous breakfast joint is open from 5 am to 12:30 pm except Mondays. They offer a traditional Taiwanese breakfast such as soy milk, donut sticks, and egg pancakes. Even though we got there at five there was a massive line.
Fu Hang is incredibly popular, so even at opening, you can expect to wait in line for an hour. The stand is located upstairs in a food court building that holds many hawker stands. There is lots of seating but I recommend going with a friend so one can grab a seat and one can wait in line.
Once you order you will get your food right away. It has been a Michelin-recommended restaurant for many years and it really does hold up to its reputation. I surprisingly enjoyed the sweetness of the cold soy milk. The donut was sweet and chewy, and the egg pancake had a nice chewy texture as well.
I’m not usually a huge fan of eggs but I really enjoyed this place. If you want a really good breakfast, definitely check out Fu Hung Soy Milk.
Elephant Mountain
One of Taiwan’s most famous attractions is Elephant Mountain where you can observe a stunning view of Taipei 101 with the stunning city view. Looking down from Taipei 101, you can see the ridge of the mountain has an elephant sort of shape, hence the name.
Many people like to do this hike at sunrise because the sun is perfectly aligned with the city. We chose to do it after sunrise because we wanted to sleep and try to avoid the rain that was going to arrive that morning.
The hike is moderate and has many stairs, it’s entirely vertical so if you don’t deal well with lots of elevation consider an alternate hike. The path is stone and clearly directs you where to go.
There are several viewpoints, and we hiked to Elephant Mountain Peak which took about 1 hour and 45 minutes because we stopped to take a lot of photos. We would have stayed longer but it started to pour rain on the way down, so we’re glad we didn’t linger.
Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall
This memorial hall remembers the former President of the Republic of China who led the government in exile in the 1940’s. We went to see the famous changing of the guards. The first changing of the guards is at 9 am and it changes every hour until 5 pm. The duration of the procedure usually is about 10 minutes.
It was really cool to think about how prestigious these soldiers must be to do this job and how in sync they were. The interior of the hall was also quite beautiful, with interesting detailing on the ceilings.
Outside of the hall is Memorial Park, a massive plaza with the national theatre and national concert hall on each side. Everything in the plaza feels larger than life. Even though we’ve been next to the most massive buildings in the world, the design of the plaza makes these buildings feel truly ginormous, It’s a very beautiful place to hang out.
Din Tai Fung
Din Tai Fung is a famous dumpling restaurant based in Taiwan but has franchises all over the world. Their xiaolongbao (Chinese steamed bun) is also legendary. We wanted to go to the very first branch but due to time restraints, we just went to one of the chains in a mall. You could make a reservation or walk in and hope to get a table. We didn’t make a reservation because we didn’t know what time we would be there but we easily got a table.
The buns were absolutely delicious, although we had better buns at the market later. The xiaolongbao is what we really came for, and oh man… These things were unreal. The burst of warm meat and broth that hits all over your mouth as you bite down is a touch and taste sensation to behold. We can’t recommend enough that you find good xiaolongbao to try, and Din Tai Fung did great.
Halal Chinese Beef Noodles
Beef Noodles are one of the most famous dishes in Taiwan. We ended up visiting Halal Chinese Beef Noodles, a Michelin Bib gourmand restaurant. This place only uses fresh Taiwan-sourced beef.
The beef literally melted in our mouths and the noodles were tender and chewy. The broth was so rich and savory that nothing was left in the bowls when we were done. They also have “pancakes” which are a thin plain roti-like bread, and we ordered meat to put inside of it on the side.
When we go to restaurants we usually ask the server what is their first and second most popular item and we eat those so sometimes we don’t even read the menu. There is usually a small crowd there as well so be prepared to wait. Because of the small size, you’re likely to be sat at a large table with others, however, there’s enough space so it’s not awkward.
Chun Shui Tang
This restaurant claims to be the inventor of bubble tea. As you have learned from this article if you want to visit these famous places be prepared to wait. We waited about 45 minutes because we wanted to sit at a table instead of take out.
We ordered a classic bubble tea and jasmine tea. It was a really good standard bubble tea with tapioca pearls. It was so delicious, it was hard to savor because I wanted to drink it all right away. This location was located in the mall and has a lot of seating and also serves food as well.
Was it the best bubble tea ever, or was it different from any other bubble tea? Not really, and I’m not sure if the origin story is 100% true. Still, it was a nice shop with great drinks and a good vibe.
Taipei 101
Taipei 101 was once the tallest building in the world. As the name suggests it stands at 101 stories tall. Now, depending on who you ask it is the 10th tallest tower. That being said we’ve seen most of the tallest buildings in the world and Taipei 101 absolutely stands out because of its incredible pagoda shape.
If you can, I recommend not just going up, but seeing it during the day and the night. It is equally beautiful and there are so many viewpoints around the city to see the tower from.
There are three observation deck levels. The 89th floor is the largest deck with an indoor 360 view of the city as well as gift shops and mini cafes. There is a 360 outdoor observation deck as well, but we couldn’t see it because of rainy weather. You can also buy 101 floor tickets separately for a more private experience which we did. The top floor is very peaceful and interesting, but for most people, the 89th floor is more than enough, as you’re well above the skyline.
We went in the evening because we wanted to see the sunset but we ended up seeing just clouds because it was rainy. However, the view was still really great. All skyscrapers have a large metal counterweight inside called a tuned mass dampener, and Taipei 101 is famous for letting you see the exposed dampener, which is so cool. They even turned it into a mascot with merch.
Fika Fika Cafe
We stopped at a mall to try out another specialty coffee shop, Fika Fika Cafe. They have a few locations but this location was the most convenient. Aesthetically it was just alright, but their drinks begged to differ. The latte art was beautiful of course! Also since it’s Taiwan I needed more milk tea! Because it was raining we enjoyed staying dry inside as we sipped our drinks.
Raohe Night Market
SPICY PORK PEPPER BUNS! There’s no other way to introduce this market. Raohe Night Market is very diverse with so many food options. Oftentimes in Asia, night markets will have many repeat booths and not much variety, but this place was different.
When we went to this market we had a goal in mind: head straight toward Fuzhou Black Pepper Bun! It was a Michelin Bib Gourmand for many years and it is still Michelin plate recommended, and it is easy to see why. The buns are cooked in a large stone oven and are baked to a crisp on the sides.
When you get the bun it’s directly from the oven piping hot and steaming. But when the steam comes out you can’t help but take a bite! Even today I can remember the taste. Once it is cool, the peppery goodness and the slight soft crunch of the bun in your mouth are heavenly. We recommend this as one of the best market foods we’ve ever had.
Final Thoughts
Even though we only had a single day, we had an incredible time. Thankfully, this city is super convenient to get around thanks to its awesome subway system, and everyone was very nice. There are several destinations outside of the city that are worth checking out as well, making Taipei a great place to visit and we highly recommend it.
