Yongkang Street

Yong Kang Street is a lively marketplace with a huge variety of food stalls, cafés and restaurants. Find some of the city’s most famous dishes in Western-style cafés, quaint boutiques, Min Nan specialty shops and inexpensive Taiwanese street carts.

This area is one of the most popular dining districts in Taipei, a city known for its night markets. Coming out the MRT station on Yong Kang Street, the first thing you will see are the queues to the original Din Tai Fung restaurant, famed for the xiao long bao steamed dumplings served in a traditional steaming basket. People come from near and far to eat these dumplings. There is always a wait, but these treats are worth a bit of patience.

Past the Din Tai Fung restaurant is a maze of interweaving alleys and roads lined with restaurants and cafés. Sleek, modern stores sit beside small, hole-in-the-wall cafés. Find home-cooked Taiwanese food, traditional Chinese Min Nan specialties and international cuisine. Admire the French patisseries, Taiwanese and Western cafés, and dessert houses.

Be sure to try the steamed pork dumplings with beef noodles, a signature Taiwanese dish. The beef noodles on Yong Kang Street are known to be among the best in Taipei. Try lu rou fan, braised pork rice cong zhuabing, a layered onion pancake and for dessert, a mango smoothie or shaved ice with red beans and condensed milk.

Wander along the streets from morning until late at night sampling the many different types of food, or sit in a café and people-watch. Arrive early in the day to have the place to yourself or later at night to join the crowds and enjoy the nightlife.

The area is located in Taipei’s Da’an District. To get there, take the MRT to Dongmen Station or a cab to Yong Kang Street. For a bit of exercise, walk directly to Yong Kang Street from the iconic Taipei 101 building.