Although known predominantly for its street food, Taipei is also home to a number of wonderful restaurants and other local eateries. One of the more popular places to try different types of Asian cuisine is the famed foodie area, Yong Kang Street .
Yong Kang is home to a number of restaurants, includingsome that helped evolve Taiwan 's short, but rich, culinary history.
Din Tai Fung and Legendary Xiao Long Baos
Probably the single most well-known restaurant is Din Tai Fung. Known around the world for their delicious and meticulously crafted xaio long baos, Din Tai Fung started on the corner of XinYi and Yong Kang Street and has grown to five locations in Taiwan and over 40 locations worldwide.
Kao-Chi Offers Chinese Desserts and Shanghai Specialties
Just around the corner is another historic restaurant, Kao-Chi. Kao-Chi started selling traditional Chinese desserts and now has a full menu offering some delicious specialties, including their own xiao long baos, and a personal favorite, the Shanghai Fried Pork Buns.
Tu Hsiao Yueh and Danzai Noodles
This historic restaurant of Tu Hisao Yueh had its start in the south of Taiwan , in a city called Tainan. The story is a basic "rags to riches" involving a fisherman who emigrated from China and began selling these delicious noodles during the off-season. Known as Danzai, or "slack season noodles", the fisherman eventually traded in his poles for the noodle making business.
The family run operation has several branches in Tainan and Taipei . Some of the early noodle making equipment is on display in a Tainan museum. Visitors to the restaurant can enjoy watching the open kitchen presentation of the noodles being prepared.
Thanh Ky for Vietnamese Food
Deviating from the Chinese and Taiwanese culinary influences, foodies looking for Vietnamese Pho will find two branches of Thanh Ky on Yong Kang Street as well. Although not as authentic as many places you will try in Vietnam , this is a formidable opponent and certainly satiates that craving for those with no immediate plans to visit South East Asia .
Yong Kang 15 Offers Mango Shaved Ice
In January, the renowned Ice Monster unexpectedly closed its doors one Friday morning after an alimony dispute amongst the owners. Shaved ice fans felt a void and many tourists were left confused when their guidebook sent them for the "best mango ice," only to find an empty storefront.
Recently, Yong Kang 15 opened in the same exact location with Ice Monster's previous owner serving as a technical advisor. Although the portions are a tad smaller, Yong Kang 15 does a good job of satiating that craving for mango shaved ice that the area is known for.
If that wasn't enough, a new Smoothie King opened just doors away from Yong Kang 15, serving both mango shaved ice and mango snow ice, a delicacy often only found at the busier night markets Time will tell how Smoothie King does next to Yong Kang 15, but if recent lines are any indication, both places seem to be drawing major crowds on most hot summer days in Taiwan .
For those visiting Yong Kang Street, these are just a few of the innumerable food options found in the area so wander around and try as many places as possible to experience some of the best food Taipei has become known for.
Erin De Santiago - Erin is a freelance travel, food/wine, & Disney writer in Taipei, Taiwan, who has traveled within 40+ different countries to date.
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