Liuhe Night Market: Kaohsiung’s Convenient Street Food Stop

Liuhe Night Market (六合夜市, also spelled Liouhe) is one of the most popular night markets in the Kaohsiung city center.

Thanks to its convenient location near Formosa Boulevard MRT and Kaohsiung Station, where many visitors to Kaohsiung stay, it is the one that first-timers are most likely to visit (while locals are more likely to head to Ruifeng Night Market).

Liuhe is traffic-free and easy to navigate – but with over 100 stalls, choosing what to eat can be intimidating.

In this guide, I’ll make it easy for you by introducing the most famous foods and my personal favorites, based on numerous visits over many years, in Liuhe Night Market.

I also introduce Kaohsiung’s other major night markets here.

Welcome to Liuhe Night Market

I visit Liuhe Night Market pretty much every time I’m in Kaohsiung because it’s just so darn easy.

The night market is a mere few steps from Formosa Boulevard MRT station, known for the famous Dome of Light art installation.

Formosa Boulevard is only one stop south (or easy walking distance) from Kaohsiung Station, where trains arrive in the city, not to mention it’s the intersecting point of the city’s two main MRT lines, the Orange and Red lines.

It’s also not far from a few other cool attractions, like Sanfong Temple, Sanfong Central Street, and Sanmin traditional market.

Liuhe Night Market has origins going back to the 1950s, when it was called Dagangpu Night Market. From the 1990s onward, as tourism to Taiwan increased, Liuhe became a favorite among visitors to the city.

Similar to Taipei night markets (like Raohe, Nanjichang, Ningxia and others), but unlike night markets in nearby Tainan, Liuhe Night Market is a regular street (Liuhe 2^nd Road or 六合二路) in the daytime, then it closes to traffic at night.

During COVID, Liuhe Night Market suffered the same fate as other tourist-oriented night markets like Shilin in Taipei. I visited Liuhe during that time, only to find that it was practically dead and many stalls were closed.

Kaohsiung residents were still dining out during COVID, but they were sticking to the more local night markets in the city, which have slightly cheaper prices.

However, I visited again in 2025 and was happy to find that Liuhe Night Market is bustling once again.

Despite the “touristy” reputation, you can still find some extremely local and adventurous foods in Liuhe Night Market, including many Tainan and Southern Taiwan specialties, as you’ll soon see below!

Serious foodies should also consider a half-day trip from Kaohsiung to Qishan Old Street, considered the banana capital of Taiwan!

Getting There

From Formosa Boulevard MRT station, follow the signs to exit 11, which is just a few steps from the entrance to Liuhe 2^nd Road (see image below).

Turn down left down this road, walk two minutes, and you’ll run into the traffic roadblock (image below). That’s the start of the night market!

You may also choose to take exit 1 of Formosa Boulevard MRT station. It would be a slightly longer walk outside, but you’ll get to see the four beautiful exit gates of the MRT station, which are built around the four sides of a traffic circle.

If you’re staying in a hotel anywhere around Formosa Boulevard or Kaohsiung Station, you can just walk to Liuhe Night Market.

Pro tip: Liuhe seldom gets too crowded, so there’s no major rush to get there as early as possible like night markets in Taipei. Things start up around 5:00, but some stalls don’t open until 5:30 or 6:00.

What to Eat at Liuhe Night Market

I’ll introduce the below food stalls in the order you’d encounter them if coming from the MRT.

Since Liuhe Night Market is only on one street, Liuhe 2^nd Road, I’ll indicate whether you’ll see them on the left or right side of the road.

Most of the stalls don’t have English names – the below English translations are mostly my own.

Zhеng’ѕ Оld Вrаnd Рарауа Міlk

Before you officially enter the night market, on the left side just before the traffic roadblock, is Zheng’s Old Brand Papaya Milk (鄭老牌木瓜牛奶, here).

Dating to 1965, this is one of the longest-running and most iconic stalls in Liuhe Night Market. Most Mandarin-language blogs list it as an absolute must.

A cup of the signature papaya milk (木瓜牛奶) goes for TWD 70. They add sugar (a lot of it!) so I recommend asking for no sugar (不要加糖) or little sugar (小糖).

I asked for 小糖 and thought it was delicious. I’m not a regular papaya milk drinker, but members of my Facebook group have confirmed that this is one of the best out there.

The stall has many other juices (like watermelon juice – 西瓜汁) and milk based drinks (pudding milk – 布丁牛奶), but some locals point out that prices are nearly double those at more local night markets like Ruifeng.

Fun fact: many local Taiwanese women believe that drinking lots of papaya milk can increase their breast size.

Spanish Mackerel Soup

Just inside the night market and on the right side, there are two stalls (here and here) serving one of my absolute favorite Southern Taiwanese (Tainan originating) dishes: Spanish mackerel soup (土魠魚羹).

The dish, which goes for around TWD 60 a bowl, is a thick, sweet and sour, bonito flake-based soup with pieces of Taiwanese cabbage.

It comes topped with chunks of battered and deep fried Spanish mackerel fish, garnished with cilantro, and the option to add noodles (加麵).

Each of these two noodles stalls has a few tables – it’s best to stay, as the soup is best fresh.

Eel Lady Eel Noodles

Just after the above two stalls, and also on the right side, is Eel Lady Eel Noodles (鱔魚姊 鱔魚意麵, here).

Eel noodles are another classic Tainan/Southern Taiwan dish. The type of eel used, called shan yu (鱔魚), is also known as rice paddy eel and is not the same as the kind used for Japanese unagi. The Taiwanese kind tends to be a little firmer and earthier.

If you want to go super local, here’s your chance!

The classic Tainan/Kaohsiung way to take it is eel noodles (鱔魚意麵, TWD 100). The noodles used are egg-based yì noodles, a Southern Taiwanese staple. The noodles come doused in a thick, black vinegar-based sauce with pieces of cabbage and eel.

I wasn’t looking to fill up on noodles here, so I got an order of pan fried eel (生炒鱔魚, TWD 150), which came with the same sauce as the noodles. Yes, it costs more than the noodles, but it comes with more pieces of eel.

They asked if I wanted spicy, which of course I agreed to, and it came with quite a kick. Overall, I found this to be a very interesting dish – give it a try!

Fangji Dumplings

Locals flock to Fangji Dumplings (方記水餃, here), which on the left side, opposite the first 7-Eleven in Liuhe Night Market.

Here you get 10 bulging, hand-made pork and chive dumplings (豬肉韭黃水餃) for a reasonable TWD 70. There’s also hot and sour soup (酸辣湯) for TWD 35.

Ask for one of the laminated menus, which have multiple languages.

Local reviewers are a little harsh on this place, so don’t be turned off by the low rating on GoogleMaps. The long lines don’t lie!

Draft Beer at 7-Eleven

The second 7-Eleven in Liuhe Night Market (here on the left side) is one of a growing number of “Sevens” in Taiwan that have a mini bar serving draft beer.

The beer bar is right inside the door and a glass goes for TWD 120, with occasional deals like second glass 30-50% off. Expect to see local brands like Buckskin or Japanese ones like Sapporo.

The glasses are even chilled and sports are played on the television. Pull up a seat and enjoy!

Warning: there’s a BBQ skewer stall here across from 7-Eleven that used to be extremely popular, but virtually all recent reviews say it sucks now, with photos of overcooked or burned foods, so give this one a miss.

Bird Egg Shrimp Balls

Just after 7-Eleven and on the same side, I was intrigued by Bird Egg Shrimp Balls (和及鳥蛋蝦球, here), which I’d seen previously at many other night markets. I decided to finally give it a try.

These are little fried quail eggs with a whole shrimp in each one. They come topped with sweet soy sauce, mayo, and seaweed.

The verdict: these were tasty little bites, but I wouldn’t consider them an absolute must in Liuhe (or any) night market.

Liuhe Oyster Omelets and Soup Dumplings

I will rarely pass up the chance to eat an oyster omelet, and Liuhe Night Market is no exception. I got my chance at Liuhe Oyster Omelets and Soup Dumplings (六合蚵仔煎.小籠湯包.炒飯.炒青菜, here).

This stall has been running since 1960, with a Mandarin name that is nothing more than a list of their four main dishes (oyster omelets, xiaolongbao, fried rice, and fried greens).

I went for a combination shrimp and oyster omelet (綜合煎, TWD 80). It was large, crispy around the edges (just the way I like it), and the sweet & tangy sauce was a little more red and tomato-y than the pinker ones you see out there.

This was a win for me and I’d definitely get it again. If you’ve tried their xiaolongbao, let me know how they are in the comments at the end!

Wuji Guangdong Congee and Coffin Bread

A few steps past the above and on the same side is another famous and long-running Liuhe institution: Wuji Guangdong Congee and Coffin Bread (吳記廣東粥棺材板, here).

I’m not usually a huge fan of congee, but if you’re interested, Guangdong (Cantonese)-style congee is different than the usual Taiwanese congee.

The rice is boiled longer until it breaks down into a smooth consistency. Here, ingredients such as pork, fried dough sticks, 1000-year egg, and scallions are added.

I visited this stall to try their second specialty, coffin toast (棺材板, TWD 80), another Tainan street food specialty.

This unique dish can be traced back to Western influences in Tainan in the 1940s-50s.

It consists of a deep fried, hallowed out hunk of toast filled with a creamy stew of chicken, corn, and carrots. Taiwanese-Western fusion food at its finest!  

Really Good Vegetarian Food

If you’re vegetarian or vegan and don’t want to take a chance on other stalls, head to Really Good Vegetarian (真好味素食, here).

It’s on the left just after Liuhe 2^nd Road crosses Nantai Road – watch for the Buddhist swastika on the sign, which usually indicates vegetarian restaurants in Taiwan.

This is a very local noodles & rice stall similar to hole-in-the-wall vegetarian shops across the country.

The long list of all-vegan items includes angelica noodles (當歸麵), sesame sauce noodles (麻醬麵), tube rice pudding (米糕), vegetarian sushi (壽司), and vegetarian braised pork rice (素肉燥飯).

Find more options at Liuhe and other night markets across Taiwan in my vegetarian night market guide.

Kaohsiung Dоngѕhаn Duсk Неаd

The furthest you really need to go in Liuhe Night Market is to Kaohsiung Dongshan Duck Head (高雄東山鴨頭, here), on the left just past the intersection with lane 75/76.

Don’t worry, the small isn’t only duck heads (but if you want ‘em, they’ve got ‘em).

“Dongshan Duck Head” is a style of luwei (foods that have been slowly braised in aromatic soy sauce) that originated in Tainan. For this style, they deep fry the foods after braising them.

At this one, the items are mostly ready and on display. Using a pair of tongs, you choose what you want and they’ll put the finishing touches on them.

I was feeling particularly adventurous here. I decided to try (for the first time in my life, as I’d only recently started eating meat) a duck neck. I have to say, this was surprisingly good.

I also went for a few safer options – quail eggs, tofu (豆乾), and fish cakes (甜不辣 or “Taiwanese tempura”).

This stall has long been famous, as evidenced by the photos of celebrities and magazine features on it.

Once again, today’s local reviewers are especially harsh, bringing the GoogleMaps score way down, but I thought it was excellent.

Iced Lemon Aiyu and Douhua

I didn’t want to finish this article with duck heads, nor did I want to leave out a dessert option for Liuhe Night Market.

There are several traditional shaved ice dessert shops at the end of Liuhe Night Market, just past Kaohsiung Dongshan Duck Head, including here, here, and across the street here.

The first one (both photos above) sells iced lemon aiyu (檸檬愛玉冰), a light and refreshing jelly dessert drink.

The other two specialize at douhua (豆花), of soft, iced dessert pudding served with beans, boiled peanuts, and other ingredients.

So, what do you think? Do you disagree with any of my takes on the foods in Liuhe Night Market? Did I miss your favorite ones? Please let me know in the comments!