Ningxia Night Market (寧夏夜市) is one of the top-5 night markets in Taipei, along with Raohe, Shilin, Tonghua, and Nanjichang.
It is the closest night market to Taipei Main Station and relatively small (only 170 meters long), so it’s impossible to get lost in.
There are some truly excellent foods at Ningxia, including some of the city’s oldest and best oyster omelet shops. It also has a few unique gems and Michelin-rated stalls.
In this article, I’ll tell you how to navigate this relatively small but very popular (and often crowded!) night market. I’ll introduce some of the most famous food stalls and my personal favorites, with a map and location links for all of them. Read on and enjoy!
Ningxia Night Market Introduction
Ningxia Night Market is one of the oldest night markets in Taipei city. Named after a region in China, it is located in historic riverside Dadaocheng, close to Dihua Street, “Taipei’s oldest street”.
The night market runs south to north on Ningxia street (寧夏路), beginning one block north of Jiancheng Traffic Circle (建成圓環). This traffic circle used to have a large market building in the center of it – you can still see the ruins of the building foundation there today.
The building and area around the traffic circle was called Traffic Circle Night Market (圓環夜市). In the 1950s, it was one of the liveliest areas in Taipei.
When this building got too old and run down, it was closed and the night market was moved to its present location on Ningxia street. See more pictures of the original market here.
Ningxia Night Market runs down the middle of Ningxia Street, which is closed to traffic in the evening. The stalls are placed in two rows to form a pedestrian aisle between them.
The two rows of stalls are placed close together so that the walking aisle between them becomes quite narrow. As a result, it becomes very crowded, especially at peak hours (7 to 9) and on weekends. I recommend going 5 to 7 or 9 to 11 PM.
For some of the most popular stalls in the night market, which often have very long lines, there is no room for the line inside the pedestrian aisle. Therefore, people line up behind popular food stalls, where there is more room.
Besides the two rows of stalls which form the night market aisle, there are several notable brick-and-mortar restaurants on the left side of the road, including many shaved ice shops and oyster omelet restaurants.
Getting There
Most people start their Ningxia Night Market tour at Jiancheng Traffic Circle. From the circle, walk a few minutes north up Ningxia Road.
Jiancheng Circle is a 7-minute walk from exit 5 of Zhongshan MRT station, 10-minute walk from Taipei Main Airport MRT station (for getting to Taoyuan Airport), 13-minute walk from Taipei Main train station, or 15-minute walk from exit 3 of Beimen MRT station.
You could also access the night market from its northern end here. That would be a 6-minute walk from exit 1 of Shuanglian MRT or 12-minute walk from exit 2 of Daqiaotou MRT.
Because this is the closest night market to Taipei Main Station, it’s also a great one to visit for those who are are doing a quick Taipei stopover. Read my guide to getting from Taoyuan Airport to Taipei Main Station.
Walking Route and Most Popular Foods
I’m going to start this night market tour at the southern end of Ningxia Night Market, which is the more popular starting point.
I’ll start by introducing what to eat in the aisle formed by two rows of food stalls. In the final section, I’ll introduce some restaurants on the left side of the street.
Note that I’m only just grazing the surface here and introducing the most famous (and my personal favorite) stalls. You will see dozens of other tempting food options not mentioned here.
Main Aisle of Food Stalls
Ningxia Night Market consists of a walking aisle formed by two parallel rows of food stalls. Most of the stalls are numbered (look for the number in a circle on their sign).
Stalls on the left side are even numbered (2, 4, 6, etc.) while stalls on the right are odd numbered (1, 3, 5, etc.) The numbers start from the north end (though we’ll be visiting from the south end).
Walking north from Jiancheng Traffic Circle, you’ll need to walk one block up Ningxia Street to reach the start of the night market around here at the intersection with Pingyang street.
In that first block before the start of the night market, there are several children’s games here and an indoor game center (for adults) here. While the games area isn’t usually too crowded, if you’re visiting with young kids, note that the games area at Shilin Night Market is bigger and better than the one at Ningxia.
In the games area, there are also some popular restaurants on the left side of the street (see restaurant section below) and a shop selling Taiwanese tealeaves.
You’ll definitely know when you reach the actual night market because you’ll find yourself entering a narrow alley between two rows of food stalls.
At peak times, you’ll feel like you’ve entered a fast-flowing stream of people – you’ll barely have a chance to gaze at the available foods as you flow past them.
Immediately on the left, watch for Hong Guan Spanish Mackerel Stew (宏冠土魠魚羹, #132, here). This is one of my favorite dishes from Tainan in Southern Taiwan. It is a thick soup with cabbage and noodles, topped with slices of breaded, deep fried fish.
The stall has a few tables, so take the chance to sit while you can.
You’ll see a few juice stalls in the first third of the night market, including fresh watermelon juice (I didn’t catch the stall name/number). Tong Nian Papaya Milk (童年木瓜牛奶, #114, here on the left) is a very popular one.
Just past the papaya milk stand, in front of FamilyMart, Yammy Peanut Roll Ice Cream (雅米花生捲冰淇淋, here) does classic Taiwanese ice cream wraps.
These consist of a few scoops of traditional Taiwanese ice cream, fresh cilantro, and peanut brittle shavings served in a thin crepe.
Liu Yu Zi Taro Egg Balls (劉芋仔蛋黃芋餅, #91, here on the right side) is the single most famous and popular food vendor in Ningxia Night Market.
Although it wasn’t include in the most recent Michelin guide (no stalls at Ningxia were), it had Bib Gourmand status in past years.
Liu Yu Zi’s specialty is deep fried balls of taro stuffed with pork floss and pickled duck egg yolk (蛋黃芋餅). They also have plain deep fried taro balls with nothing inside (香酥芋丸).
The scene of mounds of the ingredients being prepared for frying is one of the classic images of Ningxia Night Market. Because of the stall’s immense popularity, there’s always a long line behind it (don’t even think of trying to order from the pedestrian aisle).
While the dish is quite special and not so common, I have also found a version of it (but with the option of cheese-stuffed!) at Raohe Night Market. And with no lines!
A few steps after Liu Yu Zi and also on the right side, Burst and Crispy Squid (爆漿脆皮魷魚, #89, here) is another extremely popular stall. This one does another unique dish which I have never seen in any other night market.
This would be whole squid stuffed with cucumber and your choice of flavorings, including salt & pepper (椒鹽), lemon wasabi (檸檬芥末), 5 spice (五味醬), Thai sauce (泰式醬), or garlic (蒜味).
After you order, they chop the squid up into bite-sized rings, which almost look like maki (rolled sushi) with ingredients stuffed inside.
Because this stall is quite close to Liu Yu Zi and both usually have a line, the two lines run parallel down the street. Make sure you get in the right one. You wouldn’t want to wait 45 minutes only to find out you were in the wrong line!
Fun Sun G (#71, here on the right side) does the best fried chicken cutlets (雞排 or ji pai) in Ningxia Night Market. The cutlets here are huge (TWD 90 for one). They are served piping hot, with extra crispy exterior and juicy, tender chicken meat inside.
The cutlets comes in six flavors, which are written on the stall in English: original (原味), spicy (辣味, my most recommended!), lemon (檸檬), plum (妹子), cumin (孜然), and black pepper (胡椒).
At this point, you are roughly in the middle of the night market (equidistant from south and north ends of it).
Only a few steps after Fun Sun G but on the left side, Fang Family Chicken Rice (方家雞肉飯, #60, here on the left side) is another formerly Michelin-rated food stall.
It does Chiayi-style chicken rice (雞肉飯 or ji rou fan), which is nothing more than a small bowl of rice with a few pieces of shredded chicken and chicken juice on top, but locals can’t get enough of it.
The chicken rice goes for TWD 50 a bowl. Many local reviewers insist that it’s still not as good as the real thing in Chiayi.
The stall also has braised pork rice (滷肉飯 or lu rou fan) for TWD 40 and a few smaller side dishes like braised tofu with delicious sauce (滷豆腐), seaweed egg drop soup (紫菜蛋花湯), and fried greens (炒青菜). There are a few tables if you want to sit.
Approaching the northern end of the night market, Daqiaotou Xiangji Pure Sugar Mochi (大橋頭祥記純糖麻糬, #24, here on the left) is the next famous stall to watch out for.
This stall does roasted mochi coated in peanut powder and black sesame (烤麻糬), which you can get on its own or served on shaved ice (麻糬冰).
This highly photogenic dish is a fun and refreshing way to enjoy mochi, especially in hot weather. The mochi are hot to begin with, which contrasts nicely with the shaved ice. The longer you leave them, the more they harden and become chewier.
There’s also the option to add taro (芋頭麻糬冰) if you want to make it even more filling.
Rong’s Pork Liver (豬肝榮仔, #10, here on the left) is the most popular vendor at the far northern end of the night market. This stall has been operating since 1950 and has achieved Michelin Bib Gourmand status in the past.
You might need to be a little more adventurous for this – its signature dish is pork liver soup (豬肝湯) with chunks of pork liver and intestines in a light, clear broth. They also have a tripe soup (豬肚湯) and a combination liver, intestine, and tripe soup (豬肚豬肝綜合湯).
Last but not least, the stall sells sticky rice dumplings (粽子), typically associated with Dragon Boat Festival in June, but you can enjoy them here year-round.
Famous Restaurants at the Side of the Night Market
As I’ve already mentioned above, besides the main aisle of food stalls, there are also several famous restaurants on the side of the night market, mainly on the left side of the street.
The numbers for the shops below are their actual addresses on Ningxia Road. They are not numbered like the stalls in the night market section.
When walking up Ningxia Street from Jiancheng Traffic Circle, the first block (before you reach the actual night market) has a few popular restaurants, around the games area.
These include Piaoxiang Beef Noodles (飄香牛肉麵館, Ningxia Rd. #12, here), Xiang Lian Teppanyaki (香連鐵板料理, Ningxia Rd. #16, here), and Li Chang-bo Stinky Tofu (里長伯麻辣臭豆腐鴨血和麵線, Ningxia Rd. #22, here).
Once you reach the start of the night market, the first block on the left side of the road has several shaved ice shops. Ganji Dessert Shop (甘記燒仙草刨冰甜點, Ningxia Road #30, here) is the most popular one.
A little past it, and next to the FamilyMart, Corgi Paw Cakes (柴進來雞蛋糕, Ningxia Rd. #32, here) dishes out cute little cakes shaped like dog paws. Watch for the dog on the sign.
Just past that, watch for the Buddhist swastika on a sign indicating Ningxia Vegetarian Restaurant (寧夏素食小館, Ningxia Rd #36, here). This typical, hole-in-the-wall vegetarian noodle shop has various all-vegan soups, noodles, and rice dishes.
I especially recommend their tofu skin soup (豆包湯 or dou bao tang, option to add noodles), which comes with a hunk of tofu skin on top, and their stuffed tofu rolls (豆包). The paper menu is in Mandarin-only – I suggest using a translation app if needed. Sit first then peruse the menu on the table and order.
Here are more vegetarian foods that I recommend in every night market in Taiwan and my guide to ordering vegan/vegetarian food in Taiwan.
Around halfway up the night market and again on the left side of the street, Huan Ji Sesame Oil Chicken (環記麻油雞, Ningxia Rd. #44, here) is a popular sesame oil chicken shop at the corner where a small lane meets Ningxia Road.
Besides the sesame oil chicken (麻油雞, a fragrant sesame oil-flavored soup with chicken organs), they also have vermicelli noodles and braised pork rice.
The reviews for this one are pretty hit or miss – I don’t eat organs, so I have no personal opinion to share on this one.
I’ve been saving the best for last – the northern half of the left side of the street in Ningxia Night Market has some of Taipei’s oldest and best oystem omelet shops.
If you aren’t familiar with this dish, it consists of fresh oysters fried with eggs, greens, and batter, then topped with a reddish-pink sweet and savoury sauce. It’s one of my personal favorite Taiwanese street foods.
Yuan Huan Pien Oyster Egg Omelette (圓環邊蚵仔煎, Ningxia Rd. #46, here) is the most famous one and has achieved Michelin status several years in a row. It has been operating since 1965. The name “Yuan Huan” means “traffic circle”, referring to Jiancheng Traffic Circle.
The oysters served here come from the coast of Tainan. The omelets are on the gooier side (as opposed to some shops which fry them till crispy) and come with tons of sauce.
You can’t really miss the shop – there’s always a long line (think 1 hour plus at peak times). It’s open for lunch (12-2:30) and dinner (4:30 to 12:30). There are a few tables inside.
Besides the classic oyster omelet (蚵仔煎, pronounced oh-ah-jian in the Taiwanese language), they also have oyster soup (蚵仔湯), clam soup (蛤蜊湯), rib soup (排骨酥湯), pork with sticky rice (米糕), and oysters with garlic sauce (蒜味乾蚵).
There are at least three other oyster omelet shops past Yuan Huan Pien: Oyster Omelet King (蚵仔煎大王, Ningxia Rd. #56, here), Guodong Oyster Omelet (郭董蚵仔煎, #58, here), and Dongshi Oyster Omelet & Abalone Seafood Congee (東石蚵仔煎鮑魚海產粥, #66, here).
Yet another famous oyster omelet shop, Lai Ji Oyster Omelet (賴雞蛋蚵仔煎, here) can be found just outside Ningxia Night Market. From the northern end of the night market, walk one minute east on Minsheng West Road to find it.
