In Taiwan, night markets tend to get all the attention (and tourists!) For a more locals-only experience, try visiting one of the country’s many traditional morning markets!
At these markets, you will see Taiwanese (many of them elderly) shopping for the freshest fruits, veggies, meats, seafood, tofu, and other food items. There are also stalls with ready-to-eat foods, clothing (even underwear!), and other household items.
When I lived with a Taiwanese family for years, we did most of our grocery shopping at these wet markets. We also love visiting traditional markets to find local specialties while traveling around the country.
In this article, I’ve handpicked 10 of the best daytime food markets across Taiwan – keeping in mind which ones would be most convenient for travelers to visit.
For each of them, I’ll introduce why it stands out, plus I’ll give you a few Taiwanese street food suggestions to try at each one.
Related: see my guide to the best night markets in Taiwan
Shuanglian Market, Taipei
Shuanglian Market (雙連菜市場, here, 7 AM to 2:30 PM) is a classic outdoor traditional morning market in Taipei city.
The market runs south-to-north on a narrow lane adjacent to Zhongshan Linear Park, which stretches between Shuanglian MRT (take exit 2) and Minquan West Road MRT stations on the Red Line.
This makes the market central and super convenient for visiting many Taipei attractions.
The market dates back to the late Japanese period when Shuanglian was a train station. To this day, the market is popular among Japanese visitors and was a filming location for a music video by Japanese rock group Back Number.
Another cool aspect of this market is that Wenchang Temple (台北市文昌宮, here) is right in the middle of it. Taipei city students usually visit this temple to pray for high scores on their tests.
On my most recent visit to this market, I spotted items such as:
- rice dumplings (粽子 or zongzi)
- stinky tofu
- rice sausages (米腸 or michang)
- steamed chestnuts and corn
- tofu pudding (豆花 or douhua)
- fresh mochi
- fish balls
- fresh flowers bouquets
Food Suggestions
Watch for the Red Turtle Cakes (紅龜粿 or ang-ku-koe in the Taiwanese language), made from sticky rice with red bean inside. There’s also a green version with herbal flavor and brown version made with peanuts.
Locals consider the deep fried oyster balls (蚵嗲 or e die) and rice cake fritters (白糖粿 or baitangguo) at this stall a must in Shuanglian market, so I had to try it. The elderly Taiwanese auntie usually sets up at the northern end of the market.
I got one of each. Oyster balls are a specialty of Chiayi and I always find them delicious. Rice cake fritters are sometimes covered in sugar, but these ones are savoury.
Nanmen Market, Taipei
Nanmen Market (南門市場, here, 7 AM to 7 PM, closed Mondays) is one of the best-known traditional markets in Taipei. It is named after South Gate (南門 or Nanmen), one of the five original gates of the Old City of Taipei.
This indoor traditional market (perfect for rainy days) is conveniently located just a block away from Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. It’s right outside exit 2 of CKS Memorial Hall MRT.
Nanmen Market also dates to the Japanese period – 1907 to be precise. For decades, it has been a go-to place for Taipei people to buy dried staple foods.
Over time, Nanmen developed a reputation as one of THE places to go in Taipei for Lunar New Year specialties (the other main one being Dihua Street).
Therefore, just like Dihua Street, if you visit Nanmen Market in the weeks leading up to Lunar New Year, you will find it packed with locals shopping for LNY goods (年貨 or nianhuo).
From 2019 to 2023, Nanmen Market was moved to a temporary location as the building was closed for renovations.
Now the market is back in the newly constructed building. That means it is now what I believe to be the cleanest traditional market in Taiwan – and fully air-conditioned to boot.
Nanmen Market spans three floors. B1 is focused on fresh meat, produce, and LNY goods. 1F has noodles, dried mushrooms, dried meats, and steamed buns. The 2F has a food court and some clothing shops.
Food Suggestions
Hoshin Pastry and Rice Cake Shop (合興糕糰店, here) at the northeastern corner of 1F is my top spot here. The shop sells some colorful steamed buns, but the real highlight is the steamed rice cakes (鬆糕 or songgao).
These round cakes are similar to Scholar Cakes (狀元糕, see photos of them here), which are shaped like traditional scholars’ hats.
The ones here are shaped like round pucks, but also eaten before exams because gao (糕) sounds like gao (高, or high, for high scores).
I got a sweet osmanthus and black sesame (桂花芝麻) flavored one. It was piping hot (seriously, I burned my mouth), has an interesting texture, and subtle flavor.
In the 2F food court, Hehuan Knife Cut Noodles (合歡刀削麵館, here) draws a constant line of locals.
Also read about the most famous night markets in Taipei: Raohe, Shilin, Tonghua, Ningxia, Huaxi, and Nanjichang.
Renai Market, Keelung
Hopping over to Keelung, Northern Taiwan’s main port city, most people know it for the excellent Keelung Night Market.
But in the daytime, it’s all about Renai Market (仁愛市場, here, 8 AM to 5 PM), just a few blocks away from the port and night market.
Like the last two markets, Renai Market dates to the Japanese period (1909) and has changed names over time. Some Keelungers simply call it Big Market (大市場).
The current 10-storey building dates to the mid-1980s, and indeed it is massive.
More than 500 stalls occupy the market space on the first and second floors, spilling out onto the street outside, and even into an adjacent building via a 2F pedestrian walkway.
Keelung being a port town, you can expect to see a lot of fish and seafood here. (Note: Kanziding Fish Market (崁仔頂漁市, here) nearby has an all-night fish auction, which reaches its peak at 4-6 AM).
But the best thing about Renai Market is that much of the second floor consists of mini restaurants and food stalls – many of which serve sushi and Japanese food (often with a Taiwanese twist).
For this reason, several local food bloggers consider Renai Market a hidden gem for foodies. A part of me wants to pick up and move to Keelung as I write this.
Food Suggestions
Based on suggestions from members of my Facebook group, I sought out a sushi restaurant called 鈺刺身丼 (here, stall D43, tucked away in a corner of 2F).
Wow, was this sushi shop ever worth the search! I went all-out with an order of flame torched sushi (炙燒壽司) AND a sashimi donburi (刺身丼飯). It was insanely fresh and high value.
I had to wait in a line to get in here, but it didn’t take long. The menu is in Mandarin, so get your translation app ready if needed.
For traditional vegetarian food, try this stall at D33, 2F.
Chenghuang Temple Market, Hsinchu
Hsinchu Chenghuang Temple (新竹都城隍廟 or Hsinchu City God Temple, here) is an ancient and very important temple at the heart of Hsinchu, with origins going back to 1747.
The temple is famous for the noisy City God Inspection Parade, which takes place in the 7th month of the lunar calendar (“Ghost Month”).
Over time, food stalls popped up and spread out around the temple – this is how many daytime and night markets are born.
And Chenghuang Temple Market is both – I visited around lunchtime to find tons of food stalls open, while at night, it becomes Chenghuang Temple Night Market. So for this one, the best times to come are lunchtime or the evening.
The food stalls are so tightly packed around Chenghuang Temple that only the roof is visible from the outside. Once I entered, it felt like a maze of food – I love it!
The market is connected to Hsinchu Central Market (新竹中央市場, here) to the south, which is more like the usual meat, produce, and household goods market – that area would be busier in the morning.
Food Suggestions
I highly recommend the “thick thick soup” (稠稠的羹, pronounced “gege gee” in the Taiwanese language) at this stall (10:20 AM to 8:30 PM) near one of the exits. This is a Hsinchu-only specialty of thick soup with squid, crispy pork, celery, and cabbage, with a hint of sweetness.
I also loved the deep fried taro balls I tried here, a stall on the northern outer perimeter of the market. The stall doesn’t open till 2 PM.
The market is also known for its Taiwanese meatballs (肉圓 or bawan), which are made from pork, bamboo and mushrooms in a translucent, starchy skin and are served with a sweet and savory red sauce.
Also read about Neiwan Old Street in Hsinchu, which features delicious Hakka specialties.
Second Market, Taichung
Continuing our journey south, we end up at Taichung’s Second Market (第二市場, here, 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM, closed Mondays).
This was one of five numbered markets built during the Japanese period (1917), originally focusing on higher-end foodstuffs and luxury goods.
After Japanese rule, the market continued but as a traditional Taiwanese one. It’s still in the same cool original building today. The building has alleys radiating out from a hexagonal tower in the middle, including one with a small temple.
The building features some red brick walls characteristic of Japanese times and street-side covered arcades (騎樓 or qilou).
Today, Second Market is the best-known of the original five – the others have been converted for other purposes or still house markets but aren’t as interesting.
The best time to visit Second Market is from breakfast till lunch, when it’s most active. It has a mix of food ingredients and hot, ready-to-eat foods.
It’s about a 10-minute walk from popular Taichung attractions such as Miyahara Eye Clinic, Chun Shui Tang Original Store, and Taichung Park.
Food Suggestions
A Yue Sushi (阿月壽司, here) has excellent sushi, sashimi, miso soup, with options for sitting or take-away.
The white radish cakes (菜頭粿) and glutinous rice sausage (糯米腸) topped with egg at this stall is a classic, hearty local breakfast. It’s open from 6:20 AM, even on Mondays – expect a line of locals.
Last but not least, local foodies rave about the braised pork rice (滷肉飯 or luroufan) at this stall (from 5:30 AM, closed Wednesdays).
At night, try Feng Chia Night Market, the best in Taichung, and one of the country’s largest!
East Public Market, Chiayi
Chiayi, which happens to be my wife’s hometown, is a wonderfully local city in Taiwan.
The same can be said about its oldest and largest market, East Public Market (東公有零售市場, or simply East Market (東市場), here, 5:30 AM to 6:30 PM).
The market dates to around 1900 and currently occupies an aging building in the east of the city, opposite Chiayi’s Chenghuang (City God) Temple.
The stalls spread out into the streets around the market building, especially to its south and east, turning the whole neighborhood into a lively morning market.
In my opinion this is the quintessential Taiwanese wet market – complete with the smells, scooters rushing past, live creatures wriggling in tubs, and foods that might make you squirm.
The market has a mix of ingredients and ready-to-eat foods, leading many to call it the “Kitchen of Chiayi People” (嘉義人的廚房).
It’s a bit of a trek from Chiayi station and most hotels to the market, but if you’re up early in the morning, you can still fit it in before you ride the Alishan Forest Railway to Alishan National Forest Recreation Area – that’s exactly what I did.
Food Suggestions
We’re going super local here. The single most famous food vendor in East Market is A Fu Meat Roll (阿富網絲肉捲, here, 6AM to 12 PM, closed Mondays).
To make the rolls, they wrap caul fat (pig’s stomach lining) around a meat-and-vegetable filling.
I actually showed up just before the 6 AM opening time and waited in line for a full hour to try this – that shows just how much the locals love it.
Was it delicious? Yes. Would I wait that long again? Probably not. Pro tip: there are a few copycat stalls selling the same thing with no line a few steps away.
Another famous stall in the market is Wang Mama’s Beef Offal Soup (王媽媽牛雜湯, here, 6 AM to 1 PM, closed Mondays). This one is deeper inside the market and luckily didn’t take nearly as long.
The stall goes back four generations and some say is the best of its kind in Taiwan. You can choose a specific organ, regular beef meat, or go for the classic mix of everything (牛雜湯) like I did.
You can try other super local specialties, including fish head soup and fried eel, in Chiayi’s Wenhua Road Night Market.
Shuixian Gong & Yongle Markets, Tainan
Shuixian Gong Market (水仙宮市場, here, 6 AM to 12 PM) and Yongle Market (永樂市場, here, 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM) are two connected traditional markets in Tainan, each with their own history and highlights.
The former is named after Shuixian Gong, a temple dedicated to the Water Gods, which is buried here inside the market (read more about Tainan’s temples).
The location of the temple and market has origins going back to the 1700s as a trading spot along a former canal.
Today, Shuixian Gong Market is the largest wet market in Tainan, where locals go to buy their produce and meats.
The long and skinny Yongle Market runs along the east side of Shuixian Gong Market – you could say it’s an extension of it. Locals claim it also has a history going back 300+ years, but there’s no specific founding date.
While parts of Yongle Market are also a wet market, what’s more notable is that there are many small restaurants and ready-to-eat food stalls, especially along Guohua Road, which runs down the eastern edge of the market.
This is a go-to place for trying local Tainan foods anytime of day – some are even open all night.
Food Suggestions
There are very few prepared-food stalls in Shuixian Gong Market, with one notable exception.
Daye Bingjia Fish Shop (達也濱家漁場, here, 9 AM to 2 PM, to 5 PM on weekends, closed Monday and Tuesday) is an exceptionally tasty sushi bar inside the market. When I tried it, there was seating available and the sushi was super fresh.
In Yongle Market, I recommend Yongle Beef Soup (永樂牛肉湯, here, midnight to 9 AM, closed Monday and Tuesday), a classic Tainan dish that you’ll be hard-pressed to find in Taipei, where beef noodles reign.
Beef soup is meant to highlight the freshness of the beef. It comes in a simple broth, with black vinegar and ginger strips for dipping.
Next door to it, I also really enjoyed the rice pudding (碗粿 or whay guay) and thick fish ball soup (魚羹) at Tainan Yi Wei Pin (台南一味品碗粿魚羹, here, 5 AM to 5 PM, closed Tuesdays). Michelin even gave this one a Bib Gourmand award.
You can often see the cooks preparing large numbers of rice pudding bowls in the kitchen area in the small alley behind the shop.
If you didn’t get a chance to taste the famous fish head soup in Chiayi, you can also try it here in Yongle Market.
Locals line up en masse for the Taiwanese burritos (潤餅 or runbing) here at the northern end of the street.
Don’t miss Garden Night Market, the largest and best one in Tainan.
Sanmin Market, Kaohsiung
Like Taipei, Kaohsiung has many traditional markets to choose from, but I’ve gone with Sanmin Market (三民市場, here, 6 AM to 3 PM, quiet on Mondays) for its convenient, central location and wide array of foods.
Sanmin Market is just a few steps from the stunning Sanfong Temple and Sanfong Central Street, Kaohsiung’s main medicinal herb market (like Dihua Street in Taipei).
Read my guide to eating on Sanmin Street for even more information than I’ll provide here.
Sanmin market dates back to Japanese times (no specific founding date) and likely grew as a trading spot along the canal nearby.
This market has it all. In the morning, the indoor wet market and Sanmin Street outside are bustling with locals.
At lunchtime, it’s all about the food vendors running along Sanmin Street. Finally, in the evening, the street becomes Sanmin Street Night Market (here).
Food Suggestions
There are so many delicious foods here that I’ve got a dedicated guide to Sanmin Market. But if you only try a few things:
The fresh mochi I had at Lao Zhou’s Iced and Hot Drinks (老周冷熱飲, here, 10:30 AM to 11:30 PM) were huge and super chewy. I tried one coated in peanut powder and the other black sesame, for TWD 30 a piece.
Further down, I had a fun meal of grilled sausages and the Taiwanese version of oden at 廖家黑輪 (here, 10:30 AM to 9 PM).
For the oden (Japanese-style sticks of foods cooked in a dashi broth), I got to choose my own items and the they cut them up and served them to me.
I also got to add sauces as I wished and take a bowl of the oden soup to go with my meal.
Sanmin Market is also known for its duck meat rice (like Taipei’s chicken rice and Chiayi’s turkey rice). I tried it at Sankuaicuo Duck Rice (三塊厝鴨肉飯, here, open at lunch and dinner).
It came with strips of bamboo and was seriously tasty!
Beichen Market, Penghu
Of all the offshore islands of Taiwan, the largest and best daytime market on any of them is Beichen Market (北辰市場, here, 8:30 AM to 9 PM, from 7 AM on weekends) in Magong, capital of the Penghu Islands.
Beichen Market dates to 1985, when it replaced a smaller, older market. It instantly became the “department store of Penghu” (澎湖的百貨公司), with everything from foods and produce to clothing and household goods.
Despite being “newer”, you’ll still get the classic Taiwanese market vibe here, with narrow aisles, mysterious liquids on the floor, and shouting vendors.
Penghu, which also happens to be my favorite of the offshore islands, is known for its seafood, so you can expect an especially wide variety of it here – both fresh and dried. Come early for the most seafood action.
If you’re staying in Magong, Beichen Market is a great place for breakfast. But many Taiwanese visitors will have the same idea, so you may need to get there early and line up before the items runs out.
Also, just like any other market in Taiwan, I found it great for people watching. I got some nice portraits of locals here.
Foods Suggestions
Old Zhang’s Flaky Pastry Shop (老張燒餅舖, here, 4 AM to 12 PM) is the most famous breakfast shop in the market. It is especially known for its flaky pastries (燒餅 or shaobing) but also has green onion cakes, sticky rice rolls (飯糰 or fantuan), and more.
Other popular foods in the market include pork rib noodles (here) and pan fried buns (here).
Jieshou Shizi Market, Matsu Islands
Last but not least, I’m ending with Jieshou Shizi Market (介壽獅子市場, here) in Jieshou, the main town on Nangan Island, the main island of Matsu Islands.
Matsu Islands are just off the coast of China have long been a military frontline between Taiwan and China.
This market is small, but due to its history and location, it has some unique foods that I haven’t seen elsewhere in Taiwan.
These include jiguang buns (繼光餅), once eaten by Taiwanese soldiers stationed on the island (including my father-in-law!)
They are somewhere between a bagel and steamed bun and often stuffed with egg. Another interesting Matsu-only food is sweet potato dumplings.
The bottom floor is the wet market, featuring mainly produce and seafood, while the second floor is packed with food stalls.
Just like Beichen Market in Penghu, you’ll want to get here early for breakfast, before all the local visitors beat you to it.
Suggested Foods
Qiu Feng Breakfast (秋楓早餐店, here just outside the market, 6 to 9:30 AM) has jiguang buns, oyster omelets, and sweet potato dumplings.
On the second floor, Auntie’s Ding Bian Cuo (阿妹的店鼎邊糊, here, 5:30 AM to 12 PM) has a unique “side of the pot” noodle soup and yan jiao (燕餃), which are cute little pork dumplings. Both dishes are from Fujian, the province next door in China.
Chen Family Oyster Cakes (陳家虫弟餅, here, 6 to 9 AM, closed Mon/Wed/Fri) are made to order and are super yummy.
There are so many other traditional markets in Taiwan. If you have a favorite, please share it in the comments below!
thank you for all the information.
I’ve traveled to Taiwan four times and have lived there for a year. I still always come back to your blog to find new things to do! Thank you so much!
So glad to hear that!