Midnight Munchies

Whether you are bar-hopping or clubbing into the wee hours, hanging out at a friend’s place well past the Taipei Metro’s closing time, or happen to be a garden-variety insomniac, some nights in Taipei never seem to end – and neither does your chance to enjoy some incredible Taiwanese eats. Whether you’re craving hearty beef noodles, sizzling barbecue skewers, or the most famous cold noodles in the city, Taipei’s late-night food scene offers local flavors far beyond the usual overpriced bar snacks.

Congee and Side Dishes

Xiao Ping Kitchen

When the line starts forming in the early evening before Xiao Ping Kitchen’s wooden façade, it’s a sign to passersby that this minimalist eatery is something special. A Michelin Bib Gourmand recommendation that operates through the night, Xiao Ping has become a haven for late-night diners.

Dozens of home-style Taiwanese dishes are prepared daily, which can be paired with congee or white rice and a daily soup. Both congee and xiao chi or “small eats” side dishes are typical of Taiwanese cuisine, with the former commonly used to either settle the stomach or as a base for other items. In rural areas, congee is a ubiquitous breakfast dish.

Signature small plates include dry-braised eggplant, Kung Pao century egg, scrambled eggs with tomato, green beans, and spicy diced chicken. The eatery is especially renowned for its red-braised pork trotter, which is imbued with complex flavor from being slow-cooked in a soy sauce base. Produce-based dishes vary seasonally, ensuring the highest quality. Located near nightlife hotspots at the northern end of central Taipei, Xiao Ping’s exterior resembles an old Japanese wooden house, while the interior is clean and minimalist, featuring wood-trimmed Formica tables and traditional Taiwanese rattan stools.

Xiao Ping Kitchen | 小品雅廚
Tel: (02) 2592-9924
Add: No. 130, Zhongyuan St., Zhongshan Dist., Taipei City
(台北市中山區中原街130號)
Hours: 6pm-5am
Michelin: guide.michelin.com/tw/en/taipei-region/taipei/restaurant/xiao-ping-kitchen

Taiwanese-style Breakfast

Lao Jiang’s House Soy Milk Shop

When you hear someone suggest having “soy milk,” especially after staying out very late, they’re probably suggesting finishing the night (or starting the morning) with more than a drink. Soy milk shops are known for their breakfast-style food available at all hours. Of these, “Lao Jiang’s House” on Yanji Street in the heart of Taipei’s bustling East District is one of the best-known. Open 24 hours, Lao Jiang’s offers a comforting spread of Taiwanese breakfast classics. The savory soy milk soup is a must-try: it’s served in a bowl and topped with slices of fried pastry stick (sometimes called a “Chinese cruller”) and tangy pink pickles. If that’s not your thing, traditional soy milk and tea drinks are available; or try the peanut soy milk, served hot or cold in a mug.

The menu doesn’t stop there, though. Their rice rolls are stuffed with high-quality pork floss and a variety of other filling options. For those craving something starchy, buns, baked sesame shaobing (a flatbread), and egg rolls all have a variety of filling options. Also, don’t miss the soup dumplings and pan-fried turnip cake, rounding out a meal that feels like a warm hug at any hour.

Lao Jiang’s House Soy Milk Shop | 老漿家
Tel: (02) 2779-0602
Add (Yanji Branch): No. 110, Yanji St., Da’an Dist., Taipei City
(台北市大安區延吉街110號)
Hours: 24h
Facebook: facebook.com/topsoymilk

Cold Noodles

Liu Mama Cold Noodle

With just three main menu items and a few tables along a quiet stretch of Civic Boulevard, Liu Mama is an unlikely candidate for cult-like status in Taipei. But when most restaurants are closing, this eatery is just getting started, and the plastic stools at the simple metal tables are always in demand. Taipei night owls come here for the cold sesame noodles – large or small servings, with slivered cucumber and the option of chili sauce – and meatball miso soup with or without egg.

On particularly busy nights, this roadside noodle eatery might well seem to buzz with more life than whatever bar or club patrons have just left, with a rainbow of order tickets from the drinks shop next door adorning the walls. It’s a short walk north of Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and the Taipei Dome, and just east of a cluster of popular bars and restaurants, but Liu Mama predates them all, having served up simple yet delicious fare for about half a century.

Cold sesame noodles are a staple in Taiwan’s humid, subtropical climate. The dish is so simple that it is the quality of ingredients that most matters, and Liu Mama doesn’t disappoint. The sauce is rich and complex, and the noodles al dente, with just the right amount of that chewy “Q” texture so popular in Taiwan. Adding miso and an optional egg drop to an otherwise simple meatball soup creates a memorable depth.

Liu Mama Noodle | 劉媽媽涼麵
Tel: (02) 8787-2093
Add: No. 37, Sec. 5, Civic Blvd., Songshan Dist., Taipei City
(台北市松山區市民大道五段37號)
Hours: Wed-Mon 9:30pm-9am (Tue until 5am)
IG: instagram.com/explore/locations/13466/liu-ma-ma-liang-mian

Pork Knuckles and Side Dishes

Simon Noodle Shop

Just steps from the bustling Ximending Commercial District, Simon Noodle Shop has been a local institution for over 60 years. Open through the night most nights, this unassuming hole-in-the-wall draws lines of people well past midnight. The interior boasts retro hand-painted movie posters, including a mural of the Taiwan 1959 classic Brother Wang and Brother Liu Tour Taiwan adorning the back wall.

With just eight tables, bar-hoppers, teens studying late for exams, graveyard-shift workers, overflow from nearby karaoke joints, and Wanhua District’s insomniac aunties and uncles sit cheek-by-jowl to gulp down not only noodles but pig trotters, rice dishes, and wontons as well. Those in the know also pick up some of the shop’s pineapple cakes or other small pastries.

The trotters, served over rice or à-la-carte and labeled as “soul-stirring” on the menu, are the true star of the show here, with some reviewers describing their dark braising as “black gold.” Other popular dishes are braised pork rice with poached egg, cold sesame noodles, spicy wontons, beef noodles, and beef noodle soup. Side dishes are unapologetically old-school: think braised tofu or duck egg, tofu with tiny anchovies, boiled peanuts, and century egg.

Simon Noodle Shop | 西門麵店
Tel: (02) 2375-3712
Add: No. 35, Neijiang St., Wanhua Dist., Taipei City
(台北市萬華區內江街35號)
Hours: Mon 12am-3:30pm
Tue 12am-3:30pm, 4pm-12am
Thu-Sat 24hr
Sun 12am-5am
FB: www.facebook.com/simonnoodleshop

Beef Noodles

Xiao Wu Knife-cut Beef Noodles

At the other (north) end of Ximending, close to the North Gate heritage attraction, a clutch of beef noodle stalls is found around the block on the east side of the Luoyang Street/Xining Road intersection. Each has its loyal customers, but Xiao Wu stands out for its 24hr service and generous portions.

Although beef noodles originated with Chinese immigrant communities who settled in Taiwan after 1949, they have become a hallmark of Taiwanese cuisine and are popular with locals and tourists alike. Today, Taiwanese beef noodles pair Sichuan-style braised beef with local flavors and variations, including dry versions, beef offal soup, tomato-based broth, or beef soup with noodles but no meat slices.

Of the various types of noodles that may be used, knife-cut noodles are likely the most popular. Xiao Wu’s knife-cut beef noodles are known for their chewy “Q” mouthfeel, tender cuts of beef, and a well-balanced broth fragrant with Chinese spices. Small side-dish plates are also available, and their beef dumplings are another popular choice. The main dining area is mostly taken up by a long, communal table flanked by stools. On these tables, you’ll find black vinegar, chili bean sauce, and pickled green vegetables, all popular additions to beef noodle soup. Xiao Wu’s signature accouterment, however, is the spiced “beef butter,” rendered from beef fat and packed with umami. The bright-orange version adds a savory, spicy kick; the darker version is packed with chili and not for the faint of heart.

Xiao Wu Knife-cut Beef Noodles | 小吳刀切牛肉麵
Tel: (02) 2371-3201
Add: No. 45-11, Luoyang St., Wanhua Dist., Taipei City
(台北市萬華區洛陽街45-11號)
Hours: 24hr

Four-Herb Soup

A-Tong A-Bao Four-Herb Soup

For those who want a healthier late-night meal, A-Tong A-Bao Four-Herb Soup serves up its signature dish until 5am, closing for only a few hours in the morning. Located in Taipei’s historic Dadaocheng neighborhood, the eatery has been in business since 1977, keeping it old school with white-tiled walls and stainless-steel tables.

Four Herbs Soup (lit. Four Gods Soup) is an herbal medicine concoction that has become a comfort food staple, especially during Taiwan’s short but damp winter. The “four herbs” refer to the medicinal properties of lotus seeds, Chinese yam, poria mushroom, and prickly water lily seeds, which are said to aid digestion, reduce excess moisture in the body, support kidney function, and combat fatigue. Although variations exist, in Taiwan Four Herbs Soup is typically fortified with a type of barley called Job’s tears and either pork intestine or ribs.

Unlike more filling meals such as sesame or beef noodles, dumplings, and rice rolls, the soup is rarely eaten on its own. A-Tong A-Bao lets you pair your soup with pork buns, dumplings, leaf-wrapped rice dumplings, or fish balls. The pork buns and rice dumplings are packed with flavor and are especially popular.

A-Tong A-Bao Four-Herb Soup | 阿桐阿寶四神湯
Tel: (02) 2557-6926
Add: No. 151, Minsheng W. Rd., Datong Dist., Taipei City
(台北市大同區民生西路151號)
Hours: 11am-5am
FB: www.facebook.com/atongabao

Barbecue

Xie Xie Barbecue

A retro neon sign bearing the restaurant’s name – “Xie Xie,” meaning “Thank You” – greets patrons at this popular Taiwanese barbecue joint in an alleyway near Neihu District’s Huguang Market. Xie Xie looks new, but the original shop opened over thirty years ago in the central city of Changhua. The son of the original owners opened his own restaurant in northern Taipei, and they’ve been selling some of the best Taiwanese barbecue treats here ever since.

The interior is a modern take on 1960s design, with terrazzo-like mosaic-tile floors, plants, mid-century chairs, and pendant lights. The dining process is similar to street-stall barbecue: choose your items from trays piled with skewers, paying NT$20-70 per item. Xie Xie holds the time-honored tradition of offering just about every part of the chicken, including drumsticks, wings, and lean meat, but also chicken feet, gizzards, hearts, and skin. Taiwanese-style tempura, Kaoliang sausage, bacon rolls, meatballs, and various tofu and vegetable options are also available.

Drinks at Xie Xie lean towards the traditional: osmanthus plum oolong tea, roselle tea, grass jelly tea, and soda are among the non-alcoholic options, with Taiwan Gold Medal Beer and craft beer available for those who imbibe.

Xie Xie Barbecue | 謝謝台味炭烤
Tel: (02) 2792-5586
Add: No. 7, Aly, 25, Ln. 61, Sec. 4, Chenggong Rd., Neihu Dist., Taipei City
(台北市內湖區成功路4段61巷25弄7號)
Hours: 4pm-11:30pm
FB: www.facebook.com/hsiehhsiehU