where jess ate

Located in Keelung (pronounced ‘jee-lung), Miaokou Night Market is known for being one of the best night markets for food.

Centred around the Dianji Temple, the night market is located a short walk away from the Keelung train station. It’s a 50 minute train ride from Taipei or half an hour by car.

As Keelung is located along the water, there’s an incredible selection of seafood. Despite the temptation, we weren’t brave enough to try any of it. The raw seafood was just sitting on ice in the sweltering heat – no refrigerators! It was a long ride back to Taipei and we didn’t want to risk it.

It wasn’t too busy when we arrived around 6pm but I bet it gets a lot crazier once night falls. And like most night markets, a trip here won’t break the bank. The street food is dirt cheap!

Here’s a look at what the Miaokou Night Market has to offer:

Wandering the streets of the night market

Many vendors have set up folding tables and stools for their customers

This night market features a large selection of seafood

More seafood!

And deep fried seafood

More deliciousness

Thick Crab Soup. This was essentially a bowl of shark fin soup but minus the shark fin.

Lu Rou Fan. This famous Taiwanese dish features braised pork belly on steamed rice. The braised pork belly was incredibly fragrant and I really enjoyed the sauce. I licked up every grain of rice which soaked up all the sauce. The best part? It cost the equivalent of $1 CAD!

Nutritious Sandwich. This ironically named sandwich vendor is one of the most popular stalls at the night market. The sandwich consists of cucumbers, tomatoes, cubed ham and hard boiled eggs stuffed into a deep fried bun. Oh, and it’s topped with a generous amount of mayo. So yeah, super nutritious! I was a little skeptical but this turned out to be surprisingly delicious. The long lines are definitely warranted.

Pao Pao Bing. To end off our visit we dropped by this shaved ice vendor for a sweet treat. Shaved ice is a popular dessert in Taiwan and normally consists of a bowl of shaved ice topped with sweet ingredients. But what sets Pao Pao Bing apart is that the toppings are mixed into the ice itself. We tried their coffee flavour and was impressed with the creamy consistency of the dessert. Delish!

We visited several night markets during our Taipei trip and food-wise, this one was most memorable. While Miaokou Night Market isn’t in Taipei, it’s worth the trip to Keelung!