where jess ate

While Shilin Night Market may be the most well-known night market in Taipei, I actually preferred the smaller Raohe Street Night Market.

Located in the Songshan district, a short walk away from Songshan subway station, Raohe is nowhere as large as Shilin. However, my preference for Raohe stems from two reasons: 1) Raohe basically consists of one long stretch of streets with two aisles (no getting lost!) and 2) Raohe was more food-focused with less shopping. If you like a mix of shopping and food, Shilin may be more your cup of tea.

Right when you enter the night market, you have to get in line for the Black Pepper Meat Buns, easily the most popular vendor in the market. Don’t let the intimidating line steer you away, I assure you, you won’t regret it!

We watched as the assembly line made the buns, madly trying to keep up with the crowd. They cook them in an oven that resembles an Indian tandoor.

When you finally get your buns, don’t be too eager to bite into them. They are HOT! The buns consist of a biscuit-like pastry stuffed with a delicious meat filling that contains a generous amount of black pepper. This was easily my favourite dish of all the night market eats we had during the trip.

While walking through the market, we noticed several vendors selling Herbal Pork Rib Soup. It didn’t look particularly appetizing – brown ribs sitting in a murky brown liquid, but it seemed to be really popular. These vendors had tables and chairs set up for their customers and they were packed!

I was also a little hesitant since it was pretty damn hot out and I really wasn’t in the mood for a hot bowl of soup. I’m happy to report, it was well worth it. While the ribs themselves weren’t particularly noteworthy (there wasn’t a ton of meat on them), the broth was intensely rich and delicious.

Something that caught my eye was the Fukushima Circle Pie. This Japanese-inspired treat was essentially an okonomiyaki  but thicker and heavier.

As the pie was being cooked, they cracked an egg into it and topped it with ham. Once the pie was ready, they finished it off with takoyaki sauce, bonito flakes and wasabi (optional). Very satisfying!

For something a little lighter, we had some Pig Ears. Served cold, this crunchy snack was just what we needed after the heavy pie and hot soup.

The last thing we had at Raohe Night Market was a Grilled Taiwanese Sausage. I couldn’t get enough of these sweet sausages. The stalls in this night market had condiments you can brush onto them – I used a spicy garlic sauce. Delish!

We had such a great time at the Raohe Street Night Market. Highly recommended for visiting foodies!