迪化街 Dihua street is a hugely popular area, especially around Chinese New Year Holiday in Taipei. But, what about the rest of the year? Is there anything actually worth checking out over there?
It’s safe to say that it definitely remains busy year-round selling all sorts of Chinese herbs, Taiwanese souvenirs and a vast variety of different traditional Taiwanese food.
If you are looking for places to visit in Taipei, check out the following post:
7 unforgettable Taipei Places to visit in 2023 if you only have 48 hours!
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Yongle Market
Walking towards Yongle Market from Dihua street in Taipei, you'll stumble across many Chinese medicine shops like this one. Expect to see just about everything you'd expect to see, and many others that you might not expect. Shark fin, dried mushrooms, birds nest, antlers, dried roots of pretty much every single kind you could (or couldn't) think of, and everything else.
Before reaching the end of Dihua old steet, the left side of the street opens up and 永樂市場 Yongle market Taipei comes into view. The market is perennially buzzing with tourists, regulars, locals, and everything in-between.
A more recent addition to the outside of Yongle market in Taipei is also a long row of stalls of creatives and independent businesses looking to sell their hand-crafted goods for you, too.
There are a couple of good sushi restaurants in Yongle market that are teeming with people. I've eaten at one before, and thought it was pretty good, too! In terms of street food and market food in this Taipei market, you're not going to go far wrong here.
Also sitting pretty right near the main entrance is this steamed bun spot that we will regularly frequent for our breakfast steamed bun. The layered buns are great value for money with a great flavour.
Dadaocheng is the historical area you should explore, if you are looking for a tour, here are some good options for you:
Cisheng Temple is in walking distance from Dihua street, you should go there and enjoy some legit Taiwanese food, check out the following post for more:
Taipei City – CiSheng Temple 慈聖宮 and everything delicious for a Taiwanese breakfast!
What did we eat?
We settled down to this bustling 米粉湯 mǐ fěn tāng Rice noodle soup restaurant/stall. There are a lot of people, and you just have to sit wherever.
What we ordered at YongLe Market:
米粉湯 mǐ fěn tāng Rice noodle soup
炸蚵仔 zhà kē zī Fried Oysters
炸紅燒肉 zhà hóng shāo ròu Fried red braised pork
米粉湯 mǐ fěn tāng Rice noodle soup $40
Rice noodle soup is a great alternative for those times when you are completely fed up of rice and noodles. Even though it's essentially a mix of both, it has a different texture and flavour. Rice noodles can be varying thicknesses, but these ones are of a medium thickness for rice noodles. Within the soup there is also pieces of tuna and some fried onion. The broth is clean, has a mild fish taste and isn't too greasy. The rice noodles themselves are well cooked: still a slight resistance in the centre of the noodle. When rice noodle soup is done well, its wonderful. When it isn't, its a sad day. But, don't worry, this bowl is done very well!
炸蚵仔 zhà kē zī Fried Oysters $60
I'm a fairly recent convert to Oysters upon arriving in Taiwan. Whenever I see them now, I will give serious thought in whether to order them or not. However, prior to coming to Taiwan, I had a bad experience with them so I would completely ignore them on a menu.
These oysters are deep fried in a crispy batter. Such is the texture of oyster, that the middle remains silky smooth and soft, whilst the outside has a good crunch to it. The flavour of the oyster is very good indeed: slightly salty, strong fish taste but also a creamy consistency. There is a really good portion of oysters here, and coupled with the mildly sweet sauce and the spicy ginger, it is a triumph.
炸紅燒肉 zhà hóng shāo ròu Fried red braised pork $60
Red braised pork is quite common throughout Taiwan. It originates in China, and uses pork belly. Originally, it was slowly braised so much so that the fat melted, and served atop rice. However, this variation doesn't use belly, but still uses the original spices. It is lightly fried so it is crispy and the middle remains moist. With noodles or rice, or rice noodle soup, it makes for a good meat accompaniment!
As far as prices are concerned, I can only hazard a guess at the individual costing as there are no visible price signs. Overall the meal cost us $140. Therefore, I would think that each bowl of rice noodle soup is around $30, then each other small plate would be $40. It isn't going to break the bank, that's for sure!
The bottom line
Is it worth it? Yongle Market is well worth it for many reasons. The market itself is great, and well worth walking around. But in terms of food, if sushi isn't your thing, then this noodle soup and fried pork is definitely worth a go.
What's the best dish? 米粉湯 mǐ fěn tāng Rice noodle soup. It's easy to find an average rice noodle soup in Taipei. But to find a good one isn't so easy, this definitely falls into that category. I would strongly recommend it, if you're in the area.
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