Night Market6 min read · Taipei

Shilin vs Raohe — which market is actually better?

Every visitor to Taipei asks this question. The honest answer: they're better at different things. Here's how to decide.

Shilin 士林

The biggest. The most famous.

✓ Enormous underground food court
✓ Huge variety — 100+ stalls
✓ Iconic large-format fried chicken
✓ Easy MRT access (Jiantan station)
✗ Very crowded — especially weekends
✗ Some stalls have gone tourist-trap
✗ Quality is inconsistent

Raohe 饒河

Smaller, older, more authentic.

✓ Linear layout — easy to walk end-to-end
✓ Higher average quality per stall
✓ Famous pepper bun (胡椒餅)
✓ Backed by Ciyou Temple — great atmosphere
✗ Smaller selection overall
✗ Still gets crowded Friday/Saturday
✗ Less accessible by MRT (Songshan station)

The verdict

Go to Shilin if...

You want the full night market experience, have a group with varied tastes, or this is your only night market stop in Taiwan. The underground food court alone is worth the visit once.

Go to Raohe if...

You've been to a night market before, want to eat well rather than everywhere, or you're going on a weeknight and want a more relaxed experience. Raohe rewards repeat visitors.

Actually, go to Ningxia if...

You care most about food quality. Ningxia Night Market (寧夏夜市) is smaller than either and rarely mentioned in tourist guides — which is exactly why the vendors try harder.

What to eat at each

At Shilin

🍗 XXL fried chicken (大雞排) — the original
🥚 Oyster omelette — multiple vendors compete
🍢 Stinky tofu — deep fried, with pickled cabbage
🧁 Strawberry mochi — seasonal, March–May

At Raohe

🥮 Fuzhou pepper bun (福州胡椒餅) — queue for it
🦐 Shrimp roll (蝦捲) — better than Shilin's version
🍡 Taiwanese sausage with sticky rice (大腸包小腸)
🥤 Fresh sugarcane juice — pressed to order