Ask ten people for Taipei's best night market and you'll get ten different answers, usually depending on which neighbourhood they stayed in first. We've eaten our way through the city's best over several trips — with kids in tow, which means a lot of grazing and not much sitting down. Here's our honest ranking, what's actually worth queueing for, and what a family can expect to spend.
1. Shilin Night Market The classic
The one everyone means when they say "night market." Shilin is enormous, chaotic, brightly lit and exactly what you picture — and it earns the hype. The underground food court is the easiest place to start if the crowds upstairs feel like too much with kids. Don't miss the giant fried chicken cutlet (bigger than your face, genuinely), oyster omelette, and bubble tea from one of the original stalls that claim to have invented it.
A guided food tour hits the best stalls first, in order, without the trial and error.
See Shilin food tours on Klook →2. Raohe Street Night Market Most atmospheric
Taipei's oldest night market, and our pick for atmosphere — a single long, covered street lined with lanterns, bookended by temples at both ends. Smaller and easier to navigate with children than Shilin. The famous hu jiao bing (black pepper bun), baked in a coal-fired oven right at the stall, is worth the queue on its own.
Raohe is often paired with the nearby Ciyou Temple on guided evening food walks.
Find Raohe tours on Klook →Grazing your way through Taipei's night markets is half the fun of the whole trip.
3. Ningxia Night Market Best for food purists
Compact, entirely food-focused, and locally considered one of the most authentic markets left in the city. Less flashy than Shilin, but the quality-to-crowd ratio is the best in Taipei. Try the milkfish porridge and the stewed pork rice — both Taipei comfort-food staples that rarely make it onto tourist-market lists elsewhere.
Already picturing it?
WayTally turns this whole itinerary — markets, trains and hotels — into one running total in your own currency, so you can see the real cost before you book a thing.
Start planning in WayTally4. Shida Night Market Best for students & fashion
Tucked beside National Taiwan Normal University, Shida is smaller and quieter than the big-name markets, with a younger, campus-town feel. Alongside the usual snack stalls it's known for cheap clothing and accessories, making it a good stop if the kids want to browse as much as eat. Try the wheel cakes (red bean or custard-filled griddle pastries) fresh off the press.
5. Nanjichang Night Market Most local
The one almost no tourists find, and exactly why locals love it. Nanjichang sits in a residential pocket of Wanhua district with none of the crowd-management or souvenir stalls of the bigger markets — just genuinely excellent, no-frills food. The scallion pancake and braised pork rice here are locally regarded as some of the best in the city. A great pick for a calmer evening with younger kids, or a second night market if you've already done the big three.
It's not just food — the game stalls are half the fun for kids
Every market on this list is threaded through with old-school game stalls, and for kids they're often the highlight of the night. Look out for marble-shooting games and ring toss, coin-pusher machines, air rifle balloon-popping stalls, and rows of claw machines stuffed with plush toys and snacks. There are usually a few stalls selling cheap toys, keychains and knick-knacks too, which make for an easy, inexpensive souvenir kids can pick out themselves. None of it costs much per go, but it adds up fast if you let it run — see the budgeting tip below.
What a family night out actually costs
| Item | NT$ | US$ |
|---|---|---|
| Big-ticket snacks (fried chicken cutlet, oyster omelette) | 100–120 | 3.10–3.70 |
| Small stalls (skewers, buns, tofu, drinks) | 40–80 | 1.25–2.50 |
| Bubble tea | 50–70 | 1.55–2.20 |
| Typical grazing dinner, family of four | 900–1,400 | 28–43 |
Three things worth booking before you go
- An evening food tour for your first market — worth it purely to learn what's good before you're standing in front of forty stalls with hungry kids
- A Taiwan eSIM — translation apps and stall photos of menus are doing a lot of work when you can't read the signage
- An MRT day pass — all five markets on this list are a short walk from a Taipei Metro station, so a day pass covers your whole night-market crawl
An eSIM lands active before you touch down — no counter queue on arrival.
Check Taiwan eSIMs on Klook →Plan your Taipei trip in minutes
Drop in the markets your family wants to hit, and watch the real total build in your own currency.
Open WayTallySome links in this guide are affiliate links — if you book through them, WayTally may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only ever link to things we'd happily send our own family to, and it helps keep these guides free to read. Prices reflect typical 2026 rates and were checked in July 2026; exchange rates and stall prices shift, so always confirm before booking.