Though long seen as one of the world’s great food-culture metropolises, Taipei, the Taiwanese capital, can seem like déjà-vu at first taste to newcomers.
Sure, the quirky convenience store mascots and Beethoven-playing garbage trucks found in the Ximending neighborhood have a similar appeal to the cast of cartoon-ish characters that inhabit Tokyo Station.
And the open-air food stalls hawking fried taro balls and oyster omelets found in the city’s many night markets, one could theoretically argue, echo Bangkok’s after-dark street-cuisine scene.
But make no mistake: Taipei has a thrilling identity entirely of its own.
Today, a reimagining of slow-life traditions and a fresh locavore mindset is palpable everywhere, from buzzy restaurants highlighting the cooking techniques of Taiwan’s many Indigenous groups and tucked-away teahouses to new hot bath hotels in the volcanic hills just outside the city.
Renewed excitement around architectural heritage has also sprung alive, with abandoned warehouses increasingly being transformed into shopping-and-art playpens. Most notably, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, a former tobacco factory that is now a sprawling made-in-Taiwan shopping destination.
In short, it’s a new time for Taipei.
Flavor City
Morning Fix
In Taiwan, breakfast is a big deal. This is especially true in Taipei, where office workers crowd around take-out joints and hole-in-the-wall diners for steamed buns and pancake-like egg rolls.
