This is your ultimate Shilin Night Market Michelin Guide. Search for largest night market in Taiwan on Google and you will find Shilin Night Market, 士林夜市 (Shìlín Yèshì) sitting comfortably on the first page
With history dating back to 1899 Shilin truly lives up to its title with over 539 stalls in its main building which doesn’t even include the numerous surrounding restaurants filing up the side streets and alleyways
And so suffice to say that if it’s your first time or even first time in a while, deciding what and where to eat can be slightly overwhelming
But if those are your concerns well then this article is FOR YOU as today I will be taking you on a little Shilin Night Market Michelin Tour to try out all FOUR of their stalls that are on the Michelin bib gourmand list.
Almost everything on the menu will also be in Chinese and so if you dont already read Chinese fear not as I will also be telling you the names of the dishes at each of these Michelin rated stalls in English, Chinese and pinyin aka chinese phonetics so that you can order despite any language barriers!
Additionally all the michelin rated stalls that are featured in this video also open and closed on different days so I will also tell you the BEST day to go to Shilin if you want to try all four!
Basically by the end of this you will be navigating yourself through Taiwan’s LARGEST night market like a local expert!
By the way this article is basically an excerpt of my youtube video which you can watch above instead if you prefer your information in video form (dont forget to subscribe while you’re there!)
Otherwise, lets get into it!
What to know about Shilin Night Market
If you’ve never been to the Shilin Night Markets here are some things you need to know
Shilin comprises of TWO distinct sections, the old Shilin market building that contains food vendors and small restaurants, the building also has a food court that is home to 539 stalls
The second portion of Shilin are the surrounding businesses and shops
They are open 7 days a week from 4PM all the way to midnight
Although not everything is open at 4pm i definitely recommend getting there before 7pm to try out some the more popular michelin rated stalls as it does get really busy from 7pm onwards
You will want to bring cash and in particular lots of small change as many of these stalls operate on cash only
Also as this market is quite big I have included individual Google Map pins for each of the michelin rated stalls in following sections so that you can easily locate it
How to get to Shilin Night Market
Speaking of directions Shilin Night Markets is located in the Shilin district
The closest station is Jiantan station which is located on the red Tamsui Xinyi line and also right across the road from the Taipei Performing Arts Center
the Shilin Night market is a mere 4 minute walk from the station
There are however multiple ways to get there depending on where you’re traveling from and as such I have included the Google map pin here so that you can plan your travel accordingly
1. Good Friend Cold Noodles (好朋友涼麵)
I visited right at the start of Taiwan summer and so this was the perfect place to start our Shilin Night Market Michelin tour
We are at Good Friend Cold Noodles (好朋友涼麵 – Hǎo péngyǒu liáng miàn)
I got there around 5pm and their dining area was already full
You are here for a bowl of taiwanese cold noodles liang mian, a wildly popular Taiwanese dish
The dish comprises of thick noodles topped of with the stall’s signature thick peanut sauce and julienned cucumbers
You can also ask them for add in spice but that’s optional
The small bowl cost 50 TWD while the larger serving is 65 TWD, 1.60 US and 2.10 US respectively
I got the smaller serving as we are still at the beginning of this food tour and instantly wished that I got the larger bowl from the first bite
The noodles acted as a perfect vessel for the peanut sauce, I also added in some spice and highly recommend you do that as well
I polished off the entire thing in less than 5 minutes, definitely recommend you start with this when you visit Shilin
They are located at 31 Danan Road, I have included the Google map pin here and they are open from 4.30pm to 11.30pm on all days apart from Thursdays
2. Chung Chia Sheng Jian Bao (鍾家原上海生煎包)
Zhong Jia steamed buns aka Zhōng jiā yuán shànghǎi shēng jiān bāo serves up a taiwanese street food favorite, Sheng Jian Bao which directly translates to freshly steamed bun
I immediately spotted the long queue for this stall when I turned onto Xiaodong street in Shilin
The buns are first lined in an oiled shallow flat pan, water is then poured and sprayed on the buns before the entire pan is covered to ensure the buns are cooked evenly
The result are buns that have a soft pillowy texture on the top thanks to the steaming process and a crunch bottom part due to the frying of the pan
There are 2 variations of the bun, the pork buns and the vegetable buns
They cost 32 TWD or slightly over a dollar US
I got both and fair warning the buns contain quite a bit of juice so bite in carefully, I didn’t and got pork soup all over my hands and arms
Also as they are freshly made I would suggest to wait a few minutes before consuming as they are HOT!
Chung Chia steamed buns Chung Chia Sheng Jian Bao is located at 38 Xiaodong Street in Shilin
They are open from 3 to 10pm on all days apart from Wednesdays and I have included the google map location for the store here so you can locate it with ease!
3. Hai You Pork Ribs (海友十全排骨)
The entrance to this next Michelin rated food spot is lined with pictures of celebrities who have visited the store during the 50 years it has been opened for as well as its multiple Michelin Bib Gourmand awards
It is pretty hard to miss from its huge yellow and read signage to the herbal aromas wafting from the huge vats of boiling soup lining the entrance
Hai You Pork Ribs 海友十全排骨 is hugely popular with locals and tourists alike
You are here for their herbal soup which if you’re Malaysia/Singapore you’ll find this reminescent of bak kut teh though i found this be a more leveled up version of bak kut teh flavor wise
This bowl of pork ribs herbal soup cost just 100 TWD or 3 US dollars, it is made from over 15 herbs and simmered for many hours
The result is this soup that is jam packed with flavours and super tender pork ribs
I visited in summer but this bowl of soup was still so comforting to eat in part thanks to the air conditioning of the store
I have to say though I’m already looking forward to coming back here in winter when the soup is going to be the perfect comfort food
Hai You Pork Ribs is located at 49 Dadong Road and are open from 3pm to midnight every day apart from Tuesday, as always I have included the Google map pin here for your convenience
4. A Hui Vermicelli (阿輝麵線)
Ah hui vermicelli aka ah hui mian xian is the only Michelin stall we’re visiting that is located on the main night market strip in Shilin and so was by far the one with the LONGEST queue
You are here for another Taiwanese street eats classic vermicelli noodles aka mian xian or Mee Sua
The vermicelli noodles are cooked in a soup that is thickened with potato flour and flavored with vinegar, chili oil, garlic and white pepper
This version of mee suah is cooked with squid and pork intestines
The queue moves almost as quick as the lightning scooping skills of the store staff as they serve up cups of their flagship noodles
Before you know it you are seated at the steps of the temple right behind this store consuming this delicious delicacy
This cup of mee suah cost 55 TWD which is less than 2 US dollars and is definitely 10/10 in my books
They are located at 52 Danan Road (pin here) and are open from 3.30 to 11.30pm every single day!
But before we talk about best day to visit Shilin Night market here are some honorable mentions
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Uncle Shilin
There are no dessert spots listed on the Michelin bib gourmand list for shilin but I never ever forget dessert And so
At the recommendation of my local friend I decided to check out Uncle Shilin Bean Curd, 士林伯豆花 (Shi lin bo douhua)
You can get their bean curd or just shaved ice and choose from their large variety of toppings
I might be a bit biased due to the hot weather but this was so good!
Hot-Star Fried Chicken (豪大大雞排)
While its not on the Michelin bib gourmand list there is quite possibly no other taiwanese street food more well known internationally than the hot star fried chicken aka Háo dàdà jī pái
and even locally as it turns out as evidenced by this long queue
Their signature dish is this super sized chicken cutlet and they are located at 115 Jihe Road and open daily from 3.30 pm to midnight
Best Day to visit Shilin Night
And as for the best day to visit the Shilin Night Market ? lets do the math shall we?
Good Friend Cold Noodles is closed on Thursdays
Chung Chia steamed buns? closed on Wednesdays
Hai You Pork Ribs is closed on Tuesdays
while A Hui Vermicelli and Hot star fried chicken are open 7 days week which means that the best days to visit the market are Fridays to Mondays!
Outro
If this little food tour has got you night market curious I’ve also covered a total of TEN michelin rated stalls at Raohe Night Market and Ningxia Night Market, you can check them out next!
If you have any further questions or anything else you wanna say dont forget to leave me a comment in the comment section of the YouTube video or follow me on Instagram and Tiktok!
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