Taipei has four railway stations – in order from west to east, Wanhua, Taipei, Songshan, and Nangang. In the vicinity of each are many long-established traditional eateries well worth a traveler’s time. Let’s start with Wanhua Station. After exiting, a walk of about five minutes through the neighboring alleys will bring you to a popular old traditional spot called “Li Zhu Assorted Noodles” (麗珠什錦麵). The house specialty, noodle soup with assorted meats and vegetables, features a soup stock that is fresh and very tasty, and a savory medley of seafood and greens that nicely complement the oil noodles. Among the various side dishes on offer are fried pork ribs and deep-fried crispy oysters. Continue walking toward Manka Lungshan Temple (艋舺龍山寺) and you’ll see two places where Bangka Boulevard (艋舺大道) and Heping West Road (和平西路) meet, “Manka A-Wan’s Glutinous Oil Rice” (艋舺阿萬油飯) and “Chen’s Specialty Oyster Vermicelli” (陳記專業蚵仔麵線), both specializing in traditional flavors. You’ll relish the glutinous oil rice covered in soy-braising stew stock, accompanied by crispy-fried pork ribs in soup, as well as a bowl of vermicelli loaded with plump oysters and chunks of soy-braised large pork intestine, both favorites with hungry local foodies.

Restaurants near the Taipei Main Station obviously cater to commuting students and office workers, and most offer substantial meals at moderate prices. At “Good Taste Hong Kong-Style Roast Meat” (好味港式燒臘), the signature dishes are roast pork with rice, roast duck with rice, and “three treasures” rice (三寶飯); the three treasures are roast pork, roast duck, and scallion-oil chicken. At this long-popular spot, for a meal you’ll inevitably get change back from a NT$100 bill. At Beiping Gardens: Chinese Meat Pies and Porridge (北平田園餡餅粥), opened in 1976, the gourmand favorites are the signature meat pies and meat rolls. Be sure to also try a small bowl of the house porridge, entertaining your palate with the light sweetness of the porridge and the savory pie flavors in tandem. At Liu Shan Dong Noodle Shop (劉山東小吃店), established in 1951, beef noodles are king; all the clear and braised broth varieties are here, along with inexpensive side dishes, and are guaranteed to make a happy diner.

Anyone with a hankering for authentic traditional local fare must experience the food at Raohe Street Tourist Night Market (饒河街觀光夜市), near Songshan Station. The old vendor Dong Fa Hao (東發號) sells oyster vermicelli, traditional thick meat soup and glutinous oil rice, and nothing else, yet every day, all day, the seats are full here. The oyster and vermicelli, which come in soup, are light and refreshing, as are the glutinous oil rice. There’s a hint of sesame-oil fragrance, and if you’d like a little more zest you can add some sweetened chili sauce. At “Four Flavors Seafood Thick Soup” (四味海鮮羹) the star ingredients in the seafood-heavy soup are oysters, squid, and shrimp; hearty and satisfying. Add even more flavor to this culinary adventure with a side dish of crispy-fried oysters. Another market vendor is “Old Style Salad Bread and Kali” (老牌沙拉麵包卡里食品), which exclusively sells what are called “salad boat sandwiches” (沙拉船三明治) and kali kali (卡里卡里), a fried-dough snack food. Many older Taipei residents grew up with these two foods, and many come here for the double fun of having a yummy snack and recapturing the taste of their youth. The treats in the old shops around Nangang Station are also sure to pass your taste-bud test. At “Yucheng Baozi and Mantou” (玉成包子饅頭) – mantou (饅頭) are steamed buns and baozi (包子) are steamed buns with filling – everything is handmade on the spot. The signature meat-filled buns, tasty and free of greasiness, are a favorite with the white-collar crowd from the nearby industrial park, who vie to get their orders in for their afternoon tea break. The other house specialty, mantou, are large and chewy, releasing a pleasant doughy aroma when broken. They are a fine complement to cooked foods. Located near MRT Houshanpi Station (捷運後山埤站), A-Lai Tianbula (阿來甜不辣) uses fresh fish paste to create its wonderfully textured tianbula, or Taiwan-style tempura. Add the house blood rice cakes, fried beancurd, and fried wontons, and the specially made soup stock with some green-bean vermicelli to the bowl, and you have a meal that’ll fill you up to your satisfaction.

For local folk, these railway eateries form a stream of food memories. The many long-lived eateries serve up wonderful flavors, but what is cherished even more is their hearty hospitality. Take advantage of the cooler weather of autumn to ride the railway, getting off at each station to explore the neighborhood, at your ease discovering the endless array of food gems. You’ll find that following the local railroad offers novel travel fun.

Information

Li Zhu Assorted Noodles 麗珠什錦麵

Add: 48, Xingning St. (興寧街48號)

Tel: (02)2308-6530

Manka A-Wan’s Glutinous Oil Rice 艋舺阿萬油飯

Add: 162-4, Bangka Blvd. (艋舺大道162之4號)

Tel: (02)2336- 0122

Chen’s Specialty Oyster Vermicelli 陳記專業蚵仔麵線

Add: 166, Sec. 3, Heping W. Rd. (和平西路3段166號)

Tel: (02)2304-1979

Good Taste Hong Kong-Style Roast Meat

好味港式燒臘

Add: 17-3, Huaining St. (懷寧街17之3號)

Tel: (02)2331-1973

Beiping Gardens: Chinese Meat Pies and Porridge

北平田園餡餅粥

Add: 1, Ln. 5, Sec. 1, Chongqing S. Rd. (重慶南路1段5巷1號)

Tel: (02)2314-8032

Liu Shan Dong Noodle Shop 劉山東小吃店

Add: 2, Ln. 14, Sec. 1, Kaifeng St. (開封街1段14巷2號)

Tel: (02)2311-3581

Dong Fa Hao 東發號

Add: 94, Raohe St. (饒河街94號)

Tel: (02)2769-5739

Four Flavors Seafood Thick Soup 四味海鮮羹

Add: 162-1, Raohe St. (饒河街162之1號)

Tel: (02)2764-5455

Old Style Salad Bread and Kali 老牌沙拉麵包卡里食品

Add: 34, Raohe St. (饒河街34號)

Yucheng Baozi and Mantou 玉成包子饅頭

Add: 21-1, Yucheng St. (玉成街21之1號)

Tel: (02)2788-4701

A-Lai Tianbula 阿來甜不辣

Add: 45, Tongde Rd. (同德路45號)

Tel: (02)2561-5899