Home to Taiwan's largest night market. Hot Star fried chicken cutlet, oyster omelettes, stinky tofu, and 500-plus food stalls running past midnight.
Kuo Yuan Ye in Shilin has been baking Chinese traditional pastries and mooncakes since 1867. Five generations on, the brand runs the Shilin museum flagship.
Tip: Open daily 09:30 to 21:30. The museum upstairs explains the four-generation pastry tradition.
Worth the queue: Lemon and red bean mooncake
Hot Star at the Jihe Road entrance to Shilin Night Market is the dinner-plate-sized fried chicken cutlet stall. Crisp, juicy, seasoned with house spice blend.
Try: Da ji pai fried chicken cutlet
Tip: Open 16:30 to 24:00 daily. Cash only; cutlets are face-sized, easily shared.
Yi Chang at Shilin Night Market runs the yan su ji counter, salty crispy chicken pieces deep-fried with basil leaves and seasoned with chilli powder.
Try: Yan su ji salty crispy chicken
Tip: Open 16:00 to 24:00 daily. Cash only; small order is two-person sized.
Shilin Night Market is Taiwan's largest, 500-plus stalls. Hot Star fried chicken, stinky tofu, ai yu jelly and the reopened underground food court.
Tip: Open 16:00 to 24:00 daily. Take MRT Tamsui-Xinyi to Jiantan Station, walk 5 minutes.
Kuo Yuan Ye's pineapple cake DIY workshop in Shilin in Taipei runs at the brand's heritage bakery museum, a 60-minute mold-pressing session followed by oven baking.
Tip: Book through Klook ahead. Museum entry NT$50 separately.
Hot Star at Shilin Night Market in Taipei serves the dinner-plate-sized fried chicken cutlet for NT$90, easily shared between two travelers.
Try: Fried chicken cutlet
Tip: Cash only.
Shilin Night Market runs stall service until midnight every night, Taipei's biggest late-night canteen with 500-plus stalls of stinky tofu and fried cutlets.
Try: Night-market eats and stinky tofu
Tip: MRT Jiantan Station; expect crowds until close on weekends.