Taiwan: The Low-Key Pleasures of Taipei
Taipei: Week One
I spent my first eight nights in Taiwan at the Riviera Hotel, a nicely renovated, mid-century built place near the Yuanshan Taipei MRT Station, in a green and pleasant neighborhood that used to be home to a lot of American GIs during the period when the US had a presence here, up until 1979. The hotel's other features include a pleasant roof-top gym and garden (windy this time of year), an endearingly 90s-feeling wooden design aesthetic with piped-in smooth jazz, and very nice customer service: I'd happily stay there again.
The Riviera gave me a corner room with a healthy-sized vestibule, and I had a nice view of the mountains and the brightly-colored edifice of the Grand Hotel, finished in 1973 as a key representation of the Chiang Kai-Shek family's efforts to remodel Taipei after the end of the Japanese occupation. I also asked for a space heater, because while Taiwan isn't Korea or Japan levels of chilly in February, it's still considerably colder than you might expect. It was consistently jacket-weather during my entire time in Taiwan in February, and some evenings in the subtropics felt downright cold.
I've been to Taiwan before, back in 2014. My dad was working for Panasonic at the time, and I joined him for a week in Taipei before I proceeded onwards to some freelance reporting working in Cambodia. My primary memories involved night markets, the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, the National Palace Museum, beef noodle soup, and enviably superb public transportation.
In Taipei in 2014, I also remember us buying roast duck with basil from a street vendor, going back to our hotel, and flicking on the TV to be greeted with the breaking news that Russian-backed forces had shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17.
And so we ate duck at the Hilton and watched recovery crews scour an immense field full of sunflowers, while analysts pondered the geopolitical repercussions (to the extent they could, as the full slate of facts was not known at the time). It was, to say the least, an interesting memory to revisit during my current stay in Taipei in early 2025, while watching the Musk/Trump junta remodel the United States and the world into shapes that look very much like those that Vladimir Putin always dreamed of.
Taipei is a pleasant now as I remember it being back then, a sprawling and easy-to-get-around city full of excellent food (across many international genres), friendly people, green spaces, and a lot of interesting museums. It's a joy to walk here during the less-hot times of the year, with functional sidewalks, drivers that aren't actively murderous (unlike in, say, Boston) and a lot of interesting things to see along the way, from tiny restaurants to an endless array of super-colorful Taoist, Buddhist, and Confucian temples.
Taipei is also extremely safe, the sort of place where you can walk around at all hours without worrying about anything worse than being startled by an electric motorbike. And it's one of the most queer-friendly places in Asia, with legal gay marriage and lots of queer-oriented bars, many in the general vicinity of the historic Red House. Taipei is a really nice place to simply exist - somewhere I could imagine happily living.
Here are my Taipei highlights, in no particular order:
Night markets, as a general theme.
I genuinely believe that night markets - places open until late where you can get lots of different kinds of interesting street food, hang out with friends, buy cheap stuff you don't technically need, and shoot air guns at balloons - represent the highest form of human civilization. It is barbaric that they essentially don't exist in the USA. Taiwan does some of the finest in the world, and they're everywhere. I ended up eating most of my meals at the small night market near the Riviera Hotel, where I struggled to spend more than $10 for a huge amount of good food. You do have to remember that some night markets are only open on certain days of the week, and that they can get extremely busy on the weekends.
The National Palace Museum, whose many highlights include a rock carved to look like meat.
The rock carved to look like cabbage is on display at another campus of the museum, but I saw it back in 2014, so I wasn't too heart-broken. Rocks that look like food aside, the National Palace Museum is one of the finest museums in the world, containing many of China's most famous national wonders. As for why these wonders are no longer in China, well, it's because of Chiang Kai-Shek. As the Chinese Civil War resumed after the Japanese surrender in 1945, Chiang Kai-Shek concluded that it was time to send all the good stuff in the Forbidden City across the sea to the safety of Taiwan, which Japan had recently ceded to ROC forces.
Ultimately, about 22 percent of the enormous collection was shipped from Nanijng to Keelung between late 1948 and early 1949, narrowly missing the Communist takeover of Beijing. While most of the items thus remained behind in mainland China, the National Palace Museum in Taipei ended up with many of the highlights of the collection - and, unsurprisingly, this means that the museum has become a massive sticking point in Taiwanese-Chinese relations ever since.
Delving into the complexities there is far beyond the scope of this dumb blog post: speaking from a general tourist perspective, you can easily ignore all of this and have a lovely day out at the museum, contemplating really elaborate Imperial knick-knacks. If you really like looking at ancient representations of weird little guys, as I do, you shouldn't miss this. The museum does get busy, so try to go either early or late, and preferably on a weekday. And don't miss the excellent souvenir shop. I now have magnets of both the Jadeite Cabbage AND of the Meat Rock.
Here's the strikingly realistic Meat Rock:
The Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines.
An easy walk from the National Palace Museum, this is an excellent, if a bit small museum dedicated to Taiwan's indigenous people. It's a great place to get a general overview of Taiwan's indigenous tribes, their cultural practices, traditions, and costumes, and to listen to some Taiwanese indigenous music. While you're in Taiwan, you can watch Taiwan Indigenous Television (TITV) to get a better sense of what's going on. It's also fun to try Taiwanese indigenous food, which is particularly easy to do in places like Hua Lien on Taiwan's East Coast, where many people sell local specialties at the night market.
National Taiwan Museum
The oldest museum in Taiwan, the central building in the 228 Peace Memorial Park covers general Taiwan-related topics, and also, it's free. I visited the main flagship museum in the park, which featured special exhibits on singing insects, baseball, and puppetry, as well as an interesting permanent collection covering Taiwanese modern cultural artifacts, indigenous history, and even a taxidermized clouded leopard, a representative of a species that has sadly been extirpated from the island. It's a pleasantly educational way to kill a few hours, and I enjoyed the thoughtfully curated exhibits.
The Northern Coast Shuttle Bus and the Yehliu Geopark, a UNESCO, well, geopark by the sea that features surreal-looking hoodoo stones., rather reminiscent of the American southwest.
You don't need to rent a car to explore Taiwan's gorgeous northern coastline: just take the Taiwan North Coast Tourist Shuttle. The 716-Crown Northern Coast Shuttle Bus costs a whopping NT $90/USD $2.73 to ride all the way from the station in Tamsui (next to the MRT station) to the scenic Yehliu Geopark, and you can get off and on at many stops along the way. I found the Tourist Shuttle to be a remarkably easy and cheap way to get a look at Taiwan's rather Hawaii-like Northern coastline, and I highly suggest it to anyone looking for an easy day out from Taipei.
A few caveats about the tourist shuttle: it only runs on weekends from November to April, and the buses are pretty small. Get to the station in Tamsui early to get in line to ensure you get a spot.
I arrived at Yehliu Geopark on a day with unusually pleasant weather for winter time, and the core weird-rock area of the park was packed with other tourists taking selfies. I proceeded up the trail along the peninsula, went up a flight of stairs, and as is so often the case when stairs are involved, the crowds instantly evaporated. I enjoyed a pleasant nature walk along the peninsula, stopping to look at a gigantic butterfly.
When I got to the end of the trail, I paused at the shaded pavilion above and took pictures of the startlingly-recent shipwreck of the Chinese cargo vessel Yu Zhou Qi Hang, which was abandoned after running aground off the park's shore in October of 2024. (As my cousin who works on container ships pointed out, the same ship took out multiple cranes at port in another incident just a few months before its watery demise, which does raise certain questions about the competence of the crew).
After I finished up on the trail, I ate at one of Yehliu's many seafood restaurants, where I had some salt and pepper shrimp with shells tender enough to eat whole and some stir-fried "snowflake" stems, a distinctively Taiwanese green vegetable with a pleasantly spring-like flavor.
I decided to catch a Uber to Keelung, a port city on the other side of the peninsula that is connected back to Taipei on the regional train network. After a quick and inexpensive 20 minute ride, I spent some time exploring the massive shipping port here. That included a stop at the Yang Ming Oceanic Culture and Art Museum downtown, a compact but interesting little joint focused on the maritime shipping industry. My cousin works on container ships, and I made sure to get a bunch of pictures of the Monkey Boat Captain for him. Afterwards, it was an easy ride back on the local train to Taipei. It was a great day out, and a remarkably cheap and painless way to cover a lot of geographic ground.
Taipei Restaurants: Some Suggestions
While Taipei does have many elegant fine-dining restaurants, I was feeling distinctly burned out on that after Vietnam, Korea, and Japan. I focused my eating on cheap and light in Taiwan - which was easy, because that's something this country does very well. I deeply appreciate traveling in places where it's easy to get green vegetables with every meal.
Qingguang Beef Noodle Restaurant 晴光牛肉麵
No. 48號, Dehui St, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 104
Excellent beef noodles with great chile crisp on the side. Plentiful blanched vegetable options.
Lao Shandong Homemade Noodles 老山東牛肉家常麵
108, Taiwan, Taipei City, Wanhua District, Xining Rd, 70號B1之15室
Basement beef noodles with spicy butter and immense portion sizes.
維縈家鄉碳烤雞排 寧夏店
No. 198-19號, Minsheng W Rd, Datong District, Taipei City, Taiwan 103
Curiously delicious and suspiciously huge fried chicken cutlet with sauce.
Hao Wei Hong Style B.B.Q 好味港式快餐
No. 17之3號, Huaining St, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100
Inexpensive plates of Hong Kong-style roasted meats, served with vegetable side dishes. Don’t forget the free pork broth soup, served out a huge cauldron in the corner with a dipper.
Huang Ji Braised Pork 黃記魯肉飯
No. 28號, Lane 183, Section 2, Zhongshan N Rd, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 104
Classic and very popular spot for braised pork - ground with sauce over rice, sliced up, you’ve got options. Come during off hours to avoid a wait.
黔東萊私房料理小吃店
No. 26號, Minzu E Rd, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 104
Fantastic spicy Guizhou-style rice noodle dishes and side dishes. I loved the pork and pickled cabbage noodles. Very friendly owner.
丸林魯肉飯
No. 32號, Minzu E Rd, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 104
Old-school Taiwanese cafeteria type restaurant, where you pick out small dishes from a counter. Very affordable.
JIN ZHU Q Square Branch 真珠-台灣佳味 京站店
10351, Taiwan, Taipei City, Datong District, Section 1, Chengde Rd, 1號B3
Slightly upmarket but still reasonably priced Taiwanese and Hakka food in the basement of amall. Tasty three cup chicken and snowflake vegetables.
Hang Zhou Xiao Long Bao (Minsheng) 杭州小籠湯包 民生旗艦店
No. 118號, Section 3, Minsheng E Rd, Songshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 105
Pleasant, slightly more upscale xiao long bao and dim-sum place. Try the crab roe xiao long bao.
Mayur Indian Kitchen Restaurant (MIK-2) 馬友友印度廚房 - 民生東路
No. 103, Section 3, Minsheng E Rd, Songshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 105
Excellent chain of Taipei Indian restaurants. I really enjoyed the tandoori lamb chops and a spicy vegetable curry here. Nice service and huge portions.
Dadaocheng Braised Pork Rice 大稻埕魯肉飯
No. 17號, Lane 220, Chang'an W Rd, Datong District, Taipei City, Taiwan 103
Famous spot for braised pork - and there’s usually a line. I got in early and only had to wait a few minutes (I am philosophically opposed to queueing for longer than that). Tasty braised pork hock and “golden” seaweed salad with turmeric, as well as super fresh pickles.
Baxian Grill 八仙炭烤熱炒
No. 28號, Section 2, Xinsheng S Rd, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106
Classic Taipei seafood place with rooftop seating under a big tarp. Try the squid teeth - they’re fried squid beaks and a lot tastier than one might assume.
