Taiwan travel tips for eating out
Ten tips that make eating in Taiwan easy, even if you can’t read a word of Chinese. The first one is the reason this site exists.
Search Google Maps in Chinese, not your own language
Search Google Maps for “breakfast” and you mostly get the few shops other travelers have already reviewed. Search the Chinese word instead — 早餐店 for a breakfast shop, or a dish name like 牛肉麵 — and every shop around you shows up. Every dish on this site has a “Find near me” button that does this for you.
Show the Chinese name to order
Staff at small shops often don’t speak English, but everyone can read a dish name. Open the dish page and show the big Chinese name on your screen, or copy it with the copy button.
Tick the paper menu
Many small eateries hand you a paper menu and a pencil: write how many you want next to each dish and give it to the counter. Match the characters on the menu with the names on this site.
Eat in or take away: 內用 or 外帶
Often the first thing you are asked. 內用 (nèi yòng) means eat here, 外帶 (wài dài) means take away.
Choose your sugar and ice at drink stands
Drink shops ask how sweet and how cold. Sugar: 全糖 full, 半糖 half, 微糖 a little, 無糖 none. Ice: 正常冰 normal, 少冰 less, 去冰 no ice, 熱 hot.
Say 不要香菜 if you don’t like cilantro
Cilantro goes on a lot of Taiwanese food. 不要香菜 (bú yào xiāng cài) means no cilantro, and 不要辣 means not spicy.
Carry cash
Many small shops and night market stalls only take cash, so keep some NT$100 notes and coins. Most everyday dishes cost NT$30–150. Some shops take EasyCard or mobile payment, but not all.
Check opening hours before you go
Hours vary a lot. Breakfast shops can open at 5am, many small eateries close between lunch and dinner, and some close one day a week. Google Maps shows each shop’s hours.
Look for 素食 or 清真
Vegetarian buffets and restaurants (素食) are common in Taiwan. For halal food, search 清真, the word Muslim restaurants in Taiwan use. Both work directly in Google Maps.
Try a 自助餐 for a cheap, flexible meal
At a 自助餐 (self-service buffet) you pick the dishes you want to go with your rice and pay for what is on your plate. It is one of the cheapest ways to eat a balanced meal.
Ready to eat? Browse the dishes and tap “Find near me” on anything that looks good.