Guide to Shilin Night Market

Shilin Night Market is a tourist night market in Taipei that has more than 500 stalls. Foods you should try here include cold noodles and giant sausages. Keep reading to learn whether it’s worth visiting.

I’ve visited Shilin Tourist Night Market several times and want to share recommendations. And information to help you learn more about the market.

Before heading there, you’ll want to read through this piece to find valuable information like:

Let’s get busy.

Quick Facts: Shilin Tourist Night Market

Hours	Monday–Friday: 4:00 PM–12:00 AM Saturday & Sunday: 4:00–11:00 PM
Number of Stalls	539
Closest Rail Station	Jiantan Station (Taipei MRT Red Line)
Opening Date	2011 (current location) 1899 (original location)
City Located	Taipei City
Address	No. 101, Jihe Rd, Shilin District, Taipei City, Taiwan 111
Chinese Name	士林夜市 Pinyin: Shì lín yèshì

Foods To Try at Shilin Night Market

You can find many local flavors in Shilin Night Market like:

Food	Restaurant/Stand	Restaurant Chinese Name	Address
Giant Sausage	Nowhere specific	NA	NA
Oyster Omelet	Zhong Cheng Hao	忠誠號蚵仔煎	111, Taipei City, Shilin District, Dadong Rd, 15-32號號
Vermicelli Noodles	A Hui Vermicelli	阿輝麵線	No. 52號, Danan Rd, Shilin District, Taipei City, 111
Cold Noodles	Good Friend	好朋友涼麵	No. 31號, Danan Rd, Shilin District, Taipei City, 111
Pork Ribs	Hai Yu	海友十全排骨	No. 49, Dadong Rd, Shilin District, Taipei City, 111
Fried Chicken	Hometown BBQ Chicken	家鄉碳烤香雞排	No. 1, Jihe Rd, Shilin District, Taipei City, 111
Shanghai Fried Bun	Chung Chia	鍾家原上海生煎包	No. 38號, Xiaodong St, Shilin District, Taipei City, 111
Bubble Tea	Nowhere specific	NA
Oyster Mushrooms	Grilled King Oyster Mushroom	燒烤杏鮑菇	No. 98, Danan Rd, Shilin District, Taipei City, 111

What are all the foods I listed?

It would take me too long to explain. I dedicated a separate guide to Taiwanese food. Check it out to understand what you’re buying.

No matter what part of Taiwan you’re in, try bubble tea from any restaurant. It’s much more affordable (and tastes better) than outside Taiwan.

Good Friend is a Michelin Star restaurant [1]. Many judges ranked this restaurant as the best in its food category. What are cold noodles, though? They’re noodles served in sesame sauce and have a hint of lemon.

While browsing the night market, play some carnival-style games. Some of what you’ll find include pinball machines and balloon shooting (with BB guns). Or shop for cheap clothing.

Shilin Night Market Map

How To Get To Shilin Night Market

Reach Shilin Tourist Night Market through one of the following ways:

• Rent a YouBike & drop your bike off at a nearby station
• Take Taiwan High Speed Rail or Taiwan Railways Association train to Taipei Station
  • Take the Taipei Metro to Jiantan Station (Red Line)
• Ride the Taipei Metro Red Line to Jiantan Station
• Take the Taipei Sightseeing Bus (Blue Route) and depart at MRT Jiantan Station

Here’s a map to the Red and Blue routes for the Taipei Sightseeing Bus.

What’s There to Do Around Shilin Street Night Market?

Here’s what to do around Shilin Night Market:

Attraction	Walking Time	To-Do
Shilin Cixian Temple	3 min.	Admire the temple’s architecture
Chiang Kai Shek’s Residence	12 min.	Admire the flowers & learn about Taiwan’s history
Jiantan Mountain Trail	14 min.	1–2-hour hike that leads to a beautiful view of Taipei City
Grand Hotel Taipei	18 min.	It’s a hotel
Riverside Park	34 min.	Walk along the Keelung River

Jiantan Mountain is my favorite hiking trail in Taipei. Go at night, and you’ll get a mesmerizing view of Taipei City and Songshan Airport. Ensure you go on a day when the sky’s clear. Otherwise, you’ll see smog or clouds.

Here’s a livestream showcasing some of what you’ll see:

If you’re interested in temples, this area is home to one of Taipei’s oldest, Chicheng Temple.

Otherwise, to catch a glimpse of Taiwan’s history, visit Chiang Kai Shek’s residence. He was a military leader, a member of the Kuomintang (KMT), and the first official president of Taiwan.

While he has a controversial past, you’ll learn a lot about this figure by visiting his former home. Depending on the time of year you visit Taiwan, you can catch beautiful flowers that adorn the property.

You will find this property north of the night market.

To learn more about the Chinese Civil War, explore the nearby National Revolutionary Martyrs’ Shrine. It’s a place dedicated to those who died during the war.

Then there’s the Taipei Grand Hotel. Whether you want to view it or stay in it, either option will give you a look at a place that hosted various famous figures like former US presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan.

Visit Chiang Kai Shek’s Residence

Shilin Market History

Shilin Street Tourist Night Market was built in 1899 [2]. Making it Taiwan’s oldest tourist night market. From there, local food businesses began to accumulate customers.

For more than a century, Shilin survived the following:

• The Japanese Empire
• The KMT’s harsh era of martial law
• Taiwan blossoming into a democratic nation

As the country transitioned into the 2000s, in 2002, the Taipei City Government shut down and demolished the market due to fire hazards and safety and sanitation concerns.

To keep their income flowing, vendors moved into nearby temporary structures.

In 2006, Shilin Night Market began to transform. Five years later, the renovations finished, and the market returned to its former glory.

Conclusion

Many vendors may mark up their prices because Shilin Night Market focuses on tourists, but don’t let that deter you. You still won’t have to pay much for food. Don’t be afraid to try something new.

If you are deterred, consider one of Taipei’s other night markets.