Guide to Ximending Night Market

Ximending Night Market technically isn’t a night market. It’s a series of food stalls assembled throughout the Ximending Pedestrian Area in Taipei City. It’s a great place to grab snacks while shopping.

I’ve been to Ximending probably 100 times by now. So I wrote my experience combined with information I could scramble from online.

In this guide, I’ll cover the following:

Let’s get started.

Quick Facts: Ximending Night Market

Hours	5:00–10:00 PM every day
Number of Stalls	NA
Closest Rail Station	Ximen Station (Taipei MRT)
Opening Date	NA
City Located	Taipei City
Address	No. 127, Hanzhong Street, Wanhua District, Taipei City, 108

Watch out for pickpockets. Since you’re in a crowded area, you’re more likely to fall victim. So don’t keep stuff in your back pockets.

And wear your backpacks in front of you.

Foods To Try at Ximending Night Market

There aren’t any noteworthy street food vendors you should try. But you will want to try foods like:

• Beef cubes (best-tasting food here)
• Sesame oil chicken
• Candied tomatoes
• Fried chicken
• Tofu
• Korean food

I recommend Hot-Star Large Fried Chicken (restaurant) to satiate your hunger for fried chicken. You’ll get a huge chicken breast that doesn’t cost much (around NT$100).

It has a LONG line, but it moves quickly.

Once you have your chicken, pair it with a brown sugar bubble tea from Xing Fu Tang.

How To Get To Ximending

To reach Ximending Night Market, you’ll just need to take Taipei Metro’s Blue Line to Ximen Station.

Leave from exit 1 and walk toward the sign that says “Ximending Pedestrian Area.”

There isn’t a specific spot where you’ll find these vendors. So you’ll need to look around.

Things To Do in Ximending

If there’s a movie you want to see that isn’t already on Disney+ or other streaming services, check out Ximending’s Cinema Street. Choose any of the many movie theaters and watch something.

Once done, blow more steam by gambling at one of the hundreds of claw machine arcades.

On the way to the arcade, observe some of the most magnificent graffiti murals I’ve seen.

Don’t forget to go to Snow King. If you were to do only 1 thing in Ximending, I’d recommend taking the time to visit. They have a vast arsenal of interesting ice cream flavors like:

• Pork knuckle
• Taiwan beer
• Basil (delicious)
• Osmanthus

While walking through the main Ximending shopping area, browse the many shops with clothing, souvenirs, and random accessories. During your stroll, you’ll likely see street performers.

Whenever you’re bored, go to the Red House. They have affordable yet great drinks and a small market with handmade souvenirs.

I wrote a piece with more pictures and things you can do in Ximending. Check it out.

History of Ximending

When Japan occupied Taiwan, they transformed the Ximending area into an entertainment and business hub for the locals. Many years later (1999), Taipei’s government turned the area into the Ximending Pedestrian Zone.

Now many consider Ximending as Taipei’s “Harajuku.” Harajuku is a youth shopping district in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan.

Conclusion

The Taipei Ximending Night Market isn’t anything like almost every night market in Taiwan. It doesn’t have any exceptional street food to try aside from actual restaurants. But it does have some fantastic night market food.

And Ximending, in general, serves as an excellent nightlife destination for tourists and locals alike.

Whether you’re staying in Taipei for a while or need something else to do, check out other things you can do in Taipei city.