I’ve lived in Taichung since 2000, I’m a food maniac, and I love to discover new places to eat all the time! On this page I’d like to introduce you to my favorite restaurants in Taichung. I also have another post about my favorite cafes in Taichung.
Chinese Food
Shandong Dumplings 山東餃子館
Dumplings and beef noodles are in the top-five classic national dishes in Taiwan and Shandong is my favorite spot in Taichung to enjoy them. This place is always packed, it’s right by the Green Belt, near People’s Park. Really affordable for the quality. My wife and I always bring first-time visitors here. Grab some cold appetizers from the counter before being seated. The cold cucumbers and shredded tofu are the best!
Address: 96 Gongyi Rd, West District, Taichung
Hours: 11am to 8:30pm
Fu Kuei Ting 富貴亭
This old neighborhood shop is 60 years old and is run by the 3rd generation of the family. Featured in the Michelin restaurant guide in 2020, this place is only gaining in popularity – with good reasons. The smoked goose is of olympic level, and surely the most affordable for this level of quality. It’s juicy, salty, and springy. Supposedly the duck is equally delicious. I’m not into sticky rice, but theirs is the bomb. Very lively place in the old part of Taichung. Definitely a must-try restaurant!
Traditional Beef Noodle 小眷村
This little beef noodle restaurant serves great value and delicious noodles, soup, veggies, and tofu. The place is themed after the traditional army dorms that were very common in most cities in Taiwan few decades ago. It’s downtown, walking distance from People’s Park.
Address: #14, Lane 164, Section 1, Meicun Road, West District
Phone: 0968865968
Hours: 11am-3pm, 5pm-8pm
Roasted Goose at Ba Ping Fang 品八方燒鵝
There is no short supply of roasted goose in Taichung, but THIS is the best place! The goose is just so tender ever time, the skin is crispy and tasty that it’s almost impossible to eat goose anywhere else now. From 1 to 10, the goose here is a solid 10! I’ve brought at least 5 friends here, and they ALL said it’s the best goose they’ve ever had. It’s THAT good! Other dishes we usually order are the green beans with pork, and deep fried tofu in cubes.
Address: #69, Wuquan West 4th Street, West District
403台中市西區五權西四街69號
Tel: (04) 2375-5548
Ding Wang Hotpot 鼎王麻辣鍋
Ding Wang is the most popular hotpot restaurant in Taichung. I’m lucky because I live right next to it, like two buildings next door. It’s a bit pricy, but the food is high-quality, service is top-notch, and the ambiance and decor is classical Chinese style. Great dining option for a birthday meal or a date.
You can’t go wrong if you invite a Taiwanese person to Ding Wang. Always a good idea to book in advance. Bring a warm sweater, it’s like 15 degree inside, even in summer.
Address: 42, Gongyi Rd, Section 2, Xitun District
Phone: 04 2329 6828
Hours: Open every day from 11:30am to 2:30am
Gubami
Gourmet beef noodle soup and tasty side dishes is what you get at this Michelin-featured restaurant. This is not your typical traditional Taiwanese restaurant. A lot of people rave about Gubami’s wagyu beef noodle soup and even claim it’s the best, most delicious, most refined and intricate bowl they’ve ever had. Still, others don’t agree that the soup is worth the elevated price. The debate goes on.
Read my review about Gubami.
Western Restaurants
Somm Spirit’D Wine Restaurant
Unpretentious bistro-type wine place in downtown Taichung. Great wine selection, some craft beers in bottles, decent variety of pasta, tapas, and seafood dishes. Incredible flavors, whatever you eat. My wife and I love their octopus and mussels. The Barolo on the picture below was SO good! The meat and cheese platter is also really good with a glass of wine.
Address: No. 30, Jingcheng Road, Xitun District
Phone: 04-2329-4711
Hours: 6pm-1am, Closed on Sunday and Monday
California Grill
Newly opened in October 2020, California Grill has already established a solid reputation as the place to have the best burrito in Taichung. Quite a claim I know. Well, I’m here to tell you that it is seriously, really good. And yes, it’s hard to find a better burrito in TC. Definitely on par with Bemo’s. I can highly recommend the beef burrito, and my wife seems to really enjoy the Bowl with beef and guacamole.
Phone: 04 2320 2366
Hours: 11:30-9pm every day
Pizza Rock
This is my own chain of restaurants, which my wife and I started in 2011. At our pizzeria, we serve thin-crust, stone-baked pizza, Italian paninis, baked pasta, salads, beer, wine, desserts, and coffee. At this moment, we have 8 locations around Taichung City, with a total of 26 shops around Taiwan.
Find us on Facebook | Official Website
Japanese Restaurants
Zili BBQ Place自立商店燒烤居酒屋
Zili is a very popular Japanese-style BBQ (kushiyaki) restaurant on Zhongmei Street 中美街, in the heart of the zone – the unofficial food district of Taichung City. The original building was a traditional grocery store. The new owners kept the previous name and signage, which is branding genius in my opinion. Hands down the most savory place to eat on Zhongmei Street. The barbecued skewers are tasty and affordable, they serve draft Orion beer, and small pots of sake (hot or cold) for less than 150NT$. Try the kimchi pork.
Address: No. 426, Zhongmei Street, West District
台中市西區中美街426號
Phone: +886423102038
Hours: Every day 5:30PM–1AM
Indian Restaurants
Spice Shop 香料屋印度料理
Indian is my favorite cuisine in the world, and the Spice Shop is my favorite Indian restaurant not just in Taichung, but in all of Taiwan. I have been ordering the exact same meal for the past 20 years and it’s consistently excellent and fresh at all times! My order is always: garlic naan, samosa, papadam, chicken tikka masala, aloo gobi, palak paneer, rice, King Fisher beer, and chai masala tea to finish the meal. That’s for two people. Check it out if you’re in the mood for Indian tonight! (Pictures below: chicken tikka masala and veg samosa – delicious!!)
Address: 1066, Jianxing Rd, West District, Taichung
Hours: 11:30am to 2:30pm and 5:30pm to 9:30pm
Korean Restaurants
Korean on Jing Ming 1st Street 濟洲王豆腐鍋專賣店
I don’t know the English name for this place, but what I do know is that they have the most affordable (and really yummy) pork/tofu kimchi hot pot in town, and other inexpensive set meals that really taste like what you’d get in Seoul. The “little spicy” is not so little. Middle spicy = guaranteed soft poop next morning. Outdoor seating area on formerly-famous and busy Jing Ming 1st Street.
Address: 87, Jingming 1st St, West District, Taichung
11:30am to 3:00pm and 5:00pm to 9:00pm
Snacks
Stinky tofu is a highly popular night snack among Taiwanese. It’s also popular with ME! I love stinky tofu! Westerners usually stay away from this dish because of the pungent smell which emanates from the deep-frier where it is prepared. The name probably doesn’t help either… It’s surely not for everybody. I took some friends to my favorite place in Taichung lately and they simply couldn’t even swallow a single bite.
My wife and I could eat that every day – it’s really delicious, and it does NOT taste like it smells. The best place in Taichung (and Taiwan) for stinky tofu is Liang Po Po.
Address: 312 Meitsun Rd, Sect. 1, West Dist., Taichung
Taichung Restaurants Map
For the most comprehensive listing of Taichung restaurants + restaurant maps, make sure to get a copy of Compass Magazine as soon as you arrive in the city! This indispensable mag lists more than a hundred places to dine in the city.