10 Places Where Locals Love to Eat in New Taipei City

Sankansoubo, an abandoned warehouse converted into Japanese-style vegetarian restaurant, is located on a mountain above the MRT Nanshijiao Station in the Zhonghe district. The restaurant has a tin exterior but inside it is zen-like, simple and unpretentious. The floor-to-ceiling windows make you feel like you are in the mountain and forest. You'll need to book in advance. Based on the 5 elements of Chinese Taoism, the elegantly presented dishes are made with seasonal fruits and vegetables, using Japanese cooking methods. 

The result is an exquisite and stylish selection of healthy vegetarian food. Specialities include Sankansoubo sashimi platter (shan jian hua cai ci shen), white lion's mane fungus (bai yu hou tou gu) and Sankansoubo nigiri sushi (shan jian wo shou si), alongside creative dishes for certain seasons and festivals. Sankansoubo is thought to have developed more than 100 types of nigiri sushi and Hobayaki (po ye shao) is a popular signature dish cooked on magnolia leaves. Upon serving, a fire is lit under the magnolia leaves to infuse this special dish.

Chao Zhou Yipin Earthenware Pot Porridge is located on Zhongshan Road in the Banqiao District. This was the first restaurant in Taiwan to serve earthenware pot porridge, a flavoursome dish studied by the chef on mainland China. The restaurant has been enormously popular in the Banqiao District since it opened in 2004, so you'll need to book several weeks in advance. It serves different types of earthenware pot porridge. Every pot is freshly cooked, so you'll have to wait at least 30 minutes, but more and more people are willing to queue to taste the restaurant's dishes made from fresh seafood, chicken bones and radishes, enhanced with its secret 'nut sauce' recipe. 

The thickest dish is the crab cream porridge (xie gao zhou) cooked with fresh red wonton, sand prawns, pearl shells, fresh cuttlefish balls, broth and raw rice. The plump, golden crab cream gives the porridge a richer taste and is a favourite of many connoisseurs. Popular stir-fried dishes like song ban pork with 3 cups sauce (san bei song ban rou), squid rolls with honey sauce (mi zhi zhong juan), sautéed prawn with pineapple (feng li xia qiu), and soy sauce chicken (you ji), are also worth trying.

EN Japanese Cuisine is located in Mega City Department Store in the Banqiao District. Adhering to the spirit of Japanese cuisine and 'harmony' of food, the restaurant makes a soup each day using traditional methods and seasonal ingredients so that diners can enjoy their original flavour. EN Japanese Cuisine's speciality is grilled dry fish (yi ye gan), where dishes are created following a special process. It offers a safe and secure dining experience. This season's chef's recommended dishes include fourfinger threadfin (wu zi yu yi ye gan), clam and tomato udon (ge li fan qie wu long mian), and mackerel with mirin (qing yu wei lan yi ye gan). They are all worth a try. 

The Mackerel with mirin deserves a special mention. Norwegian mackerel is first infused and then air-dried in traditional style and the cooking method retains the fat of mackerel and sweetness of the mirin. The crispy crust, fresh, juicy flesh and the delicate taste create an endless aftertaste. The EN Huaishilong Special Set Meal is also popular. It includes 5 special starters, paired with fresh and sweet sashimi, followed by a main dish, all elegantly presented.

Wen Yan Wen is a popular spicy hot pot restaurant in the Banqiao District. It serves only 3 types of soup: shu spicy soup, black garlic soup and kelp soup. The black garlic soup is the restaurant's hallmark. After lengthy fermentation, the garlic turns from milky white to dark brown and acquires a less spicy taste. The signature shu spicy soup is a firm favourite among foodies and doesn't dry out your mouth. 

The restaurant also serves 4 types of beef, Angus black beef, snow rouge beef, grain-fed fatty beef, and top boneless beef. The meat is soft and smooth, with a rich and delicate taste. If you also order the shu spicy soup, you won't be able to stop eating. Seafood ingredients are also fresh; the shrimp is plumper than in other restaurants and tastes sweeter. Wen Yan Wen offers many different dishes but so as not to waste ingredients, it only serves 8 to 12 at a time. Enjoying Haagen-Dazs ice cream is the perfect way to end a meal here.

When the Haidilao Hot Pot first opened in Taiwan, it attracted a lot of attention from the hot pot industry. It is famous for the extra dining services it provides like performances, massages, manicures, and shoe-shining. Haidilao was founded in 1994 and the cuisine is based on Sichuan flavours and includes local features. 

Haidilao Hot Pot's soups include tomato soup, mushroom soup, kelp soup, pork belly chicken soup, delicacy soup and spicy soup. The filling traditional spicy hot pot, made of Sichuan pepper, pepper, spice, and broad bean chilli sauce, has an authentic Sichuan taste. Spiced beef with green onion in Delicacy soup is served as a first course. The dishes are rich and made of the finest fresh ingredients. There is also a self-service area in the restaurant, and side dishes, fruit and soups are free. Haidilao also offers a regular Sichuan face-changing opera and noodle pulling performances, which are both highly entertaining.

Acheng Goose has been in business in the Tucheng District since 1990. This reasonably priced establishment has been serving tasty food for 30 years and is a busy and popular dining choice. This has led it to open 3 other branches. The Jilin Store was awarded a Michelin Bibendum recommendation in Taipei in 2019. The Acheng goose dish has 2 signature flavours, namely salty and smoked. Smoked is the most popular. 

The Michelin recommendation has made it a famous, must-order dish for miles around. The selection of goose is highly important. The owner, Chen Guoan, sources 100-to-120-day old geese from Yunlin, which are immediately smoked with cane sugar. The meat is tender and juicy, with a slight hint of the cane sugar. The breast is lean while the leg is tender and sweet, creating an endless aftertaste. Other recommended dishes include rice with goose soup (e you ban fan), Makino bamboo shoots (gui zhu sun), and spicy duck blood (ma la ya xie). All of them are amazing and well worth trying.

Da Shu Xia Three Dish Tofu dates back over 30 years. This popular restaurant in Shenkeng Old Street is symbolised by the old camphor tree growing next to it and has antique interior design. Even though it has 3 floors, there are still long queues outside at meal times. Popular signature dishes include the three dish tofu (dou fu san chi), sliced cold free-range chicken (bai zhan fang shan ji), braised Makino bamboo shoots (lu gui zhu sun), and stinky tofu with pork intestine and duck blood (chang wang ya xie chou dou fu). 

Each one is fascinating. The three dish tofu includes tofu soup (dou fu geng), containing bamboo shoots, black fungus, egg drops and tofu, sprinkled with coriander. The second dish is tofu fish with broad bean chilli sauce (dou ban dou fu yu), unfilleted deep-fried seabass with crispy skin and tender juicy flesh, which is even more delicious with the special sauce and broad bean chilli sauce. For the braised tofu (hong shao dou fu), fresh tofu is made daily and cooked with green onion, pepper and other seasonings to add colour and taste. A delicious spicy dish that goes well with rice.

Zhan Ji Spicy Hot Pot Xinzhuang's main store was founded in 1994 and has been popular for over 25 years, attracting many curious customers. The tender, juicy duck blood (ya xie) is especially famous and is known as the best duck blood in Taipei. This spicy hot pot restaurant attracts celebrities from mainland China and Hong Kong. 

The Zhan Ji Spicy Hot Pot contains the signature duck blood and tofu. The soup, made from pork bones and vegetables is sweet and refreshing, with a rich aroma of Sichuan pepper and spice. Crispy pork ribs are added to heighten the flavour. You should try both types of soup, and other popular ingredients like the unmissable tender and smooth pork jowl; beef tendon, tripe, large intestine, and black feather chicken leg can also be added. Fresh ingredients are always used and the restaurant attracts a lot of customers.