Taiwan is a hidden gem in Asia with a vibrant modern culture and great natural beauty. The tropical island is a melting pot that has been influenced by cultures from all over Asia. Yet the people of Taiwan have a distinct national identity and are extremely friendly, kind and polite. Massive mountains dominate the eastern two-thirds of the country, while the coastline has plenty of beautiful beaches. Taiwan also has many rivers and waterfalls that add to the island’s amazing natural beauty.
The food options are plentiful, as cuisine from Taiwan, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and the West are all well represented. Taiwan also has lots of great drink options like fresh juice and bubble tea, high-quality teas, a strong burgeoning craft beer scene and a world-class whisky distillery. Taiwan also has been deemed the coffee capital of Asia. Even though the cuisine and natural beauty may be my favorite parts of Taiwan, there are lots of other interesting activities to do if you make a trip to visit this amazing island.
Zhongli, Taiwan
This year, I packed up and moved to Taiwan. More specifically, I moved to the Zhongli (also spelled Chungli, Jhongli, Jungli, etc.) District of Taoyuan. Taoyuan is just south of the capital city of Taipei and has 2.1 million residents. Zhongli is a great place to visit because it has tons of great food, attractions, shopping and natural beauty. You can also visit beautiful beaches, majestic mountains and national parks. You can even get to Taipei in less than an hour using the regional train (TRA), the subway (MRT) or extremely comfortable buses. You can also take the high-speed rail (HSR) and get to Taipei in about 20 minutes. Taipei is a great city to see, but there is still plenty to do within the city of Zhongli.
Visit a Park
Zhongli is filled with beautiful parks that are a great place to relax and enjoy the weather. My two favorite parks are Xinshi Park in the city center and Chintan Park, which is outside of the downtown area. Xinshi Park sits on the banks of the Lao-Jie River and contains the Lao-Jie River Educational Center and a sports complex. It also offers a skatepark, two covered basketball courts, workout equipment, a large playground for kids, a rockwall and plenty of open field.
Chintan (Blue Pond) Park is outside of the city center, close to Taoyuan’s baseball stadium (also worth a visit), the outlets and the HSR station. The park has a large pond in the center and is filled with beautiful lotus and lots of natural wildlife. It also offers an outdoor theater, a boardwalk, rotating art exhibits and, the focal point of the park, a beautiful modern bridge that crosses over the center of the pond. Chintan Park is great if you want to get a reprieve from the urban landscape and enjoy nature.
Zhongzheng Park in downtown Zhongli offers an outdoor theater, four basketball courts, the Zhongli Public Library and the Zhongli Arts Hall. In the center of the park next to a small stream, you’ll find The Hide Out, a cozy and comfortable restaurant and cocktail bar with an outdoor seating area.
The western bar food is delicious and the liquor selection is impressive. Hide Out specializes in its mixology program, but you might want to order a Kavalan on the rocks if you visit. Kavalan is Taiwan’s first whisky producer and has won numerous international awards.
Ramen Bar
One of my all-time favorite restaurants in the city is 拉麵吧 Ramen Bar. It’s situated on a small brick road just off of Zhongping Road, the major shopping district in Zhongli. Ramen Bar offers an array of ramen styles, but every time I visit, I go with the Tonkotsu broth. Tonkotsu broth is created by boiling pork bones, fat and collagen for hours. The result is a thick, creamy white broth with a ton of amazing flavor and a milk-like consistency. The noodles are handmade and the freshness is noticeable in the flavor and texture. The best part about the ramen bar is that the prices are very reasonable. Though on the downside, it is a popular destination and the wait can get long on the weekends. But the wait is definitely worth it!
Tuk-Tuk Thai Cafe
If you find yourself visiting SOGO, the upscale, 11-story shopping mall, then I suggest traveling a block away and grabbing some Thai food from Tuk-Tuk Thai Cafe. Tuk-Tuk is a small, modern restaurant with a traditional Thai tuk-tuk taxi in the center of the restaurant. Tuk-Tuk has a great atmosphere, but more importantly, it has great food. I thoroughly enjoy the chicken green curry and cod with lime sauce dishes. It’s also fun to take photos in their taxi while waiting for your meal. If you’re looking for a modern take on Thai food, Tuk-Tuk is the place to go.
Minh Tâm
If you’re in the mood for Vietnamese food, I recommend Minh Tâm Vietnamese Restaurant, which is only a five-minute walk from Zhongzheng park and The Hide Out. Minh Tâm is a small, family-run restaurant that offers traditional Vietnamese food. I enjoy the pho, fried pork cutlets and spring roll noodle salad. The ingredients are always fresh and the food is always good. It also offers some imported Vietnamese drinks and beer, as well as a wall of the restaurant dedicated to selling Vietnamese products that are a little harder to find in Taiwan.
Ikki
Ikki Japanese Restaurant is a great option for having an upscale, 6-course meal (which will only run you about $25!). Ikki serves modern gourmet Japanese food in the center of Zhongli. I especially enjoyed the raw beef sashimi and stone-grilled beef that you cook at your table. The staff is really helpful and attentive, and has no problems meeting special requests. This is my favorite restaurant to go to for celebrating special occasions.
Visit a Night Market
Taiwan has amazing night markets that offer tons of restaurants, food vendors, clothing stores and stalls, arcades, carnival games, gambling games, cell phone accessories, pet shops and much more. Zhongli is home to two night markets, both of which are worth visiting. Zhongli Xinming Night Market is on the edge of the downtown area (near SOGO and Tuk-Tuk Cafe) and offers a wide array of shops. During the day, Xinming Street is a pretty busy thoroughfare. But once the sun starts to set, the street is closed to traffic and the street vendors take over.
Zhongli Xinming Night Market offers plenty of delicious dishes, including the spit-roasted chicken sandwich (usually called a chicken burger), creme brulee, fried sweet potato balls and the rice soup found at 好鮮屋米粉湯. Of course, no visit to Taiwan would be complete without trying stinky tofu. The vendors that sell stinky tofu give off a pungent and distinct odor, but the tofu actually tastes pretty good! I recommend trying the spicy stinky tofu soup at 簡師傅麻辣臭豆腐 in the center of the night market. The Zhongli Xinming Night Market borders Guanming Park, so you can take a break from eating to watch a rollerblading race, which takes place on a cement track right next to the night market.
The Zhongyuan Night Market is located in the Zhongyuan (aka Chung Yuan) neighborhood just south of Zhongli. The night market is right next to Chung Yuan Christian University and attracts a younger crowd. Because of this, the night market is filled with more clothing boutiques than a typical night market. It also has a movie theater in the center that displays films on beautiful, handpainted billboards. Zhongyuan Night Market is my favorite night market for one reason: the soup dumplings.
At the corner of Rixin Road and Shijian Road, you will find Yuguan Yuan Dumpling Shop. It’s the small corner shop with the yellow and red sign and the long line out front. You can watch them hand-make the soup dumplings from the street and steam them fresh to order. The plump dumplings are filled with a majestic broth, and I just cannot get enough of them. Every time I visit the night market, this is my first stop. Next to the dumpling shop is Laoshi Fu Beef Noodle, a hip and constantly busy noodle restaurant that specializes in Taiwan’s national dish, beef noodle soup. There are also great stalls to get fresh waffles topped with fruits or have ice cream made on the spot using liquid nitrogen. It has a variety of flavors and tops its creations with cookies and syringes full of sauce. If you get the whisky chocolate variety, the syringe is filled with Johnnie Walker Double Black Whisky.
After a long day of eating all the amazing food in Zhongli, you might want to stop in one of Zhongli’s many massage parlors. There are some high-end parlors that give two-hour massages for affordable prices. You can also stop at one of the small foot massage shops to get a cheap foot massage or a 15- to 30-minute body massage.
Hop In
After a relaxing massage, it’s best to finish your night at Hop In, which is located on a small stone street just around the corner from Ramen Bar and offers a huge selection of great craft beer. It has three taps that are constantly changing and usually highlight great Taiwanese and American craft beer. Behind the bar, you can find two coolers full of cold bottles and cans. In the seating area, it haslarge floor-to-ceiling shelving with a vast selection of craft beer and Mikkeller spirits for takeout. Hop In has a large selection of Mikkeller, Founders, Stone, To Øl, Samuel Smith and Tuatara. It even has a few bottles of Cantillon Gueuze sitting on the shelf for a reasonable price. Hop In also offers a small selection of fried American bar food to snack on while drinking. Most importantly, the staff speaks great English and are extremely friendly and helpful.
Zhongli is an affordable foodie paradise filled with friendly people and lots to do. The heat is pretty intense in the summer, but fall is the perfect time to visit this hidden gem. There are many more places to visit that I could not fit in this article, such as the upscale buffets, hot pot shops (especially the hot pot buffets) and Korean barbeques and late-night activities like the clubs and 24-hour indoor shrimp fishing venues. Come to Zhongli, Taiwan, and see for yourself.
- Photos: Arne Morin
