Raohe Street Night Market 饒河街夜市

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Raohe Street Night Market is a bustling night market in Eastern Taipei, and one of the most popular in the city. One could argue that Roahe street is the best night market in Taipei, but this blog was not written to prove that debate. With a large assortment of great food and snacks, along with the usual night market cheap clothes and everyday items, along with a close proximity to public transport, Raohe street is a must see destination when you come to Taipei.

Price:
Free! But don't you dare come with an empty wallet. 

Hours:
4 PM to 12 AM

How to get there:
By MRT:
Take the MRT green line to Songshan station (the last station), and get out at exit 2, 3, or 4, and continue walking north for about 1 minute to Raohe street.
By Car or Scooter:
Don't take a car. But if you do, there is a parking garage on Bade street.
There is scooter parking next to Songshan elementary school and on Songhe street in front of Rainbow bridge. Do not park on areas with a red line; this place is a hot spot for parking tickets, so beware.

Map:

Historical Background:
The name Raohe comes from a county in Heilongjiang, China, meaning the place of many birds. Starting in the Qing Dynasty, the area around Raohe Street and Songshan station was called Xikou (tin port), an important transportation hub in Taiwan (for more information about this old industrial area in East Taipei, check out our blog here). From Songshan station, goods from Taipei, Keelung, and Yilan could be directly loaded to the Keelung River and transported to the sea. However due to silting, the Keelung River became less and less import in terms of transportation, and Raohe Street became obsolete, especially after the much wider Bade street was built right next to it.

In order to help business in the area, the Taipei city government established a tourist night market on Raohe Street on May 11th, 1987, which was the second tourist night market established in Taipei.

Ciyou Temple:
Sitting at the eastern entrance of the night market is the Ciyou temple, which is the religious center of the area. The temple is dedicated to the Goddess Matsu, with a blackened statue of her as the centerpiece. The temple was completed in 1753 and was also an important centerpiece of the old Xikou transportation area near Songshan Station. 

You can also find colored lanterns across from Ciyou temple at night.
Currently Raohe Street is one of the most popular night markets in Taipei, both for local people and foreigners alike. 

Our Journey:
 

I admit that I go to Raohe Street a lot. I live in Nangang and go there at least every other month, because it is the biggest and best night market in the area (to be honest I go a lot more often to a small night market near my house, but that is another blog for another day). 

How can I write a blog article that does justice to the hundreds of stands and shops in Raohe Street? I can't. But hopefully this blog will convince you to go, so that you can experience for yourself the wonder that is Raohe Street Tourist Night Market.

Below I will detail four of my favorite Raohe Night Market shops and stalls, as well as take you on a virtual tour.

Fuzhou Pepper Buns 福州胡椒餅

This pepper bun shop is basically the first stall you see when you enter from the east. There is usually a long line, but if you get there before the sun sets there won't be that many people. This stall was featured in the late Anthony Bourdain's "The Layover."

From the outside, you can see the ingredients in the pork buns are simple: dough, onions, and pork. 

After the buns are completed, they are baked in a kiln until they are nice and crispy, and then they are scraped off.

The standing price for these things is 50 NT. A little pricey, but you cannot deny that they are delicious. Be careful thought, the buns are as hot as lava for like the first ten minutes after you buy them. I'm not joking. 

This is the famous Pepper Bun 胡椒餅 sold at the front of Roahe Street Night Market. I've never gotten it before because there is always a huge line, and now I can understand why. It's delicious! It's like a crispy pork bun. @ivideowifi

A post shared by Foreigners In Taiwan 台灣的外國人 (@foreignersintw) on May 30, 2018 at 8:01am PDT

There are a few other stalls selling pepper buns close by for much cheaper. Weather these are as good as the original store is material for some popular YouTube vlogger. 

Xiangkou Ting Tofu Pudding 巷口亭豆花

For fans of fruit ice or "Cuabing," as well as tofu pudding (or bean jelly, or whatever translation you like for 豆花), Xingou Ting has it all. Prices are also reasonable for Taipei. If you want a taste of true local Taiwanese desserts, this is the place to go. 

It is located next to the first alley on the the right coming from the west entrance. 

If you have never tried Taiwanese ice treats and are curious, I recommend getting every topping you can on your ice. Every single one is delicious, from grass jelly to red beans to sliced coconut and boba balls.

This time I had a 50 NT bowl of tofu pudding with delicious sweet taro and sweet potato balls. This bowl is a taste of heaven. 

Wanderlust 齒牛香

Another favorite shop of ours is the Wanderlust beef noodle shop, right next door to Xiangkou Ting Tofu Pudding (often visited together).

They have a wall of famous people that have visited. Most of them are Taiwanese celebrities that I don't recognize.

This time we went we had a very simple but traditional bowl of dry noodles. It's basically just noodles and braised pork with onions and greens. A mix that can never go wrong.

We also had a bowl of wanton and noodle soup which was also delicious. 

3C Wholesale 全店出清價

Another place I love to go is the 3C wholesaler store right across from NET. Everyone has a phone, and everyone's phone charger breaks eventually. If you want competitive prices for these replaceable everyday products, this place has what you need.

I often frequent the phone cable section. I would suggest buying one above 100 NT and that has protection on the ends from bending, because frankly the cheap 65 NT ones will not last long at all if you are bending and pulling on them regularly.

Another piece of disposable hardware that I love buying here are earphones. For me, I go through earphones like water. If they aren't getting smashed while I'm riding my bike, jogging, getting slammed in a door, I'll forget they're in my pocket and put them through the wash. So having an endless supply of cheap and good quality earphones is important. Most of these sell for 88NT a piece, the cheapest I've seen anywhere. 

​Okay, the above was pretty much the basis for a good blog. But I still don't feel like I've done Roahe Street justice. If you want, you can stop reading here, but don't forget to like and share.

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Otherwise, lets move on to the rest of the night market.

​Bonus: Virtual Tour

Some oyster omelet I had at a random stall.

Some more dry noodles I had at another stall.

Braised pork rice (the staple of Taiwan's cuisine). 

Now just everything. All 400 stalls. Put on your seatbelt. 

Fruits! Way more expensive than at a morning market.

Chewy sweet potato balls.

Help yourself to some braised chicken feet, bite sized squid, and whatever else you are not afraid to eat.

Wild boar sausages and shish kebab. 

Boiled squid.

Red bean cakes!

Giant onion pancake.

Any kind of frames you could want.

Mala super hot tofu pot.

Solid perfume.

Baked squid.

Stinky tofu.

Baked stinky tofu.

Potato tornado.

Endless egg tarts.

Another pepper bun stand. If it doesn't taste good, it's free!

Women's shoes one pair for 100 NT.

German style pig's foot.

Baked seafood shrimp fish.

Musical instruments.

Women's clothe's 200 NT a piece.

Are you still here? Well I've moved on to Wufenpu right next door. This place is the central hub for cheap wholesale clothes fresh off the boat from China. Many of the shops sell these clothes in giant bags, which later get sold in night markets around Taiwan.

You can also check out Rainbow bridge and the riverside park to the north of Raohe street.

Thanks for staying for whole blog! Hopefully by now you have found a convincing reason to visit Raohe Street, whether it be for the delicious snacks, cheap merchandise, or just to experience Taiwanese culture. Whatever the reason, you won't regret it.

Please like and follow to see our future blogs, and don't forget to share! 

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