Taipei: Spilled Milk #33

Why Taipei is one of the next globally dominant food cities.

The food scene in what is formally called Taipei City has always made it a fascinating and delicious place to visit.

Fascinating, because the food culture is deep, representing every regional Chinese food style. Delicious, because it consistently adds international food genres — especially high-quality Italian and Japanese options — and as the city grows, the number of choices exceeds what could be found in the spectacular street food and night markets, traditionally the most familiar draw for tourists.

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The last decade has seen the greatest sustained growth in a category that is not only relatively new to the town in a historical sense, but one where the percentage of hits to misses is staggeringly steep: the world of true full service restaurants. Taipei is now a globally influential food city that ranks right up with the world’s best.

The Taiwanese have always taken their food very seriously.

Taiwan is an island, so insanely fresh seafood has always been front and center. The mountains and diverse biospheres have allowed an "everything local" vibe to emerge, something few countries can boast. The economic independence and stability of recent years has been an accelerant to a business travel boom followed by subsequent waves of tourists, drawn to Taipei and the serenity of the hill country tea fields.

Taipei embraces the traditional Taiwanese idea of having its own culture, and in the last few years young entrepreneurs are defining a new food identity. When I last visited, just pre-Covid, I had dozens of great meals in Taipei and in the surrounding area. Some were old tastes I can’t live without when I visit. Others were new experiences, and all of them add up to one thing: Taipei, and Taiwan as a whole, have entered a new phase of maturity as food meccas.

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I decided on this trip to try a hotel I hadn’t stayed in before, the Palais de Chine. The stunning hotel right near Ximending is just a short walk from the Taipei Railway Station, and a quick cab ride can get you to the Taipei 101 tower. And perched on the hotel’s top floor is one of the best Chinese restaurants in the world. More on that shortly.

I can’t go to Taipei without a few visits to Din Tai Fung, the OG location on Xinyi Road.

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