Taipei - Exploring Ximending - shopping, dining and street food

Ximending is a trendy and lively area - the bustling streets surely appeal to the younger generations and the young at heart. Jam packed with shops selling cosmetic and skin care products, fashionable clothes, accessories, shoes, toys, phones, gadgets, arts and crafts.

If you are into Korean cosmetic and skin care products, you will love this place. The Face Shop, Innisfree, Skinfood, Etude House, Tony Moly... all can be found here. If you are looking for sheet masks and other Taiwanese skin care products, head to Watsons, which is enormous and well stocked.

Most shops open till late so Ximending can be your last stop for the day.

I was more interested in browsing through the little stalls on the side streets, and I managed to find some interesting bargains there.

But this store was my most exciting find in Ximen. All the gorgeous colours and patterns, at reasonable prices. Love it so much! 😍😍😍

Ximen is also famed for the talented street performers that often congregate here, but it was raining and there was none when we were there. 😞


There is no shortage of food in Ximending. Take your pick from a wide variety of cafes, restaurants, coffee shops, and street stalls.

We saw a line of people qeueing at this fried chicken stall and decided to check it out.

We got the crispy fried chicken and squid combo. They were deliciously crispy on the outside, with tender pieces of meat inside, and satisfyingly delicious. Do not miss this!

This stall had a line of people queuing up and it smelt so appetizing even though we didn't know what they were. We later found out that they were Taiwanese sausage wrapped in glutinous rice moulded like a sausage bun.

It was very rich, sweet and tasty but a tad filling.  

Then we had the Lu Rou Fan (braised mince pork and rice) - a must try Taiwanese specialty. The minced pork is juicy and fatty, soaked in flavourful gravy.

The Oyster Omelette in Taiwan slightly differs from the Singapore version. It is more starchy and comes drenched in sweet chilli sauce.

There were many others that we didn't try.

Not sure what these are. Looks like bitter gourd drink?

Enticing and colourful fruits.

We saw people eating some kind of potato drenched in nacho cheese but could not locate the stall. So disappointed about this!

While there are countless bubble milk tea shops in Singapore, what you get in Taiwan is on a completely different level. Must try!

I was especially thrilled to find these jellies in one of the road side stalls. They are made in Taiwan and so much cheaper there. My kids love them!

And this cute Doraemon egg cake is sure to please the kids as well.

How to get there:

• Take the blue or green line to Ximen Station Exit #6

Check out my post on Taipei - First Timer's Guide!