Visiting a new country means going on a new food tour! While we’ve been exploring Taipei for a few days, we haven’t been around the area where we had our tour. The best time to do food tours is usually at the beginning of your stay. This way, your taste buds are familiar with the local food, and you can have seconds (or thirds) of your favorite dish throughout your trip!

When searching for food tours in Taiwan, Taipei Eats was first on the list! After seeing the fantastic reviews and five-star ratings, we had to experience a tour with them! We went with the Xinyi District Backstreets Food Tour where we walked through small alleys and tried out 12 tastings from award-winning chefs and local mom & pop restaurants. The food tour cost $70 (14 years old +over) and $50 (8-14 years old) for 4 hours. The most affordable and most tastings I’ve had on a tour up to this point!

We started off at Yongchun MRT where we met our tour guides, Christina and Mike. Christina was our main tour guide while Mike was shadowing her throughout our tour. We wouldn’t have known that Christina was in training since she was very knowledgeable about the culture and the local food. Once everyone in the group arrived, we walked around the corner from the station which led to the wet market. This was the start of our Xinyi District Backstreets Food Tour.

Food ITEMS WE TASTED ON OUR TOUR:

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At the wet market, we tried out some local seasonal fruits such as Lychee and Mango. Living in Hawaii, we’re very familiar with these delicious tropical fruits!

Thousand Layer Scallion Pancake – this was served fresh and very hot. Basically, a crunch green onion bread. So good!

Taiwanese Hamburger: also known as Tiger Eating Pig / Qua Bao. This dish has won multiple awards! One of my favorite dishes from the tour. However, I am not a fan of their popular meat floss or any type off floss.

Betel Nut Chew – this was my first time chewing a betel nut and I was not a fan. Betel Nut stores are all over Taiwan and a popular item! A betel nut chew produces a stimulant response that, in low doses, is similar to caffeine or nicotine.

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To spot a place that sells the Betel Nut Chew, look for the sign with six bars. It’s more visible at night because it lights up!

Asparagus Juice – at the same place of the Betel Nut Chew, we tried the Asparagus Juice. Oddly enough, it tasted pretty good!

Next up, Taiwan’s special dish – Stinky Tofu! The name is no exaggeration, it’s really a tofu that smells horrendous. This is one dish that you need to try while in Taiwan. We learned about the fermentation and tasted two different ways on how it’s prepared. My friend and I were not a fan as it taste exactly how it smells! However, if we were to choose the best dish, it would be the top photo which is less fermented!

After tasting the stinky tofu, something sweet is a must! Our next stop was Milk Shop for some delicious Boba (Taiwanese tea-based drink). We had the regular milk tea boba with the pearls (tapioca). Yummy!

Off to taste the next dish! We had the Intestine Vermicelli, it was served fresh and hot. We loved this savory dish! I finished the noodles and soup but I skipped on the intestine part.

Then, we dined at a restaurant for some tea and soup dumplings. We tasted a few dumplings such as pork, loofa & shrimp. Also, we had some Shenjianbao which is pan-fried pork buns. This place was absolutely delicious! Unfortunately, I do not remember the restaurant name but it’s inside the building on the top photo.

In the same building as the restaurant, we tried the popular Egg Tarte and Pineapple Cake, Taiwan’s favorite flakiest way to consume fruit! The rave about the pineapple cake was worth the hype!

Our last savory dish for the tour is Migao which consisted of rice, beans and fish floss. Again, I’m not amazed with any type of floss. I’m not able to handle the texture and the dryness. However, it is really tasty and completes the dish!

Final stop of our food tour was at a popular ice cream spot. It was locals favorite! They had interesting homemade flavors to choose from. I went with Longan (similar to lychee flavor) and Taro Ice Cream. It tasted more of a shave ice than ice cream – perfect way to end the tour!

With every food tour, there are a few historical facts shared while walking from one restaurant to another. We discovered the historical SongShan Tobacco Factory, walked through Eslite Songyan Culture Park, SYS Memorial Hall, enjoyed the views of the memorial that was completed in 1972 and had an excellent view of Taipei 101 at night. Christina was accommodating and answered all of our questions throughout the tour!

After tasting 12 different food items, everyone in the group were stuffed! The food tours that we’ve done in the past would give bite sizes of every piece whereas the portions for most of the food on this tour were full sizes. We, along with everyone else, were full at the end of the tour. As I mentioned to Christina and Mike, this was by far the most food and most substantial portions I’ve had on a food tour. It was great! Highly, highly recommend doing any of Taipei Eats tour as it’s worth every penny.