This post contains affiliate links, meaning EVERLASTYING will earn a commission if you purchase through our link at no extra cost.
Read my disclosure for more information. I appreciate your support 🤍
I didn't know Taichung had this many night markets when I first visited. We'd been to the popular ones like Fengjia and Yizhong Street, but on our last trip, my partner wanted to shop for edgy Taiwanese streetwear, so our Uber driver dropped us at Yizhong Street.
Before we got out of the car, he told us something I'm glad we listened to: if you want the night markets locals actually go to, skip the famous ones and head to Hanxi and Daqing.
He had a point. Fengjia (also spelled Fengchia), the biggest and most famous night market in Taichung, is fun but exhausting on weekends. The first time I visited Taichung, my best friend and her then-boyfriend, now husband, took me there and I was shocked by how many people there were. She wasn't exaggerating, but it was definitely overwhelming for me. Yizhong Street is a college street built for shopping, not for eating your way through traditional Taiwanese food. But still definitely fun to visit.
So here's how I'd split up Taichung's night markets: which one is for food, which is for shopping, and which one to go to only if you can handle a crowd.
Which One Should You Go to?
| Night Market | Best For | The Vibe |
|---|---|---|
| Fengjia | a variety, with games, street food | touristy & packed |
| Yizhong | streetwear, photobooths, arcade games | college vibes; young & trendy |
| Hanxi | traditional Taiwanese street food & games | local fave for Taiwanese food |
Getting to the Night Markets
The easiest way to get from Taipei to Taichung is by HSR (High Speed Rail). EasyCards aren’t accepted on the HSR, so make sure to book your ticket online ahead of time. Once you're in the city, we took Ubers between night markets, and ours dropped us right at the each entrance.
Fengchia Night Market 逢甲夜市
✅ Go if: you want the full night market experience
❌ Skip if: you hate crowds, or want traditional Taiwanese food
💡 Do it better: go on a weekday
📍 Wenhua Rd, Xitun District, Taichung City 407
Fengchia is the biggest and most famous night market in Taichung. There's lots to do, see, eat and shop, and it's best on a weekday if you don't like it too packed (like me). But if you want to know how a weekend night market is really like, squished as you try to get from one stall to the next, waiting in lines, barely able to walk… that's your night!
The first time I visited, with my best friend and her now husband, we managed to walk around a little, and I was overwhelmed by how many people there were. We got the regular snacks like sweet potato balls, stinky tofu, plus a pineapple bun with butter cream inside.
At the beginning of this year I went back with my partner and my brother, after we'd been shopping for Taiwanese streetwear at Yizhong Street. It was my first time really walking through all of Fengchia, and there's a lot.
What to eat
We played claw machines, boxing arcade, ate BBQ oyster mushrooms, mala spicy fish balls, beef squares, and pan-fried scallops (so good!), plus pepper cakes. We also got spiked boba milk tea from the iconic gasoline-style spot where you pour the drink yourself. The dim sum wasn't as good as I thought, lol.
What to do
There are even photobooths too with different hats and accessories to dress up before you go into your fave booth to take photos, and I picked up a cute little phone case that was super unique and you can’t find anywhere else cause the back of the wand had like a fidget spinner look.
Fengchia is definitely really fun and packed. I would recommend people to come here especially if its your first time visiting Taichung, but, I wouldn’t recommend it on a weekend.
If you’d rather have a local guide, this private Taichung walking tour includes an optional stop at Fengchia.
Yizhong Street Night Market
✅ Go if: you want streetwear, photobooths, and retro games
❌ Skip if: you want street food
📍 Yizhong St, North District, Taichung City 404
🗺 Nearby: Miyahara 宮原眼科 · Yide Mansion 一德洋樓 · Taichung Second Market 第二市場
Yizhong is Taichung's college spot: young, trendy, and the place to go for shopping, and not really heavy on the street food. It's near schools in the North District, so it gets pretty busy on weekends and holidays.
I've been to Yizhong Street twice. The first time was a 2 hour adventure with my partner and some friends who were visiting, and we shopped around, did photobooths, and played some games. The second time, our Uber driver suggested us to visit other night markets for the food and to do Yizhong mainly for shopping. So that's what we did.
Streetwear and jewelry
NEXTMOBRIOT is the one to know for streetwear and locally designed jewelry, and there are plenty of smaller streetwear shops around it.
If you know me, I loveeee buying Taiwanese jewelry because in my experience it doesn't tarnish and lasts quite long, especially from local Taiwanese designers who know their metals really well. I bought a necklace and earrings there, while my brother and my partner bought some clothes and outerwear. It's mostly menswear, but if you like the edginess, you can definitely rock it unisex style.
Photobooths
There are several shops along the street with different themes to choose from. All of them are the same concept — You pay cash inside the booth and pick your favorite filter on the screen. Super fun and good for cute souvenirs for yourself!
Grab the tea everyones raving about
The locals recommend 萊澤金虎制茶 (Lái Zé Jīn Hǔ Zhì Chá). BUT, there are no milk substitutes available if you’re lactose or vegan.
Retro games
Playing Marbles As A Child game (小時候打彈珠), where staff explain the rules on how to play (this is a traditional Taiwanese game made to more modern for everyone to enjoy. I still really don’t know how to play this but its fun winning a bunch of tickets), plus claw machines and a gacha-style machine that drops a random prize. We won some cute little keychain plushies here from the gatcha machines.
Bring cash, ~NT$1,000 - 2,000 for games, shopping and snacks.
A taxi or Uber drops you right at the entrance, and parking is hard to find, so a nearby garage is your best bet if you drive.
Hanxi Night Market
✅ Go if: you want traditional Taiwanese food and old-school games, the way locals do.
❌ Skip if: you’re lame and you don’t want to experience what the locals suggested :P
💡 How to do it better: bring cash $1000 - $2000 in cash. Really just $1000 is good unless you want to try out their traditional games — which isn’t easy.
📍 Address and hours: Hanxi East Road, East District, Taichung City
Hanxi Night Market is the one our Uber driver suggested we go to, and the one locals rave about for traditional Taiwanese food. If you want your night market to taste like Taichung and not like a tourist menu, start here.
What to eat
We tried a lot of different stalls since we went here for dinner: fried donuts, beef cubes (you can find these at Fengchia too), scallion pancakes with fried egg, fried potato with different seasonings (this one I didn't really like, and I love potatoes • ᴖ •), meat skewers where you choose what type of meat you want, and jiamo (also called jiabing — they have vegetarian and meat options!).
Play traditional games
We also tried the game where you roll ping pong balls into a circle, which is really not as easy as it looks! There's also one like beer pong (for those who are good at BP), where you toss the ping pong ball into the cups, which also isn't as easy as it seems, because I suck at BP.
One thing I didn't love
They sell live pets here, like little bunnies. As much as I love how cute the bunnies are, I think sellers should be certified, not just a stall at a night market where it's easy to get a pet for a couple hundred TWD, and if you end up not wanting the bunny, it's not tracked.
Final Thoughts
In my opinion, if you only have one night in Taichung, I’d do Hanxi for the food and games. If you have a couple of nights, do Yizhong for shopping and then Hanxi for dinner. First time in Taichung and want to see what all the hype is about? Fengchia is worth it — but only on weekdays — and skip it on the weekends if crowds aren’t your thing.
Lastly, the best tip from this whole post came from our Uber driver. Don’t be afraid to ask what the locals love and where they would go!
taking this to Taichung?
Taiwan Vlog
KEEP READING
Here’s which Taichung night market is for food, which is for shopping, and which to skip on weekends.