This attraction makes Shitty Dinner a real feast for the palate. We’ve been to a few places, but never in such a disgusting place. The night market with Taiwanese street food made us feel sick. What is the advantage of this place? Well, if you are within 300 meters of it, you can easily get to your destination without a map – the intense, repulsive smell can be felt at a considerable distance. And then you just follow your nose…
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Ningxia Night Market – Taipei – photos
It was this sense of smell that led us to Ningxia Night Market. This is a gastronomic facility where we would not eat under any circumstances – even if someone paid us for it. And you know what is the most interesting about it? That people come here of their own free will, and they spend their money on all these unappetizing wonders… And they don’t give the impression that they come from the poorest social class. Come with us, we promise it won’t be a long trip. Not least because the Ningxia Night Market has only 200 food outlets, making it one of the smallest night markets in Taipei.
You will meet groups of teenagers and students, families with children, and even couples having a “romantic dinner”. They treat the culinary market as a place for social meetings and they seem to have quite a good time during the tasting. Exactly, speaking of tasting: you’re probably wondering what you can eat at such a night market? Of course, there are some classics here, well known to us Europeans. There is no shortage of pork, chicken, beef, fish and seafood. The sight of these products does not shock us at all, even though the unappetizing way of preparing and serving leaves much to be desired. Real shock and revulsion appear only with real market gems.
“Chicken ass” is just the tip of the iceberg. For some reason, the Taiwanese have a passion for – to put it mildly – offal. Lungs, hearts and stomachs are just some of the delicacies you can munch on. Wholesale quantities of chicken feet, stuffed intestines, tasty ears, delicate tongues and grilled (of course whole) bird heads effectively increased the speed of our walk. For lovers of smaller animals, there are also delicious snails and worms. Some of them looked as if they were still moving… Such delicacies can be deep-fried, sprinkled with spices, poured with various sauces or stuck on sticks to make skewers. The sophistication of the sellers-chefs at Ningxia Night Market reached much further than our imagination.
Do you know what’s the worst about the night market? Lack of compliance with any hygiene rules by sellers. During our short stay in this place, a fundamental thought kept running through our heads: “How is it possible that all these products are stored in such unsterile conditions and these people do not get sick after eating them?” High temperatures combined with excessive humidity effectively made most available products smell as if they had already entered a state of decomposition. One thing is certain: the stomachs and intestines of the Taiwanese must be properly hardened.
When the assortment at the stall runs out, the sellers start a big clean-up. Cleaning that would probably infuriate the ladies from the Sanitary and Epidemiological Station. As you can see in the attached picture, it takes place in truly street conditions. The washed dishes lie on the sidewalk with the unwashed ones, and cleaning uses a minimal amount of water from a bottle or bucket (no running water) and a bit of detergent. Nothing is rinsed, scalded or disinfected here. Taiwanese standards also probably allow… smoking in the workplace. The cleaning scene only confirms our belief that it’s high time to get away from here quickly. And in jumps. We plan our next visit to this place for… never! And you? Would you eat something from such a night market?
Ningxia Night Market – night market in Taipei – prices
- The thing about night markets is that they are either cheap or very cheap.
- As you can see in the photo below, prices for individual products range from 20 to 130 Taiwan dollars per portion of the delicacy, i.e. from 2.50 to 15 PLN. You can buy most products for just a few or a dozen zlotys.
- Of course, there are also more exclusive stalls where you will have to pay almost PLN 100 for a portion of meat packed in plastic and stored in ice.
Ningxia Night Market – night market in Taipei – directions
Ningxia Night Market can be found at: 103, Taiwan, Taipei City, Datong District, Ningxia Road.
- On foot/bike. If we take the Taipei 101 skyscraper as the city center (or at least the reference point), then the Ningxia Night Market is just over 6.5 kilometers away, i.e. 1 hour 40 minutes of walking. It’s a lot, but along the way you will have the opportunity to see different faces of Taipei.
- Bus. The closest stop will be Minsheng Chongqing Rd. Intersection – you will be just a 5-minute walk from Ningxia Night Market.
- Metro. Get off at Shuanglian Station and take Exit 1. Head west towards Minsheng West Road. After about 10 minutes you should reach the night market.
- Train. Ningxia Night Market is located just 1 kilometer from Taipei Main Station.
- Car. You can park your car along Ningxia Street without any major problems.
Ningxia Night Market – Taipei – opening hours
The Ningxia Night Market in Taipei is open every day from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. (or until stocks last).
Ningxia Night Market – night market in Taipei – interesting facts and tips
- Ningxia Night Market is one of the oldest night markets in Taipei. Already during the occupation of the Empire of Japan, it was a park with several street food stalls. During World War II it served as a water storage facility. Unfortunately, for unknown reasons, it was destroyed by fire. After the end of the war, the Taipei city authorities rebuilt the park, where street food stalls began to appear again, attracting both tourists and locals.
- Ningxia Night Market is one of the five most famous and most frequently visited night markets in Taipei. Apart from it, the following are also very popular: Nanjichang, Raohe, Shilin and Tonghua.
- You probably won’t believe it when you read our report and look at the photos, but at the Ningxia Night Market there are stalls with Michelin recommendations. Seriously. The featured dishes included: omelette with oysters (O-a-chian), deep-fried salted egg, taro meat balls with pork, liver soup and chicken in soy sauce with rice.
Ningxia Night Market – night market in Taipei – reviews
- Patrix – 5/10. This is the stinkiest place I’ve ever been to. The smell of rotting meat is terrible. Hundreds of smells of the strangest dishes mix here. I wouldn’t dare eat here. However, it is an interesting place to visit as a tourist attraction. The people of Taipei like them, so it’s amazing to feel the differences between a cool place for locals and how it is perceived by Europeans.
- Wiola – 1/10. The Ningxia Night Market is one of the most disgusting places I have ever visited. I don’t know what I couldn’t stand there more – the sight or the smell. Both of them definitely made me feel sick. Very bad. I definitely do not recommend it to sensitive people. I recommend it to everyone who likes strong culinary and gastronomic experiments. When it comes to travel benefits, I rate this place as very interesting. I didn’t expect that there are people who willingly eat in such places and pay money for it. You’ve seen the photos, decide for yourself whether you dare to go there.
Ningxia Night Market – Taipei – frequently asked questions
Which night market in Taipei is worth visiting?
Taipei is famous for its night markets and street food. Street food is one of the entertainments of locals and tourist attractions. While in this city, be sure to visit the following markets: Nanjichang, Ningxia, Raohe, Shilin and Tonghua.
What is the night market in Taiwan famous for?
Night markets in Taiwan are famous primarily for their valued street food at affordable prices. But that’s not all. At such a market you can also buy clothes, cosmetics, toys, souvenirs, electronics, and spend time playing arcade games. Night markets are an opportunity for Taiwanese to meet and spend their free time away from home in an interesting way.
How to get to Ningxia Night Market in Taipei? What is the nearest station to Ningxia Night Market?
The easiest way to get to Ningxia Night Market is by subway (Shuanglian Station), train (Taipei Main Station) or bus (Minsheng Chongqing Rd). Of course, we also encourage you to go hiking or cycling.
Which night market in Taipei is the most popular?
The most popular and largest night market in Taipei is the Shilin Night Market. It has existed since 2017. It is a real shopping, dining and entertainment center (partly outdoors). There you will find over 400 points where you can shop.
Ningxia Night Market – map
You will find Ningxia Night Market in the Datong district in the northern part of Taipei City.
