vegetarian options at shilin night market - what's good?

Do you ever feel ~~(like a plastic bag?)~~ that the street food scene in general caters only to the meat-eaters? Shilin Night Market doesn't exactly scream vegetarian-friendly, but you'd be surprised at how much options are open to you.

In this post, I'm going to introduce you to some (*ahem* unhealthy (when is it ever healthy?)) street food that should not be missed. It's why I visited Shilin 4 times - twice on my own like the loner than I am - during my 6 weeks in Taiwan.

First, let's talk about directions to Shilin Night Market; a hungry man who does not know how to navigate shall remain hungry.

How to get there?
Alight at Jiantan MRT station, not Shilin. You will notice a crossroad after exiting the station. Cross diagonally and ta-da! - you have officially arrived at the over-crowded tourist spot.

1. Peanut Powder Crunchy Cracker Wrap
Yes I just made that name up. The light snack kick-started my Shilin food tour. Focus on the pair of hands in the background to see how the snack is prepared. First, the crunchy cracker on the foreground of the photo is smashed onto the thin wrapper. Then, a spoonful of your desired filling is added. I chose peanut powder - what's new?

Oval crunchy pie crust ft. staff placing peanut powder in the wrapper.

Staff wrapping it all up.

Here's what it looks like cut in half.

Don't expect it to taste super flavourful. It's an appetiser with a great crunch and just a hint of sweetness that won't make your glucose level go all cray cray.

2. Fried milk cubes

Fried milk cubes. 1 stick for 20 NTD, 3 for 50 NTD.

How to get there: After crossing the traffic light diagonal to Jiantan station, head left. The vendor is not far from the traffic light.

Caution hot!

Crispy exterior with creamy, milky inside. These mini cubes will not fill your tummy so let's move on to the next snack.

3. Cow's Tongue Pastry (牛舌饼)
I know.. the food name is a big turn off. It was a literal translation from Chinese and I'm not sure if there's a proper English name for it. To me, the exterior tasted like a British biscuit that has been pin-rolled to the shape of a cow's tongue... I'm not making making this seem any appealing, am I? Anyway, it has my favourite type of filling: PEANUT POWDER!!

20 NTD. Sweet and savoury options available.

Warning: very oily.

Sorry you can't see the filling in this bad lighting. But you can get yourself there and buy one. 😛

4. BBQ King Oyster Mushroom (烧烤杏鲍菇)

King Oyster Mushroom. Different seasonings available.

FULLY VEGAN. FULLY VEGAN FULLY VEGAN.

Gotta say it louder for the people at the back! There are two vendors selling this in the night market, located diagonally opposite from each other. I think one stall carries organic mushroom and the other doesn't. Pretty sure I went to the non-organic one as the queue was shorter. Even then, it was quite a long wait. The stall was attended by one middle-aged male staff only. I'd really sympathised with him for standing in front of the BBQ pit and perspiring buckets. My keen eye noted no perspiration dripping onto the food, so your mushrooms are in good hands if you ever want to buy from there. :)) If I didn't remember wrongly, this cost 90 NTD for medium bowl, and 150 NTD for large bowl. You also have the option of choosing 2 seasonings! So juicy but it won't quench your thirst.

5. Nan Gang Lao Zhang Black Pepper Bun (南港老张胡椒饼)
This is a popular store famous for black pepper pork pastry. There are a few meatless options available. Scroll down to see the menu!

Happy staff = good food = happy customer

Bought a black sesame bun!

Bonus point for being served warm! You could definitely taste the little granules of black sesame. I did wish there was more black sesame paste. The bread is not oily and has a nice chewiness to it!

Bread defying gravity, sticking vertically on the wall of the tandoor oven (I googled this term yo) instead of lying horizontally. I would like to know what sorcery allowed them to do that.

Address: No. 602, Section 7, Zhongxiao East Road, Nangang District, Taipei City, Taiwan 115
115台北市南港區忠孝東路七段602號
Opening hours:
Tues - Fri 11.30am - 8pm
Sat & Sun 10.30am - 7.30pm

6. Assorted buns @ 好吃肉包
Stall name literally translates as "Delicious Meat Bun" but fear not! Non-meat vegan options are available.

Fluffy white paos!

Warm bun. Looking so aesthetic in all its white glory.

so pathetically filled. :( the fluffy bun is the one redeeming point.

7. Coffin Bread (棺材板)
Coffin Bread has its origin in Hualien, Taiwan, so I was pleasantly surprised to find one at this particular night market! Vegetarian or not, this street snack was almost impossible to find in other night markets outside Hualien, so get your hands on them here at Shilin if you're not heading to Hualien.

3 vegetarian options available: Mushroom and corn, Integrated fruits, and meat floss and corn. While the meat floss is not indicated as vegetarian on the menu, the staff told me that they actually carry vegetarian meat floss! I considered that my lucky day and opted for that.

Deep-fried bread ready to be surgically cut open for the fillings

Corn, vegetarian meat floss, mayo

** Vegans: Remember to ask for no mayo.

I don't think I'd order this in the future, but I'm glad I cleared this off my street food bucket list. The bread carried a truckload of oil, and the mayo intensified the greasiness. Two bites later and I had had enough. It's be much better if the bread was pan-fried instead of deep-fried.

8. Candied fruits (糖葫芦)
End your night with some tofu pudding (it's commonly found in night markets), or with some candied fruits! I don't know if malt candy itself contains butter, so ask before you buy!

Varied fruits available
Strawberry @ 55 NTD; Tomato, Plum (?), Lindley's pear @ 35 NTD

9. Bubble tea shops / fruit juice

There's a lane in the night market where all the drink stores are lined up. To get to that lane, simply follow the signs (in the night market itself) that points you to Tiger Sugar. On a particular night, I went to Mimi Tea, located a few stores away from Tiger Sugar.

Mimi Tea

Mango + milk + boba

So this was me trying to be healthy by integrating fruits into my bubble ~~tea~~ juice (?).

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You have reached the end of the post! Recommendations done with the help of this YouTube video (Chinese Language). Do check it out for more vegan options at Shilin Night Market!

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