The Best Taipei Food Tour Review: Xinyi Tour by Taipei Eats – is it Worth It?

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I feel like everyone goes to Taiwan with the highest expectations of the food – well, everyone except me that is. I visited Taiwan back in 2016, before I had a blog or travel Instagram or anything. Plus, it was my first big international trip as an adult so I didn’t really know much about other countries and their “highlights.” I quickly discovered that if you do nothing else in Taiwan, make sure you EAT. Later on, I would learn that food tours are one of my favorite activities abroad, but what about a Taipei Food Tour?

If you only have 3 days in Taipei, like I did, then you want to book at least one food tour, and you want to make sure it’s worth it! Here is a review of the Xinyi Food Tour by Taipei Eats, a popular Taipei food tour, if not the most popular. This review will cover all the iconic Taiwanese food featured in this Taipei food tour, as well as what to expect!

Enjoy!

What’s so Great about Food Tours?

I unfortunately hopped on the food tour game a little late in my travels, but trust me, once you take a food tour, you never go back. So far, I’ve done a cooking class in Chengdu at The Chuancais Museum, a Sichuan cuisine museum. I’ve also done a street taco tour in Jalisco, Mexico, where I tasted LITERALLY the BEST tacos in Puerto Vallarta.

Wherever you travel, book a food tour if you can. Why? Three reasons that can take your travel experience to the next level:

1. You get the REAL stuff.

Food tour organizers are usually either born-and-raised locals, or people who have lived in the city for a long time. A LONG TIME. That’s usually the case for most tours, and honestly I wouldn’t book a tour if the organizers didn’t fit that description. For the Taipei food tour specifically, Taipei Eats checked all of those boxes. Taipei Eats carefully curates their Taipei food tour routes so that guests get to try the freshest and most authentic Taiwanese dishes.

2. You get the background info.

By selecting a Taipei food tour that ensures their organizers are deeply familiar with the city and culture, you get the added benefit of learning a little more about the dish’s background and cultural significance. You not only get to taste delicious dishes, but also an explanation how to enjoy them (e.g. what kind of seasoning is best) and in some instances, which social occasions certain dishes are served. In addition, you get information about the origin of a dish, more details about a shop, and recommendations on where else to go to enjoy it again.

3. You get to meet people.

There is, of course, the tour guide who will be there to answer all your questions you might have about food. But there will be other participants who you can get to know and exchange stories (and contact information)! Then once the tour is over, you have the opportunity to hang out after – a huge plus especially for solo travelers who want to make friends while traveling. I’m not the biggest fan of solo travel, and meeting people on my own gives me the heebie jeebies, so I’ll take assistance in that area anywhere I can!

Taipei Food Tour: The Taipei Eats Experience

Now that I’ve successfully converted you into a food tour addict, let me tell you all about the experience with Taipei Eats. The Taipei food tour I will be focusing on today is the Taipei Eats Xinyi Tour. Taipei Eats also offers a few other tours, including ones that are shorter, more traditional, and even at night! The Xinyi Tour, however, is arguably the most iconic, giving you a taste of the most popular Taiwanese dishes and classic flavors.

 Taipei Eats Xinyi Tour Info

• Name: Taipei Eats Xinyi Tour
• Time: 4 hours. Every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Cost: 70$ per person (all food included)
• Tour Language: English
• Homepage: www.taipeieats.com

The staff of Taipei Eats is super friendly and you can reach them easily on Facebook or via Email, so don’t hesitate to contact them directly. If you a traveler with food allergies or any dietary concerns or restrictions, I highly recommend reaching out to them in advance so that they can (and will) accommodate the tour for you.

MEETUP AT YONGCHUN STATION

Rain or shine, for the Xinyi Taipei food tour, you will meet at 11am at Yongchun station. Expect to be warmly greeted by your tour guide and mini introductions! In this case, the tour guide was a young woman named Amber, who was a Journalism Student and a part-time guide for Taipei Eats. The group consisted of 7 people, mainly from different parts of the US. Y’all know Americans love to eat. Everyone was super friendly and open and it was really easy to get to know each other while walking and eating.

THE WET MARKET

Right around the corner from the station is the local wet market where locals buy their groceries. While in Taiwan, and many parts of Asia, you’ll hear terms like “wet market” and “dry market.” A wet market generally specializes in perishable items and products, such as produce, fish, meats, and whatnot. Whereas a dry market usually sells nonperishables like spices, textiles, crafts, and whatever else.

This particular market gets busy in the afternoon, so if you come back, definitely aim for noon. You can get fresh fruit, vegetables, and fish, but also cooked foods that you can eat right away or take home with you to eat later.

FRUITS

Taiwan has some of THE BEST FRUITS I HAVE EVER TASTED IN MY LIFE!!! Honestly, I can’t even tell you what half of them are called, but if you see a fruit – you should eat it.

During the Taiwan food tour, they will give you samples of fresh guava and star fruit. The real icing on the cake is that the tour guide will season the fruit with a little bit of plum powder and salt to really bring out the natural sweetness of the fruit. I LOVE SALT. It’s one of the main reasons I love Mexican candy so much – it’s the perfect blend of sweet and salty. Of course, if you aren’t a fan, you can always get it sans extra flavoring.

SCALLION CAKE

Scallion cake is Taiwan’s take on the pancake. They’re also a super popular street food item. It is equal parts flaky like a croissant, chewy like dough, and crispy like fried chicken skin. But uh, none of those things actually.

During the Taipei food tour, you will get to watch how chefs make Taiwan’s famed layered scallion cake, and then you’ll get to taste it hot and fresh out of the oven. The tour guide will also let you know the best places to get scallion cake at, so have your Notes App ready!

GUA BAO

After leaving the market, you’ll make your way to the first restaurant on the Taipei food tour! You will visit a small place that sells Taiwanese “burgers”, aka Gua Bao. The ingredients are simple: Pork, cilantro, peanut powder and mustard greens in a bun. You’ll get to taste one hot and fresh, with a mouthwatering aroma that will make you want to throw your whole life away and immigrate to Taiwan. Even if you are the world’s biggest spice wimp, definitely give the red sauce a try. It LOOKS spicier than it actually is.

BETEL NUT

Now you didn’t think you’d get through a Taipei food tour without at least a little bit of adventure, right? Taiwan has some pretty unique and…memorable dishes, and Taipei Eats Xinyi Tour makes sure to highlight those items. First up on this Taipei food tour…betel nut!

Uh…what is that?

If you are not familiar with the betel nut, that’s…not surprising. Though chewing Areca nuts and Betel leaves is a thousand year old tradition in many East-Asian countries, including Taiwan. The effect is supposed to be similar to nicotine, or a VERY STRONG caffeine, and is commonly used by taxi drivers and construction workers.

I mean, I don’t want to brag, but Us Weekly once described me as ‘up for anything’ so I was pumped. Metaphorically and uh, literally.

But if you’re a little more hesitant about popping simulants, no worries. You won’t be pressured to. If you’re curious about what it tastes like…well, here’s a photo of one of the other guests on the tour after taking a bite and PROMPTLY spitting it back out hahaha.

STINKY TOFU

I visited Taiwan with a Taiwanese friend, and before the trip, all she would emphasize is how we HAD to try stinky tofu. HAD TO. So it was actually the first thing I tried when I arrived in Taiwan. My friend showed us around a night market and surprised me with it. I didn’t even realize it was stinky tofu because…I imagined it to be…a lot more pungent than it actually was. I was expecting like…durian levels of…smell. But it was pretty mild to me.

That said, I don’t even like tofu so naturally I didn’t like stinky tofu either, but honestly it was fine.

Although, other people have a lot more dramatic reaction to the smell. In any case, if you smell something a lil funky, it just might be stinky tofu. During the Taipei food tour, they are definitely going to serve you some!

The tour will take you to a restaurant that is actually known for being one of the less “stinky” recipes, and really once you eat it the actual taste isn’t stinky at all.

Bubble/Boba/Milk Tea

Taiwan is the undisputed champion of Boba. I mean, it was INVINTED in Taiwan after all. The “boba” or “bubble” part of the tea refers to the tapioca balls in the milk tea. I actually don’t even like tapioca, but if it’s in milk tea, I want it.

You can get me to do a lot of things for milk and sugar.

Anyways, the Taipei food tour will introduce you to boba tea if you haven’t tried it already. And trust me, no matter where you go in the world, boba will always be better in Taiwan. In fact, many of the popular boba chains coming to the USA are actually Taiwanese companies! So as a rule of thumb, if you come across a boba place while in Taiwan, get one.

DUMPLINGS

You haven’t really been to Taiwan if you didn’t try some dumplings. Thankfully, this Taipei food tour has you covered.

You’ll get to try two different kind of dumplings. One that you’re probably more familiar with, with thicker and fluffier dough, is a “Northern style” dumpling. The other, my absolute favorite, are soup dumplings. The dough is a lot thinner, with hot broth inside. They are a type of dumpling from the South, and definitely more difficult to make on your own.

While your tour guide will mention a few great places to get dumplings (and soup dumplings!) from popular places in Taipei, one of my favorites actually turned out to be from a big chain named Din Tai Fung. There are even a few on the west coast USA now!

Thank God.

Dumplings are probably going to be your favorite part of any Taipei food tour, and Taipei Eats certainly does it right! You might be getting pretty full by this point, but there is one more stop.

SORBET AS DESSERT

After stuffing your faces for about three hours, you will finally get to dessert. Specifically sorbet. But TAIWANESE sorbet. Expect sugar and fruit and condensed milk and…omg, even if you’re stuffed it’s going to be hard to stop. The flavors are very unique to Taiwan, so if you’re up for it, I’d recommend trying something new like lychee or a pineapple plum mix! Delicious.

Taipei Food Tour Review: Critiques

If you haven’t noticed, most of the things mentioned were positive. And with good reason. But no Taipei food tour is perfect. So what are some things that could have been a little better?

1. The time could be longer.

Not necessarily more food -please, no more food actually, it was more than enough- but just more time to enjoy it. Also more time to chat and get to know the people on the tour. There was a little bit of talking time while walking from one stop to the next, or while we were eating, but even one more hour would have been nice to enjoy the Taipei food tour in a more relaxed atmosphere.

2. The tour could start earlier (or later).

11am is a bit early for lunch (if you eat breakfast) and a bit late if you don’t. I typically wake up late anyway so 11am isn’t a problem for me personally, but it could be a bit of an inconvenience for others.

3. The walking distances could be shorter.

If you travel with a wheelchair or just don’t prefer to walk a lot, then I can see a few of the distances between stops might be longer than comfortable. Overall, I would rank Taipei as okay in terms of accessibility, but again, I don’t personally use a wheelchair or walker so I’m not the best judge. And also someone might not associate a food tour as covering such an expansive distance, so it is definitely something to keep in mind.

Taipei Food Tour Review: Praises

Even with the few critiques, overall this Taipei food tour did have a lot of positives as well.

1. A chance to eat carefully selected foods.

Even if you only have a very short time, this Taipei food tour will give you an overview of the food culture of Taiwan. All of the stops are delicious and very easy to return to if you have extra time in the city. Even the stinky tofu spot was great. Each stall or restaurant is popular with locals and not just a highly rated (and sometimes overpriced) tourist spot.

2. Meeting awesome people.

Meeting new people on a tour is always great, and a food tour is a great way to bond!

3. Get additional information.

You are not only eating, but you are being told what you are eating, what the food is made of, the history of the dish, and interesting facts and stories about the restaurant, people, and food in general. The Taipei Eats guide Amber was really knowledgeable and I’m sure the other awesome guides at Taipei Eats are as well.

Taipei Food Tour Review: Conclusion

Thanks for reading all that! In conclusion, I definitely feel that the Taipei Eats Xinyi Tour is one of the best Taipei food tour options that you can book. It’s a great introduction to the city and country, and you get to taste yummy food as well. What’s not to love??

I’m still working on some of my other Taiwan content (I know I know, IM SLOW OKAY??), but for now you can read about my time in Taiwan with these post:

• The Gold Museum in Jinguashi

Have you ever done a food tour before? Where was it? Tell me about your experience in the comments below!

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