One of Tainan’s unofficial nicknames is “the city of snacks” (小吃城). A walk along Haian Road or through the Huayuan Night Market offers a cornucopia of opportunities to sample local specialties like tender milkfish belly, savory shrimp rice or danzai noodles (擔仔麵, often romanized “tantsai noodles”) topped with minced pork and lots of garlic. The following is a small sampling of what Tainan has to offer gourmands.
Tu Hsiao Yueh (度小月)
Established in 1895, Tu Hsiao Yueh is one of Tainan’s best-known restaurants. It is famous for danzai noodles, topped with savory minced pork, shrimp and a big heap of garlic. Tu Hsiao Yueh’s flagship location on Jhongjheng Road is home to a small museum that proudly showcases the restaurant’s “century-old pot,” or the very worn wrought iron vessel that its founders used over a hundred years ago. The fried shrimp rolls (蝦捲) are excellent.
Photo: Catherine Shu, Taipei Times
Address: 16 Jhongjheng Road, West Central Dist, Greater Tainan (台南市中西區中正路16號)
Phone: (06) 225-9554
Hours: 11am to 10:30pm
Photo: Catherine Shu, Taipei Times
On the Net: www.iddi.com.tw
Haian Road (海安路)
Haian Road between Mincyuan Road (民權路) and Fucian Road (府前路) is lined with cafes, restaurants and stalls serving some of Tainan’s most delectable food. The signature dish of Ai Zai Cheng Shrimp Rice (矮仔成蝦仁飯) at 66, Haian Rd Sec 1 (海安路一段66號, tel: (06) 220-1897) features plump shrimp caught daily from Singda (興達) and Anping harbors. Fusheng (福生) at 100, Haian Rd Sec 1 (海安路一段100號), tel: (06) 228-2998, is known for its sweet, tender milkfish. The best part of the fish is its belly fillet, which is served whole in a mellow broth. After eating, work off the calories with a stroll down the road: Many of the street’s nightclubs feature live outdoor performances on weekend nights.
Photo: Catherine Shu, Taipei Times
Huayuan Night Market (花園夜市)
Tainan’s largest night market operates on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Hundreds of stalls sell everything from eyeglasses and pet chinchillas to mijian (蜜餞), or candied fruit. Other edibles include roast meats, almost anything that you serve on a bamboo skewer and sweets like small cakes made with glutinous rice and stuffed with sweet black sesame powder. Wash everything down with a cold cup of freshly pressed sugarcane juice.
Address: The corner of Hewei Road and Haian Road, North Dist, Greater Tainan (台南市北區和緯路海安路口)
Photo: Catherine Shu, Taipei Times
Chingping Seafood
Restaurant (慶平海產店)
Located near historic Anping Harbor (安平港), this popular establishment sells seafood by weight. Chingping’s signature dish is rice vermicelli soup made with large chunks of grouper (鮢過米粉).
Photo: Catherine Shu, Taipei Times
Address: 462 Anyi Rd, Anping Dist, Greater Tainan (台南市安平區安億路462號)
Phone: (06) 297-1985
Hours: 10:30am to 10:30pm
Photo: Catherine Shu, Taipei Times
Uehara (上原)
The sleek, modern interior of Japanese restaurant Uehara (上原) near Tainan City Hall is just as lovely as its artfully plated fresh sashimi and cooked seafood dishes. The space may look posh, but Uehara’s prices are reasonable and the service is excellent.
Address: 39 Yiping Rd, Anping Dist, Greater Tainan（台南市安平區怡平路39號）
Photo: Catherine Shu, Taipei Times
Phone: (06) 299-6226, reservations suggested.
Hours: 11am to 2pm, 5:30pm to 9:30pm
Tongji Anping Bean Jelly (同記安平豆花)
Tongji Anping Bean Jelly is famous for its bowls of fresh, fragrant douhua (豆花), a silky pudding made from soy beans that soaks up the flavors of toppings such as brown sugar syrup or mung or azuki beans.
Address: 433 Anbei Rd, Anping District, Greater Tainan (台南市安平區安北路433號)
Phone: (06) 391-5385 or (06) 391-5057
On the net: www.tongji.com.tw
Hours: 9am to 11pm
Huaichiu Hsiaochan (懷舊小棧)
If you can’t get enough douhua, check out Huaichiu Hsiaochan (懷舊小棧) across Wufei Street from the Temple of the Five Concubines (五妃廟), where the five wives of Ming loyalist Zhu Shugui (朱術桂) are entombed. After Zhu committed suicide in 1683 rather than surrender to Qing Dynasty forces, his loyal wives hung themselves. Take in a piece of Tainan history and then head to Huaichiu Hsiaochan for a big plate of fragrant, almond-flavored douhua served on top of shaved ice with a large selection of sweet toppings. The shop is furnished with old school desks, many of which are still covered in childish graffiti (along with some new contributions by customers).
Address: 206 Wufei St, West Central Dist, Greater Tainan (台南市中西區五妃街206號)
Phone: (06) 215-8157
Hours: 10:30am to 10pm
On the Web: www.whereru.com.tw/shop/1408633
Things to do
between snacks
Tainan is sometimes referred to as the “Kyoto of Taiwan” because of its status as a former capital city, its rich past and its abundance of historic architecture. One of the most famous landmarks is Chihkan Tower (赤嵌樓) at 212, Minjhu Rd Sec 2, West Central Dist, Greater Tainan (台南市中西區民族路二段212號). Formerly known as Fort Provintia, it was built by the Dutch in 1653 to serve as their administrative center.
Across the street from Chihkan Tower is the Official God of War Temple (祀典武廟 at 229, Yongfu Rd Sec 2, West Central Dist, Greater Tainan, 台南市中西區永福路二段229號), so-named as it used to be frequented by government officials. Originally dedicated to Guan Yu (關羽), who appears as a fictionalized character in Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三國演義), the temple, which is about 300 years old, has an unusually high threshold at its main entrance that was supposed to warn women to keep out. The layout is also unique; be sure to explore the inner rooms to see their intricately detailed carvings.
Next to the former office of Tait and Company, the Anping Tree House (安平樹屋) at 194 Anbei Rd, Anping Dist, Greater Tainan (台南市安平區安北路194號) once served as the British trading firm’s warehouse. According to the Tainan City Government Tourism Bureau, bricks used in the construction of the structure were taken from Fort Zeelandia (or Anping Fort, 熱蘭遮城) toward the end of the 19th century.
By the middle of the 20th century, however, the warehouse had been abandoned and had fallen into disrepair. Banyan trees took root in the building, creeping up over the walls and roofs. The resulting web of branches resembles modern art or a backdrop for a horror film, depending on your point of view. The Anping Tree House is now a popular tourist destination, but airy open walkways give visitors a good view of the trees and prevent overcrowding.
English-language Web sites about Tainan
Tainan City Guide (tainancity.wordpress.com) and Hanjie’s Blog (hanjies.blogspot.com) both offer stunning photography along with thorough introductions to a wide variety of attractions in Tainan. Tainan Foodie (tainanfoodie.wordpress.com) features restaurant reviews.
On April 26, The Lancet published a letter from two doctors at Taichung-based China Medical University Hospital (CMUH) warning that “Taiwan’s Health Care System is on the Brink of Collapse.” The authors said that “Years of policy inaction and mismanagement of resources have led to the National Health Insurance system operating under unsustainable conditions.” The pushback was immediate. Errors in the paper were quickly identified and publicized, to discredit the authors (the hospital apologized). CNA reported that CMUH said the letter described Taiwan in 2021 as having 62 nurses per 10,000 people, when the correct number was 78 nurses per 10,000
As we live longer, our risk of cognitive impairment is increasing. How can we delay the onset of symptoms? Do we have to give up every indulgence or can small changes make a difference? We asked neurologists for tips on how to keep our brains healthy for life. TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH “All of the sensible things that apply to bodily health apply to brain health,” says Suzanne O’Sullivan, a consultant in neurology at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, and the author of The Age of Diagnosis. “When you’re 20, you can get away with absolute
May 5 to May 11 What started out as friction between Taiwanese students at Taichung First High School and a Japanese head cook escalated dramatically over the first two weeks of May 1927. It began on April 30 when the cook’s wife knew that lotus starch used in that night’s dinner had rat feces in it, but failed to inform staff until the meal was already prepared. The students believed that her silence was intentional, and filed a complaint. The school’s Japanese administrators sided with the cook’s family, dismissing the students as troublemakers and clamping down on their freedoms — with
As Donald Trump’s executive order in March led to the shuttering of Voice of America (VOA) — the global broadcaster whose roots date back to the fight against Nazi propaganda — he quickly attracted support from figures not used to aligning themselves with any US administration. Trump had ordered the US Agency for Global Media, the federal agency that funds VOA and other groups promoting independent journalism overseas, to be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.” The decision suddenly halted programming in 49 languages to more than 425 million people. In Moscow, Margarita Simonyan, the hardline editor-in-chief of the
RSS