One of Taipei’s best night markets and possibly the most authentic, what Gongguan Night Market lacks in size is more than made up for by the amount of amazing food.
Located in a popular student area famous for its NTNU-Gongguan Campus, Gongguan Night Market is Taipei’s largest night market in the South District, within a minute’s walk of the nearest MRT stop and takes place over two parallel side streets.
These lanes of Taiwanese street-food and international fare are an incredible foodie foray – when we visited Gongguan, we saw no other Westerners and it is very different from say Raohe Night Market or Ningxia Night Market.
Several stalls had long queues and we tried food at them all, including Gongguan Night Market’s Michelin Bib Gourmand flaky scallion pancake stall.
From the best food stalls to try to where to find the two streets, here is our ultimate guide to Gongguan Night Market, loved by local families and students alike.
You might like – Our guide to Yongkang Street, Taipei’s tastiest neighborhood >
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Gongguan Night Market opening hours
Gongguan Night Market is open daily from around 4pm to 11pm. Note that many stalls don’t fully open until at least 5pm plus many stalls (including the Michelin Bib Gourmand pancake one) do not open on Mondays.
You might like – Our Taiwanderers guide to Taiwan’s best night markets >
How to get to Gongguan Night Market
One of the easiest night markets in Taipei to access, Gongguan Night Market is located in Taipei’s Da’an District.
The closest MRT is Gongguan MRT exit 1, the night market is a few minutes walk away.
Also check Google Maps or the official Go! Taipei Metro app to see which is the quickest and best route for you.
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Gongguan Night Market takes place along two parallel roads, Lane 90 (map) and Lane 108 (map), which intersect with the busier roads Section 4 Roosevelt Road and section 3, Tingzhou Road.
If you want to only check out one of the roads, head straight to lane 108 as this is home to more of the popular stalls where the local lines of people are much longer (especially on Friday and Saturday nights).
Here is a Google Maps link for one of the stalls along lane 108 so you can find the road easily >
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The best time to visit Gongguan Night Market
As one of Taipei’s best local night markets and not one usually visited by that many tourists, Gongguan Night Market is often busy especially at weekends and peak times but well worth a visit.
On our most recent trip to Taipei in October 2024, we visited Gongguan Night Market on two occasions – once on a Monday early evening when it was pretty quiet and with some stalls unopened.
We returned on the following Saturday night and it felt like a completely different place – bustling with long lines of people happy to wait for delicious food and sit out the front of stalls eating heartily. Now this is a top Taipei night market loved by students and locals and the occasional traveler like ourselves.
If you want to avoid crowds, you are probably best to visit Gongguan Night Market on Tuesday to Thursdays, and before 6pm or after 9.30pm.
Personally, we love the atmosphere of crowds so would highly recommend going on a Friday or Saturday night when all the students are out, after a busy week (probably) of studying.
Try this – Top 10 Taipei food tours with Klook including Din Tai Fung Dinner and Raohe Night Market Night Tour
Check out our Taipei neighbourhoods guides:
Beitou >
Dihua Street and Dadaocheng >
Gongguan and Longquan >
Tamsui >
Ximending >
Xinyi >
Zhongshan >
Also check out our guide to the best neighbourhoods in Taipei >
The best food stalls at Gongguan Night Market
So what is the tastiest food at Gongguan Night Market? We decided to visit several stalls where the locals were queuing up in long lines.
As this isn’t really a tourist night market like Raohe or Shilen, many students, families and couples living in the local neighborhood eat here regularly or grab takeaway containers to enjoy back at home.
So all the food at Gongguan Night Market is probably very good but the best way to be sure is to follow your nose and look for the longest lines.
Some of our food highlights at Gongguan Night Market, based on the biggest lines and our happy bellies were:
Long Ge’s Boneless Chicken Leg Stall – No 62
Currently located at the end of lane 108 where it meets Tingzhou Road (Map), Long Ge’s chicken stall serves up some damn juicy chicken and shrimp rolls.
Their number 1 signature dish consists of fried chicken and Vietnamese sweet and sour salad for just NT$100.
It was so good – the breaded chicken was moist with a flavorful coating and spicy Vietnamese salad was spot on; the sauce clumps it together so it is surprisingly easy to eat the shredded cabbage salad with chopsticks.
The queue went pretty quick and when we got to the front, the old gentlemen running the stall offered us samples of the boneless breaded chicken smothered in mayo – ‘clucking’ tasty!
Shrimp rolls are also on the menu plus boneless chicken thighs. There is a small seating area behind the stall too.
You might like – Our guide to Din Tai Fung, Taiwan’s most famous dumpling restaurant chain >
Hsiung Chi Scallion Pancake – No 48
This is Gongguan’s famous flaky pancake stall with a Michelin Bib Gourmand recommendation – given the credentials, Hsiung Chi Scallion Pancake often has a long line that loops around the stall.
We are big fans of scallion pancakes so we just had to try this. After about a 20 minute wait, the elderly last behind the stall greeted us (her English is so good) and we went for the scallion pancake with cheese, egg and basil leaves for NT$50 (the basic pancakes cost just NT$35 and then you can add extra things like ham or bacon for NT$10).
Spicy sauce, chilli oil and also mustard are optional extras (it is famous for its mustard toppings).
We thought the Hsiung Chi Pancakes were good but not the best – however, this might be because we didn’t like the cheese which was basically cheap cheese slices which went like plastic with the heat of the pancake.
Everything else was nice but we definitely wouldn’t get the cheese next time. We also liked how the old lady told us ‘see you again next week’ – how can you not love that?
For our money and tastes, the best scallion pancake in Taipei still remains the basil and egg one at Tian Jin Scallion Pancakes in Yongkang Street.
You might like – Our 1 day Taipei highlights itinerary or how to spend 3 days in Taipei
Vegan Sweet Potato Balls – Stall 68
Based on the Saturday night we visited Gongguan Night Market, this was one of the top three stalls in terms of locals queuing up.
Taiwan is famous for its sweet potato balls. As a random aside, one of our tour guides once said they were popular because the island itself looks like a sweet potato!
We aren’t sure about that fact (tour guides eh!) but what we do know is that sweet potato balls are so tasty – they also taste a little different than expected, slightly more chewy on the inside due to the inclusion of starchy tapioca but crisp and delicious on the outside.
Sweet potato balls cost NT$35 for a small portion and NT$55 for a large portion. You’ll find sweet potato balls at most Taiwan night markets and they are a staple of Gongguan Night Market’s student scene.
You might like – Our guide to Keelung Night Market, Northern Taiwan’s biggest night market and an easy journey from Taipei >
Turnover Pancake – Stall 16
Located at the top of lane 90 at the end nearest the Gongguan MRT Station, Turnover Pancake was our final stop of the night and our dessert course – again, we stopped here as it had the biggest line of hungry locals compared to other dessert stalls.
These sweet pancake puddings come in four standard flavours, all costing just NT$35 – peanut butter, brown sugar, cream and sesame seed.
After a short 5 minute wait, we were treated to a fresh warm pancake filled with gooey peanut butter (so hot at the start – give it a little time to cool down).
The pancake was pretty filling and as our fourth course, one between two of us was enough but it was a really good way to round up all the Gongguan Night Market food we tried.
At the end of our visit, we went to one of the many fruit stalls and got a huge bag of chopped guava to takeaway for NT$60.
You might like – Our guide to Simple Kaffa Sola, Taiwan’s highest coffee shop stop Taipei 101 >
Gongguan Night Markets – foods and other stalls
To do Gongguan Night Market justice, you really need to visit on more than one occasion. There are two streets of tasty Taiwanese tidbits and Asian flavors that you will want to come back to again.
Some of the other food available from the Gongguan Night Market vendors included
- Taro potato purple Milk
- Stinky tofu
- Fruit smoothies and chopped fruits
- Fried noodle burritos
- Takoyaki
- Taiwan healthy spring rolls
- Sushi
- Yakitori and grilled skewers
- Bubble waffles
- Fried corn
- Braised squid and cuttlefish
- Spicy salted chicken and hotpot
- Veggie omelets and turnip cake
- Tacos
- Donut stalls
- Braised spare ribs
Try this – Historic Huaxi Street night market food tour in Taipei >
Other things to do Gongguan Night Market
Lan Jia Gua Bao
Bao-tiful! More Taiwan food heaven is ‘Lan Jia Gua Bao’, around a 10 minute walk from Gongguan Night Market.
Seriously, we think this is the best gua bao we’ve had in ages, possibly ever!
A Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant where the baos cost just NT$70 (approx $2.20 USD or £1.60), this is succulent pork belly served with pickled mustard greens, crushed peanuts & coriander / cilantro in a soft steamed bun – add chilli to your liking.
gua bao joint was the best for me because unlike others, the meat was such good quality and you could choose lean pork, fatty or a mix (we opted for the lean and ate every single last bit).
We rocked up at around 5pm tonight & managed to get a table but by the time we left, a massive queue had formed outside for takeaways & tables. The restaurant was packed with locals young and old & it was just wonderful.
Lan Jia Gua Bao has now been in Gongguan for over 30 years and received the Michelin Bib Gourmand status in 2019.
Try this – Top 10 Taipei food tours with Viator including the award-winning private food tour of Taipei
Treasure Hill Artist Village
A short walk from Gongguan MRT Station, Treasure Hill Artist Village is an interesting place to visit (free to walk around too). It is an old settlement with many abandoned houses and areas that have been turned into artists studios (and many residents still live there).
From robot workshops to neon light installations, Treasure Hill Artist Village is a ‘treasure trove’ of street art, fun installations and a few outdoor sculptures. Even the squash courts near the river are adorned with vibrant murals.
The whole area feels a little run down and abandoned and is all a bit curious (albeit quirkily creative).
The best bit is just wandering around the village without a plan, discovering artworks in out-houses or on tree-covered terraces – just remember some people still live here so try to be respectful of their privacy and homes.
You might like – more weird, wonderful and unusual things to do in Taipei >
7-Eleven Bar in Gongguan
We’ve been asked about Taipei 7-Eleven bars in the past and it turns out one of the biggest in Taiwan is less than 10 minutes walk away from Gongguan Night Market. 7-ELEVEN 博源門市 in the Gongguan / University District (NTU) is one of the biggest.
Local students congregate here for cheap beers and this boozy 7-Eleven has a huge indoor seating area and outdoor terrace that is packed at weekends with supping students.
This thirsty Taipei 7-Eleven can be found here on Google maps >
Read our guide to 7-Eleven bars in Taiwan or 14 reasons why 7-Elevens in Taiwan are the best in the world.
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Other things to know about Gongguan Night Market
- Both lanes of the Gongguan Night Market still get the odd moped down them so keep your eyes open.
- If the queue is big, it is likely a very good stall as not many tourists come here.
- There are several convenience stores along the two main roads that intersect Gongguan Night Market if you need any soft drinks or similar including 7-Eleven.
- Some of the stalls close / sell out early so if you want a certain dish from a specific stall, don’t risk it and go early.
- You’ll find bins at either end of both the market lanes – otherwise you can sometimes return your wrappers and rubbish to the stall you bought it from.
- Watch out for skewers – given the close proximity, be aware of visitors with empty food skewers in their hand as they can be quite sharp.
Address
Gongguan Night Market, Lane 90 and 108, Section 4, Roosevelt Rd, Da’an District, Taipei City, 100
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