Taiwan Travels: Eating Out Tamsui Old Street​

July 29, 2019 | Writer: Mob | Editor: QT

On the Northern tip of Taiwan, where the river meets the sea and hugs the land, you’ll find the bustling walkways of Tamsui Old Street. The network of streets wakens at noon and comes alive at night. Here you’ll find local Taiwanese specialties and street food like iron eggs, pickled plum juice, egg cakes, and giant fried squids the size of your face.

Come eat to your heart’s content.

We know we did. Here are a couple of our favorite picks.

Wheel Cake

Salty, savory, spicy (we’re thinking from the ginger) – this wheel cake has spiced shredded daikon radish inside. We opted for the savory option. However, if you want to whet your sweet tooth, they also have dessert options like red bean and custard cream.

Despite what it looks like, the outer shell is soft, with some bite to it. Be prepared to wait a bit or puff some air at it, because these wheel cakes are poured and cooked fresh for you on the spot. And the price for this? Only 15 NT, about $0.50 USD.

Sour Plum Juice

Despite its name, this drink is not mouth-puckeringly sour at all. Instead, it’s sweet and tangy, with only subtle sour notes. If anything, it’s less sour than orange juice. The drink itself is delicious and refreshing, a gift on a hot day. We went with the large size (pictured), which ran us only about 30 NT, or $1 USD.

Egg Cake

If you’ve ever had a puffle cone with your ice cream, then you’ve had Taiwanese egg cake. The actual traditional cakes themselves are made and cut into large, fluffy loaves – similar to sponge cake in texture and airiness. The smell is out of this world when walking past, and there are stalls fresh baking and cutting them on every corner.

We went the more untraditional route and thought we’d try their character egg cakes instead. The truth is I got suckered into these because they’re just too cute to pass up. These ones were 60NT ($2 USD) for 6. Pretty reasonable, but actually on the higher end when compared to traditional egg cake slices. The character puffles are decent, but if you want amazing egg cake, we suggest going for the traditional loaf.

The cake itself is soft and spongy, with a hint of sweetness. No filling or icing on this one, just pure fluffiness and flavor.

Giant Fried Squid

I’m not kidding when I tell you these are the size of your face – some bigger. These gigantic fried squids pierced through on sticks drew our eyes immediately when we saw them. I knew I wanted one, but we were too full at this point to commit to the full monster. So, we opted for the smaller, bite-sized pieces instead. The portion itself was still pretty sizable, judging by the state of our stomachs after.

As for the taste? Delicious – fried to the perfect crunch-to-soft-bite perfection. The meat inside was juicy and gave way with some bite. The squid came with seasoned leafy greens which enhanced the original flavor. You can eat as is, or top with your favorite condiment at the spice bar.

Our squid order ran about $5 USD for a generous amount. If you’re taking a trip down, make sure to try the squid. Tamsui is known for its fresh seafood, and the squid is some of the freshest around.

After you’ve eaten your fill, peak into some of the shops nearby or follow the walkways to the water. ​

Tamsui Old Street bustles with markets, shops, and stalls the closer to the central hub you get. The closer to the river you get, the more it slows – an idyllic respite from the noise and crowds on the other side.

We definitely took full advantage of the calm to recover from our food comas.

Our one true recommendation though? Try everything.

Happy Eating,
Mob