This is my third trip to Taiwan. Their food never fails to impress me.
Hualien Night Market offer a great variety to fun and food. However many people had covered them over and over again.
Therefore if you are looking for a place that you can sit down and eat, this Hualien Food Recommendation is for you. While walking, eating and viewing all the sights at once can be pretty fun, sometimes when we bring the kids along, we just want to rest our feet and for the kids to have a proper sit down meal.
Below is the list, let’s go!
Railway Bento
If you have visited Japan, you’ll know that this comes from Shinkansen. Taiwan is heavily influenced by Japan because Japan used to be their colonial master many years ago for 50 years.
All HSR and long distance TRA train journey offer lunch box when you book the train tickets online. Railway Bento has be preordered.
However, they offer snacks and drinks on the train if you happened to be hungry. Trust me when I say these bento aren’t too shabby.
With rice, meat and vegetables and some side dishes, it can fill you up. Not to mention, they are tasty too.
Li Hua Fengwei Restaurant 丽华风味馆
Address: No. 90號, Section 1, Chinan Rd, Shoufeng Township, Hualien County, Taiwan 974
快炒 or quick stir fry is one of Taiwanese popular way of cooking especially for restaurants who offer a wide range of cook-to-order dishes on their menu.
This restaurant is located at Liyu Lake (approx 45min drive from Hualien). They serve very localised Hualien cuisine like raw marinated shrimp. Think raw marinated crab in South Korea except it’s prawns.
We didn’t try them because they were not in season. The boss, who is also the chef, informed us that the shrimps were usually caught directly from lake.
Such 快炒 restaurants are aplenty all over Taiwan. However, some do not offer prices on their menu especially for seafood. It is a way for dishonest restaurants to charge super high prices.
Therefore please do your homework and ask for price before ordering. If you do not feel comfortable, thinking that they are just too expensive, just walk away.
Taroko Village Hotel
Address: 972, Taiwan, Hualien County, Xiulin Township, 231-1號
We were brought to this restaurent by chance by our driver when we visit Taroko National Park. They have very unique indigenous cuisine and very special flavours.
The plating and presentation looks somehow like Japanese teishoku to me.
They do a lot of pickling to their vegetables dishes. The main attractions of their set meal in my opinion, apart from their grilled meat, is their bamboo sticky rice.
Their meat was grilled to perfection. Tender, sweet and savoury all at once.
Oh, they are also a hotel. We did not managed to explore the grounds though. We hope to be able to do so the next round.
Hualien Xiang Bian Shi 花莲香扁食
Address: No. 347-1號, Zhongshan Rd, Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan 970
扁食 is an eatery that sells wanton or dumplings. While they sell noodles or rice dishes for variations, the main specialty is dumplings with different fillings.
Majority of them are pork while some will be filled with shrimps or vegetables. This eatery is very famous with local and very kids friendly as we saw many come with family and young children on tow.
The flavours are rather mild but fresh, and non spicy at all. Therefore it fits everyone just fine.
Dumplings are made on the spot by the staffs arm with trays filled with mountain of minced meat. If you want to try their noodle or rice dish, I would suggest ordering the dumplings to share as each bowl comes with at least 12 big wantons.
Old Times Izakaya 老时光烧肉酒肴
Address: No. 88-1號, Minguo Rd, Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan 970
For a full review, you can read it here.
A very kids friendly restaurant that serve authentic Izakaya food. It’s a place that is fully run by locals.
No Japanese staff or chef in sight. It’s a very popular place with the locals. It was so good, we visited twice when we were at Hualien for only 3 days.
The place was packed for the 2 times we were there. Therefore, visit early or be prepared to wait. I believe you could make reservations online but we did not.
Ban Yu Coffee 半寓咖啡
Address: No. 316號, Chenggong St, Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan 970
半寓咖啡
Need a coffee break? I love a good coffee house. But sometimes I love a good tea too.
Therefore it’s great when you have best of both worlds plus some really good sweet treats. And to top off the experience, great ambiance! Ok, I know I’m a bit greedy in this. But hey, I found it at 半寓咖啡.
For a complete review, you can read it here.
Do you have any other recommendations in Hualien? I hope to see them in the comments below.
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