Best Hot Pot Places in Taipei
What you need to know
Hot pot comes in all kinds of flavors and price points in Taipei and here is a list of hot pot places you should try.
For Taiwanese people, hot pot can be a daily staple no matter the season. Some even say that eating hot pot is one of the most intimate ways for people to share a meal and almost intuitive choice of food when dining with friends.
In Taiwan, there are nearly five thousand restaurants serving a variety of hot pots at a wide range of price points. Different styles of hot pot include shabu-shabu, mala spicy hot pot, mutton hot pot, and stinky tofu hot pot, just to name a few. Some restaurants also have their own signature sauce and specialty dish.
A well-known Japanese way of eating hot pot is to pour rice into the rich broth at the end of the meal, crack a fresh egg inside and sprinkle some scallion over — a new bowl of deliciousness. "Eating hot pot is just like cooking. You can be as creative and spontaneous as you please," reads a section in "Good Eye Taipei," a new bilingual Taipei city guide.
Here are six hot pot places in Taipei recommended by "Good Eye Taipei."
Qimin Market (齊民市集有機鍋物)
No. 158, Section 2, Xinyi Rd, Taipei City
"Fresh ingredients and delicious broth."
Chan Chi Hot Pots Lab. (詹記麻辣火鍋)
B1F, No. 178, Section 2, Nanjing E Rd, Taipei City
"A spicy and numbing hot pot restaurant famed for their coagulated duck blood and retro decor."
Dongmen Dumpling (東門餃子館)
No. 37, Lane 31, Section 2, Jinshan S Rd, Taipei City
"Pickled Chinese cabbage and pork hot pot with overflowing ingredients."
Ba Wei Ginger Duck (霸味薑母鴨)
1F, No. 182, Bangka Blvd, Taipei City
"The medicinal ginger duck broth will warm your body up in the cold winter."
Mutton Hot Pot (下港羊肉爐)
No. 18, Tianxiang Road, Taipei City
"Fresh mutton from Kangshan, this restaurant is packed even in the early and late hours."
Yuan Xiang Hot Pot (元香沙茶火鍋)
No. 35, Section 3, Xinyi Rd, Taipei City
"The fresh meats are served with clear broth and home-made shacha sauce — a delicious combination."
“Good Eye Taipei” can be purchased at all major bookstores in Taiwan. Check out TNL’s interview with the author here.
Editor: Olivia Yang