Taiwan Guide: Our Favourite Vegan-Friendly restaurants
The must visit restaurants and eateries up and down the island
Taiwan cuisine is world-famous and is home to a growing number of dedicated vegan restaurants and cafes, catering to both locals and international visitors. in our 6 weeks exploring taiwan, we enjoyed food from night markets, small local eateries, religiously vegan establishments and restaurants catering for tourists.
these establishments offered a diverse selection of vegan dishes that showcase creativity, quality, and taste. from elegant and sophisticated dining experiences to cosy and casual settings, the vegan food scene in taiwan has it all.
From plant-based sushi, delectable vegan dim sum, or beautifully presented vegan buffets encompassing a wide range of flavours and textures.
Here are our favourite vegan-friendly eateries to discover when travelling in Taiwan:
Taipei
玄徳素食（大慈素食）
XUANDE VEGETARIAN (DACI VEGETARIAN)
Address: No. 4, Lane 34, Section 2, Hankou St, Wanhua District
Budget buffet style vegeterian food for big appetities!
Everything at Xuande Vegeterian is prepared in house using fresh ingredients throughout the day. Simply walk in, grab a plate (or a multi dimpled food tray) and stack as high as you can without feeling embarrassed.
Choose from an assortment of delicious mock meats and mock fish, seaweed rolls, veggies, tofu (and the stinky variety) and lots of other dishes we couldn't possibly identify.
After you’ve loaded up your plate simply head towards the counter where they will weight your place and calculate the cost, hand over a complimentary bowl of rice, or noodles, and free miso soup!
Expect to pay as little as 60-100 TWD (£1 - £2.20) per sitting.
四川凉面
COLD SICHUAN NOODLES RESTAURANT
Address: No. 207, Section 2, Nanchang Rd, Zhongzheng District
Our favourite version of Taiwan's much sought-after Cold Sichuan Noodles are served at this tiny restaurant, found on a small narrow street behind the tourist district of Ximen.
They only serve a few dishes, with a selection of side dishes to pick from including fake meats and marinated tofu. The standout dish is their famous Cold Sichuan Spicey Noodles - a must try. As you may have guessed, they are served cold, spicy and packed with flavour.
Super cheap: around 40TWD (70p) a dish.
自然食古亭
OOH CHA CHA
Address: No. 207, Sec.2, Nanchang Rd, Zhongzheng Dist.
The playfully named Ooh Cha Cha is an upscale, cosy, 100% vegan eatery serves international cuisine, and very tourist friendly. More of a cafe, it's the perfect place for brunch or an early dinner.
The eatery isn't exactly cheap, but for the price you get a prestine, bohemian decor setting, and the highest quality ingredients.
Why not try the spicy buffalo rice bowl & BLMT sandwich.
Prices start at around £200TWD (£4.50)
四川凉面
貞甘單素食風味館-永和店
ZHEN GAN SHAN VEGETARIAN FLAVOUR RESTAURANT (SO VEG)
Address: No. 383號, Yongzhen Rd, Yonghe District
The menu consists of lots of noodle dishes, textured and flavourful mock meats and fresh soups.
This was one of our favourite places to eat in Taiwan, not only was the food always brilliant but it was also very affordable at around 120TWD (£2.90) per dish.
Chishang
池上【巧本味蔬食人文料理】
QIA BEN WEI VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT
Address: No. 102 靜修路, Jingxiu Rd, Chishang
Chishang is a small village town, known as the 'hometown of rice'. It is also home to one of the most delicious delicious dishes in all of Taiwan - the simply named: rice with Chinese Toon sauce.
Qia Ben is family run and everything is made fresh and to order. It is one of (if not the only) Vegan/Vegetarian restaurants in town. Not that it mattered to us - after eating at Qia Ben Wei in our first night we didn't want to eat anywhere else.
We stayed in Chishang for 5 days and ate here every day, sometimes twice a day.
The menu is full of delicious local dishes and all very good, but there’s one stand-out dish that blew our minds - the rice with Chinese toon.
Unbelievably, the dish is just 70 TWD! (£1.70).
What is a Chinese toon?
Chinese toon sauce is a flavorful condiment or paste made from the tender young leaves and buds of the Chinese toon tree (Toona sinensis), known as “香椿” (xiāngchūn) in Chinese. These leaves are prized for their unique, aromatic, and slightly onion-garlic-like flavor, which has earthy and nutty undertones. The sauce is particularly popular in eastern Taiwan & Northern Chinese cuisine and is used to enhance dishes with its bold and distinctive taste.
Jioufen
慈鴻素食
CI HONG VEGAN
Address: No. 65號, Jishan St, Ruifang District
This is one of the very few vegan restaurants in the popular and picturesque mountain town of Jioufen.
The menu and the food served here is very minimal, such as noodle soup, vegan steak and rice, and mochi on shaved ice, but what little they do, they do so very well.
The standout dish is the very simple vegan steak and rice - exactly as described, and much tastier than it looks.
Kaohsiung
真好味素食
VEGETARIAN NIGHT MARKET STALL
Address: No. 67號, Liuhe 2nd Rd, Xinxing District
Whilst it's not overly difficult to find vegan snacks and small dishes at night markets, it can be a challenge to find somewhere to have a decent sized meal.
So it was to our delight to find this stall on the doorstep of our hotel at Koashiung’s famous Liuhe night market serving traditional Vegan versions of popular Taiwanese dishes.
This market stall might be difficult to find, look for the stall with "vegetarian" written in English. Prices start at 40TWD.
Hualien
草緣齋
CYZ VEGAN
Address: No. 130號, Guofu 10th St, Hualien City
This is a big statement, especially considering just how much we loved pretty much all the food we ate in Taiwan - but this was the best food we had in Taiwan (and quite possibly our most favourite dish ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD!!)
There are 2 main dishes, the drier Signature Noodles - which are an absolute triumph and the Signature Noodle Soup.
Be aware that the opening times can be a little random, but make no mistake - if you only eat in one restaurant in Taiwan, be sure to make CYZ your choice.
Honestly, we was amazed at how there wasn’t a queue wrapping around the block !
The side of fried wontons was also incredible!
Taitung
李姐素食飯麵小吃攤
SISTER LEE'S VEGETARIAN RICE AND NOODLE SNACKS STAND
Address: No. 228, Gengsheng N Rd, Taitung City, Taitung County, Taiwan 950
During our short stay in town we ate here twice - a wonderful little place parked on a side of the street. It's run by a few lovely ladies who make incredible dishes. The menu offers traditional dry noodles, dumplings and rice, soups. The prices start from 50TWD to 80TWD. We had the knife cut noodle soup and dumpling soup.
明隆春捲專賣店
MING LONG VEGETARIAN
Address: No. 453-1, Zhengqi Rd, Taitung City
A restaurant run by lovely accommodation staff who were delighted to receive foreign visitors. Simple delicious sesame sauce rice and noodles, great service and affordable prices. This is authentic traditional local Vegan Taiwanese food at its best.
Taichung
大德素食
DAEDEOK VEGAN RESTAURANT
Address: No. 109, Dade St, North District
A delightful family-run restaurant offering a range of dishes from a delicious freshly rolled vegan sushi plate, and the familiar but never boring sesame noodles.
Simple, heartfelt, soulful vegetarian food (not entirely vegan as they do sell eggs on the side).
This unassuming eatery makes delicious, authentic plant-based versions of authentic Taiwanese cuisines.
Prices start from just 30TWD.
Tainan
小鳥不吃肉
LITTLE BIRD, VEGAN RESTAURANT
Address: No. 118, Yufeng St, East District
One of the tastiest finds in Tainan, and one that is popular with the locals.
Everyday a huge queue snake out into the streat, full of hungry Tainan locals eager to discover what daily special Little Bird had cooked up to supplement the regular favourites.
On the thursday we visited the daily special was the "steak" and rice with roasted vegetables - and it was delicious!
佛世緣素食
FOU SHI YUAN
Address: No. 421, Chenggong Rd, West Central District
A tiny, unfussy eatery with an open plan kitchen. Fou Shi Yuan helpfully has an English menu and serves up (yep, you've guessed it) simle, traditional dishes packed with flavour and texture.
We really enjoyed the wonton noodle soup and steamed buns.
Prices start rom 35 TWD.
