If traveling in Taiwan, don’t ever waste your time or stomach on the hotel’s breakfast, because you’ll regret badly later whether it’s that your full or have gained too many pounds upon returning home. Head out and let the dazzling assortment of breakfast options on the street kick off your foodie travel of the day!

First of all, if you happen to fall under the spell of jetlag and is wide awake during midnight, What are you gonna do? Room Service? Of course not, the literally everywhere convenience store could be your choice; but we recommend going with the traditional soymilk/deep fried fritters option, or some Onigiri(rice balls), or sesame biscuits with pan-fried eggs, the options is endless.

If you have beat jetlag to the ground but belongs in the early bird crowd, then congratulations for the worms! Because the student rush hour between 6:30 am to 7:30 am is the prime time where all the breakfast stores are open. Why not join the crowd for a take out of Taiwanese sandwich and radish cakes plus a small iced milk tea, and you’re going to be amazed at the cook’s memorizing ability.

“Hey I want a black peppered pork chop sandwich with sides off and no onions, two pieces of radish cakes with eggs and chili, large black tea no ice, oh and to go, Thanks!”

Something along the line of this is a normal order taken orally and often there are five to six people ordering all at the same time, that’s something that Starbucks can’t reach.

If you have some time to sit down and enjoy the meal, then choose a breakfast joint filled with sleepy locals and amateur English menu. And in case the menu does start to get out of hand and you can’t choose between 20 different flavors of egg rolls, consider your neighboring Taiwanese’s table and just point the dish to the cook, they’ll get it. But be aware, you might be even more indecisive because breakfast has extended into lunch menu in Taiwanese culture, whether it’s burgers, pot stickers, or Iron plate noodles are all on the list.

In case all of the above breakfast options aren’t your type and a quiet quality breakfast is what wakes you up, then you can consider a café with brunch options to explore some Taiwanese version omelettes or other foreign breakfast.

Lastly, if breakfast with eggs just isn’t your thing, then there’s a lot more out there for you to try. Intestine Vermicelli, Pan-fried buns, Ba wans(meta dumplings), Chinese Leek, or even boullion beef soup can all be on the list for adventurists to try. After all, the variety of work schedules in Taiwan destined a culture of freedom in what every choose to eat and when to eat them. The only thing we can promise you is that staying hungry but can’t find food is mission impossible in Taiwan.

If you’re really worried about ordering authentic food, then make good use of the table below plus your body language for a worth while food experience.

	中文	English
	豆漿 [dòu jiāng]	Soy bean milk
	油條 [yóu tiáo]	Fried bread stick
	燒餅 [shāo bǐng]	Sesame Flatbread
	飯糰 [fàn tuán]	Rice rolls
	蘿蔔糕 [luó bo gāo]	Turnip cake/ Radish Cake
	三明治 [sān míng zhì]	Taiwanese Sandwich
	蛋餅 [dàn bǐng]	Taiwanese pancake/Eggrolls
	鍋貼 [guō tiē]	Potstickers
	台式漢堡 [hàn bǎo]	Taiwanese hamburger
	鐵板麵 [tiě bǎn miàn]	Taiwanese Pan-Fried Noodles
	蚵仔麵線 [hé zǐ miàn xiàn]	Oyster vermicelli
	水煎包 [shuǐ jiān bāo]	Pan-fried bun
	肉圓 [bah oân]	Ba wan/ Taiwanese meatball
	韭菜盒子 [jiǔ cài hé zi]	Chinese leek "box"
	牛肉湯 [niú ròu tāng]	Bouillon/Beef soup

Full of breakfast? Well better get ready for lunch as the options get more exciting in Taiwan!

Translated by Nasha

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