Despite sharing the same name, the Taiwanese tempura has nothing to do with the Japanese one. It's made with fish paste, battered and then fried. Very popular in the night markets, where it's sold along with other fried bites such as squid, sweet potatos, tofu, blood pudin and vegetables.
My personal recommendation is Shu Yuen in Shida night market.
They are a kind of dumpling filled with minced pork or shrimp. In each Chinese region there are different variations. The most popular in Taiwan are the Cantonese variation, served alone in a very light soup or accompanied by rice noodles.
One of the best places for wantan (and other kinds of baozi and fish balls) is Au dian dan shuei yuwan (老店淡水魚丸) in Dansui.
It's a type of steam bun. There are many variations depending on the fillings. The Taiwanese type is usually filled with pork meat or vegetables. Maybe this is one of the most famous Chinese bites around the world, popularized through its Japanese version known as nikuman.
This coffee shop is a classic for insomniacs in Zhongshan area. Many coffee shops in the city open until late, but this one, as its name indicates, doesn't close until 4 am. Of course, the internet connection is free.
Really cute restaurant which specialty are hamburgers and pasta. On my first visit I was playing it safe and ordered one of their popular burgers, but I'm willing to try the lasagna on my next visit! The prices are really fair, even cheap compared to other restaurants in the area, and the food is great. It's not easy to find lasagna for 170NTD in the city.
