--- title: 'Raohe Night Market: Before and After Dark' description: "Raohe at 3pm and Raohe at 6pm aren't really the same street. A Monday afternoon walk through one of Taipei's most famous night markets, before and after it wakes up." author: 'Kalen Johnson' date_published: '2026-04-27' date_modified: '2026-09-29' canonical_url: 'https://taiwantable.com/articles/raohe-night-market-before-and-after-dark' section: Review image: 'https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/808/01KQ7A9HPT7H7ASDXCFRYTZFJT.jpg' --- Raohe Street at 3pm is nowhere near the same place it will be at 6pm. At 3pm, there are no stalls, the road is wide open, barely any cars or people, especially on a Monday when Songshan Market is mostly shut as well. Seemed like the perfect time for me to arrive early and spend a few hours. I took the Red Line into town, jumped out at Zhongshan, changed to the Green Line, and went to Songshan. I was planning to start with a fried chicken place outside exit 2, but the gate was up, nobody was inside, and I had no idea when they would be back. So I walked over to Raohe Street early, and had a late lunch of beef noodle soup at [Wanderlust](https://taiwantable.com/articles/wanderlust-beef-noodles). ![](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/815/conversions/01KQ7A9HRA7CYC15C91KK1S432-xlarge.webp) Photo by Kalen Johnson After lunch, I started looking for somewhere to do some work. I actually tried to find a coffee shop on Raohe. There’s one place called Wuli, but it’s more of a stall, and the chairs didn’t look comfortable for working. So I went to the trusty backup: Louisa Coffee. ![](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/812/conversions/01KQ7A9HQNJKH0YWFPAW5J2DQY-xlarge.webp) Photo by Kalen Johnson Louisa is a standby, kind of like Starbucks, but more affordable; both can have the issue of all seats being taken. This one, I grabbed a seat at a low table with chairs almost touching the floor, and felt very uncomfortable. Fortunately, after just a few minutes, someone at a table for human-sized people left, and I grabbed that one. ![](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/811/conversions/01KQ7A9HQH4TW8TYNHWFNSVDN0-xlarge.webp) Photo by Kalen Johnson After wrapping up some work, I returned to Raohe around 6pm. It was still light, but stalls were open and busy. I started off with the famous 福州世祖胡椒餅fúzhōu shìzǔ hújiāo bǐng—Fuzhou Pepper Pork Bun. Despite 10+ people in line, fresh buns come out regularly; just tell them how many you want, pay, and the line moves quickly. The first pepper bun I tried back when we first arrived in Taipei, strangely enough, was also a Fuzhou pepper bun, the [Ancestral location](https://taiwantable.com/places/fuzhou-ancestral-pepper-bun) over near the Taipei Airport Metro building. They also have a lineup, and while it was good, I found their pork filling somewhat unseasoned. So it had good porky flavour, but eh, I was let down after seeing people gush about these. The ones at Shilin Night Market are good, with decent seasoning. But the [Fuzhou Shizu Pepper Pork Bun](https://taiwantable.com/places/fuzhou-shizu-pepper-pork-bun) at Raohe, YES, this is what I’ve been looking for! Well salted, just to the point before tasting salty. Scallions all over, and juicy pork that burns your mouth. I certainly understand why this is one of the most popular pepper buns. ![](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/555/conversions/01KPNV7DKT8GYEN7X562WNXF71-xlarge.webp) Photo by Kalen Johnson After enjoying the pepper bun, I meandered and passed the [Mama Lin king oyster mushroom stall](https://taiwantable.com/places/mama-lin-king-oyster-mushrooms). I hadn’t tried these yet, but they’re popular. The line moves slowly, as the 老板lǎobǎn (boss) grills each mushroom carefully on a small area. Expect to wait 2-6 minutes per person ahead of you. You choose one or two flavours to be sprinkled on top. I ordered lemon and pepper salt. Money sits on the table at this stall; you pay yourself and take change. There's a sign: 'Just queue up alone,' meaning don't line up in groups. Space is limited, and the boss is careful not to block neighbours. Very considerate. ![](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/542/conversions/IMG_20260413_194745-xlarge.webp) Photo by Kalen Johnson It’s also clear why these mushrooms are so popular - they’re juicier than almost any grilled meat, the flavour is delicate, but umami, and the salt, pepper, and lemon combo adds a nice citrus and seasoned flavour. At NT$100, it’s not the cheapest thing you can buy, but it’s a pretty decent-sized bowl. Definitely recommended, but next time I’m at Raohe, I think I’ll try one of the other stalls that also do King Oyster mushrooms; they seem to have little to no lineups, so it’ll be interesting to compare how close they come to Mama Lin. ![](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/541/conversions/IMG_20260413_200620-xlarge.webp) Photo by Kalen Johnson After finishing the mushrooms and walking around a bit more, I took a seat at [TimeBeer Bar](https://taiwantable.com/places/timebeer-bar), where pints of beer are NT$300. Since it wasn’t too busy, I pulled out my laptop, did some work, and enjoyed the Raohe limited beer. It tasted mostly like a lager but had a bit of hop character. After a short rest at the bar, I headed to Raohe's other entrance. A friend from Canada had sent me an Instagram reel about [upright grilled corn](https://taiwantable.com/places/upright-grilled-corn) a couple of days before, so I had to try it and let him know how it tasted. I ordered the highest spice level, since Taiwanese spicy food is usually mild for me. This one was coated with a sauce and spice blend. I wasn't in pain, but it was among the spicier foods I've had in Taiwan that wasn’t just a straight chilli pepper. The corn was grilled well, and the barbecue and soy sauce made a strong, tasty combination. Definitely more interesting and better than the grilled corn I usually have. ![](https://taiwan-table.sfo3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/545/conversions/IMG_20260413_203242-xlarge.webp) Photo by Kalen Johnson It was a fulfilling food day. Raohe gets a lot of tourist traffic, and it earns it! I've still only scratched the surface. Next time, I want to try the herbal pork rib soup and the oyster vermicelli. ## Reviewed Places - [Mama Lin King Oyster Mushrooms](https://taiwantable.com/places/mama-lin-king-oyster-mushrooms) - [Raohe Night Market](https://taiwantable.com/night-markets/raohe-night-market) - [Upright Charcoal-Grilled Corn](https://taiwantable.com/places/upright-grilled-corn) - [Fuzhou Shizu Pepper Bun](https://taiwantable.com/places/fuzhou-shizu-pepper-pork-bun)