Luodong Night Market and Food in Yilan
Part of the Yilan travel guide — see every topic in All Yilan Guides.
Luodong is the busiest town in Yilan County, and its night market is the best place to try the local food. It is open every night of the year, a short walk from Luodong train station. Yilan food uses fresh local produce, like green onions from Sanxing, seafood from the harbours, and rice from the plain. Come hungry and share small dishes, so you can try more.
Luodong Night Market
The night market fills the streets around Zhongshan Park in central Luodong, a few minutes' walk from the front exit of Luodong station. It opens in the late afternoon and gets very busy in the evening, especially on weekends and holidays. Food stalls sell grilled meat, soups, noodles, fried snacks, fruit and drinks. There are also games and small shops. Most stalls take cash, but some take mobile payment. Go before 7 pm for shorter lines, or later in the evening if you do not mind crowds. Weekdays are calmer.
What to eat
Yilan is famous for green onions from Sanxing, a town in the hills nearby. Look for scallion pancakes and rolls full of fresh green onion. Mutton soup is a local favourite, served hot with a light broth. Another classic is bao xin fen yuan, soft tapioca balls with a sweet filling, served in shaved ice. Bu rou is a Yilan snack of fried pork strips in a light batter. You will also find grilled squid, sausages, oyster omelettes and fresh fruit juice. Look for long local lines, which usually mean good food.
Snacks to take home
Niu she bing, or cow tongue cakes, are a well-known Yilan snack. They are long, flat biscuits named for their shape, not their taste. Some are crisp and thin, and others are soft. Shops in Yilan town and Luodong sell them in gift boxes, often with free samples. Other popular gifts include candied kumquats and kumquat sauce. Yilan also has the Kavalan whisky distillery in Yuanshan, which has a visitor center, a shop and tastings. Most of these shops are near train stations, so it is easy to buy on your way home.
Luodong Forestry Culture Park
Before the market, visit the Luodong Forestry Culture Park, a short walk from the station. It was once a timber yard where logs from the mountains were stored in a large pond. Today the pond is a quiet green space with paths, old wooden buildings, and logs still floating in the water. Birds and fish live in the pond, and the late afternoon light is pretty. Old railway cars and a small station show how logs once came down from Taipingshan. It is free and a relaxing place for an hour before the night market opens.
Luodong Night Market and Food at a glance
| Getting there | A few minutes' walk from Luodong station |
|---|---|
| Hours | Night market open every night, late afternoon to late evening |
| Cost | Street food is cheap; bring cash |
| Must try | Scallion pancakes, mutton soup, filled tapioca balls, cow tongue cakes |
| Best time | Weekday evenings, before 7 pm for shorter lines |