Foodies, this one’s for you！ A lazy guide to must-try delicacies at Tainan’s Garden Night Market

Text & Photos /mimi Han

“Da Da Wu Hua Da Hua Hua” is the essential mantra for anyone visiting Tainan. These seven simple characters cover all the major night markets in Tainan throughout the week, and among them, Garden Night Market is the most famous and crowded. The market is packed with hundreds of food stalls offering all kinds of treats that are simply overwhelming. Just deciding what to eat can take up a lot of your time.

To help reduce your chances of a food fail, I’m sharing a foodie special feature tonight. I’ve selected 10 delicious eats I’ve personally tried and loved to recommend to you — such as sausage wrapped in intestine, black tea stinky tofu, wooden cabinet braised snacks, Brother A-San’s oyster omelet, Second Senior’s braised snacks, crispy fried squid, and ma|焓迨宓龋?all super tasty choices. The others aren’t bad either, but since I haven’t tried most of them, I don’t feel comfortable recommending them. I’ll keep adding more when I get the chance, so stay tuned to Up！ (Note: 大 = Dadong Night Market, 武 = Wusheng Night Market, 花 = Garden Night Market)

▲ Unlike night markets up north, there are no fixed shops here — just a gathering of small stalls. It’s generally divided into a food zone, a daily goods zone, and various game zones. Some stall locations may change weekly, but don’t worry if you can’t find them — just walk around and grab whatever catches your eye. It’s a fun way to eat too. Now let’s kick off the happy roll call with Up~

▲ 1. True Squid Flavor Crispy Fried Squid (Recommendation Level: ★★★★)

The squid here is huge, and once it’s deep-fried, the aroma is just overwhelmingly delicious. You can also choose from a variety of seasonings like plum salt, garlic salt, mustard... You could have a different flavor every visit and not get bored after six tries. You can either bite into the whole squid or ask the vendor to chop it into pieces. Honestly, it’s super tasty~

▲ 2. Black Tea Stinky Tofu (Recommendation Level: ★★★★★)）

This stall might be new here, but it’s a superstar at Fengjia Night Market. They specialize in stinky tofu fermented with Earl Grey tea culture. Can you imagine stinky tofu not just being pungent but also giving off a subtle hint of tea aroma?

Their stinky tofu is quite different from the common type found in Tainan. It’s deep-fried once, then cut into quarters and fried again when ordered. This gives it an extra-crispy outer layer while keeping the inside tender like fresh tofu. It’s a refreshing twist on traditional stinky tofu, and the best part is it’s not greasy at all. It’s really worth trying.

▲ Oh, and the sign says it all — this is a media darling, featured on Travel King, Foodie Paradise, and Travel Cheer Squad. It’s been on tons of shows, making it another great taste spot in Garden Night Market~

▲ The dish comes in a four-compartment bento box, thoughtfully separating the signature sauce, special kimchi, and pickled radish so nothing gets messy. You can mix and match sauces and pickles to your taste.

One highlight is their sauce — it turns out they add malt sugar while cooking it, which explains the sweet note. Paired with the stinky tofu, it totally won over this Tainan native’s taste buds.

▲ If you like spicy food, their spicy sauce mixed with the sweet-salty sauce is also really good. The pickles are fruit- and plum-flavored with a mild spice and sweetness — absolutely delicious. I originally came for one serving, but after walking around, I came back for another. It’s seriously addictive.

▲ 3. British Royal English Black Tea Specialty (Recommendation Level: ★★★★☆)

I included this stall because my sister always pairs her night market food with sugar-free or lightly sweetened drinks to quench thirst and cut grease. After a couple of food stops, she starts hunting for a drink, and this British Royal tea is pretty good. It doesn’t have the bitterness of cheap black tea, and we enjoyed it both times. The owner is super friendly, and the blue-lit stall is very eye-catching — I remembered it right away. If you don’t like overly sweet drinks, this is the place.

▲ 4. Second Senior Traditional Braised Snacks (Recommendation Level: ★★★★★)

This stall is definitely a must-eat gem and one of the top-tier spots in Garden Night Market. Its huge banner is super visible, and it has a fixed location, making it easy to find.

They pride themselves on using no MSG, artificial colors, preservatives, refined salt, or other additives. The place is almost always packed with people, night after night — truly impressive.

▲ All the braised snacks are made on-site. The front of the stall is swarmed with customers, and the big pots in the back never stop bubbling. Even the packaging staff are super busy. A single night market stall employs nearly 10 people — that’s wild！

▲ My favorite items are their three-cup rice blood cake, small bird eggs, spicy dried tofu, and chicken hearts. You’ve got to try them~

▲ 5. Wooden Cabinet Braised Snacks (Recommendation Level: ★★★★)

This is another popular stall at Garden Night Market, and a little queue is to be expected. During peak hours, it can even start backing up from here.

The owner uses a small wooden cabinet with green mesh windows — it’s super retro. What’s special is that their braised snacks are served cold, perfect for hot summer night market visits.

▲ The ingredients are neatly categorized and not all jumbled together. Plus, the vendor picks and portions your order, so nothing gets messy. The taste? That classic sweet-salty Tainan flavor. I love almost everything — rice blood cake, fish sausage, cauliflower, and duck wings are my faves.

▲ 6. Sausage Wrapped in Intestine (Recommendation Level: ★★★★★)

I recall there are two similar stalls in Garden Night Market, but I’d recommend the one with the pushcart. Its compact cart is always surrounded by a crowd. As soon as you get close, the air fills with the aroma of sausage and basil leaves — absolutely mouthwatering~

▲The entire food stall is loaded with sausages & intestines—take a closer look, isn’t this scene just amazing!!

This auntie has been eating here for years, ever since her student days, and even now that she’s a mom, she still craves a bite whenever she visits the night market.

▲The order is super simple—just sausage + intestine (sticky rice sausage), and there are tons of toppings on the cart you can freely choose from and mix yourself. Want more aroma? Add some basil and garlic. Love spice? Throw in some pickled spicy radish. Prefer something refreshing? Toss in some cucumber. Eat it however you like!

▲７．Ah San Ge Oyster Omelette (Recommendation Level: ★★★☆)

I think most Tainan locals who love night markets probably recognize this old uncle by now. His oyster omelettes have a crispy, golden crust, the egg inside stays tender, and the amount of oysters is pretty decent too. It’s one of those spots you crave every now and then, and he’s got plenty of regulars.

▲Though oyster omelette is the star, they also offer other variations like squid, crab meat, and shrimp—if you’re not a fan of oysters, you’ve still got options. But between us, I usually go on Wednesdays when he’s at Wusheng Night Market. No special reason really, just that it’s less crowded and touristy then, so the uncle might have more time on his hands and make it taste even better. (Haha, could just be my imagination XD)

▲８．Ma|Hen Dai Dan (Rating: “ ” “ ” “ ” “ ”)