Blog
Blog
What to eat, how to get around and where to shop near our apartments. Local notes from the owner, for when you've just moved in.
市政府・信義區
Around City Hall · Xinyi
City Hall · Xinyi monthly rentals →
City Hall · Xinyi
Renting in Taipei for 3 or 6 months: monthly stays near City Hall MRT for families and companies
A 3-month or 6-month stay near City Hall MRT in Xinyi. For families back in Taiwan, families waiting out a home renovation, staff in company training, and teams opening stores in the Xinyi malls. Plus what to check before you move in.
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City Hall · Xinyi
Shopping and eating at the Taipei Dome mall
Far Eastern Garden City, the mall at the Taipei Dome, fully opened in September 2026. The B2 food hall, world food on 7F, Michelin-listed restaurants on 8F, the cinema, and how to get there from City Hall.
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City Hall · Xinyi
City Hall Bus Station: buses to Taoyuan Airport, Yilan and Keelung
Taipei City Hall Bus Station is at Exit 2 of City Hall MRT Station, in the Uni-President department store building. Bus routes to Taoyuan Airport, Yilan, Jiaoxi, Luodong and Keelung, plus the MRT exits.
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City Hall · Xinyi
Where to eat near City Hall Station: Yongji Rd. Lane 30
Lane 30 of Yongji Rd., under 3 minutes from City Hall MRT, is a lane of cheap local food: rice noodle soup, cold noodles, roast duck wraps, pho, Hainan chicken rice and tofu pudding. Plus breakfast and coffee nearby.
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City Hall · Xinyi
Dawan Matou (大灣碼頭): Taiwanese stir-fry and seafood, 5 minutes from City Hall Station
大灣碼頭熱炒生猛海鮮 on Songlong Rd. in Xinyi, about 5 minutes from Exit 1 of City Hall MRT. Known for crispy-skin chicken and spicy pork intestine, plus sashimi, salt-and-pepper fried dishes, fried rice and noodles. Open 5 pm to midnight, closed Mondays.
Read more →台北車站
Around Taipei Main Station
Taipei Main Station monthly rentals →
Taipei Main Station
Nanyang Street, Taipei's cram school street: food, study spots and housing
Nanyang St. in front of Taipei Main Station is Taiwan's best-known cram school street. Where it is, what schools are there, where to eat and study, and where to stay.
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Taipei Main Station
Retaking the university entrance exam in Taipei: dates and housing
For 2027 entry, the GSAT is January 22–24, 2027 and the AST is July 10–11. Coming to Taipei for a retake class: do schools have dorms, and where should you live for the year?
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Taipei Main Station
Railway Department Park: Taiwan's old railway headquarters, now a museum, a 7-minute walk from Taipei Main Station
The National Taiwan Museum Railway Department Park on Yanping N. Rd. is about a 7-minute walk from Taipei Main Station. A century-old red-brick office, an octagonal men's-only toilet, a cone-shaped air-raid shelter and a 1:80 moving model railway. Tickets NT$100, closed Mondays.
Read more →Taipei Main Station
Dongyi Pork Chop (東一排骨): half a century of old-school pork chop rice, one stop from Taipei Main Station
東一排骨總店 on Yanping S. Rd. in Ximen has served pork chop rice here since 1979. 70s nightclub decor, fried pork chops, brined-then-fried chicken legs and fried tofu, one MRT stop from Taipei Main Station.
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Taipei Main Station
Ryuchiro Yakitori (隆次郎燒鳥): binchotan skewers in a Ximen alley, one stop from Taipei Main Station
隆次郎燒鳥.串燒 sits in an alley off Kangding Rd. in Ximen. The owner trained in Japan and works the binchotan grill alone. Chicken thigh and scallion, liver, shirako, chochin and fried chicken, one MRT stop from Taipei Main Station.
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Taipei Main Station
Wan Guo Zhi Jia (碗粿之家): 60 years of bowl rice cakes and bawan, a 10-minute walk from Taipei Main Station
The first store of 碗粿之家, in a lane off Chang'an W. Rd. in Datong, started in 1959 with an aunt selling rice cakes from a shoulder pole. Bowl rice cakes in braising sauce and handmade bawan with bamboo shoot and taro, open from 6:30 am, about a 10-minute walk from Taipei Main Station.
Read more →後山埤
Around Houshanpi
Houshanpi monthly rentals →
Houshanpi
Where to eat near Houshanpi Station
Local food near Houshanpi MRT: cold noodles, potstickers, oyster vermicelli and tempura, plus Vietnamese, Korean barbecue and hot pot for dinner.
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Houshanpi
Lin Ji (林記): boneless milkfish soup and minced pork rice, a 3-minute walk from Houshanpi Station
The Taipei main store of 林記台南無刺虱目魚粥, on Zhongpo N. Rd. in Xinyi, about 3 minutes from Exit 1 of Houshanpi MRT. Tainan-style milkfish, boneless, in fish ball soup and fish belly congee, with minced pork rice, braised cabbage and braised tofu. Open for lunch and dinner.
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Houshanpi
Houshanpi MRT Station: exits, lockers and getting around
Where each exit of Houshanpi Station (BL20) leads, which exit has an elevator, where the lockers and toilets are, and how to reach City Hall, Taipei Main Station, the high-speed rail and the airports.
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Houshanpi
Living in Houshanpi: groceries, markets and parks
Life next to Houshanpi MRT: PX Mart and Carrefour on Zhongpo S. Rd., traditional markets, Yucheng Park, the Tiger Mountain trail, Wufenpu and Raohe Night Market, plus a post office and hospital nearby.
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Houshanpi
Zhen Zhen Beef Noodles (珍珍牛肉麵): braised beef noodle soup and pancakes by Houshanpi Exit 1
珍珍牛肉麵, in Lane 743 off Zhongxiao E. Rd. in Xinyi, serves braised beef noodle soup with big pieces of beef and tendon, and thin pancakes to wrap around shredded pork in sweet bean sauce. 1–2 minutes from Exit 1 of Houshanpi MRT. Closed Wednesdays.
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Houshanpi
Ruan Xiao Yue Vietnamese (阮小越): pho and banh xeo, 3 minutes from Houshanpi Station
阮小越越南料理 at No. 35 Zhongpo N. Rd., about 3 minutes from Exit 1 of Houshanpi Station. Pho at NT$150–170, plus fresh spring rolls, Mekong-style banh xeo and a hot and sour seafood hot pot.
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