“Taipei is the new foodie destination,” said so many friends when they heard that we were going on a family vacation. I wasn’t sure what they meant – until we got there and we ate roast duck, noodle soup, torched beef, and multiple bubble teas.

I admittedly didn’t know much about Taiwan until my parents floated the idea of going there after my youngest sister got married in the Philippines (Taiwan is just north of the Philippines.) We stayed in Taipei, the capital, right after Eater published The Eater Guide to Taipei, which helped us navigate our delicious journey along the city that has become the epicenter of Taiwainese food culture. Here are some of my favorites from our trip:

Raohe Night Market
Taipei comes alive at night, and there’s no better place to be than the night markets. The streets are crammed with food and shopping stalls, packed with both locals and tourists, smelling of hot oil and spices and tofu. One of the most popular markets is Raohe, known for its vibrant lights and variety of street food.

We went around the market sampling the many delicacies, but the torched beef was the best thing we ate in Taiwan. It’s tender cubes of marbled steak that’s grilled and torched on the spot, then blanketed with sea salt. It was so fantastic (and cheap – each order was around $8) that we got a second bowl immediately after finishing our first order.

I also liked th...