SAT, MAY 10, 2014 | 5:30 PM - 10:30 PM | University of Washington - Red Square
14th Annual UW NIGHT MARKET
Oasis
519 6th Ave S
Seattle, WA 98104 (Intl. District)
4508 University Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105 (U-District)
101 Yess
12121 Northup Way, Ste 205 Bellevue, WA
First of all I want to give an honest disclaimer that my taste palate may be a bit different. Being a Taiwanese American I may not have the same kind of taste palate that a typical Taiwanese person from Taiwan may have. I have a bit of a mixed tongue, having grown up eating both Taiwanese foods and wide ranges of ethnic food from other cultures (with the notion that America is the ‘melting pot’ for food). So all of the night market treats that I find on my yummy scale may not be the same ‘yummy’ to you!
In Taiwan, you will rarely see people walk away from a night market without some delicious night market treats in their hands. Typical night market treats range from ‘Taiwan-born’ food types like the stinky tofu or Ba-wan (Taiwanese meatball), to treats from other countries like France (crepes), Japan (skewers) and many other origins! Taiwanese night markets are not exclusive to just Taiwanese food, because a night market’s beauty lies in the diversity of the food and drinks.
I have compiled both a list of favorites below (in no particular order) and a table with restaurants in Seattle where you can find these night market treats!
Finding Night Market Treats in Seattle
By Joanne Huang (4/22/2013)
Taiwanese Pork Burger (pictured) - So delicious, it has a nice tender taste!
Other Treats: Popcorn Chicken, Taiwanese Sausage,
Oyster Omelet
Popcorn Chicken (pictured) - Nice and crispy , and perfect for people who can’t handle spicy versions of popcorn chicken!
Other Treats: Bubble Tea (better known for their bubble tea!), Fried Tofu, Shaved Ice
Taiwanese Sausage (pictured) - This is so delicious, they have some of the best Taiwanese sausages and it is complimented well with the sliced garlic!
Other Treats: Oyster Omelet, Popcorn Chicken, Taiwanese Meatball
Beef Bing (picture) - So juicy and delicious it literally melts in your mouth! Very similar to the ones you find back in Taiwan
Other Treats: Oyster Omelet, Stinky Tofu w/ Taiwanese Kimchi, Taiwanese Sausage
Gossip Espresso & Tea
651 S King St
Seattle, WA 98104
Henry's Taiwan
502 King St.
Seattle,WA (Intl. District)
Brooklyn Ave NE & 41st St. Seattle,WA (U District)
Taiwanese Stinky Tofu (pictured) - “I totally recommend this, it literally melts in your mouth and has a good tang, If you are willing to try out the stench of a stinky tofu!”
Other Treats: Taiwanese Meatball, Popcorn Chicken (spicy, for nonspicy one go to oasis!)
Gossip Bubble Tea (pictured) - I really love how they have a ‘gossip’ flavored bubble tea, it was actually better than my favorite “jasmine milk tea”!
Other Treats: Bubble Tea, Smoothies, Slush, Popcorn Chicken
Hard Wok Cafe
1207 S Jackson St, Ste 111B
(between S 12th Ave & S 14th Ave)
Seattle, WA 98144
Rocking Wok
4301 Interlake Ave N,
Seattle,WA 98103
Juicy Pork Dumplings (pictured) - This is so delicious, but of course Din Tai Fung is a much higher end restaurant even in Taiwan. But at night markets you can find delicious dumplings as well!
Other Treats: Dumplings (Pork, Vegetable, Chicken,
Shrimp), Red Bean Bun, Taro Bun, Shaved Ice
Shaved Ice w/ strawberry, mango, condensed milk (pictured) - Their Shaved Ice is the bomb, just look at all the toppings!
Other Treats: Shrimp Roll, Taiwanese Pork Burger
Din Tai Fung
700 Bellevue Way NE, Ste 280
(between S 104th Ave & 6th St)
Bellevue, WA 98004
Facing East
1075 Bellevue Way, Ste, B-2
Bellevue, WA
A popular list of typical night market foods/drinks (of Taiwan origin) includes:
1. Stinky Tofu
2. Popcorn Chicken
3. Taiwanese Meatball (Ba-wan)
4. Taiwanese Pork Burger
5. Spring Rolls (Runbing)
6. Xiao Long Bao
7. Beef Bing
8. Taiwanese Sausage
9. Oyster Omelet
10. Milk Tea
11. And the list goes on…
Now it may be hard to find these kind of eats in the United States, but luckily in Seattle there is a very good selection of restaurants that sell these ‘night market’ foods at their restaurants!
If you want to try these out for yourself, come to our night market where some of these Taiwanese restaurants will be kindly joining us as vendors!
All photos are either from the author (Joanne Huang), Yelp, or official websites.