Dongdamen Night Market — Attraction in Hualien City

a must see in Hualien! possibly the most organized, largest, and cleanest night market in Taiwan as the place is dedicated. walking paths are wide and stalls are standardized. many stalls support mobile payments.

as with all things, food is hit and miss.

stall E65 醬爆雞排: the deep fried chicken chop stuffed with molten cheese and ham (TWD 70) was so delicious that we went back and ordered another one. the battered skin was crispy, the meat inside was juicy and tender, and the molten cheese and ham added that much more to the package. 5.5/5

stall selling Mexican food near one of the entrances: the Mexican chicken naan wrap (TWD 100) was fairly good. good portion size and amount of chicken. 4/5

stall 不一樣的瘋味: this stall sells tasty scallion pancake wraps with a variety of fillings. tried the linburo pork wrap (TWD 75), the lamb wrap with egg (TWD 80), and original flavor with extra egg (TWD 70). the wraps here were quite delicious although a little bit oily. good amount of filling inside. 4.5/5

stalls selling Hong Kong style pineapple buns with butter: they aren't really great and are egregiously overpriced at TWD 60 each considering the buns are smaller than in Taipei and cost 50% more....

What a fun place! I wouldn’t have known about this happening market unless my friend brought us here to check it out. It is HUGE. There is a section dedicated to food, a section for fun and games, and lots of random stalls in between for shoes and children’s clothing.

Live performances take place, some of the bigger venues have chairs for you to sit and watch. There was even a performance happening near the bathrooms with unique bench-like seating for audience members, and it was packed with people.

Some lines get 100 people deep, waiting for fresh juices that promise no added water, and also a BBQ restaurant that may take 1 hour to prepare your picked items.

Wonderful spot to people watch. Bring your own toilet paper. There is a hanger with tons of chairs and tables for you to eat with your family. Parking can be a nightmare, especially on weekends. Free parking, but you will have to drive around for a while unless you get lucky.

Prices are fair, we got brown sugar milk boba for 50NT, which is what I pay for boba at my favorite shop in Taipei.

Go check out the large grassy area above the market and look down at the crowds below for a neat...

Definitely a different night market.

If recommend going to this one specifically if you have the opportunity.

Even if you went many more before.

There are a lot of night markets all around Taiwan, most of them are very similar.

This one is more a bit different, I wouldn't say it's better or not.

It is just a different market. One of the things that makes it stand out is that the place is built specially for the market, so it is more organized than any other you can find.

If what you're craving is the "street vibe" this may not be your favorite market.

It's rather small but you'll be able to find all what you can ask from a night market, typical food, snacks, games and all sort of stuff.

This was the place where I tried the stinky food for the first time. If you haven't tried it because of the smell... Trust me, just do it haha the taste has nothing to do with the smell :)

If you're in this city, I'd say this...