If you live here, you'll eat in three different worlds. The old centre of Hsinchu City is where the classic snacks are: rice noodles, pork meatballs, smoked duck rice, all within walking distance of the City God Temple. Zhubei (竹北) is where most newer restaurants have opened, along the wide streets between the county hall and the HSR station. And the Hakka towns in the hills, Beipu (北埔), Zhudong (竹東), Xinpu (新埔) and their neighbours, are where you go at the weekend for Hakka stir-fries, flat rice noodles and persimmons.
This section is written for people who live here: you live here or come often for work, and you want to know where to eat on a Tuesday, not only on a holiday.
- What to eatHsinchu foods to tryRice noodles, meatballs, duck rice, persimmon cakes, lei cha and Hakka dishes, with places for each.
- ZhubeiWhere to eat in ZhubeiBy area: the HSR district, the county-hall area and old Zhubei, with the MICHELIN Guide listings.
- Hsinchu CityWhere to eat in Hsinchu CityThe old-city snack shops, the MICHELIN Bib Gourmand picks and good places for a work dinner.
- EveningsNight marketsThe City God Temple food area, Zhubei Night Market and the market behind Hsinchu TRA Station.
The old city: snacks with a long history
Hsinchu City's food tradition grew up around the City God Temple (城隍廟) and the old markets nearby. Many shops sell one or two things and have done for decades: a bowl of rice noodles at a stall inside Dongmen Market, a plate of smoked duck rice beside the temple, pork meatballs from a family that has been at the same wet-market stall for 70 years. These places open early, many close by mid-afternoon or early evening, and they take a day off in the week, often on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. Eat there for breakfast or lunch, not late at night.
The local specialities come from the climate. The strong, dry northeast wind of autumn, the Jiujiang wind (九降風), has long been used to dry Hsinchu's rice noodles and the persimmons of Xinpu. More on each in Hsinchu's foods and where to try them.
Zhubei: newer streets, more choice
Zhubei has grown fast, and its restaurants have grown with it. The streets around the county hall and the grid toward Hsinchu HSR Station are full of brunch cafes, hot pot, Japanese, Korean, Italian, noodle shops and family restaurants with private rooms, many of them in the ground floors of new apartment blocks. Fifteen of the MICHELIN Guide Taiwan's Hsinchu County listings are in Zhubei, including the only Michelin-starred restaurant in Hsinchu, the sushi counter Sushi An (鮨安). Old Zhubei, around the TRA station, is quieter and more traditional. See where to eat in Zhubei.
Hakka food in the county towns
Most of Hsinchu County is Hakka country, and its food is one of the best reasons to drive out of town. Expect salty, fragrant, generous cooking: Hakka stir-fry (客家小炒), braised pork with preserved mustard greens, flat rice noodles (粄條), sticky rice buns (菜包) and pounded tea (擂茶) in Beipu. The MICHELIN Guide lists Hakka restaurants in Beipu, Emei, Zhudong and Xiangshan, and two Hakka-minded places in Zhubei. Pair a meal with a day in Beipu and Emei or Xinpu and Guanxi.
Chains or family shops
You will eat at chains here, and that's fine: the department stores and malls in both the city and Zhubei have food courts and chain restaurants that are reliable, air-conditioned and easy with children. But the food Hsinchu is known for is in family shops. Our advice:
- Check the opening days on the shop's Google Maps listing or Facebook page before you go. Small shops close one weekday and sometimes take irregular days off.
- Go early. Popular dishes sell out, and some shops close when they do.
- Carry cash for small shops and stalls. Card and mobile payments are common in restaurants and chains, less so in markets.
- For a group dinner or anything on a weekend, book. Many of the Hakka and private-kitchen restaurants recommend it, and some take bookings only.
Delivery and eating at home
Delivery apps such as foodpanda cover Hsinchu City and Zhubei, and on a rainy night most of the restaurants near you will be on them. Convenience stores sell hot meals at any hour. For cooking at home, see groceries and shopping, which covers the supermarkets, hypermarkets and traditional markets.
The MICHELIN Guide in Hsinchu
The MICHELIN Guide Taiwan added Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County in 2025. In the 2026 selection, Hsinchu City has seven Bib Gourmand restaurants and Hsinchu County ten, and Zhubei's Sushi An holds one star. Many of the other listed places are small shops: duck rice, meatballs, beef noodles. We use the guide as one check among several and list the Hsinchu entries on the Hsinchu City and Zhubei pages. Inside Hsinchu is independent of Michelin.
Good to know: In town for work? Most hotels are near Hsinchu TRA Station, the Science Park or the HSR station in Zhubei, and each has good food within a short taxi ride. See a short work trip to Hsinchu.
→ What to eat · Eating in Zhubei · Eating in Hsinchu City · Night markets
Sources: MICHELIN Guide Taiwan, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County selections; Focus Taiwan on the 2026 Bib Gourmand list (July 2026); MICHELIN Guide on adding Hsinchu (May 2025); Hsinchu City tourism site; Hsinchu County tourism, food listings; foodpanda, Hsinchu City. Checked November 2026.