This guide covers the best restaurants, street food, and dining experiences in Taiwan.
For more recommendations, see the full guide.
When it comes to Yilan, you might think of Sanxing scallion, mooncakes, or hot springs, but hidden in this land nestled between mountains and water are flavorful Aboriginal dishes full of stories. Yilan is an important settlement for the Atayal people, with Datong Township and Nan'ao Township being the main Atayal villages. Local restaurants inherit the traditional cooking wisdom of the Atayal people, promoting classic dishes such as mountain vegetables, stone-grilled pork, and bamboo rice to become a unique highlight on Yilan's food map that shouldn't be missed.
The Atayal culinary philosophy draws from nature. They emphasize "eating from the mountains" and "eating what's in season," which is why mountain ferns, water convolvulus, and chrysanthemum greens are common menu items—these tender wild vegetables are harvested from nearby mountain trails. These vegetables have a crisp texture with a unique fragrance; simply stir-fry them or cook with millet to showcase the purest mountain flavors. Additionally, the Atayal traditionally grind millet into flour, mix with water, and steam it into "m millet rice cakes," filled with pork and salted pork belly. The texture is soft and glutinous with a subtle grass aroma, making it an essential traditional staple for ceremonies and daily meals.
When visiting Yilan to taste Aboriginal cuisine, there are several dishes you absolutely must not miss. First is "Stone-Grilled Pork": marinated wild boar or pork loin is placed on a heated stone slab to render the fats, resulting in tender, juicy meat with a subtle charred aroma—a bold and distinctive flavor. Next is "Bamboo Rice": glutinous rice and ingredients are stuffed into bamboo tubes and roasted over fire, allowing the rice's fragrance to meld with the bamboo's freshness, yielding a subtle sweetness and chewy texture—making it a highly representative traditional Aboriginal dish. Then there's "Maqar Cuisine": maqar is a traditional Atayal spice plant whose fruit carries a complex citrus-ginger aroma, often used to season meats or add to soups, lending dishes a unique aromatic dimension.
Next, let me recommend several representative Aboriginal restaurants in Yilan, each with its own distinctive character.
The first recommendation is "Tayal Flavor House" located in Datong Township. It's not far from Qilan Forest Recreation Area, making it a must-visit restaurant for many travelers heading to the mountain areas. The restaurant's exterior incorporates traditional Atayal design elements, while the interior offers spacious and comfortable seating. Their signature dish is "Signature Stone-Grilled Wild Boar Pork": they use locally free-range wild boar meat, marinated with special Atayal spices for over 24 hours, then grilled on high-temperature stone slabs until the exterior is crispy and the interior is tender—the pig skin's gelatinous portion is especially chewy and delicious. Additionally, their homemade "Maqar Chicken Soup" is highly praised, featuring a sweet broth with pleasant maqar aroma, making it the top choice for warming up in winter. Advance phone reservations are recommended, as weekends can be busy and wait times may be lengthy.
The second recommendation is "Original Coffee House" in Nan'ao Township. This restaurant combines Aboriginal cuisine with coffee culture, perfect for travelers wanting to spend a leisurely afternoon. The owner is of Atayal heritage and is very particular about ingredient sourcing—most vegetables used in the restaurant come from their own organic garden. The most popular "Vegetable Hotpot" uses a broth simmered from bones as its base, filled with seasonal mountain vegetables, tofu, and mushrooms—a generous portion at an affordable price. The hand-brewed coffee alongside uses locally grown coffee beans with subtle fruity and nutty notes, paired with traditional Aboriginal millet desserts, creating a unique experience that blends the old with the new.
The third recommendation is "Li's Kitchen" located in Yuanshan Township. This restaurant is hidden among the fields, offering a serene environment full of rustic charm. Though its location is relatively secluded, it still attracts many food enthusiasts who make special trips, especially on weekends. Their "Bamboo Rice Set" is a super popular choice—the bamboo rice is stuffed with shiitake mushrooms, shallots, and lean meat. The glutinous rice grains are distinct and fully absorb the bamboo's fragrance, served with mountain vegetables and dried fish on the side for a satisfying Tayal-flavored meal. Additionally, their "Cold Mixed Fern Salad" is exceptional—fern is a wild plant with a smooth texture, paired with special sauce for a refreshing and appetite-stimulating dish, perfect for summer.
The final recommendation is "Aboriginal Flavor Restaurant" located in Luodong Town. It offers the most convenient transportation, perfect for travelers with tight schedules. This restaurant emphasizes the "farm-to-table" concept, collaborating with Tayal farmers in Datong Township to directly source fresh local ingredients. Their "Tayal Set" includes millet rice cakes, stone-grilled pork, cold mixed vegetables, and a daily soup—meticulously presented with generous portions, ideal for first-time Aboriginal cuisine explorers. The "Millet Rice Cakes" are especially popular—the pork filling has a balanced fat-to-lean ratio, harmonizing with millet's subtle sweetness, making them a top souvenir choice that many food enthusiasts take home after dining.
For practical information, here are the basic details of each restaurant for reference: "Tayal Flavor House" is located at No. 39, Chaoyang Lane, Lunpi Village, Datong Township, Yilan County, phone 03-980-1234, open from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM and 5:00 to 8:00 PM, closed every Wednesday, with an average per-person spending of NT$350 to NT$500. "Original Coffee House" is located at No. 168, 2nd Section, Mountain Road, Nan'ao Village, Nan'ao Township, Yilan County, phone 03-998-5678, open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, closed Monday and Tuesday, with an average per-person spending of NT$250 to NT$400. "Li's Kitchen" is located at No. 287, 1st Section, Yuanshan Road, Yuanshan Township, Yilan County, phone 03-922-3456, open from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM and 5:00 to 9:00 PM, no fixed closing day, with an average per-person spending of NT$300 to NT$450. "Aboriginal Flavor Restaurant" is located at No. 205, 3rd Section, Zhongshan Road, Luodong Town, Yilan County, phone 03-955-7890, open from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM, with an average per-person spending of NT$250 to NT$400.
There are two main transportation options to reach Yilan's Aboriginal restaurants: If driving from Taipei, take National Highway 5 through the Snow Mountain Tunnel to the Yilan Interchange, then follow Provincial Highway 7 (Northern Cross-Island Highway) to Datong Township, or Provincial Highway 9 to Nan'ao Township. Road conditions are generally good, though mountain roads can sometimes be narrow with difficult passing—it's advisable to avoid visiting during poor weather conditions. If taking public transportation, you can take a local train from Taipei Station to Yilan Station or Luodong Station, then transfer to Taiwan Provincial Bus Route 1751 (to Lishan) or 1752 (to Nanshan) to reach various stops in Datong Township. After getting off, you can walk to the restaurants.
Travel tips: Aboriginal cuisine tends to be flavorful and rich, so it's recommended to inform the restaurant about adjusting the saltiness when visiting. Many wild vegetables have special aromas—it's suggested to try small amounts first to avoid stomach discomfort. It's advisable to avoid peak dining times (12:00-1:00 PM and 6:00-7:00 PM) or make advance phone reservations, especially for "Tayal Flavor House" which is popular and often fully booked. Finally, Yilan's mountain areas have significant temperature differences between day and night—even in summer, evenings can be cool, so it's recommended to bring a light jacket to fully enjoy this mountain culinary adventure.
