Known for its original vibrant night-market scene and bubble tea inventions, Taipei is a veritable treasure trove of edible delights. But if you remain unimpressed by night time temperatures of 30 degrees and having to chew your tea, then maybe I need to sweeten the deal. From fancy waffle cafés or street-side fresh fruit popsicles, sugar fiends and dessert destroyers alike will never go hungry in Taipei city. What’s more, eating in Taipei is as affordable as it gets, with most desserts priced from $1-5 USD!

With so much to choose from and many places advertised only in Chinese, finding a good dessert in Taipei city can seem like a daunting task. So, for everybody’s sake, I’ve put together a list of my all-time favourites!

芒果雪花冰 – ‘Mang Guo Xue Hua Bing’ - Mango Snowflake Ice

A must-eat if you’re in Taipei and the most popular dessert among tourists is Mango snowflake ice.  Piled into your (huge) bowl you’ll find a nest of fresh local mango or other fresh fruit, drizzled condensed milk and coulis atop a mountain of beautifully, finely shaven, flavoured ice, the texture of Hokkaido snow.

 Where to go:

• 思慕昔本館 – Smoothie House - No. 15, Yongkang Street, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106

剉冰 – ‘Bao Bing’ – Traditional Shaved Ice

Bao Bing is a traditional dish that has been cooling locals since the invention of ice. More gravelly in texture than the tourist favourite ‘snowflake’ style, this dish will stay frozen for longer before becoming a caramel-like slush packed with chewy balls and jellies. The best way to eat this dish is on a wobbly plastic chair outside of a makeshift café. Most places allow you to choose your own toppings, although simply pointing and smiling will probably suffice.

One store I cannot recommend enough is Come Eat Sweets (來呷甜) a hidden spot near Taipei Main Station. Here they serve hot tang yuan (chewy rice balls rolled in ground peanuts) served atop a generous heap of shaved ice, copious amounts of condensed milk and various other toppings (sweet purple rice is my go-to). After finishing, you may want to go to a local temple and thank the gods for such a creation!

Where to go:

• 辛發亭 - Xin Fa Ting - No. 1, Anping Street, Shilin District, Taipei
• 來呷甜 - Come Eat Sweets - No. 11, Yanping South Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei

豆花 – ‘Dou Hua’ – Tofu Pudding

While the concept might be a bit off-putting for westerners with tofu preconceptions, Dou Hua is almost a sweeter and lighter version of panna cotta. Served hot or on ice, the delicate white pudding is bathed in brown sugar syrup and topped with whatever you prefer. Choose from local nutritious favourites like mung beans, peanuts and taro, or opt for ‘QQ’ – chewy goodness – such as tapioca bubbles, coconut jelly or various other brightly coloured bits and pieces!

Where to go:

• 東區粉圓 - Eastern Ice Store - No. 38, Lane 216, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Da’an District, Taipei
• 豆花莊 - Dou Hua Zhuang - No. 49, Ningxia Rd, Datong District, Taipei

紅豆 / 奶油 餅 – ‘Hong Dou Bing’ / ‘Nai You Bing’ – Red Bean / Custard Wheel Cake

More of a snack than a dessert if ever you need to justify it, these hot wheel cakes can be found dotted around the city on fragrant food carts and small stalls of differing quality. Filled either with sweet red bean paste (hong dou) or creamy custard (nai you), these cakes, which are rather more like crispy pancake sandwiches, will be speedily made in front of you on a circular hotplate along with fifty others. While found virtually anywhere, popular places include Shida and Gongguan night markets.

For something a little more Instagram-worthy, try Japanese-inspired brand 108 Matcha Saro which, as well as its famed Matcha ice cream, also serves bright Matcha-flavored hot wheel cakes filled with chewy mochi, red bean and matcha custard. Or for the dog-lovers among you, try feasting on a cute pug-shaped version at The Dog is Burnt.

Where to go:

• 晴光紅豆餅 - No. 41, Section 1, Da'an Road, Da'an District, Taipei
• 一〇八抹茶茶廊 - 108 Matcha Saro - B2, No. 300, Zhongxiao East Road (section 3), Da'an District, Taipei
• 犬首燒 - The Dog is Burnt - No. 25, Lane 66, Nanjing East Road (Sec. 5), Songshan District, Taipei

仙草 / 愛玉 冰 – ‘Xian Cao’ / ‘Ai Yu Bing’ – Grass Jelly / Ice Jelly Dessert

If you hadn’t yet noticed, the Taiwanese are big fans of jellies. They adore playing with food textures which can lead to some strange and wonderful concoctions. One popular jelly is Xian Cao or ‘grass jelly’, which is a chewy black substance made of oxidised Platostoma palustre leaves (yeah, me neither). As weird as it sounds, it works perfectly chopped into chunks and soused in milk tea. Try it! Your mouth can thank me later (figuratively speaking).

Where to go:

1) 愛玉之夢遊仙草 - No. 56, Tonghua Street, Da’an District, Taipei

2) 阿勝愛玉冰品 - Lane 262, Nanjing West Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei

黑糖珍珠鲜牛奶 - Roasted Brown Sugar Milk

The bubble trend has been going strong for several years now, but bubble mania isn’t up in Taiwan, not nearly. Each week it seems there is a new version of bubble tea to try, whether cheesy bubbles, tiny bubbles or fruit bubbles. But the latest hero of the bubble world is brown sugar. Instead of blending the sugar with tea as was previously the custom, now you can try it with fresh milk. While 50 Lan tea shop on every corner can never disappoint, there are a few specialty brown sugar joints you shouldn’t pass up.

Where to go:

• 老虎堂 - Tiger Sugar - No. 38, Dabei Road, Shilin District, Taipei
• 陳三鼎黑糖青蛙鮮奶 – Brown Sugar Frog - No. 2, Alley 8, Lane 316, Section 3, Luosifu Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei