Dongdamen Night Market

It was like visiting a town fair. Lots of games for kids to enjoy. There was a free concert when I went. The food is the same you would get anywhere in Taiwan: noodle soup, fried chicken, sushi (looked great!) meat barbecue and seafood. You would not miss much if you don't visit here.

Not a very exciting market. Many shops still closed. Mostly games for kids and low quality food. Nothing I’d go back for. There were a couple nice shop owners like the paint to number stall. Good prices and friendly. The Jordanian artist next to him was also amazing. Very kind and took time to talk about his sand art with us. There is some live music on different corners. Some was good and some wasn’t. Won’t be going back. Sorry.

Night markets in Taiwan tend to have narrow walkways n crowded. This is quite a breath of fresh air as the streets are wide n spacious, franked by rows of stores selling all kinds of Taiwanese food, tidbits, snacks, bubble teas, QQ eggs, BBQ fish, BBQ corns, cooked food, etc.

A main night market here in Hualian. Very easy walk in this used to be crowded night market. I was here on a Thursday night and the market has quieten down, we can also see some stalls vacant in this used to be brimming with visitors night market. Tourist has dwindled due to typhoon and weather change. Do come at least once if you’re here, you will still feel the warmth and passion of the store owners for a pleasant local experience.

I went here 2 times, both on weekdays, and it's pretty bare — not a lot of stores are open. But I like that it's not as busy and crowded compared to the other night markets I've been to. There are food stalls, game stalls, and souvenir stores. For the food stalls, I really liked the Xiao Long Bao and Chicken Popcorn. There were buskers that sings and plays instruments. There are also trash collecting people that properly seggregates the trash. It's also beside a park for kids with different obstacles they can play in.

This night market is exceptional! Located within a vast park, it boasts a wide variety of stalls offering diverse cuisines. Spacious alleys ensure a comfortable visit without overcrowding. Live music adds to the vibrant atmosphere, while ample seating and clean facilities make it a fantastic experience.

Love the laid-back vibe of the place. Live music and the stalls were more spread out. While we went towards the end of the night, we still had a good time. Tried some food we've never had before, like birds nest fern.

Amazing night market! It's much more organised than the usual night markets in Taipei. The walking space between the shops is a lot bigger so even if it is crowded it is easy to walk around. The food selection is very good, everything that i tried tasted exceptionally! Definitely worth a visit!

This night market is huge and never-ending - it feels like a maze. However, there isn't too much variety in the way of unique food. It's mostly stuff you can find anywhere. Lots of grilled meats on a stick, lots of choose-your-own adventure piles of food that you point to and they grill. There are a few somewhat interesting stands - I had a sort of hash brown/okonomiyaki hybrid dish that was made with tuna and corn that was wholly not what I was expecting, but not bad. There is a ton of entertainment, though, if that's what you're into - live music, carnival games, etc. If I were to return, I'd return for the scallion pancakes - they're pretty unique here, blown up like a balloon and spicy! The version of the peanut ice cream roll here was neat too because they used taro ice cream.

Tons of different booths offering a wide variety of cuisines and activities. My favorite was the scallion pancake with egg, though it's really hard to go wrong here. If you're a foreigner like me, know that you need to be assertive when standing in line and don't leave too much space in front of you, or others will think that you have already ordered. On busy nights you will see a few live musical performances. In contrast to other nightmarkets you might find in Taipei, there is a lot of space here with actual tables and chairs and lots of informal seating on retaining walls between the aisles of the market. Definitely worth your time.

I was very excited to check out the Dongdamen Night Market in Hualien. This was walking distance from my hotel. It's got a very interesting layout. There's a large park sitting right in the middle of it that separates rows of vendors from one section to the next. When I took a morning walk did I realize it looks like it's a sea wall brim used to mitigate flooding in case of a tsunami. This was also the first night market I've been to where you can buy alcohol. Maybe this is a new thing? I didn't find anything interesting that I wanted to try. There's a lot of typical fare though all the carnival games are positioned at the front near the gate, which was interesting. This one also has signs telling you how the sections are organized which might be helpful to some.

A great night market, but not as varied as the ones in Taipei. It was very large, and a little confusing to try and navigate. Part of it has games and part has food. We tried a fried noodles with pork from one stall, a corn which took 20 minutes to make but was worth it and a glazed strawberry which was also fantastic.

This is a fun night market with a very wide walking path. If you're not into the shoulder to shoulder crowds, Dongdamen is an excellent choice. The stalls provide many fun games that both children and adults can enjoy. Be sure to check out the various classic night market snack stalls, as well as some of the built in restaurants.

Please do yourself a flavor and go to Hualien, take a 45 minute bus ride to Tarako Gorge and go on as many hikes as you can in one day to take in the beauty of Taiwan's nature, and then come to Hualien Night Market at night and gorge on some of Taiwan's best street food! This is Hualien's one and only Night Market. Why? Because you really don't need much more after coming here. You have scallion pancakes (the best thing here - must get!!!), brown sugar milk tea (amaaazinng), calamari (yummm), bamboo sticks filled with sticky rice (pass), pick your own food on a stick and have them grill it for you (chicken wings, duck wings, tofu, this weirdly delicious glutenous thing called a Michelle, etc...), gigantic oysters, long lines of people waiting for corn on a cob, meat filled baos, peanut rolled ice cream...you name it, they've got it. And it's ALL good (expect the bamboo sticky rice)... When you're done with stuffing your belly with food and milk tea, they have carnival games too! Darts, shooting, archery...this place is a fun zone. Hualien isn't very big so it won't be hard to find this Night Market. The taxis are very cheap and the drivers are crazy, weaving in and out, but they'll get you to this must-go night Market!

Dongdamen Night Market is the perfect market to go to if you're not a fan of the chaotic markets of the big cities. It's smaller, quieter, and feels like a gathering place for the town. I don't have to line up 30 minutes for some skewers? Great! Even the prices seemed to reflect that of a smaller township rather than a big city, which is always a win for my wallet. Rather than span several city streets like other markets, it's contained within a square that feels like it was designed for the market. With less vendors in total, you still get a great variety of food and games. It really seems like a case of "less is more", as you tend to get better organization and not as much repetition. Don't worry. All the local favourites are still around, like my beloved soup dumplings, plus a few surprises. "Butter" beer that turned out to be a refreshing cold one with a foamy, creamy cap? Delicious! A beautiful hipster-looking oyster bar that looks like it can be in a trendy city street? Seems to perfectly fit in here as well. Tofu pudding with boba pearls? Well...that one's not even a surprise anymore. Another thing that made Dongdamen feel quiet was how early vendors seemed to pack up. We got there around 9pm on a Saturday. Within half an hour, shops were closing up and items were sold out. This was quite a contrast to the other night markets we went to where things seemed to be still heating up at 9pm. Makes sense with the whole rural township vibe though. Come early, leave early, and stuff yourselves with some good cheap food. (65/100) - 2019

The night market, which next to the ocean, is composed of few sections, most vendors close around 10 to 11 pm at night, better to come here early.

Came here in Sept '17 and was just flabbergasted on how down to earth everyone was here. It is not as crowded and cleaner than Taipei's night market, but it still with a GREAT variety of fendors. And singers that occupies every other street. You would not find yourself bored here and reflexology foot masseuse across the street when your feet gets tired. My favorite was the seafood vendor that offered oysters as big as my hand and get their fried fish early cause it sells out fast!!! There's a little bar on the side for you to enjoy and the fruits!!! Their fruits were so fresh, mostly the mango! Never had such good mango back in America before. Then, the deep fried stinky tofu was okay, the stink was tolerable. Hualien in general is one of the most culturally rich places that I have visited in Taiwan. Unfortunately, I have lost all the photos of that night, due to snapchat story save failure. However, that night just keeps playing like a tape on repeat in the back of my head. I would definitely definitely come here again. Hopefully, everything can be fix/settle soon after the earthquake and no more harm done to the people there. #prayforhualien

This is quite a different experience from the night markets in Taipei. I was disappointed in how crowded it was, leading to ridiculous lines for any of the foods I wanted to get, but I'll ignore that for this review due to the fact that I visited on an unusual weekend (NYE weekend 2018). This is one of the cleanest night markets I'd been to, and it feels like a newer one, because the space seems designed solely as a night market (as opposed to a small street that's morphed into a night market over the years). There was a lot of food to choose from, and some interesting games that depart from the normal darts, air soft, fishing, and crane games you see everywhere. In particular, there was an archery game (real bow and arrow) that we played. Another great part of this night market was all the live music. I'm not sure if this was typical due to the time of year, but there were several music acts playing in different parts of the market, giving this night market more of a festival kind of feel.

It's a well-organized night market and classified into different theme so that you could easily to go around and find what you want to eat. The street and road side are clean because the market is designed with many trash cans, people won't litter at will. A great number of street vendors and booths provide you a variety of choices, you name it, they have it. It's the biggest night market i have ever seen in Taiwan. However, the price here is not adorable. Pretty much close to ShiLin night market in Taipei that usually attract tourists. But it's in Taipei, you know, how come the price level in Hualien almost alike in Taipei.... Generally speaking, you can come here to experience the scale of the night market, just for once, I think I won't visit for second time, apart from one specific juice store that I took a photo of as follows. I will definitely visit it if I came to Hualien again.

Our family of 4 went to the Night Market for a dinner 2 nights in a row (Wed and Thurs) [we also ate at a wonton restaurant beforehand.] There was rain both nights but we stayed mostly dry as we were eating at the time. It wasn't overly crowded but the popular stalls still had long lines. There were singers or instrumentalists performing both nights. Some stalls were closed but there was a lot of variety--seafood, sausages, boba, fruit juice, alcoholic beverages, ramen, sweet potatoes, taro, green onion pancakes, oyster pancakes, oyster noodles, fruit, etc. Our cab driver recommended a stall that sold sandwiches so we ate there first. It was a thick slice of bread stuffed with the filling of your choice. We also ate sweet potatoes and taro with a crunchy sugar coating (so delicious but closed on Thursday!), Hualien specialty watermelon (currently in season), oyster pancakes, banana/chocolate chip filled pawprint cakes, boba drinks, etc. We usually order one serving per stall and split it amongst the 4 of us so we can sample more food. There are official cabs waiting to take you to your next destination at the multiple exits of the night market.

This night market wasn't as chaotic as the ones in Taipei. There's plenty of options you can choose from without waiting in a long line. There were only a few food stalls that had a light but they're pretty quick! One thing I noticed about night markets is that their restrooms are not clean and smell really bad........

Huge night market with incredible selection of food and fun games. One of the bests night markets I have been to.