The short answer

Luodong is the night market that makes Yilan county worth an evening: a compact grid wrapped around Luodong’s central park, open nightly until around midnight, and a short walk from Luodong TRA station (about 1 to 1.5 hours by train from Taipei). Come for the dishes Yilan is famous for: A-Zao-Bo’s herbal mutton soup, Wei Jie’s stuffed tapioca pearls, and pancakes made with Sanxing scallions, the best green onions in Taiwan.

Luodong is a small town with an outsized market. The stalls wrap the streets around Luodong Zhongshan Park, and unlike the tourist-circuit markets, this one exists mostly for Yilan people, which shows in the food: county specialties dominate, prices stay honest, and the famous stalls are famous for decades of one dish. For travelers, it pairs perfectly with the east side of a Taiwan loop or a Jiaoxi hot-spring day.

Location, hours and getting there

  • District: Luodong township, Yilan county, on the streets around Zhongshan Park (Minsheng and Xingdong Roads and the lanes between).
  • Hours: nightly, no weekly closure. Stalls start from late afternoon and the market runs to around midnight, latest on weekends.
  • Getting there: TRA train from Taipei to Luodong takes about 1 to 1.5 hours depending on service, and the market is under ten minutes on foot from the station. That direct rail link is what makes Luodong the easiest non-Taipei market to reach by public transport. Buses through the Xueshan Tunnel from Taipei City Hall are comparable in time.

What to eat: the Yilan specialties

A-Zao-Bo (阿灶伯當歸羊肉湯) is the market’s institution: mutton soup in an angelica-herb broth, sweet and warming, with a queue that bends around the corner most nights. It’s the single dish most associated with this market, and the line moves faster than it looks.

Wei Jie stuffed tapioca (魏姐包心粉圓) built a chain out of this stall’s signature: tapioca pearls with red bean centers, served over shaved ice or in warm sweet soup depending on season. And because this is Yilan, home of Sanxing scallions, the scallion pancakes here are a category above the national average: crisp, layered, packed with more green onion than the batter should hold, with vendors griddling them fresh and stuffing them with egg or pork on request.

Around those anchors the market runs the standards (fried chicken, stinky tofu, grilled squid) plus Yilan snacks worth trying while you’re in the county: smoked duck, date-filled pastries and the one-bite sausage stands. Most items are NT$40-80, cash preferred.

Making an evening of it

The market’s compactness is its advantage: ninety minutes covers it without rushing, which leaves room to build the day around Yilan. The classic combination is Jiaoxi’s hot springs in the afternoon (one TRA stop or a short bus north), then Luodong for dinner, then the train back to Taipei. Coming from the east coast instead, Luodong makes a natural dinner stop on the rail line up from Hualien.

Check return train times before you settle in; the last comfortable services back to Taipei leave mid-late evening, and the market is good enough to make people miss them.

FAQ

What are Luodong night market’s hours?

Nightly from late afternoon until around midnight, no weekly closing day. Peak is 7-10pm, heaviest on weekends.

How do I get to Luodong night market from Taipei?

TRA train to Luodong station, 1 to 1.5 hours, then a walk of under ten minutes. Buses from Taipei City Hall via the Xueshan Tunnel take about the same time.

What food is Luodong night market famous for?

A-Zao-Bo’s angelica mutton soup, Wei Jie’s stuffed tapioca pearls, and Sanxing-scallion pancakes. The mutton soup is the signature order.

Is Luodong night market worth it from Taipei?

As a standalone trip, only for night-market completists. Combined with a Jiaoxi hot-spring afternoon or an east-coast route, absolutely; it’s the best food stop in Yilan county.

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