Liuhe Night Market

Overview

Liuhe Night Market is Kaohsiung's most internationally famous street market, stretching for six blocks along Liuhe 2nd Road near the Formosa Boulevard MRT station. Open nightly since the 1950s, it serves an encyclopaedic range of Taiwanese street food, from grilled seafood to papaya milk.

Highlights

• Seafood Platters: Vendors at the market entrance grill enormous prawns, scallops, and squid over charcoal—freshly caught from Kaohsiung harbour.
• Papaya Milk: The market's signature drink, blended fresh at multiple competing stalls, is a creamy Kaohsiung institution.
• Stinky Tofu and Oyster Omelettes: Classic Taiwanese night-market staples served from multi-generational family stands.

History

The market originated in the early 1950s when food hawkers began gathering near the Dagangpu railway crossing after dark. By the 1980s it had become a must-do stop for domestic tourists. A 2010 renovation repaved the pedestrian zone and installed tidy vendor signage.

Visitor Tips

• Tip 1: Arrive hungry—share with a companion so you can sample more stalls.
• Tip 2: Stalls closest to the MRT exit tend to be slightly more expensive; walk deeper for local prices.
• Duration: 1–1.5 hours.