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Ten Stops Around Taiwan｜One Dish Each, and Whether It Is Open

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Cycle Route No.1 runs 968 kilometres around Taiwan. The Ministry of Transportation’s research institute suggests nine days, following Provincial Highways 1 and 9. A nine-day itinerary is hard to change once it is set, because train tickets, accommodation and vehicle scheduling are all tied together. So on a round-island tour you pick a meal by first checking whether the shop is open on the day and at the hour you reach that town. This guide lists ten stops with one dish each, along with opening hours, closing days and how long each shop stays open. Six of the ten either close on a set day or open for only a few hours. Data checked on Google Maps, 8 August 2026.

The historic shophouse facades of Yanping Old Street in Xiluo, Yunlin
Yanping Old Street in Xiluo, a common refuelling stop on the west-coast leg of an island loopShangkuanlc · CC BY-SA 3.0 · cropped, via Wikimedia Commons

How the ten were chosen

The Ministry of Transportation designates bike-and-rail transfer stations. The first phase covers Songshan, Hsinchu, Xinwuri, Chiayi, Zuoying, Fangliao, Taimali, Taitung, Ruisui, Hualien and Dongshan, each with bike channels, route boards, basic tools, drinking water and a first-aid kit.

That list was drawn up for transfers and ignores eating. Small stations such as Taimali, Ruisui and Dongshan have nothing nearby worth a dedicated stop, while Fenggang and Su-ao, the two places that matter most to a rider, are not on it.

So the ten below follow where riders actually stop, in this order, Taipei, Hsinchu, Changhua, Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Fenggang, Taitung, Hualien and Su-ao.

Ten stops, one dish each

Ratings and review counts are a Google Maps snapshot from 8 August 2026. Under this series’ two-tier rule, a shop is a primary pick if it rates 4.0 or above with 300-plus reviews; those below that bar but carrying Bib Gourmand, long-established or strong local status are listed with their actual scores shown, for you to judge. None of these places has an English menu, and most are cash only.

Three combinations that will leave you standing outside

Liuqian Hongzuo in Tainan is open 05:00 to 11:00 and closed Monday through Wednesday, so it is realistically only available at dawn from Thursday to Sunday. If your Tainan day falls on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, skip it rather than detour.

Yexiang Bianshi in Hualien is open 09:30 to 13:30 and closed Sundays. Hualien is usually the second overnight stop on the east coast, and most riders leave Taitung or Ruisui in the morning and reach the city in the afternoon, by which time the shop has shut. To eat there, make it breakfast on the day you leave Hualien.

Dalu Xiaochibu in Fenggang is open 06:00 to 16:00 with no closing day, which sounds generous, but it sits at the western entrance to the South Link. Riding past in the morning before the Shouka climb, the timing is right. Coming over the South Link from the Taitung side, you usually descend after 16:00, and it is closed. Whether you eat depends on which direction you ride from.

Fenggang and Su-ao, the two supply points

Fenggang and Su-ao are supply points as well as meal stops. Past them, shops along the road become scarce.

Fenggang is where Highway 9 heads into the South Link towards Shouka and Highway 26 turns off for Kenting. The Shouka climb has essentially no resupply, so water and food have to be topped up in Fenggang. Shop density here is high. Besides Dalu Xiaochibu, the street has fritter and noodle stalls clustered together, making it the last place to eat properly before the South Link. From May to July, the mango stalls along the Fangshan section of Highway 1 double as natural resupply.

Su-ao is the last substantial resupply before the Suhua Highway heading south. Once you pass into Dong-ao and Nan-ao, shops thin out noticeably. Eat properly around Zhongshan Road in central Su-ao and carry buns or bread with you. Yizhenxiang is on Zhongshan Road Section 1 and opens at 08:00, so the timing works.

Alternatives in Su-ao are A-Tongbo fish balls (No. 73, Yugang Rd, 09:30 to 17:30, closed Wednesdays, rating 4.0 from 1,198 reviews) and Su-ao Miaokou rice noodle soup (No. 6, Zhongyuan Rd, 07:30 to 15:30, closed Wednesdays, rating 3.9 from 1,272 reviews). Both close on Wednesdays, so for hot food that day you need to change days or find another place.

What a support vehicle can do across nine days

The biggest variable across nine days is pace. A headwind, a puncture or a rider going deep can put you two or three hours behind at the next town, and most of the places above cannot absorb a two-hour error.

A support vehicle running with the group can help here. When you are behind, it can carry riders forward to a stop that is still open, or buy the meal before the next place closes. How many of the nine days you eat a proper meal comes down largely to that day’s logistics.

Luggage and clean kit have to move every day anyway, and handling meals and baggage from the same vehicle means you do not sort out two things separately each evening.

Restaurant stops and food runs are not standard inclusions but can be requested while planning. What is possible depends on the date, route, group size and whether the shop is open that day.

Vegetarian, halal and other dietary limits

These ten are street-food shops and long-standing local places, which makes dietary restrictions harder to manage than at a single-order restaurant.

On vegetarian food, Taiwan is unusually vegetarian-friendly, and convenience stores and vegetarian buffets are dense along the route, but the shops above are largely meat-centred. If you are strictly vegan, treat these ten as your companions’ itinerary and find a vegetarian place on the same block; do not expect these shops to adapt on the spot.

None of the ten holds halal certification. Travellers who need halal meals will find the practical approach on a round-island tour is packaged food and self-catered vegetarian meals, stocking up on the days you stop in larger cities such as Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung.

On allergens, shared woks and shared frying oil are the norm at street-food stalls, so cross-contamination is hard to avoid. If your allergy is severe, treat all ten as high risk and favour places that can state their ingredients clearly.

FAQ

How long is Cycle Route No.1, and how many days?

968 kilometres. The Ministry of Transportation’s research institute recommends nine days, linking the counties along Provincial Highways 1 and 9. It can also be ridden in sections with train transfers.

Which of the ten is easiest to miss?

Liuqian Hongzuo in Tainan. It opens 05:00 to 11:00 and closes Monday through Wednesday, so realistically only Thursday to Sunday at dawn. If your Tainan day lands Monday to Wednesday, pick something else.

Where do I resupply before the Shouka climb?

Fenggang. It is the junction of the South Link section of Highway 9 and Highway 26, and the Shouka climb has essentially no resupply, so top up water and food here. Dalu Xiaochibu opens at 06:00, seven days a week.

Where is the last resupply before the Suhua Highway?

Around Zhongshan Road in central Su-ao. Shops thin out noticeably once you pass into Dong-ao and Nan-ao, so eat properly here and carry bread or buns. Yizhenxiang Bakery is on the same road, open 08:00 to 20:30 seven days a week.

Why recommend places rated only in the threes?

This series uses two tiers. Primary picks rate 4.0 or above with 300-plus reviews. Places with Bib Gourmand, long-established or strong local status that fall below that bar are still listed, with their actual score and review count shown, for you to judge. Half of the ten stops rate between 3.5 and 3.9 on Google, so a single threshold would drop half of them.

Sources

Rules and road conditions change, so always check the official announcements before you travel.

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