Having come to spend a week in Taiwan after two weeks in Japan — and feeling like I managed pretty well with being gluten free in Japan — I thought I’d have a better handle on being gluten free in Taiwan. I knew it would probably be more difficult, but I did not realize just how hard it was going to be. I would say that Japan was maybe a 6.5/10 on the difficulty scale, and I would say that Taiwan was a 9/10. (This has actually inspired me to write a future post ranking gluten-free difficulty levels of different countries in each continent, lol).

Of course, it didn’t help that I’d only been diagnosed celiac for about two and a half months at the time of my trip to Taiwan. In order to prepare, I did lots of research, compiled maps of restaurants that were well reviewed by other celiacs and gluten-free travelers, and scoured the Facebook group for tips about what was safe and not safe to eat in Taiwan.

Despite all that, I still struggled massively. Unfortunately, since Taiwan isn’t a super popular tourist destination like Japan is, there’s so much less real information out there about how to survive being gluten free in Taiwan. And even doing my best, I failed a lot — and even found out that maybe I’m not as asymptomatic to gluten as I thought.

I wanted to put this post together to share everything I learned so that celiacs or otherwise gluten-intolerant travelers can have a brutally honest idea of what to expect when visiting Taiwan — plus other tips that can hopefully make it a little bit easier.

The Truth About Being Gluten Free in Taiwan

Honestly, Taiwan isn’t a very good place for a celiac.

People might say the same thing about Japan, just because soy sauce is such a common ingredient, and gluten isn’t considered an allergy there. But there were SO MANY gluten-free food options in Japan. There are entire dedicated gluten-free restaurants. There are regular restaurants that have at least one gluten-free meal option on the menu. (We went to at least three “regular” restaurants that offered gluten-free soy sauce!) There are simple foods in the convenience stores like onigiri that have very few ingredients that you can grab when you’re hungry and need a snack. And there’s a huge community of celiacs and gluten-free travelers who have been to Japan, whose advice and experience you can lean on.

Taiwan doesn’t have any of that.

In Taipei, the country’s largest city and capital, there are only three dedicated gluten-free restaurants that serve more than just dessert. And almost none of the convenience store food is safe, either — even the onigiri in 7-Eleven or Family Mart has way too many suspicious-looking ingredients and even lists “gluten” in the allergy labeling at the bottom of the wrapper.

But wait! Gluten listed as an allergen? 👀

Yes, “gluten-containing grains” is one of the 11 allergens required to be labeled on all packaged foods in Taiwan! I was so excited when I learned that, because I thought it meant that it would be super easy to buy snacks from convenience stores. Translate the label, see whether gluten was listed in the allergy section, and move on, right?

I took a deep dive into Google and some online research at first to make sure it was true, and it seemed like it was. So the first few days, I was going hard on the pre-packaged snacks. Until I realized that I was starting to not feel very well.

My Gluten Free in Taiwan Reality Check

We’d eaten at one of the dedicated gluten-free restaurants in Taipei on one of our first days, and while I was happy to know it was safe, I wasn’t the hugest fan of the food. The next day, we decided to try a different dedicated gluten-free restaurant. That’s how we ended up at Indus Chai, a tea house that also serves a few gluten-free vegetarian bites.

I had read from other gluten-free travelers’ reviews that the owner of Indus Chai is celiac, which is why their restaurant has a strict no-gluten policy. After we finished our food and tea — all of which was delicious! — we started talking to the owners, Stella and Rajat, who were both in the restaurant that day. We wanted to know whether it was true that Rajat was celiac, and if so, did they have any recommendations for us in Taipei?

It was through our conversation with them that we learned just how tricky it really is to be celiac in Taipei. (And yes, Rajat is celiac, so he knows.) First of all, he told us that you CANNOT trust allergy labeling in Taiwan — even if something doesn’t list gluten as an allergen, there’s no concept of cross-contact/cross-contamination, so there’s still a good chance it came in contact with gluten at some point.

When I had originally been excited about all the convenience store snacks that didn’t list gluten as an allergen, reality hit when we asked Rajat what snacks were safe, since he’s highly reactive, and he said… nothing. Well, except for the “red Doritos,” which he said don’t bother him.

I asked Rajat about the sweet potato balls that I’d had at the night market, after confirming with the worker that the only ingredient was cassava flour and sweet potato, fried in soybean oil. But Rajat said they still typically use wheat flour and the workers don’t always know what’s in it. “Oh, also — stay away from bubble tea, all bubble tea.” Considering that the day before I’d specifically chosen a chain bubble tea restaurant that listed gluten on its allergen menu, so that I could safely have some bubble tea, this was also very upsetting.

Why Is It So Hard to Be Gluten Free in Taiwan?

While I got hit with some hard truths during our conversation with Rajat, I’m glad I had the opportunity to talk to someone who is celiac, who lives here, and who knows the ins and outs of what’s safe and what’s not.

Besides the physical infrastructure, of not having the gluten-free restaurants or gluten-free options on the menus, the biggest thing Taiwan is missing is a community of travelers who are able to share their lived experiences. The Gluten-Free in Japan Facebook group has nearly 24,000 members, with multiple people posting and sharing resources every day — the Gluten Free Taipei group only has 1,200.

But so much of what I recognized as a “safe” food in Japan came from the experiences of others — others who are symptomatic celiacs. For example, the onigiri in Japan have only a few ingredients, none of which look like they should contain gluten, but what if they were typically glutened by cross-contact? Then there wouldn’t be hundreds of celiacs online talking about how they lived off red salmon & salt onigiri from 7-Eleven during their trip.

Another example: a questionable ingredient in Japanese sweets, mizuame, is made from an unspecified ingredient that could be gluten-based or could be potato/corn-based. In a few popular ice creams — Pino, Parm, and Coolish — the personal experiences of reactive celiacs is that the mizuame is not gluten-based, which means those ice creams are safe.

Without a community like that, though, how do you know?

For me, I was lucky to come across Rajat. He’s only one person, but it finally gave me some guideposts and taught me that I was not on the right track with how I was eating in Taiwan. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I had previously thought I wasn’t very reactive to gluten, but after my first few days in Taiwan, I actually was feeling pretty bad physically — and now I know why.

Gluten-Free Map of Taipei

I made gluten-free maps for Japan, and they worked really well — but that’s because there were actually a lot of places that had been reviewed by a lot of tourists.

In Taiwan, there aren’t very many options. In fact, one night we went out for dinner to a hot pot restaurant that had been recommended by Rajat, but there was a 3-hour wait. So we decided to go to a different restaurant across town that had gluten-free pasta on the menu, also recommended by Rajat. Thirty minutes later, we arrived only to see a handwritten sign on the door that they were on vacation for two weeks. After trying a couple of Japanese barbecue (yakiniku) restaurants in the area that also had long waits, we gave up and went back to the hotel — two hours after we’d left, still hungry. I ate fruit from 7-Eleven for dinner that night.

With that being said, here are a few places in Taipei that I pulled together from FindMeGF (only four-heart safety ratings and up; more than just one review) and recommendations from others.

Map Key (Colors)

• Green: Dedicated gluten-free establishment
• Dark pink: Not dedicated gluten-free, but has a 5-heart safety rating on the FindMeGF app
• Light pink: Not dedicated gluten-free, but has a 4 or 4.5-heart safety rating on the FindMeGF app
• Orange: Something I read about or heard about from a fellow gluten-free traveler’s review (not vetted by me)
• Blue: Grocery stores/shops

Map Key (Symbols)

• Noodle bowl: Taiwanese food
• Spoon & knife: Not Taiwanese food, but some other kind of “real” food that could constitute a meal
• Pizza: Italian restaurant
• Fish: Sushi restaurant
• Cow: Yakiniku restaurant (grilled meat)
• Coffee cup: Coffee shop/cafe
• Birthday cake: Bakery
• Ice cream cone: A dessert restaurant (might be ice cream, might be churros, etc)
• Shopping cart: Shops that are more likely to sell gluten-free snacks

Gluten-Free Snacks in Convenience Stores in Taiwan

I’d been a member of a Facebook group called Gluten-Free in Japan, and people were always posting pictures of gluten-free snacks they got from konbini in Japan, like 7-Eleven or Family Mart. Each time, I would pin them to a new Pinterest board I created. That way, when I went into a convenience store looking for snacks, I had a good starting point.

I was eventually able to curate a really great Pinterest board full of safely gluten-free snacks. I was hoping to do the same for Taiwan, but no one had really shared about that online. So I decided to take a few pictures of things myself. This undertaking was easier when I thought that gluten allergy labeling could be trusted, but I know better now.

However, I still decided to put together the Pinterest board anyway. The foods I would stick to: fruit, vegetables, eggs still in the shell (which I would boil in the hotel), Popcorners (not certified GF because that’s not a thing there, but they’re produced in the same factory as the Australian ones in Cambodia and they only have a few ingredients — Rajat also told me they are generally safe), and Coolish and Pino ice cream, which is from Japan and proved safe already. 🙂

This is just to give you a few ideas, but remember to still read labels in case something changes, and remember that the absence of gluten in the allergen section doesn’t mean it’s actually gluten free.

Best Gluten-Free Restaurants in Taipei

The only really great option for a restaurant that was 100% gluten-free AND with food that I loved was Indus Chai. Not only was it delicious, but I appreciated Rajat and Stella’s willingness to share everything they knew about being gluten free in Taiwan with us.

Another option, which was also suggested to us by Rajat, was a hot pot restaurant called Hai Di Lao. It is NOT 100% gluten-free, and I would only give it a 3-heart safety rating on FindMeGF which is why it doesn’t qualify for my map above. The reason for this is that you actually have to work pretty hard to stay gluten free here, but it is possible.

Here’s what you do: Order plain hot water as your soup base, and then you can add a couple of things from the spice bar — I stuck with garlic and chives. I also snuck in my small bottle of gluten-free soy sauce and dumped that in my hot water too. Then I ordered plain unmarinated meat and veggies.

It’s probably best/easiest if your dining companions also order hot water and then mix their own spices on the side or do the same thing as you to avoid splashing. But we were really careful and I think it worked out. Be careful not to let the workers ladle your soup (splashing/dripping) or add extra water (splashing). I think you can be safe here, but it takes some effort.

Also, Hai Di Lao is extremely popular! We tried to go that one fateful night for dinner, and it was the place that had a three-hour wait. So it’s best to make a reservation online. They also have multiple locations around town.

Gluten-Free Food in the Night Markets in Taiwan

In the Gluten-Free Taipei group, I saw all kinds of conflicting information about what’s safe and not safe at the night markets. Lots of people said the sweet potato balls were safe, and lots of other people said they weren’t. (Even after an in-depth conversation with the worker at the Linjiang night market, in which I felt pretty confident they were gluten-free, my conversation with Rajat made me not so sure.)

A lot of people said that the bubble tea is safe, or grilled meat skewers. Rajat said bubble tea is never safe, and I never saw any grilled meat skewers that didn’t have any unidentified sauce on them.

One thing at the night markets that *should* be safe, as long as they aren’t doing anything weird with the milk like adding powder or something, is papaya milk. I tried both a 100% watermelon smoothie (I watched them make it) and a papaya milk from the same vendor, after talking to them about the ingredients. We actually liked the watermelon juice better, but apparently papaya milk is a traditional Taiwanese night market street food, so I’m glad we tried it.

My Top Three Tips for Being Gluten Free in Taiwan

I loved visiting Taiwan, and the people were some of the nicest I’ve met while traveling anywhere in the world. But it was really tough as a celiac, especially a brand-new one. With that being said, here are my top three tips for being gluten free in Taiwan.

1. Trust Nothing

This sounds so pessimistic, and it’s generally the opposite of how I try to live my life, but you legitimately have to assume everything has gluten until proven otherwise. After a few days of being cautiously optimistic with what I was eating, my body told me that this wasn’t the right choice. It was sad because it meant that street food and most restaurants were off-limits, but it was almost better than constantly wondering if there was a chance something was safe. And of course, feeling physically better (other than always hungry) was a positive.

2. Bring Your Own Gluten-Free Snacks From Home

While researching how to be gluten free during this Asia trip, I saw so many people talk about bringing your own gluten free snacks from home, and I listened to this advice. Before we left Alicante, I raided the gluten-free section of El Corte Ingles and bought boxes full of GF protein bars and crackers. Luckily, I didn’t need to really dip into them in Japan, and I’m so glad I saved most everything for Taiwan. (Some of Japan’s konbinis even sold gluten-free instant noodles, and I made sure to bring a few of those with me to Taiwan as well!) When you’re hungry and you don’t trust anything, having something from home that you know is safe makes a big difference.

3. The Chinese Gluten-Free Translation Card Didn’t Help That Much — Here’s What To Do Instead

I think most celiac and gluten-free travelers know about the gluten-free dining translation cards that you can buy or download before the trip. They typically explain what gluten intolerance is and what foods contain gluten and which ones don’t. However, the level of understanding of gluten as a concept is soooo low in Taiwan, that I didn’t really even bother with it. If people don’t understand it, they’re just going to tell you everything is fine, especially if they’re busy.

Instead, in situations where I felt fairly confident something *could* be gluten free as long as I communicated well, I would write a specific message on my phone and translate it into Traditional Chinese with Google Translate. For example, we went to a shrimp fishing pond where the owner would cook up the shrimp over the grill for you. I wanted to make sure they were plain with no seasoning, so I wrote on my phone: “Is the shrimp cooked with any seasoning, or is it plain? I am allergic to some seasonings.” I felt that this opened up the conversation in a better way — the concept of allergies are typically more understood, and by being vague about what the specific allergy was, it put the onus on him to tell me exactly what was on it. (It was only salt!)

Or when I ordered the watermelon juice at the night market, I did the same thing. I wrote: “Are there any ingredients besides watermelon? I have some food allergies.” They reassured me that it was only watermelon — and they even asked me if adding ice was okay. It means they start double checking things with you when they aren’t sure what your allergies are, so I thought that worked better than overwhelming them with the GF card.

 

Okay, I hope those tips help! I originally thought this post would offer more concrete information and answers to questions like “What are the best restaurants if you’re gluten free in Taiwan?” or “What foods are gluten free at the night markets?” But unfortunately, I wasn’t even able to answer these questions myself, and I had a really tough time. All I can do is be honest about the experience I had and hope that anyone reading this will be more prepared when they get to Taiwan than I was. 🫶 Oh, and I would never tell anyone who is celiac or gluten-free not to visit Taiwan. You can do anything you set your mind to! You just have to be prepared for what it’s really like.

-Cathy

Disclaimer: Everything here is my own experience, and I am not a highly reactive celiac. Please always double check ingredients, ask questions, and read other reviews before eating anything in Taiwan.

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