You may think that eating at a convenience store sounds weird, but I can guarantee that you will love eating at a 7-Eleven in Taiwan.
Taiwan is very similar to Japan, where there is a big culture of eating at convenience stores. But Taiwan 7-11 convenience stores have some unique food items that you will not find anywhere else in the world.
There is so much good food everywhere in Taiwan that you may never get around to eating at a 7-11. But I’m telling you, you are missing out! Taiwan 7-11 food is top-notched and you can find a convenience store anywhere in the country. And I will show you exactly what you need to try!
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Before you visit a Taiwan 7-11
Before you visit a 7-11 in Taiwan, take a look at my post on all my best tips for travelling to Taiwan. I included a lot of information, including getting a Taiwan prepaid SIM card, transportation around the country and more. And I have many solo travel guides for major cities like Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung and many more.
Why I love 7 Eleven in Taiwan
There are so many reasons to love 7-11 in Taiwan!
Even though each convenience store differs in size and products on the shelf, the majority of the 7-11’s have similar products, and you can be sure to find excellent customer service at every store.
First, I love how all the 7-11 in Taiwan have a wide range of food, which I will talk about later.
Second, each convenience store has a sitting area where you can enjoy your food. Just take a look at the fantastic sitting area (pictured above) in Chiayi. Initially, I wasn’t sure if I can eat at the convenience store, but I followed the staircase, and it led me to a beautiful dining room. There is even outdoor seating! I am not sure if it is the biggest 711 in Taiwan, but it has to be one of the nicest!
Third, you can buy other things other than 7 11 food. Some 7-11 in Taiwan have toiletries, umbrellas, alcohol, make-up, and Muji products (pictured above). Muji is a Japanese brand that manufactures furniture, clothing, toiletries and food and is super popular in Taiwan.
Some of the bigger 7-Eleven’s have Muji products on the shelf. It really does come in handy if you forget your toiletries at home, or didn’t bring enough underwear! Ha! Or if you need a stapler in the middle of the night. Ha!
My top 10 favourite Taiwan 7-11 Food
Okay, enough bragging about all the other stuff Taiwan 7 11 convenience store has.
Now, onto the reason why you are on this blog post – FOOD!!! The 7-Eleven menu differs from store to store but generally, you can get similar products. Here is my list of the top 10 Taiwan convenience stores must buy food.
1. Xiao long bao (soup dumpling)
In Taiwan, a must try food has to be xiao long bao. You will likely try this local specialty at a night market or a local restaurant.
But in Taiwan, 7-11 stores also sell frozen xiao long bao. There are six soup dumplings inside the package. And it even comes with soy sauce and a tiny fork.
I must say that the xiao long bao at 7-11 is quite good. It is tasty and satisfying.
When you purchase the xiao long bao at 7-11, you can use their microwave to heat the soup dumplings. It has microwave instructions on the package, so you know exactly how long it takes to warm up the soup dumplings.
While I was in Alishan, I bought the soup dumplings, and the cashier microwaved it for me. And he even had a piece of cardboard paper cut to the exact size of the package and used it as a tray for the steaming hot dumplings. How thoughtful, right?
2. Onigiri (Japanese rice ball)
Onigiri (Japanese rice ball) is a favourite item on the shelves of 7-11 in Taiwan and Japan. It is really in the shape of a triangle. Maybe it should be called Japanese triangle rice. Ha!
Each onigiri has the perfect amount of rice, a sheet of crispy seaweed and different ingredients. The onigiri in Taiwan has unique ingredients like pork floss, braised pork, shrimp, and various types of fish. Each one costs NT$30+.
The most ingenious part about the onigiri is the packaging. A thin sheet of film separates the seaweed and rice to keep the seaweed crispy and not soggy.
When you look at the package, all three corners are numbered 1 through 3. First, pull off the thin plastic strip at #1. Then pull off the packaging at #2, then continue to pull off the rest of the packaging at #3. And voila! (see picture above).
3. Hot sushi roll with grilled meat
I’m not sure exactly what the name of this is, but it is similar to an onigiri where it has rice and seaweed but has a lot more ingredients, and you need to heat it in the microwave.
I’ve never had this anywhere else other than in a 7-11 in Taiwan. It sounds weird to microwave a sushi roll, but it was so good!
Similar to the xiao long bao, the sushi roll package comes with microwave instructions.
7 Eleven in Taiwan has a variety of these sushi rolls and costs about NT$55+ each.
4. Taiwanese tea eggs
Taiwanese tea eggs are hard-boiled eggs steeped in a broth flavoured with tea, soy sauce and spices. The eggshells are cracked so that the broth can infuse the flavour into the eggs.
It makes a great breakfast and an awesome snack. I find that the eggs at Taiwan 7/11 stores are a bit saltier than the local places that sell tea eggs, but if you like the soy sauce flavour, you have to try the tea eggs at the 7-11 convenience store.
It costs NT$10 an egg. It is one of the most inexpensive 7 11 food.
All you need to do is to use the kitchen tongs to pick up the eggs and place them in a plastic bag. Almost all the 7-11’s I’ve been to have tea eggs no matter how small the convenience store is or how remote the location is.
5. Giant steamed buns
You will find a vertical steaming oven full of giant steamed buns on the cooked food counter at some Taiwan 7-11 stores. And they usually have Hong Kong-style barbecue pork bun, pork and bamboo shoot bun, pork bun, spicy pork bun, and a sweet bun.
They are a delicious snack and very filling — not a bad price at only NT$25 for each one.
Unfortunately, there is no English on the label, but hopefully, the photo of the cross-section bun is sufficient.
6. Tianbula (Taiwanese tempura)
Oden is a Japanese one-pot dish where all the ingredients are boiled in a light soy-flavoured broth. It is a popular food in Japan, Taiwan and South Korea.
In Taiwan, it is referred to as tianbula. Even though the term in Chinese literally means “sweet not spicy,” there is nothing spicy about the Taiwanese oden. Phonetically, the Taiwanese word sounds like “tempura.”
While you can find this popular Taiwanese dish all over Taiwan, especially in night markets, you can find it at a local convenience store as well.
At 7-11 in Taiwan, the one-pot dish has many ingredients, including pork meatballs, tofu, daikon radish, and processed fishcakes in many different forms.
There is a menu right above the boiling pot. It tells you exactly how much each item costs. All you need to do is grab a paper bowl (which is usually beside the pot or underneath the counter), pick up as many items as you like, put a plastic lid on it and pay at the cashier. The cashier will charge you exactly what you have in your bowl.
The staff at 7-11 continues to cook different items throughout the day because it is a popular food at 7-11. The cooked food doesn’t sit around for very long.
7. Cup noodles in traditional beef noodle flavour
One of Taiwan’s signature dish is niu rou mian, the classic beef with noodle in soup. You can get a savoury bowl of deliciousness almost anywhere in Taiwan.
And you can get it in a cup of noodles! 711 in Taiwan has many different beef cup noodles brands, and they cost between NT$35 to NT$55.
The convenience store also provides piping hot water to cook your noodles. And they will even give you a pair of wood chopsticks. The sitting area comes in handy when you are eating a hot bowl of beef noodles.
8. Potato chips in local flavours
I prefer savoury snacks over sweet snacks these days. And one of my go-to is potato chips. Who doesn’t like potato chips?
In Taiwan, 7-111 has many different varieties of potato chips, including scallion pancake, a popular Taiwanese snack (pictured above).
I also found other flavours like pork sausage with garlic, grilled beef, and braised soy sauce. They cost between NT$25 – 30.
If you cannot read the Chinese words on the chip bag, there is always some drawing of the actual flavour of the chips, like the one pictured above.
9. Boxed drinks including milk tea and fruit juices
A popular Taiwan 7-11 must buy food item has to be boxed drinks.
Since Taiwan has such a strong tea culture, 7-11 has many varieties of milk tea, black tea and bubble tea (a milk tea with chewy tapioca “bubbles” (or boba or pearl)! I actually cannot believe they have bubble tea in a carton boxed drink. But the bubbles are not soggy or mushy; it is actually quite good.
Moreover, there are many types of fruit juices and vegetable juices to choose from. One of the local favourites is papaya juice with milk. Okay, I know the flavour sounds weird, but trust me, it is really tasty!
10. Ice-cream and popsicles
There are many varieties of ice-cream and popsicles at 7 11 convenience stores. Some of the unique ones are pudding flavour, matcha flavour, some of them have red beans in them, etc.
One of my favourites is the waffle with ice-cream that tastes like a local candy (pictured above). I’m not sure exactly what flavour the candy is, but it tastes a bit like caramel and the Chinese words say its a milk candy. The flavour is subtle and tasty.
These frozen treats are very popular during the summer. On a hot summer day, you’ll be glad that there are many 7-11’s around the country.
Which 7 11 food are you going to try?
Does my list of top 10 food in 7-11’s in Taiwan pique your interest? They are, by far, some of the best convenience food I’ve ever had.
And if you find other unique food items at a Taiwan seven eleven store, let me know in the comments below.
Thank you for reading my Taiwan 7-11 food post
You might also like these other posts on solo travel in Taiwan:
Other food posts
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- 15 Traditional Hong Kong Food
- Japanese Food Culture: 11 Must Try Food
- Budapest food guide: 26 Best Budapest Food
- 25 Bucharest Food: What to eat in Bucharest
Introduction to Taiwan
- Things to know before visiting Taiwan
- How and where to buy a Taiwan prepaid SIM card
- How to spend 3 weeks in Taiwan
- 22 must-eat food in Taiwan
Travel guide posts
- Things to do alone in Hualien Taiwan
- Kenting Travel Guide: things to do
- Things to do in Tainan as a solo traveller
- 17 Best things to do in Chiayi Taiwan
- How to travel from Chiayi to Alishan
- Alishan 2-day solo itinerary
- What to do in Sun Moon Lake: 2-day itinerary
- Sun Moon Inn: hotel review
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