The Second Market (第二市場) is the best place in Taichung for a long, slow market breakfast or an early lunch. It opened in 1917 under Japanese rule, it is still built around its six-sided central hall, and today it is mostly food: braised pork rice, black tea, pork buns, noodles and soups from stalls that have been run by the same families for decades. It is about 1 km from Taichung Station, in the old center. Go in the morning, on a weekday if you can, and bring cash.
- Hours No single opening time: each stall keeps its own. Most open in the morning and many close by early afternoon
- Address No. 87, Sec. 2, Sanmin Road, Central District, at the corner of Taiwan Boulevard
- Getting there TRA Taichung Station, then walk (about 1 km) or a short taxi ride; Bus 308 along Taiwan Boulevard to the 第二市場(臺灣大道) stop
- Facilities Toilets, including an accessible toilet, and a ramped entrance, per Taichung Tourism
A short history
The market was built in 1917 as the Shintomicho Market (新富町市場), one of five public markets the Japanese colonial government set up in Taichung. It started with 53 shops in a red-brick building with wooden floors. Eleven simple shops were added outside it in 1931, and by 1936 there were 93, many of them selling imported and luxury goods. That is where its old nicknames come from: the Japanese market, and the "rich ladies' market" (貴婦市場), after the wealthy shoppers it drew. In 1958 another 56 shops were built around the outside, which gave the market the shape it has today.
The food came later. CNA traces the market's braised pork rice to the nightclub years of old central Taichung, when performers from the clubs nearby came here for late suppers, and the snack stalls grew to feed them.
The six-sided hall
At the center stands the hexagonal tower (六角樓), the market's landmark. The city government describes the main building as a hexagon with three wings running out from it, a radial plan that was striking for its time, and CNA describes it as a building shaped like the character 人, with the stalls laid out around the tower. Taichung Tourism notes that different kinds of goods are grouped in different parts of the hexagon. Food stalls are spread through the hall and the outer shops, so walk a full loop before you choose.
It is a quieter place than it once was. The Taipei Times reported in 2025 that many stallholders are elderly and that some shops have closed as customers fell away. A local group, the Shintomicho Regional Revitalization Association (新富町地方創生協會), founded by a man who grew up in the market, is documenting its people and stories.
What to eat
Taichung Tourism lists the market's classics as braised pork belly over rice, jute leaf soup (麻芛), mushroom and pork thick soup, black tea and noodles. These are the stalls named by CNA (January 2023) and UDN (October 2025). Hours are as listed on Google Maps in October 2026 unless we say otherwise; small stalls change their hours and days off, so check before you go. All are in or right beside the market, so getting there is the same for each.
- Lao Lai Black Tea (老賴紅茶): black tea, and its signature black tea with soy milk (豆紅). UDN says it was started by a former fruit seller and has been popular for more than 40 years. Google Maps listed it as 06:30 to 17:30 daily in October 2026; UDN reported 07:30 to 18:00, closed Thursdays, in October 2025, so check before you go.
- Yen Chi Pork Buns (顏記肉包): handmade pork and scallion buns, with bamboo shoot in summer and radish in winter, and a peppery wonton soup. Third generation, no branches. At No. 103, Sec. 2, Sanmin Road. 08:00 to 17:00, closed Tuesdays.
- Lu Rou Chiu (魯肉邱): braised pork belly over rice, with jute leaf soup in summer and bitter melon soup in winter; more than 60 years old. On a lane off Taiwan Boulevard at the market's edge (No. 5, Lane 403, Sec. 1). 08:00 to 13:30, closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
- Lan Rou Zao (嵐肉燥專賣店): minced pork rice made with lean meat, plus meatball rice and pork belly rice, since 1992. Tuesday to Sunday, 09:30 to 15:00.
- A Yue Sushi (阿月壽司): hand-pressed sushi, sashimi and chawanmushi at a counter with only five or six seats; takeaway too. 08:30 to 14:00, closed Mondays.
- San Dai Fuzhou Noodles (三代福州意麵): dry noodles and wonton soup from a century-old shop, now in its fifth generation. 10:30 to 17:00 (Wednesdays to 16:30), closed Thursdays.
- Mao Chuan Meatballs (茂川肉丸): pork meatballs (肉丸); CNA noted it had been recommended by the MICHELIN Guide. 11:00 to 18:00, closed Mondays.
- Shan He Braised Pork Rice (山河魯肉飯) and Li Hai Braised Pork Rice (李海魯肉飯): two more braised pork rice shops, each with loyal followers, CNA reported. Shan He opens 05:30 to 15:00, closed Wednesdays. Li Hai's original Second Market shop keeps night hours, 16:00 to 03:00, closed Wednesdays.
- Yang Mama Standing Eatery (楊媽媽立食): a century-old shop selling imported seafood, ham and wild mullet roe, CNA reported. We could not confirm its current hours, so check before you go.
Portions are small, so the easy plan is to share: a bowl of braised pork rice at one counter, pork buns at another, and a black tea to carry with you.
Good to know: go early and on a weekday if you can. UDN notes that the market is crowded at weekends and on holidays, and the city's tourism site advises arriving before noon, while the stalls are open. Small stalls are often cash only. If you drive, the rebuilt Second Market car park (第二市場停車場) at No. 456, Sec. 1, Taiwan Boulevard reopened in June 2025, about a minute's walk away, with 477 car spaces at NT$20 per 30 minutes (UDN, October 2025).
Getting there
- TRA From Taichung Station: the market is about 1 km away, an easy walk through the old center, or a short taxi ride.
- Bus Along Taiwan Boulevard: bus 308 runs along Taiwan Boulevard past Taichung City Hall and the National Museum of Natural Science, stops at 第二市場(臺灣大道) right by the market, and continues to Taichung Park.
The Taichung MRT does not reach the old center, so the train station or the bus is the way in. → Taichung city buses
Near the Second Market
The market sits in the middle of the old town. UDN points out that the Lyuchuan canal and the old Taichung Prefectural Hall are close by, and Miyahara, the restored eye clinic known for its ice cream and pastries, is a short walk away. The Fifth Market, a smaller breakfast market, is under 1 km west, so you can do both on one morning.
→ Central Taichung and the old town · Taichung's traditional markets · Breakfast in Taichung · What to eat in Taichung
Sources
History, the five markets, shop counts, nicknames, the 人-shaped building and the stalls named: CNA (22 January 2023, in Chinese). Stall dishes, addresses and 2025 hours, crowds, nearby sights and the car park: UDN (12 October 2025, in Chinese). The five markets, today's stallholders and the revitalization association: Taipei Times (13 May 2025). The 1917 date and the hexagonal, three-winged main building: Taichung City Government. Address, layout by goods, classic dishes and facilities: Taichung Tourism (Second Market). Arriving before noon: Taichung Tourism. Bus 308 stops: Taichung City Bus (checked 2 November 2026). Stall hours are as listed on Google Maps in October 2026 unless stated. Distances are measured on the map. Checked November 2026.