If you only splurge once in Yilan, make it teppanyaki. It's the county's fine dining: a chef at a hot plate in front of you, cooking whatever came in from the harbors that morning, lobster and fish and Yilan's own cherry duck. Yilan has only a handful of restaurants that cost NT$2,000 a head, and two of the best are teppanyaki counters. But Yilan's best cooking is just as often the cheap kind: a scallion pancake, a bowl of duck rice, a garlic pork soup that's been made the same way since 1966. That's what we'd tell a friend: book one big dinner, and eat the rest of the trip at the old shops.
The prices here are per person for a normal meal without much alcohol:
- $$$$ NT$2,000 and up
- $$$ NT$800 to 2,000
- $$ NT$300 to 800
- $ under NT$300
How we picked. We read each restaurant's Google Maps rating and reviews in Traditional Chinese, and we weight what Taiwanese diners write in Chinese over the English reviews, which mostly come from visitors passing through. We checked Tripadvisor Taiwan and the local food press too, all in November 2026, and kept only places with a recent record of being open. Yilan isn't in the MICHELIN Guide, so there are no stars to lean on: the list is ours. Where reviews are mixed, we say so. If the dishes are new to you, start with what to eat in Yilan.
Jump to: $$$$ Splurge · $$$ Special · $$ Mid-range · $ Cheap eats
Good to know: teppanyaki and fine dining need booking, often weeks ahead for weekends. Most of the sit-down places add a 10% service charge. The cheap shops are cash only, close one day a week and sell out, so check the Google Maps listing on the day.
$$$$ Splurge: NT$2,000 and up
Yilan has only a handful of restaurants at this level, and four of them are worth the money. Two are teppanyaki counters built on the local catch; two are hotel dining rooms with tasting menus, good but more uneven. Book all of them ahead, and budget for the 10% service charge.
Xiang Yan Teppanyaki (饗宴鐵板燒)
The one we'd book first. Xiang Yan is a no-menu teppanyaki out in Wujie: the chef cooks the day's Yilan seafood simply, and the lobster in sea urchin sauce (海膽龍蝦) is the dish people talk about. Taiwanese reviewers praise how fresh the seafood is, the cherry duck and the fish maw chicken soup, the private rooms and the chatty chefs. One or two recent reviews found the service less warm than before.
- Where Wujie: No. 263, Section 2, Xibin Road (五結鄉溪濱路二段263號)
- Price Set menus NT$1,990 to 3,990, plus 10% (as reported in January 2026)
- Book Booking needed: online through inline (linked from its Google Maps listing), or call 03-960-1777
- Hours Every day 11:00 to 15:00 and 17:00 to 22:00
- Ratings Google 4.6 (4,548 reviews) · Tripadvisor 4.4 (96), November 2026
- Getting there Taxi from Luodong Station
East Red Teppanyaki (東方紅鐵板創意料理)
The splurge you can walk to from the train. East Red is a no-menu teppanyaki in Jiaoxi, about two-thirds seafood: local lobster, a truffle risotto and its fried oyster rice crisps (煎蚵米香). You pick a price, and the kitchen cooks to it. Google shows a 4.8, but Google also notes it has removed suspicious high-score reviews from the listing, so read the number with that in mind; the Chinese reviews that remain are still strong.
- Where Jiaoxi: No. 36, Jiankang Road (礁溪鄉健康路36號)
- Price NT$2,100, 2,500 or 3,500 a person, or higher on request, plus 10%; children NT$590 (official price list, 2026)
- Book Booking needed, by phone (03-987-2699) or LINE (@ccu7058q), up to 90 days ahead. A NT$500 deposit per seat.
- Hours Set sittings. Weekdays: lunch at 11:30, 12:00 or 13:00; dinner from 17:30 to 19:00. Weekends: lunch at 11:30, 12:00 or 13:40; dinner at 17:30, 18:00 or 19:40.
- Ratings Google 4.8 (3,688 reviews) · Tripadvisor 4.5 (35), November 2026
- Getting there A short walk from Jiaoxi Station
archi at The Archipelago (archi藝廚)
The most ambitious menu in the county. archi is a modern Italian kitchen on the second floor of The Archipelago (凱渡廣場酒店) hotel at Wushi Harbor, with André Chiang (江振誠) as creative director, cooking with Yilan produce: aged duck breast, farfalle with mullet roe, aged fish of the season, and from spring 2026 a cherry duck menu that uses one bird six ways (一鴨六吃). Reviews are mixed: some recent diners found the seasoning heavy and the courses uneven. Come for the idea and the produce, and know it's not a sure thing.
- Where Toucheng: 2F, No. 300, Wushigang Road (頭城鎮烏石港路300號2樓)
- Price Chef's menu NT$3,280, plus water and a service charge (no service charge for hotel guests) (official page, 2026). A shorter NT$1,880 menu, plus 10%, was reported in October 2025 but isn't on the official page.
- Book Booking needed: call 03-977-1166 ext. 5 or book on the hotel's restaurant page. Open to non-guests since October 2025.
- Hours Dinner 17:30 to 22:00; lunch 11:30 to 15:00 on weekends only. Closed Wednesday.
- Ratings Google 4.3 (145 reviews) · Tripadvisor not listed, November 2026
- Getting there Taxi from Toucheng Station; the hotel is by Wushi Harbor.
Zen Garden at Hotel Royal Chiaohsi (岩波庭)
A quieter night out after a soak. Zen Garden is the no-menu Japanese-French dining room at Hotel Royal Chiaohsi (礁溪老爺酒店), cooking fish from Nanfang'ao and Daxi, with a bluefin tuna course. Reviews are mixed: diners like the fish and the service, and some complain about the steak and the noodles at brunch. Brunch is the cheaper way in.
- Where Jiaoxi: Hotel Royal Chiaohsi, No. 69, Wufeng Road (礁溪鄉五峰路69號)
- Price Dinner NT$1,980 plus 10% (NT$2,178); brunch NT$680 plus 10% (booking page, November 2026)
- Book Booking needed, on TableCheck, or call 03-988-5211 ext. 8128 or 8129
- Hours Brunch 11:00 to 14:00; dinner 18:00 to 22:00, last order 19:30
- Ratings Google 4.2 (301 reviews) · Tripadvisor 3.9 (8), November 2026
- Getting there Taxi from Jiaoxi Station. The hotel's shuttle needs booking.
$$$ Special: NT$800 to 2,000
This is where Yilan's own food is at its best: the banquet dishes cooked properly, and the cherry duck. Most of these are built for a table of four or more, so bring people. Two teppanyaki counters here give you most of the splurge for about half the price.
Du Xiao Yue (渡小月)
The Yilan banquet, done the way it's meant to be. Du Xiao Yue in Yilan City is the restaurant for gao zha (糕渣), xi lu rou (西魯肉) and almond tofu, and in autumn a crab hot pot. Taiwanese reviewers call it classic cooking and good value for a banquet table. Come as a group and order a banquet set, or order à la carte.
- Where Yilan City: No. 58, Section 3, Fuxing Road (宜蘭市復興路三段58號)
- Price Banquet tables NT$6,800 to 30,000 a table, plus 10%, with a 30% deposit (official site, 2026); an à la carte menu too, without prices online
- Book Call 03-932-4414, or book on LINE. The phone is answered 11:30 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 20:00.
- Hours Lunch and dinner. The listings disagree on the day it closes, so check the listing on the day.
- Ratings Google 4.1 (2,813 reviews) · Tripadvisor 4.0 (31), November 2026
- Getting there Taxi from Yilan Station
→ More in where to eat in Yilan City
Red Lantern at Silks Place Yilan (紅樓中餐廳)
The cherry duck dinner most people mean. Red Lantern, on the sixth floor of Silks Place Yilan (蘭城晶英酒店), serves a Yilan cherry duck (櫻桃霸王鴨) five ways: braised duck pieces, duck nigiri, duck wrapped in Sanxing scallion pancakes, a stir-fry or salad, and soup. Its Google score sits at 4.0 across more than seven thousand reviews, lower than its fame, with Tripadvisor kinder. It's the duck people come for.
- Where Yilan City: 6F, Silks Place Yilan, No. 36, Section 2, Minquan Road (宜蘭市民權路二段36號6樓)
- Price Not published online. On weekends and holidays each table orders at least one set menu for four; on weekdays you can order à la carte or just the duck.
- Book Online up to three months ahead, with a card deposit, or call 03-910-1011
- Hours 11:00 to 15:00 and 17:00 to 21:00
- Ratings Google 4.0 (7,258 reviews) · Tripadvisor 4.3 (407), November 2026
- Getting there A walk from Yilan Station
Ming Shui Ran Le (明水然・樂)
Teppanyaki among the rice fields, at a mid-range price. Ming Shui Ran Le runs fourteen courses, with Boston lobster cooked three ways and A5 wagyu. Reviews praise the value, the paddy views and the chefs, who are known for being funny; the fried rice, soup and dessert are the weaker end.
- Where Jiaoxi: No. 110-7, Qiwulan Road, Erlong Village (礁溪鄉二龍村淇武蘭路110之7號)
- Price NT$1,600 plus 10% for 14 courses (as reported in January 2026)
- Book Booking needed: on its online booking page, or call 03-988-7003
- Hours Every day 12:30 to 15:00 and 17:15 to 21:40
- Ratings Google 4.7 (1,692 reviews) · Tripadvisor not listed, November 2026
- Getting there Taxi from Jiaoxi Station
Jiaoxi Zhuang Cherry Valley (礁溪庄櫻桃谷)
The cherry duck restaurant on a duck farm, and the one for a family table. Cherry Valley carves the duck at your table and sends the rest back cooked several more ways, about eight pieces of duck nigiri from each bird. Sets are for four to eight people.
- Where Jiaoxi: No. 72, Section 7, Jiaoxi Road (礁溪路七段72號)
- Price NT$600 to 1,400 a person (as listed on Google Maps in November 2026)
- Book Call 03-987-3222
- Hours Every day 11:00 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 20:00
- Ratings Google 4.3 (10,639 reviews) · Tripadvisor 4.0 (45), November 2026
- Getting there Taxi from Jiaoxi Station
→ More in where to eat in Jiaoxi
Jing Zhuan Teppanyaki (晶饌鐵板創料理)
The quiet teppanyaki down south, in Dongshan. Jing Zhuan does set menus and à la carte at a price that compares well with menus costing far more in Taipei. It's a good pick if you're staying around Luodong.
- Where Dongshan: No. 96, Annong 1st Road (冬山鄉安農一路96號)
- Price A set menu for a little over NT$1,000 (as reported in December 2025)
- Book Booking needed: call 03-957-7339
- Hours Every day 11:30 to 14:00 and 17:30 to 21:00
- Ratings Google 4.4 (375 reviews) · Tripadvisor not listed, November 2026
- Getting there Taxi from Luodong Station
$$ Mid-range: NT$300 to 800
Yilan's everyday sit-down meals: kiln chicken, banquet small plates, live seafood at the harbor and skewers after the bath. Come hungry, share everything, and expect queues at weekends.
Weng Yao Kiln Chicken (甕窯雞 礁溪總店)
Whole chicken roasted in a clay kiln over wood, with crisp skin, and stir-fries on the side. Order the chicken, the hot spring water lotus (水蓮) and golden-sand tofu (金沙豆腐). Weng Yao is huge and busy: the food comes fast, and diners have complained of being hurried at peak times.
- Where Jiaoxi: No. 7-7, Section 7, Jiaoxi Road (礁溪路七段7之7號), by the Freeway 5 Jiaoxi exit
- Price Whole chicken NT$750, enough for two or three; stir-fries NT$230 to 280 (official menu, 2026)
- Book Booking or waitlist on Google Maps, or call 0918-717-288
- Hours Monday to Friday 09:00 to 21:00, Saturday and Sunday 09:00 to 22:00
- Ratings Google 4.3 (23,749 reviews) · Tripadvisor 3.9 (186), November 2026
- Getting there Taxi from Jiaoxi Station
Shi Song (拾松辦桌小吃)
Yilan banquet dishes in small portions, so two people can try several. At Shi Song, the xi lu rou is the must; add gao zha and the five-flavor baby octopus or bu rou. Some reviewers find the plates small for the price.
- Where Jiaoxi: No. 36, Qifeng Street (奇峰街36號)
- Price NT$200 to 400 a person (as listed on Google Maps in November 2026); a few plates each makes it more
- Book Walk in; 03-988-1136
- Hours Every day 11:00 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 20:00
- Ratings Google 4.4 (1,719 reviews) · Tripadvisor not listed, November 2026
- Getting there A walk from Jiaoxi Station
Hai Zhen Seafood, Nanfang'ao (海珍活海鮮餐廳)
The seafood lunch at the fishing harbor. Hai Zhen is a live seafood restaurant and the only restaurant in Nanfang'ao with its own fishing boat. Order the fried monkfish (酥炸安康魚), sashimi and salt-baked shrimp. Prices are posted and the bill is confirmed before anything is cooked, which is what you want at a harbor. Reviewers praise the freshness and the big portions.
- Where Nanfang'ao, Su'ao: No. 61, Yugang Road (蘇澳鎮漁港路61號)
- Price NT$400 to 1,000 a person (as listed on Google Maps in November 2026); set menus NT$1,000 to 2,500 a table (as reported in 2023). Cash only.
- Book Walk in, or call 03-996-7688
- Hours 10:30 to 20:00, closed Friday
- Ratings Google 4.7 (10,809 reviews) · Tripadvisor 3.9 (8), November 2026
- Getting there Taxi from Su'ao Station or Su'ao New Station
Jun Nostalgic Restaurant, Luodong (駿懷舊餐廳)
Taiwanese and Yilan sharing dishes in a retro room with an old-style candy shop. At Jun, order the spicy intestine and blood tofu pot (五更腸旺), oysters with fried dough (油條蚵), a Sanxing scallion omelet and the taro paste. Portions are big. Some reviewers say the decor beats the food; it's still a fun group dinner.
- Where Luodong: No. 53, Section 1, Chunjing Road (羅東鎮純精路一段53號)
- Price NT$400 to 600 a person (as listed on Google Maps in November 2026)
- Book Call 03-961-5168
- Hours Every day 11:00 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 21:30
- Ratings Google 4.4 (6,440 reviews) · Tripadvisor not listed for the Luodong shop, November 2026
- Getting there Taxi from Luodong Station
Lin Bei Kao Hao (林北烤好串燒居酒屋)
Skewers and a beer after the bath, in the middle of Jiaoxi's hotel district. Lin Bei Kao Hao grills with Yilan produce: order the sakura shrimp fried rice, which came third in a Taiwan fried rice contest, the mentaiko chicken skewer and the pork rolled around Sanxing scallions. If you're driving back to Taipei tonight, skip the beer; the legal drinking age in Taiwan is 18.
- Where Jiaoxi: Wenquan Road (溫泉路), by Tangweigou; No. 56 on Google Maps, No. 48 in the press
- Price NT$400 to 600 a person (as listed on Google Maps in November 2026), plus 10%
- Book Online through inline, or call 03-988-6511
- Hours From 17:30 until late. Google and the press disagree on closing time and the day off, so check the listing on the day.
- Ratings Google 4.3 (2,495 reviews) · Tripadvisor 3.3 (3), November 2026
- Getting there A walk from Jiaoxi Station
$ Cheap eats: under NT$300
The shops that taste most like Yilan, most of them older than the people queuing for them. Bring cash and coins, come early, and don't plan your day around a single one: they close for a day each week and sell out.
Chen Wang Ji Duck Rice (陳旺記鴨片飯)
Duck rice for the price of a snack, close to the baths. At Chen Wang Ji, order the duck rice and, on a cold day, the angelica duck soup. It closes when the duck runs out.
- Where Jiaoxi: No. 30, Deyang Road (德陽路30號)
- Price Duck rice NT$50 (as reported in 2022, and by diners in 2026). Cash.
- Book No booking; 0908-040-560
- Hours 11:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to about 19:00 or 19:30, until sold out (listings differ, so check the listing on the day). Closed Thursday.
- Ratings Google 4.4 (3,563 reviews) · Tripadvisor not listed, November 2026
- Getting there A short walk from Jiaoxi Station
Ke's Scallion Pancakes (柯氏蔥油餅)
If you eat one cheap thing in Yilan, make it this. Ke's has fried its puffed-up scallion pancakes since 1970, and the queue opposite Jiaoxi Elementary School still runs down the street. Get it with egg.
- Where Jiaoxi: No. 128, Section 4, Jiaoxi Road (礁溪路四段128號), opposite Jiaoxi Elementary School
- Price NT$40 with egg, NT$35 plain (as reported in 2023). Cash.
- Book No booking: join the queue; 0985-873-689
- Hours 09:00 to 18:00. Google and the press disagree on a midday break and a weekly day off, so check the listing on the day.
- Ratings Google 4.2 (19,336 reviews) · Tripadvisor #4 of 79 restaurants in Jiaoxi (214 reviews), November 2026
- Getting there A walk from Jiaoxi Station along Jiaoxi Road
A Niang Gei garlic pork soup (阿娘給的蒜味肉羹)
Yilan City's thick pork soup, made with far more garlic than anyone else uses, since 1966. A Niang Gei started as Beimen garlic pork soup (北門蒜味肉羹) and moved to Taishan Road in 2017. Order it with noodles.
- Where Yilan City: No. 239-1, Taishan Road (宜蘭市泰山路239之1號)
- Price About NT$90 for a large bowl (as reported by diners in 2026). Cash.
- Book No booking; 03-932-4293
- Hours 09:00 to 17:30, Thursday to Saturday at least. Google and the press disagree on Tuesday and Wednesday, so check the listing on the day.
- Ratings Google 4.2 (9,205 reviews) · Tripadvisor not listed, November 2026
- Getting there Taxi from Yilan Station
Cai Ji Stinky Tofu (財記臭豆腐)
Stinky tofu without the night market crowds. Cai Ji fries it from mid-afternoon in its own shop in Luodong: order the crispy stinky tofu, or the cheese-crust version, which is only made in the afternoon.
- Where Luodong: No. 110, Gongzheng Road (羅東鎮公正路110號)
- Price NT$45 to 70; crispy stinky tofu NT$60 for four pieces (as reported in May 2026). Cash.
- Book No booking; 03-956-6220
- Hours 14:00 to 22:00, closed Tuesday. The cheese-crust tofu is made 14:00 to 16:30 only.
- Ratings Google 4.5 (5,210 reviews) · Tripadvisor 4.2 (5), November 2026
- Getting there A walk from Luodong Station
→ More in where to eat in Luodong
Luodong Red Bean Tangyuan (羅東紅豆湯圓)
The sweet end to an evening in Luodong. Luodong Red Bean Tangyuan has made red bean soup and sweet rice balls for about sixty years, and that's almost all it makes. Have both together.
- Where Luodong: No. 180, Section 3, Zhongshan Road (羅東鎮中山路三段180號)
- Price NT$40 a bowl (as reported in 2024). Cash.
- Book No booking; 03-954-8328
- Hours Every day 09:30 to 21:30
- Ratings Google 4.5 (3,964 reviews) · Tripadvisor 4.2 (13), November 2026
- Getting there A walk from Luodong Station, toward the night market
→ Food in Yilan, town by town · Where to eat in Jiaoxi · Where to eat in Yilan City · Where to eat in Luodong · What to eat in Yilan
Sources: TVBS News on Yilan teppanyaki (January 15, 2026) (Xiang Yan, Ming Shui Ran Le); TVBS Supertaste, eight Yilan teppanyaki (December 2025) (Xiang Yan, Ming Shui Ran Le, Jing Zhuan); East Red, official booking notes; The Archipelago, archi official page; Commercial Times on archi (October 2025); Commercial Times on archi (March 2026); Zen Garden, TableCheck booking page; Commercial Times on Zen Garden (August 2023); Du Xiao Yue, official banquet page; CommonWealth Smile Taiwan on Du Xiao Yue; Silks Place Yilan, Red Lantern; Red Lantern, official booking page; TVBS Supertaste on Yilan cherry duck (2026) (Red Lantern, Cherry Valley); Weng Yao Ji, official site; TVBS Supertaste, Weng Yao Ji; China Times on eating in Jiaoxi (August 2021); TVBS News on diners being hurried at Weng Yao Ji; TVBS Supertaste, 21 places to eat in Yilan (November 2, 2026) (Shi Song, Ke's, A Niang Gei, Cai Ji, Luodong Red Bean Tangyuan); TVBS Supertaste, Shi Song; ETtoday on Hai Zhen (June 6, 2023); TVBS Supertaste, Hai Zhen; TVBS Supertaste on Jun Nostalgic Restaurant (December 26, 2024); TVBS Supertaste, 25 places to eat in Jiaoxi (January 2026) (Lin Bei Kao Hao, Chen Wang Ji); ETtoday on Lin Bei Kao Hao; TVBS Supertaste on Chen Wang Ji (2022); TVBS Supertaste on Ke's (2023); TVBS Supertaste on Cai Ji (May 2026); ETtoday on Luodong Red Bean Tangyuan (May 24, 2024); MICHELIN Guide Taiwan; Google Maps and Tripadvisor ratings read November 2 to 3, 2026. Checked November 2026.