Shrimp fishing (釣蝦, diào xiā) is about as Taiwanese as a night out gets: rent a rod, fish for live freshwater prawns in an indoor pool, then grill your catch or hand it to the kitchen. If it is new to you, start with how shrimp fishing works. This page is where to go.
The short answer. Without a car, go to Quan Jia Le, a short walk from Xingtian Temple Station in the middle of the city. For the traditional experience, take a taxi to Zhishan Shrimp Fishing on Zhishan Road in Shilin, a big local hall that never closes.
Good to know: hours and Google Maps ratings below are as listed in October 2026. Small venues change their hours and prices, so check the listing before you go.
Before you go
- Cost. You pay for a rod by the hour, usually a few hundred NT dollars; rod and bait come with it. Prices are posted at the counter. → What it costs
- No catch is guaranteed. Some nights the prawns bite in minutes, some nights they sulk. Tell the counter it is your first time; staff (and often the regulars) are used to showing beginners the knack.
- Cooking can cost extra. Grilling your own catch is usually part of the deal; having the kitchen cook it is a separate charge.
- Allow two to three hours: an hour or two of fishing, then cooking and eating.
- Bring cash and expect a casual, noisy, local place. Some halls ban smoking indoors and some don't; we note what reviews say.
Easy to reach by MRT
1. Quan Jia Le (全佳樂釣蝦場): best for first-timers
- Address No. 190, Jinzhou Street, Zhongshan District (中山區錦州街190號)
- MRT Xingtian Temple Station (Orange Line, O09), about a five-minute walk
- Hours 16:00 to 03:00 daily
- Google Maps 4.5 from about 1,060 reviews
The most central venue in the city, and the one visitors find first. Reviews describe a patient owner who teaches beginners, lively prawns, and plenty of tourists, many of them from Japan. When you are done, grill your catch or have it cooked for you.
It is a small hall with one pool, so staff manage the seats and you may wait at busy times. A few reviews mention people smoking indoors.
2. Nan Shen Qiao (南深橋釣蝦場): a small neighborhood hall
- Address No. 1, Lane 130, Section 1, Yanjiuyuan Road, Nangang District (南港區研究院路一段130巷1號)
- MRT Nangang Exhibition Center Station (Blue Line BL23, Brown Line BR24), about a 10 to 15 minute walk
- Hours 11:50 to 01:00, to 03:00 on Friday and Saturday
- Google Maps 4.2 from about 210 reviews
One modest pool run by a friendly couple, with regulars who make it feel like a local hangout. Reviews praise the generous stocking and the kitchen's food. There is no grill here: the kitchen cooks your catch on the stove.
Seats are limited and fill up on weekend evenings. A reviewer found the kitchen closed at lunchtime, so come in the evening if you want it to cook. Smoking is not banned indoors.
3. Xia Xia Ge (蝦蝦哥釣蝦場): an easier pool for beginners
- Address No. 20, Section 4, Muzha Road, Wenshan District (文山區木柵路四段20號)
- MRT Muzha Station (Brown Line, BR02), a few minutes' walk
- Hours 12:00 to 00:00, to 02:00 Friday to Sunday
- Google Maps 4.1 from about 500 reviews
Two pools: a leisure pool (休閒池) that is easier for beginners and children, and a harder one for people who know what they are doing. It is smoke-free, misters keep it cooler, and the kitchen gets real praise for its Taiwanese stir-fries, so it works as dinner too.
It is a longer ride from the center, one stop from the Taipei Zoo. There is no big grill; reviews mention simple pots for heating your catch, or the kitchen.
Worth the taxi: Zhishan Road
For the old-school version, head to Zhishan Road (至善路) in the Waishuangxi valley in Shilin, the road that runs past the National Palace Museum. It has long had a cluster of shrimp fishing halls. The three below are a little beyond the museum: Fun Shrimp and Spring City sit next door to each other, and Zhishan is a short way further up the road.
The simplest way there is a taxi from Shilin Station (Red Line, R16), and it is the way back too, once the last MRT has gone. Buses run along Zhishan Road, but they thin out at night. Go to the museum in the afternoon and fish after dinner. → Taxis and Uber
4. Zhishan Shrimp Fishing (至善釣蝦場): the classic, open around the clock
- Address No. 13, Section 3, Zhishan Road, Shilin District (士林區至善路三段13號)
- Getting there Taxi from Shilin Station (Red Line, R16)
- Hours Open 24 hours
- Google Maps 4.1 from about 2,730 reviews
A long-running local hall with big pools, a full kitchen and no closing time. Reviews say it is clean, well ventilated and smoke-free, and that staff show beginners how to bait the hook, read the float and get a prawn off the line. Grill your catch at the venue or have the kitchen cook it; reviewers order pepper shrimp and three-cup shrimp, with fried rice on the side.
Expect a local crowd and limited English. Pointing, smiling and a translation app go a long way.
5. Fun Shrimp (Fun蝦休閒釣蝦場): the clean, air-conditioned one
- Address No. 469, Section 2, Zhishan Road, Shilin District (士林區至善路二段469號)
- Getting there Taxi from Shilin Station (Red Line, R16)
- Hours 10:30 to 01:00 daily
- Google Maps 4.4 from about 760 reviews
The modern take: air-conditioned, smoke-free, bright and kept clean, with grills for your catch and a kitchen. Families and first-timers like it, and reviews describe fresh prawns stocked on the hour.
The self-cooking area is small, so you may queue for a grill on busy nights, and some reviewers found the food prices high. It is more polished than traditional, if that is what you are after.
6. Spring City (春城釣蝦美食廣場): old-school atmosphere
- Address No. 471, Section 2, Zhishan Road, Shilin District (士林區至善路二段471號)
- Getting there Taxi from Shilin Station (Red Line, R16); next door to Fun Shrimp
- Hours 11:00 to 03:00, to 04:00 Friday to Sunday
- Google Maps 3.8 from about 880 reviews
The classic shrimp-and-stir-fry hall, with a big kitchen, roomy seating and a crowd of locals. Recent reviews describe prawns biting fast, staff teaching newcomers, and a place one reviewer recommends for showing foreign friends a Taiwanese pastime. Grill your catch or have the kitchen cook it.
The facilities are plainer, ratings are mixed, some anglers still smoke, and it can be warm by the pools in summer.
Can you eat the shrimp you catch?
Yes, and that is half the fun. There are two ways to do it.
- Grill them yourself. The classic way: rinse the prawns, push a skewer through each one, coat them in salt and grill them. This is salt-grilled shrimp (鹽烤蝦), and most venues have grills or countertop ovens for it. It takes ten minutes and tastes of nothing but prawn.
- Hand them to the kitchen. For a fee, the kitchen cooks your catch as a proper dish. Common choices are garlic shrimp (蒜頭蝦), black pepper shrimp (胡椒蝦), three-cup shrimp (三杯蝦) and sesame oil shrimp (麻油蝦). Order a couple of stir-fries and rice and it becomes dinner.
Either way, cook them all the way through. → Food safety
At a glance
| Venue | Getting there | Hours (October 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Quan Jia Le | Xingtian Temple (O09), 5 min walk | 16:00 to 03:00 |
| Nan Shen Qiao | Nangang Exhibition Center (BL23, BR24), 10 to 15 min walk | 11:50 to 01:00 (03:00 Fri, Sat) |
| Xia Xia Ge | Muzha (BR02), a few minutes' walk | 12:00 to 00:00 (02:00 Fri to Sun) |
| Zhishan | Taxi from Shilin (R16) | 24 hours |
| Fun Shrimp | Taxi from Shilin (R16) | 10:30 to 01:00 |
| Spring City | Taxi from Shilin (R16) | 11:00 to 03:00 (04:00 Fri to Sun) |
→ How shrimp fishing works · Only in Taipei · Nightlife
Sources
Addresses, hours, ratings and review comments: each venue's Google Maps listing, linked above. Salt-grilling and kitchen dishes: Taiwan Business TOPICS (January 2022) and Taiwan Panorama (November 2025). Zhishan Road venues: PTS News (June 2018). MRT stations: Taipei Metro.
Checked October 2026.