After living in Taiwan for 5 years, Taiwan convenience stores are hands down my favorite thing about this place! In Taipei, there’s literally a convenience store every 0.2 square kilometers on average. Sometimes you’ll find 3 stores on a single street that’s less than 200 meters long. For tourists, these stores are a lifesaver when you’ve forgotten to pack essentials. Need a phone charger, toothbrush, shampoo, or umbrella? You can grab everything in one go at a convenience store. Plus, they’re open 24/7, 365 days a year, so even if you land in Taiwan at 3 AM, you can still buy whatever you need.
Besides daily necessities, the convenience store ATMs are not only super convenient for international withdrawals, but they’re also one of the cheapest options available.
More currency exchange info: Where to Exchange Currency in Taiwan: A Comprehensive Guide
But Taiwan’s convenience stores offer way more than just everyday items. They’ve got hot meals, rice balls, instant noodles, freshly brewed coffee, ice cream, drinks or snacks, and it’s not just variety, it’s actually delicious! Beyond food and drinks, you can also ship packages, pick up deliveries, pay utility bills, top up your EasyCard, and even buy concert or train tickets. Most stores have AC running all the time, and many locations have seating areas and restrooms, perfect for a quick break during your travels.
Let’s dive into all the hidden gems, must-try hot foods, and essential services you absolutely can’t miss at Taiwan’s convenience stores!
Table of Contents
Taiwan’s Big Four Convenience Store Chains
| Brand | Features | Store Locator |
| 7-Eleven | Most locations, widest selection, 7-11 loyalty points, CITY CAFE coffee (their roasted sweet potato is amazing!) | Official Website |
| FamilyMart | Specialty hot foods like signature grilled rice balls, Let’s Café coffee, points for freebies (personally think their hot food is better overall, love their roasted sweet potato too) | Official Website |
| Hi-Life | More localized product designs, in-house bakery and tea drinks (they make the best Taiwanese-style lunch boxes) | Official Website |
| OK Mart | Fewer locations, focuses on budget lunch boxes and simple services (personally find their hot food less appealing) | Official Website |
Taiwan Convenience Store Food Scene | Way Better Than You’d Imagine!
What makes Taiwan convenience stores special isn’t just their convenience, it’s the food! Step into any Taiwan convenience store and you’re not just looking at cookies and drinks, but embarking on a mini food adventure. From rice dishes and noodles to soups and desserts, there’s incredible variety that gets updated frequently, with seasonal and regional limited editions. When you’re tired of restaurants, treasure hunting at convenience stores can actually be more fun. And since they’re open 24/7, you never have to go hungry, there’s always something to eat!
Taiwan convenience stores are all about “ready-to-eat but never half-hearted.” Many microwave lunch boxes use quality ingredients for their main dishes, often collaborating with famous restaurants for innovative flavors and consistent quality. Many lunch boxes even have separate compartments for side dishes and pickles, so the textures don’t get mixed up when heated. Hot curry rice, beef bowls, and grilled chicken lunch boxes have become budget-friendly choices for travelers who don’t want to compromise on taste. Store staff will usually heat things up for you, though some stores have microwaves outside the counter for self-service.
Beyond main dishes, convenience stores put serious effort into light meals and desserts. Rice balls, hand rolls, sandwiches, and salads in various flavors are perfect for breakfast or quick energy boosts during your itinerary. The dessert section’s puddings, cakes, and custards often catch your eye, with some items rivaling actual dessert shops in quality. Taiwan convenience store coffee machines are nothing to scoff at either, both FamilyMart’s Let’s Café and 7-Eleven’s CITY CAFE have tons of fans. Not only are they cheap, but you can get lattes, matcha, and seasonal limited flavors.
Also, because competition is fierce, being tasty is just the starting point. To attract different customer groups, they even have separate sections for vegetarian, vegan, and light meal options to cater to a range of dietary preferences. These foods taste really good, even though I’m not vegetarian (quite the opposite, I’m a total carnivore), sometimes I’ll buy their vegetarian products just because they’re so delicious (Not gonna gatekeep, it is the FamilyMart’s truffle cheese rolled omelet wrap).
The only downside is that 7-Eleven’s food portions have gotten smaller in recent years, though the other convenience stores are still fine.
Must-Try Convenience Store Favorites:
Main Dishes
- Microwave lunch boxes: Beef bowls, curry rice (7-11’s Thai green curry rice is amazing), teriyaki chicken rice, braised pork rib rice, steamed chicken breast healthy meal boxes
- Rice balls and sushi: Salmon and salmon roe (this one’s really good), mentaiko tuna, sukiyaki beef, egg salad and other flavors
- Frozen lunch boxes: Can be found in the frozen section, includes fried rice, pasta, risotto, etc.
Hot Food Section
- Oden: White radish, rice blood cake, fish cake, fish dumplings and other ingredients + bonito broth
- Roasted sweet potato: Each chain tastes slightly different, but they’re all delicious
- Tea eggs: Just 10 TWD each, braised until fragrant and flavorful
Drinks and Desserts
- Fresh coffee: 7-11 CITY CAFE latte, FamilyMart Let’s Café matcha latte
- Desserts: President pudding, Hokkaido cheesecake, strawberry custard cups, limited edition soft serve
- Ice cream recommendations: Slurpee (7-ELEVEN), seasonal limited soft serve (FamilyMart)
Where to Find Cheap Food at Taiwan Convenience Stores?
Besides catering to different dietary habits, these convenience stores even have discount sections for budget-conscious folks, selling hot food at reduced prices when it’s about to expire, usually items with 6-7 hours left before their best-by date. These discounted items get special stickers, though different chains use different names: 7-11 calls it “i珍食”, FamilyMart has “友善食光”, Hi-Life uses “惜福食堂” and OK Mart doesn’t have a special name.
These programs not only help the four major chains reduce store food waste and avoid throwing away food, but also help us save money – it’s absolutely awesome! However, for tourists who don’t understand Chinese, recognizing these convenience store “near-expiry discount food programs” can be a bit challenging, but there are still some identification tricks you can use.
All three major brands use distinctive label stickers that, while in Chinese, have consistent colors and patterns that are easy to identify. 7-11 uses green stickers with “i珍食”, time, or discount text; FamilyMart uses yellow stickers with “友善食光”; Hi-Life uses pink/orange stickers with “惜福”. You can also check the price tags – these items usually have near-expiry time labels or show the discounted price in small red text next to the original price.
The simplest method is to observe location and sections, these discounted items are usually grouped together in refrigerated section corners or have dedicated small areas.
You can also download the 7-11 and FamilyMart apps, which have maps showing where near-expiry foods are available (the other two chains don’t have this feature). But honestly, these apps are also in Chinese, so they’re not particularly convenient for tourists who don’t understand Chinese, we can just go to the store and looking around.
Taiwan Convenience Stores Are All-in-One Life Hubs
Beyond buying drinks and late-night snacks, Taiwan convenience stores are comprehensive life service points. They integrate financial services, ticketing, logistics, and office functions. Whether you need to pay electricity bills, withdraw cash, ship packages, photocopy documents, buy concert tickets, or print travel itineraries, you can easily handle it all through the in-store “ibon” machines at 7-ELEVEN or “FamiPort” at FamilyMart.
For tourists, the most convenient services are ATM withdrawals and buying train or high-speed rail tickets, plus EasyCard or iPASS top-up services! For locals, convenience stores can handle utility bill payments, package shipping and pickup, no more waiting in long lines at the post office, which is fantastic.
Read more:
Ultimate Taiwan EasyCard Guide: Everything You Need for MRT, YouBike, and Bus Travel
iPASS Taiwan: Easy Guide to Buy, Use & Top Up | EasyCard vs iPASS Explained
Financial & Bill Services
- Withdrawals, transfers (ATMs mostly CTBC Bank, Taishin Bank, supporting international cards)
- Pay utility bills, phone bills, credit card bills, traffic fines
- Mobile payments and EasyCard/iPASS top-ups, balance checks
Ticketing & Shopping Services
- Buy various tickets: concerts, high-speed rail, trains, exhibition tickets, etc.
- ibon/FamiPort machines operate quickly, support English interface
- Online shopping pickup: PChome, Shopee, momo, Books.com.tw can all be delivered to convenience stores
Shipping & Receiving Logistics
- Convenience store shipping/store-to-store express
- Some locations support international package shipping (recommend checking first)
- Luggage storage, simple package shipping services (tourist hotspot stores)
Office & Living Facilities
- Photocopying, printing, faxing, scanning (can upload files to ibon/FamiPort for operation)
- ID photo taking (some locations have self-service photo booths)
- Free Wi-Fi (ibon Wi-Fi/Fami Wi-Fi, requires login)
- Power outlets & dining seating areas (some locations)
Other Thoughtful Facilities
- Restrooms (some medium to large locations open for public use)
- Water dispensers, microwaves, garbage sorting areas (traveler-friendly)
- Hot water supply (convenient for instant noodles, baby food heating)
Not every store has all these features though, some smaller locations might not have restrooms or seating areas. You can check which specific services each location offers on their official websites, like whether they have free Wi-Fi or ATMs (though the English interfaces on these websites aren’t great).
Conclusion: Taiwan’s One-of-a-Kind Convenience Stores
Taiwan’s convenience stores can handle everything from hot rice balls and lunch boxes to bill payments, document printing, and package shipping, they’ve taken the word “convenience” to its absolute limits. Most importantly, when you encounter any unexpected situation, convenience stores can almost always solve it. Phone running low on battery? Convenience stores sell power banks and charging cables, and rest areas have outlets for charging. Caught in the rain without an umbrella? You can buy one at the convenience store.
Don’t underestimate these 24-hour little worlds, they’re packed with rich and practical aspects of daily Taiwan life, and sometimes you’ll encounter regional limited flavors or collaboration product surprises. I collected points a few years ago and got a Disney plate that was super cute!
One final reminder! If you eat inside the convenience store, you need to dispose of your own garbage, and Taiwan takes garbage sorting very seriously. Make sure to follow the sorting instructions on the bins and dispose of items correctly. If you’re really unsure, just put everything in the non-recyclable trash bin to avoid contaminating the recyclable waste.
Read more:
Taiwan Travel Packing List: What to Pack for Your Trip to Taiwan
Taiwan Hot Springs Guide: Prices, Types, and 11 Budget-Friendly & Premium Options
