Maji Square: Your Go-To Spot for Food, Drinks, and Events
Maji Square is a lifestyle market with something for everyone. Located next to Yuanshan MRT station in Taipei Expo Park, it brands itself a playground for adults. Multi-cuisine restaurants, a creative goods market, a specialty grocery store, a street food fair, a craft beer bar, and a nightclub are all clustered under an open-air roof. The result is a vibrant and dynamic space that attracts a mixed crowd of all ages, both locals and foreigners.
This multi-purpose environment is constantly hosting large events and festivals. Check its Facebook page for more details.
We recommend visiting during an event because the atmosphere is even more lively than usual — think live music and pop-up stalls — but its absolutely worth checking out any day of the week. Here’s what you can expect to find inside:
Restaurants/Bars
The south side of the square has a collection of restaurants/bars with their own indoor/outdoor seating areas. These include:
- The Three Lions Inn: an English-style pub with afternoon tea, live sports, home-baked food, and a beer garden.
- Gaucho Grill: a Latin American steakhouse and tapas bar.
- Butcher’s Kitchen: a steakhouse offering meal sets with a mix of pub food and fine cuts of meat.
- Popeye: a Mediterranean grill serving pasta, pizza, and seafood.
While we haven’t personally tried any of these restaurants, they seem popular and carry the perk of their own seating areas so you don’t have to fight for tables in the crowded food court.
Creative Market
A row of shopping booths stretches through the centre of the square, mostly selling locally designed goods and housewares. There’s even a merry-go-round to help keep kids entertained while you peruse the cute items on sale!
Maji Food & Deli
There’s a specialty grocery store on the north side of Maji Square that features select produce sourced from small farmers across Taiwan. They stock a variety of small-brand products like high-quality sauces that can’t be found in regular supermarkets.
Maji Food & Deli has its own chic cafe with strong coffee.
There’s also an upscale canteen with freshly cooked food that can be boxed and taken to go. Enjoy it at home or take it outside for an easy picnic in the nearby park or outdoor seating area!
Outdoor Lounging
Maji Square is located within the sprawling Taipei Expo Park, meaning there are big sections of open space to stretch out in. Right outside is a lounge area with walking paths, sheltered benches, and lawn space that makes the perfect spot for a picnic.
If you’re looking to escape the crowds, consider taking your food and drinks outside and relaxing in the park. If you’re feeling adventurous, check out this abandoned children’s park right next door!
Street Food Fair
An open air food court is the main focal point in Maji Square. Dozens of food stalls line the perimeter of a seating area packed with tables and benches. Most of the stalls serve some form of Taiwanese cuisine, but there are Western options too. The vendors change too frequently to keep track, but last time we checked there was American, Mexican, Indian, and Chilean food on offer.
During events and on weekends the food court area gets busy and the more popular stalls form lines. Our group split up to order from a few different vendors and hold a table in the meantime. The Chilean and Mexican food was especially delicious!
Craft Beer
Crafted is a small taproom with a wide selection of craft beers, both local and imported. It has rotating beers on tap and shelves full of familiar and offbeat bottles. On Friday nights it hosts food pop-ups from 7 – 10pm. We had delicious tacos from a food cart one time!
There are also promotions most nights of the week and semi-regular events. Check the Crafted webpage for more details.
Events
Maji Square is constantly hosting events, festivals, and the like that make it an even more vibrant hangout spot. We visited for Fête de la Musique in June and found the market packed with stalls selling crafts, goods, specialty foods, and cocktails. There were multiple stages set up across the complex with live music all evening. People congregated with friends and family to indulge in tasty bites and enjoy the atmosphere.
There are always upcoming events on the horizon — check the Maji Square Facebook page for more details.
Triangle Nightclub
This well-known nightclub in Taiwan starts to get busy later in the evening and stays open until the early hours of the morning. It’s a warehouse-style music venue with a grungy, alternative vibe and an unpretentious (and often unconventional) crowd of mixed locals and foreigners. The inside isn’t very big, but it makes good use of space with a stage, bar, lounge area, and even lockers to safe-keep your belongings.
The music genre changes based on the theme of the night. Tuesday is KTV night, Wednesday is student night with great deals on drinks, Thursday is jam night with live music and drinking games, and there are plenty of weekend events on a regular basis, like WERK, the monthly LGBTQ party, and frequent Latin events. They also have decade-themed nights like 90s and 2000s throwbacks.
While the club itself is pumping on weekends, the area just outside is also a fun place to hangout. After hours, the rest of Maji Square clears out, giving you ample space to chill out with your friends while taking a break from the music.
Check out our full review of Triangle here.
Something for Everyone
Maji Square has wide appeal because of its diverse offerings, from a merry-go-round to specialty marketplace to nightclub — and everything in between. It’s the perfect place to spend a weekend afternoon/evening with friends and family!
What’s the vibe?
Multi-purpose complex with restaurants and food stalls, markets and shopping, bars and a nightclub, and event space for big festivals. It attracts a large and very mixed crowd of all ages and nationalities, fostering a dynamic and vibrant atmosphere.
Worth it?
Absolutely — there’s something for everyone. With no entrance fee to get in, you can enjoy exploring Maji Square for free.
Would you go back?
We do all the time!
Last updated: June 2018
| Maji Square |
| Chinese Name: MAJI 集食行樂 |
| Hours: 12pm - 9pm |
| Phone: 02 2597 7112 |
| English Address: No. 1, Yumen Street, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, 10491 |
| Chinese Address: 中山北路，民族西路口，花博公園內Maji 集食行樂園區 |
