Zihyou’s Vibrant Traditional Evening Market

Photo by Li Guei-sian

【◎Written by Li Guei-sian ◎Translation by Lin Yu-ciao ◎Photos by Li Guei-sian】

The Zihyou Traditional Evening Market（自由黄昏市场）offers a variety of local cuisine and delicious snacks. It is a popular shopping destination for many Kaohsiung locals and an excellent spot for food enthusiasts to indulge in their favorite dishes. The huge market offers various goods, including food, clothing, and daily necessities. Butchers run traditional meat stalls, providing custom-cutting services and fresh meat preserved in refrigerators. A wholesale vegetable section also provides a wide range of produce and carts for the customers’ convenience.

Photos by Li Guei-sian

Some stalls offer value-added complementary services, such as shrimp peeling or dish preparation and packaging, with fresh seasonal products like fresh milkfish or sea melon seeds with basil. Customers can take the food home and cook it right away.

There are also numerous ready-to-eat food stalls, with dishes like handmade glutinous oil rice, savory rice pudding (Wa Gui), pan-fried Tamagoyaki (Japanese omelet), and pork rolls with herbs, among others, creating a diverse culinary experience. Wang Ciao-jhen often buys specialty dishes from these vendors. She appreciates that vendors offer preordered and semi-prepared food for regular customers. “They make you feel like a VIP!" she says.

Amid the enthusiastic vendors and the eager customers in long lineups, people interact and chat about the delicious offerings. There is a strong sense of community, which is the true charm of this market, making it a wonderful place to shop and explore.

Zihyou Traditional Evening Market 自由黄昏市场

No. 261, Zihyou 3rd Rd., Zuoying Dist., Kaohsiung City

Operation hours: 2:00 PM to 9:00 PM (times vary for individual stalls)

Read more Love Kaohsiung articles