The short version: 500 Bowls looks into the bowl, 500 Plates looks onto the plate
Many people first assume these two lists are basically the same thing with different names. Once you actually start using them to choose restaurants, the difference becomes obvious.
500 Bowls is closer to answering this question: what are the truly representative everyday foods of Taiwan, the ones with strong local character? It cares about a bowl of beef noodles, braised pork rice, rice noodle soup, or other foods you run into on ordinary city streets.
500 Plates is closer to answering a different question: which restaurant, and which dish, is worth planning your day around? It cares more about signature dishes, memorable cooking, and whether a meal is worth going out of your way for.
What is 500 Bowls?
500 Bowls is a Taiwan food list published by UDN’s 500 Times. The name already tells you the point of view. It is not mainly about formal dining. It is about bowl-centered foods that are much closer to Taiwan’s daily eating culture.
The word “bowl” should not be read too narrowly. It does not mean only noodle soups or rice bowls. It signals a way of eating that is more local, more street-level, and more tied to everyday life. You immediately think of beef noodles, meat thick soup, gua bao, braised pork rice, rice cakes, savory porridge, and other foods people actually eat on a regular basis.
That is the value of 500 Bowls. It is not trying to identify the most expensive or ceremonial meal. It helps you sort through Taiwan’s huge world of local eats and remember which flavors are truly worth your time.
What is 500 Plates?
500 Plates also comes from 500 Times, but the angle shifts from the bowl to the plate. That shift matters because it moves the focus away from everyday street food and toward a fuller restaurant setting.
500 Plates is more useful when the question is: what is this restaurant really worth ordering? Which dish defines it? Which places are not just popular, but genuinely memorable on the plate?
That is why 500 Plates usually fits the kind of meal you intentionally schedule, instead of the quick snack you grab while passing by. It does not automatically mean expensive, but it usually pays more attention to a specific dish, a menu, and the overall dining experience.
What is the difference?
If you place the two side by side, the distinction is fairly direct. This table gives a quick read:
| Category | 500 Bowls | 500 Plates |
|---|---|---|
| Main focus | Snacks, noodles, rice, soups, everyday bowl dishes | Restaurant dishes, signature plates, plated cooking |
| Best use case | Finding local flavor, street food, regional classics | Planning a restaurant meal, deciding what to order |
| How to read it | What people in this city really eat | Which dish in this restaurant matters most |
| Who it suits | Travelers, first-time visitors, local snack hunters | People planning a restaurant outing and focusing on dishes |
The table is the fast version. In practice, 500 Bowls helps you find flavor first, while 500 Plates helps you plan a meal first.
If you are in Tainan and want to know which beef soup, rice cake, or savory porridge really matters, 500 Bowls is usually the better starting point. If you are trying to decide where to go for dinner and what is worth ordering at a restaurant, 500 Plates will usually be more useful.
So these two lists do not replace each other. They cover different ways of eating, and together they give a fuller picture.
How should you use them?
The practical approach is not to treat either list as an absolute ranking. Use them as a first layer of filtering. Decide whether you are looking for a street-level classic or a restaurant-level meal, then return to the restaurant details such as area, cuisine, signature dishes, and review signals.
If you want everyday Taiwanese snacks with a strong local feel, start with the 500 Bowls restaurant list. If you want a more intentional sit-down meal, start with the 500 Plates restaurant list.
The real value is not the list by itself. It is the list plus your situation. Is this your first time in Taiwan? Are you chasing old-school shops? Do you only have one dinner slot left? Those questions decide whether 500 Bowls or 500 Plates should come first.
Conclusion
500 Bowls is better for understanding Taiwan’s everyday food culture, while 500 Plates is better for planning a restaurant meal that is worth making time for.
The first one shows you local flavor. The second shows you dish performance. One is closer to the street. The other is closer to the dining table. They are not competing with each other. They complete each other.
So if you are just starting to use lists to explore Taiwan food, a good sequence is usually this: use 500 Bowls to understand the flavor of a city, then use 500 Plates to decide which meal is worth planning around.
Further Reading
If you already know which type of place you want, you can jump straight back into the award pages on the site: