Guides · Cycling in Taiwan
Eating After the Sun Moon Lake Loop: the Afternoon Gap
The Sun Moon Lake loop is roughly 30 kilometres and the most requested lakeside ride in Taiwan. The food problem here is nothing like Wuling, where the issue is that there is nothing on the mountain. Sun Moon Lake has plenty of restaurants — the problem is when they are open. Almost every Thao indigenous restaurant on the lake runs a lunch service and a dinner service with a two to three hour break in between. Riders commonly finish the loop between 15:00 and 17:00, which lands squarely in that break. This guide covers three restaurants in Shuishe and Ita Thao: real hours, closing days, peak times, and how to plan around the gap. Data checked on Google Maps, 8 August 2026.
The problem is not choice, it is timing
Sun Moon Lake has two main settlements, Shuishe and Ita Thao, facing each other across the water. Whether you meet one or the other first depends on riding the loop clockwise or anticlockwise. Most people start at Shuishe. The full loop is around 30 kilometres and, with photo stops and breaks, generally takes half a day.
The catch is that the serious restaurants on the lake almost all run two services. Lunch finishes a little after 14:00, and dinner does not begin until around 17:30. Leave at 10:00, ride the loop at a relaxed pace, and you will very likely arrive back between 15:00 and 16:00 — precisely when the main restaurants are closed.
This is not a hypothetical. It is what happens when you lay the three timetables on top of each other, as below.
The three restaurants and their real hours
Ratings and review counts are a Google Maps snapshot from 8 August 2026 and will change. None of the three has an English menu; photo menus are standard and pointing works. Thao cooking is generally not spicy, and portions are built for sharing — a table of shared dishes rather than individual plates.
- Lusihan Restaurant, Wenhua St branch (Ita Thao): No. 108-2, Wenhua St, Riyue Village, Yuchi Township, Nantou. Phone 049-2850451. Open 11:30–14:30 and 17:30–20:30, seven days a week. Google rating 4.7 from 5,926 reviews, the highest around the lake. Reviews most often mention bamboo-tube rice, vegetable fern and the local aromatic greens. Saturday peaks run 99% at 12:00, 100% at 13:00, 92% at 18:00 and 91% at 19:00 — both services fill up.
- Sun Moon Lake Xinshanwei Thao Restaurant (Shuishe): No. 132, Zhongshan Rd, Shuishe Village, Yuchi Township, Nantou. Phone 049-2855237. Open 11:00–14:00 and 17:00–20:00, closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Rating 4.1 from 1,764 reviews, NT$400–600 per person (353 reports) — the most expensive of the three. Peaks at dinner: 98% at 18:00, 100% at 19:00. It sits in Shuishe, near where most people start and finish the loop.
- Nianji Zuobufumai mushroom and cabbage buns (Ita Thao old street): open 09:30–19:00 with no afternoon break, closed Wednesdays and Thursdays. Rating 3.8 from 1,876 reviews, under NT$200 per person. The rating falls below this series’ primary threshold, but it is the only one of the three that stays open through the afternoon — between 15:00 and 17:00 it is effectively your only option.
How to work around the 15:00–17:00 gap
Stack the timetables and it is obvious: Lusihan closes at 14:30 and reopens at 17:30; Xinshanwei closes at 14:00 and reopens at 17:00. Between 14:30 and 17:00, both main restaurants are shut.
There are three ways round it. First, start earlier — roll out at 08:30 or 09:00, get back to Shuishe or Ita Thao around midday, and be seated before 14:00. Second, invert the day: start in the afternoon, finish at dusk and go straight to dinner. Watch the dinner peaks though, both restaurants run at or near capacity between 18:00 and 19:00.
Third, accept the gap and go to Nianji Zuobufumai instead. Open 09:30 to 19:00 with no break, it is the only reliable option in that window. The trade-off is that it closes Wednesdays and Thursdays, so build that into the plan.
For groups of any size, book ahead whichever you choose. Lusihan runs near capacity at both Saturday services, and walking in at those times means a long wait.
A support vehicle plays a different role here
Sun Moon Lake is not a high-altitude route and there is no hypothermia risk, so a support vehicle earns its place in two other ways.
The first is pick-up anywhere on the loop. Thirty kilometres is not far, but if you change your mind halfway or the weather turns, the vehicle can collect riders and bikes at any point on the lakeshore rather than making you grind back to the start.
The second is adapting to restaurant hours in real time. With two settlements and two different timetables, whether you eat depends entirely on where you are at what hour. With a vehicle shadowing the ride, the finish point can change as the day unfolds — ahead of schedule, push on to Ita Thao; behind, turn back to Shuishe.
A restaurant stop is not a standard inclusion but can be requested while planning. The arrangement depends on the date, group size and whether the restaurant is open that day.
Vegetarian, halal and other dietary limits
Thao cooking is built on mountain and lake produce: wild boar, bamboo-tube rice, vegetable fern and the lake’s small fried fish are the usual line-up.
Vegetarian: bamboo-tube rice and the wild-green dishes are themselves meat-free, but shared dishes typically come from the same woks and sauces. If you need strictly vegan food, say so when booking. None of the three restaurants has its vegetarian provision recorded on Google Maps, so we make no guarantees before you confirm.
Halal: no Thao restaurant around Sun Moon Lake holds halal certification, and wild boar is plainly incompatible. If you need halal food, these restaurants do not work — bring your own, or buy packaged food at convenience stores in Puli or Shuishe.
Allergens: lake fish and shellfish are common ingredients and nut-based side dishes are frequent. Declare allergies when booking. Note also that these are shared-plate restaurants, so a single table generally orders together; solo diners may find portions large.
FAQ
How long does the loop take?
The lakeside cycle route is about 30 km. Actual time varies widely with fitness and how often you stop; with photos and breaks, most people allow half a day. When planning meals, work backwards from the time you expect to be back in a settlement, not from the distance.
I will arrive at 15:00 — is anything open?
The main restaurants are on their afternoon break. Lusihan closes at 14:30 and reopens at 17:30; Xinshanwei closes at 14:00 and reopens at 17:00. The reliable option in that window is Nianji Zuobufumai on Ita Thao old street, open 09:30–19:00 with no break — but closed Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Shuishe or Ita Thao — which side should I eat on?
It depends on your direction and how the ride is going. Shuishe is where most people start and finish, and Xinshanwei is there. Ita Thao is across the lake, and that is where Lusihan and the old-street food stalls are. The highest-rated is Lusihan in Ita Thao, at 4.7 from 5,926 reviews.
Do I need a reservation?
Recommended, and essential for groups. Lusihan hits 100% busy at 13:00 on Saturdays and 91% at 19:00; Xinshanwei hits 100% at 19:00. Walking in at those times means a long wait.
Which days should I avoid?
Xinshanwei closes Mondays and Tuesdays; Nianji Zuobufumai closes Wednesdays and Thursdays; Lusihan opens every day. If you only have one day and it falls on a Monday or Tuesday, your real choices are Lusihan and the old-street stalls.
Sources
Rules and road conditions change — always check the official announcements before you travel.
Related guides
- Riding Between Company Branches, and How the Support Vehicle Is Arranged
- Five Days Cycling from Taichung｜Sun Moon Lake, Shuili & Sanyi
- Taiwan Cycling Route No.1｜Distance & Closed Roads
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