2026-10-24

Most Competitive New Taipei District for Restaurants: Banqiao Leads (2026)

New TaipeiTrade Area AnalysisRestaurant DataSite SelectionJavelin

Based on the Javelin data version of 24 October 2026. Javelin is my own restaurant intelligence and trade-area platform, combining Ministry of Finance business-tax records, Google Maps and 50+ other official and public sources. Author: Jason Tsai, see About.

Bar chart: restaurant competition score for 27 New Taipei districts, Banqiao highest at 81, Yonghe 76 and Linkou 74, Pingxi lowest at 15

The short answer

New Taipei has 29 districts, 27 of which have a competition score (Wulai and Shimen are still being filled in). Banqiao leads at 81, followed by Yonghe (76), Linkou (74) and Luzhou (69). Banqiao also has the most venues, 5,046, more than any single Taipei district.

The most interesting case is Linkou: only 1,205 venues, less than a quarter of Banqiao, yet third in competition, with a new-registration share of 12.0% above most New Taipei districts. For prospecting by volume, the districts with the most new tax registrations in the last 12 months are Banqiao (379), Zhonghe (258), Xinzhuang (256), Xizhi (247) and Sanchong (236). By share, Xizhi is highest at 17.2%.

Key findings

Ranked by Javelin's competition score, which is relative within New Taipei and not comparable with other counties or cities. Density is venues per square kilometre. The top eight:

  • No. 1 Banqiao: 81, 5,046 venues, density 252, rating 4.24, new-registration share 11.0%
  • No. 2 Yonghe: 76, 2,119 venues, density 292, rating 4.23, share 9.2%
  • No. 3 Linkou: 74, 1,205 venues, density 98, rating 4.23, share 12.0%
  • No. 4 Luzhou: 69, 1,687 venues, density 233, rating 4.24, share 9.8%
  • No. 5 Zhonghe: 66, 3,403 venues, density 203, rating 4.20, share 10.7%
  • No. 6 Xinzhuang: 65, 3,699 venues, density 187, rating 4.20, share 10.3%
  • Joint No. 6 Sanchong: 65, 3,657 venues, density 244, rating 4.21, share 10.0%
  • No. 8 Tamsui: 64, 2,118 venues, density 96, rating 4.24, share 8.3%

The least competitive are Pingxi (15), Sanzhi (24), Bali (30), Shiding (32) and Shuangxi (33). The median score across the 27 scored districts is 52.

Four things worth noticing

1. Venue count, density and score are related, but not one to one. Across the 27 scored districts the correlation of score with density is 0.78 and with venue count 0.73 (my calculation, indicative only). There are many exceptions: Xinzhuang (3,699) and Sanchong (3,657) have far more venues than Yonghe (2,119) but score 11 points lower, while Yonghe has the highest density in New Taipei (292). Javelin's score includes other factors, so density explains only part of it.

2. Linkou: few venues, high score. Linkou ranks 12th in venue count and 8th in density (98, about 1.6 times the 29-district median of 63 but far below Yonghe's 292), yet third in competition, and its new-registration share of 12.0% is third among districts with 300+ operating venues. For Javelin's own explanation of Linkou, see its district-insight page; I do not interpret it myself.

3. Xizhi's new-registration share of 17.2% is the highest, 1.6 times Banqiao's 11.0%. Of 1,438 tax-registered operating venues, 247 registered in the last 12 months. Xizhi's average rating of 4.15 is slightly below the other districts with more than 1,000 venues (4.17 to 4.24); the gap is small and the data cannot say why.

4. Share and count give different answers. By share: Xizhi 17.2%, Yingge 13.6%, Linkou 12.0%, Shulin 11.9%, Banqiao 11.0%. By count over 12 months: Banqiao 379, Zhonghe 258, Xinzhuang 256, Xizhi 247, Sanchong 236. Yingge and Linkou have high shares but only 69 and 102 registrations. Among districts with 300+ operating venues the lowest shares are Ruifang 5.1%, Xindian 7.9% and Tamsui 8.3%; without that threshold Pingxi (3.3%) and Shimen (3.9%) are lower, but they have only tens of operating venues.

Reading it correctly

  1. The score is relative. 81 means the most competitive of 27 scored New Taipei districts, not that you cannot succeed, and it cannot be compared with Taipei's 88. See Javelin's district-insight page for what the score is built from; I use only its scores and ranks and did not recompute it.
  2. New-registration share is not a growth rate. It is registrations in the last 12 months divided by currently operating venues; new venues that already closed are not counted.
  3. Density is an estimate: Javelin uses the bounding area of each district's Google restaurant coordinates, not the official district area, so compare only within New Taipei.
  4. Small districts show ratings of 4.3 to 4.4, but with only tens to a few hundred venues the samples are small.
  5. Javelin is still expanding coverage: 696 expansion records were added in the last 24 hours, so venue counts keep rising. These figures are the 24 October 2026 version.

What to do with it

  • Founders: use the score first, then venue count and density. Banqiao, Yonghe and Linkou, at 70+, are the most competitive three. Other districts can be compared starting from a score of 40 to 60 and roughly 1,300 to 2,500 venues, for example Tucheng, Xindian, Shulin and Xizhi (an illustrative filter only), then use the competition map for same-category rivals within 300 m to 1 km and check demand and rent separately. The score measures competition, not demand.
  • Food, equipment, POS and payment sales: for volume use counts, with Banqiao, Zhonghe, Xinzhuang, Xizhi and Sanchong registering the most in 12 months; for newcomer-heavy areas use share: Xizhi, Yingge, Linkou, Shulin. Filter the new-store radar by district for either list.
  • Chains: Banqiao (81) and Yonghe (76) are the two most competitive districts; Linkou has a modest venue count but a high score, so validate demand first; Xinzhuang and Sanchong share a score of 65 and, with Zhonghe (66), form the 65 to 66 tier right after the top four.

Compared with Taipei

Taipei's three largest districts (Zhongshan 4,614, Daan 4,594, Xinyi 2,938) hold 40.0% of its venues; New Taipei's three largest (Banqiao 5,046, Xinzhuang 3,699, Sanchong 3,657) hold 35.4%. But Taipei has 12 districts and New Taipei 29, so the two figures are not directly comparable: an even split would give the top three 25% and 10.3%, so Taipei's top three are 1.6 times the even-split level and New Taipei's are 3.4 times. After adjusting for the number of districts, New Taipei's venues are more concentrated in a few large districts. For Taipei, see Which Taipei District Is the Most Competitive for Restaurants? (15 October data version); for the three-county comparison see Taipei, New Taipei and Yilan Restaurants Compared.

All 29 districts

Ordered by competition score. Format: district: score, venues, density (per square kilometre), rating, new-registration share.

  • Banqiao: 81, 5,046, 252, 4.24, 11.0%
  • Yonghe: 76, 2,119, 292, 4.23, 9.2%
  • Linkou: 74, 1,205, 98, 4.23, 12.0%
  • Luzhou: 69, 1,687, 233, 4.24, 9.8%
  • Zhonghe: 66, 3,403, 203, 4.20, 10.7%
  • Xinzhuang: 65, 3,699, 187, 4.20, 10.3%
  • Sanchong: 65, 3,657, 244, 4.21, 10.0%
  • Tamsui: 64, 2,118, 96, 4.24, 8.3%
  • Pinglin: 55, 67, 27, 4.37, 8.1%
  • Sanxia: 55, 1,085, 65, 4.24, 9.8%
  • Gongliao: 54, 106, 18, 4.41, 8.0%
  • Wanli: 54, 195, 30, 4.36, 5.6%
  • Tucheng: 53, 1,785, 110, 4.18, 9.0%
  • Yingge: 52, 712, 63, 4.27, 13.6%
  • Xizhi: 50, 1,579, 85, 4.15, 17.2%
  • Shulin: 49, 1,388, 79, 4.21, 11.9%
  • Xindian: 47, 2,187, 75, 4.17, 7.9%
  • Taishan: 39, 598, 82, 4.16, 9.4%
  • Ruifang: 38, 492, 39, 4.32, 5.1%
  • Jinshan: 38, 245, 39, 4.30, 4.7%
  • Shenkeng: 37, 253, 60, 4.22, 4.4%
  • Wugu: 36, 624, 45, 4.21, 9.9%
  • Shuangxi: 33, 53, 35, 4.35, 6.4%
  • Shiding: 32, 39, 12, 4.35, 5.6%
  • Bali: 30, 440, 35, 4.20, 9.5%
  • Sanzhi: 24, 159, 24, 4.34, 4.2%
  • Pingxi: 15, 41, 18, 4.19, 3.3%
  • Wulai: being filled in, 47, 16, 4.19, 6.3%
  • Shimen: being filled in, 21, 7.6, 4.46, 3.9%

FAQ

Which New Taipei district has the most competitive restaurant market? Banqiao. Its Javelin competition score is 81, the highest of the 27 scored districts, and it also has the most venues, 5,046.

Which New Taipei district has the most restaurants? Banqiao with 5,046, then Xinzhuang 3,699, Sanchong 3,657 and Zhonghe 3,403.

Which district registered the most new restaurants in the last year? By tax registrations in the last 12 months, Banqiao with 379, then Zhonghe 258, Xinzhuang 256 and Xizhi 247.

Which district has the highest new-registration share? Xizhi at 17.2%, then Yingge 13.6% and Linkou 12.0%. The share is not a growth rate because closed new venues are excluded from both numerator and denominator, so it is neither a growth rate nor a survival rate.

How many restaurants are in New Taipei? Javelin lists 35,050 (Google Maps listings, not permanently closed, including temporarily closed; 24 October 2026 version). Tax records show 24,596 operating records and 2,515 new registrations in 12 months; the bases differ and cannot be subtracted.

What is the competition score? A relative score Javelin computes across New Taipei districts, comparable only within the city. I cannot reconstruct it from the public pages, so I use it for ranking only.

What are the data limits? In a few districts, operating tax records exceed Google listings (Wulai 79 against 47), so the two sources cover different populations. Javelin also added 696 expansion records in 24 hours that I cannot place by district, which may affect the venue-count ranking.

Can I compare New Taipei scores with Taipei? No. The competition score is relative within each county or city, so Banqiao at 81 and Daan at 88 do not mean Daan is 7 points more competitive.

Try it yourself

Register free on Javelin to explore the district insight and new-store radar. Product details are on the Javelin page.

Sources

  • Ministry of Finance business-tax records and Google Maps venue information, integrated by Javelin (data version 2026-10-24)
  • New-registration share: tax registrations in the last 12 months (2025-11 to 2026-10) divided by operating tax-registered venues
  • The competition score is a relative Javelin metric within each county or city, for reference only and not a success forecast; venue counts are Google Maps listings not permanently closed, including temporarily closed ones, and coverage is still expanding
  • Javelin's county card shows 35,049 venues for New Taipei while its FAQ and the district sum give 35,050; the one-venue gap comes from batch timing
  • Correlations, ratios and count rankings are the author's calculations from the public figures