Lehua's spine is Yongping Rd, in from the Yonghe Rd corner, ten minutes from MRT Dingxi. Yonghe people agree on what it is: not a sight, an extension of the kitchen. Go by the clock.
18:30 — in before the crowd
Most stalls open 5–6pm; at 6:30 the aisle is still wide and the queue stalls clear fastest. Chicken cutlet, braised snacks, herbal ribs, oyster omelette, Dongshan duck head, sweet soup and ice — the classic market kit, NT$50–100 a serve, NT$200–300 to be full. Weekends start to pile up after 6:30; weekdays stay loose.
20:30 — peak, don't push
8 to 9:30pm is the crush; Friday and Saturday you move by being pushed. Skip it — the same stall has half the queue after 10, same food. Stay for the atmosphere if you want; to eat in peace, go somewhere else first.
Somewhere else is Yongzhen Rd.
22:30 — market winds down, Yongzhen Rd takes over
Stalls mostly last until around 11; old ones close when sold out. Walk to Yongzhen Rd, Yonghe's izakaya belt: Lao Chuan Jiao, Yonghe branch at No. 299 (4,800+ reviews), Shichuan Izakaya at No. 324 (1,400+), Hachichiyo Yonghe at No. 328 (4.9), all within one intersection; Lu Bistro at No. 71, five stars with 1,200+, pairs skewers with darts; Exit Bar at No. 75 (4.9) for cocktails. NT$500–700 a head, gentler than Taipei proper. More on the Yonghe bar list.
To sing, Cashbox KTV Yonghe Lehua at No. 129 Sec. 1 Yonghe Rd (3,700+ reviews) sits beside the market — the biggest name on the Yonghe KTV list.
00:30 — massage, or soy milk
After a night on your feet: Yonghe Taiyuan Wellness flagship at No. 57 Sec. 1 Yonghe Rd (1,600+) and Feinina Thai Massage at No. 89 Zhongzheng Rd (4.9, 1,500+), both open late, the regulars on the Yonghe massage list. Not a massage person? Yonghe Soy Milk at No. 284 Sec. 2 Yonghe Rd runs until dawn — one bowl after midnight is the Yonghe way to end.
Transport
MRT Dingxi on the Zhonghe–Xinlu line, No. 168 Sec. 2 Yonghe Rd, last train around midnight; Yongan Market also works. Yonghe Rd is narrow and parking is bad — use a paid lot near Lehua. After drinks, designated driver or taxi; the bridge to Taipei is ten minutes. Another way through Yonghe's late night is in Yonghe late night; for both Zhonghe and Yonghe, Shuanghe night map; district overview on the Yonghe guide.