[Taipei] Other than popular Bubble Teas shops and fruit juice stores, Taipei is also known for its quaint and indie coffee houses. Many of them are helmed by award-winning baristas.
The one distinguishing factor about cafes in Taipei, is the calming and peaceful environment, best described as “文青”.
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I can’t find an English equivalent, but you often find the Taiwanese hanging out with a book at hand, or engaging in quiet conversations – probably discussing about politics, the arts and occasional gossips.
There appears to be a lack of English websites featuring these Taipei cafes as well. Armed with recommendations from friends and Chinese guidebooks / websites, here are 12 Must-Go Cafes In Taipei.
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Fika Fika Cafe
No. 33, Yitong Street, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 10491 (Near Songjiang Nanjing Station
台北市伊通街33號一樓 (松江南京)
Tel: +886 2 2507 0633
Opening Hours: 10:30am – 9pm (Mon), 8am – 9 pm (Tues – Sun)
http:// www.facebook.com/FikaFikaCafe
Google Maps – Fika Fika Cafe
Scandinavian Style Cafe In Taipei By Award-Winning Barista
Located in Zhongshan, Fika Fika Café is an award-winning Scandinavian-style café that specializes in Nordic single-origin Aeropress-brewed coffee.
The café’s owner is famous for being the winner in both espresso and roasting categories at the popular Nordic Barista Cup in 2013.
This naturally-lit café is furnished with pinewood chairs and tables, with an open-style kitchen that allows customers and baristas to interact.
The café is also known for its Brown Sugar Latte (TWD200, SGD8.90) which provided this tinge of caramelised sweetness without overriding the coffee component. A lovely drink.
Other stand-out drinks are the Cube Latte (TWD250, SGD11.60) with frothed warm milk poured over ice coffee cubes; and Espresso Sparkling (TWD200, SGD8.90).
Prices are on the slight-expensive side if you compare to other cafés in Taipei. Fika Fika Café (Zhongshan District, Taipei)
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Fujin Tree 353 Cafe富錦樹353咖啡
富錦店 台北市松山區富錦街353號
353 Fujin Street, Taipei (Songshan Airport Station)
Tel: +886 2 2749 5225
Opening Hours: 9am – 9pm (Mon – Sun)
https://www.facebook.com/fujintree353cafe
Google Maps
Lifestyle Hipster Cafe Among Greenery, At Fujin Street Taipei
Fujin Street 富錦街 located at Minsheng Community 民生社區 is lined with trees, and better known as Fujin Tree Street 富錦樹街.
Selection of food is limited though. You can choose from a Pork Ham with Coby Jack Cheese and Salad Sandwich (TWD190, SGD8.40), or Salami with Coby and Salami with Coby Jack Cheese and Salad (TWD190, SGD8.40).
Popular dessert choices would be the Castella (TWD190, SGD8.40), Tiramisu (TWD220, SGD9.80) and Green Tea Roll Cake (TWD170, SGD7.50).
My first impression of Fujin Tree Café was its leafy and shadowy exterior that made for a great flatlay of food (Sorry, instagrammer talk).
Every part of the cafe had been carefully designed, and attention was paid to details.
Otherwise, just sip on some Okinawan coffee while people watching. FYI, café owner Berg Wu is the Barista Champion of Taiwan in 2014. Fujin Tree 353 富錦樹咖啡 (Fujin Street, Taipei)
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The Lobby of Simple Kaffa
Hotel V, Songshan District, Lane 177, Section 1, Dunhua South Road, 48號
敦化南路一段177巷48號B1, Taipei, Taiwan
Opening Hours: 12.30pm – 9.20pm (Sun – Thu), 12.30pm – 9.50pm (Fri – Sat)
https://www.facebook.com/thelobbyofsimplekaffa
Google Maps – The Lobby of Simple Kaffa
Cafe By World Barista Champion In Taipei
The Lobby of Simple Kaffa was founded by 2016’s World Barista Champion Berg Wu – the first person from Taiwan to win the World Barista Championship.
It was on my to-go list, also because of the irresistible Matcha Swiss roll with oozing matcha in the centre.
Even though The Lobby of Simple Kaffa is located within the East District (東區), a popular shopping district for young and hipsters, the premise is tucked away at the basement of design Hotel V.
I had the Caramel Latte (TWD170 Hot/ TWD180 Iced, SGD8 Hot/ SGD8.40 Cold) which was smooth, rich with distinct caramel notes.
The highlight was definitely the Matcha Swiss Roll (TWD140 dine-in/ TWD180 takeaway, SGD6.50 dine-in/ SGD8.40 takeaway), made using Morihan Kyoto Uji Matcha powder known for its premium grade quality.
It was light and airy, with oozing matcha in the centre that made me go “Oishii”! The Lobby of Simple Kaffa (Dunhua South, Taipei)
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GaBee Coffee
Address: No. 21, Lane 113, Section 3, Minsheng East Road, Songshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 105 (Nearest Station Zhongshan Guozhong)
民生東路三段113巷12號
Tel: +886 2 2713 8772
Opening Hours: 9:30am – 10:00pm (Sun – Thurs); 9:00am – 10:00pm (Fri – Sat, PH)
Google Maps – GaBee Coffee
Creative Coffee from Award-Winning Barista
Located at Songshan District near Zhongshan Junior High School station, GaBee is a café with a big declaration, “We do everything about coffee.”
True enough, it offers coffee in different brewing styles, ingredients, and presentation.
Van Lin has won several awards and was the first barista from Taiwan to compete in the World Barista Championship (WBC).
Known for Van Lin’s award-winning beverage Sweet Potato Coffee, GaBee lets you enjoy this drink for TWD130 (SGD5.86).
It’s Taiwan’s answer to the Pumpkin Spice Latte of the west. Combining sweet potato paste with frothed milk and espresso, it’s topped with whipped cream, potato chip, coffee bean and sweet potato slivers.
Van Lin describes it as more of a dessert, a fusion of a familiar homeland flavor with foreign influences.
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Powder Workshop Café
No. 25, Lane 86, Section 2, Xinyi Road, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106 (Near Dongmen Station Train Station)
台北市大安區信義路二段86巷25號
Tel: +886 2 2343 5853
Opening Hours: 8am – 7pm (Mon, Wed – Fri), 10am – 7pm (Sat – Sun), Closed Tues
Google Maps – Powder Workshop Café
Famous For The Milo Mountain, Quaint Café Near Yong Kang Street
Located close to East Gate Market and Dongmen Station, Powder Workshop Café is a comfortable place, a quiet café with a laid-back atmosphere.
It is also an ideal spot for people who are looking to get some work done, as it has plenty of power outlets and offers free Wi-Fi.
On its lean menu, expect to find brunch food such as Smoked Ham and Cheese Toast (TWD310), Cod Roe Baguette (TWD320), Smoked Chicken Baguette (TWD320), Egg Salad and Peanut Butter Sandwich (TWD330) and Smoked Ham with Mustard Sandwich (TWD340).
What I was really there for was its Milo Mountain (TWD170, SGD7.58), which has made its round on Instagram.
They described it as a “Traditional Malaysian drink” added with their own twist of malt sugar, created to look like a little mountain suitable for summer. Powder Workshop Café (Da’an District, Taipei)
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Monga Coffee Roasters 丸花豆倉
No. 79-1, Yongfu Street, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan
台北市萬華區永福街79-1號
Opening Hours: 10.30am – 6pm (Wed to Mon), Tue Closed
https://www.facebook.com/MongaCoffeeRoasters/
Google Maps – Monga Coffee Roasters
Daily Limited Earl Grey Crème Brulee With Pour Over Coffee
A small cozy coffee store located in the quaint neighbourhood of Wanhua district. I liked how they put in effort in curating their space – from the lush greenery exterior to simple yet comfortable interior.
Monga carries a variety of single origin coffee beans used for pour over, price ranging from TWD120 to TWD250 (SGD5.50 to SGD11.50).
They also do their own coffee roasting, and generally kept their coffee beans lightly roasted.
The other highlight would be their signature dessert named as 倉豆花丸 (TWD70, SGD3.20) but was in fact Earl Grey Crème Brûlée.
Available daily in limited quantity, I liked how the jiggly dessert had texture similar to ‘tau huey’ (beancurd), but infused with earl grey tea fragrance. Monga Coffee Roasters 丸花豆倉 (Wanhua District, Taipei)
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Miracle Coffee
No. 151, Zhouzi Street, Neihu District, Taipei City, Taiwan (Near Xihu Station)
內湖區洲子街151号1楼
Opening Hours: 8am – 7pm (Mon to Fri), 1pm – 5pm (Sat), Closed Sun
https://www.facebook.com/miraclecoffee151/
Google Maps – Miracle Coffee
JJ Lin 林俊杰‘s Blue-Themed Takeaway Coffee Store
Miracle Coffee is a blue-themed coffee store at Neihu District, which offers a range of coffee choices such as hand drip, Americano, latte and cappuccino for takeaways.
Sounded very much like any ordinary coffee joint, except that this is by Singapore’s home grown talent, “The Roving CD“ JJ Lin. *Fan-mode scream* #行走的CD #带走的咖啡
Located at Taipei Neihu District, the coffee store is found right next to his production studio. However, this may not be entirely convenient for overseas fans to pay a visit.
A cup of Latte/Cappuccino cost TWD95 (SGD4.40), Espresso/Americano at TWD75 (SGD3.50) and Hand Drip at TWD100 (SGD4.60).
So if you are lucky, “Miracles” can happen and you may chance upon JJ Lin live at the coffee store. Miracle Coffee (Neihu District, Taipei)
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Jack & NaNa Coffee Store
No. 36, Lane 33, Linyi Street, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100 (Near Zhongxiao Xinsheng station, Exit 5)
中正區臨沂街33巷36號1樓
Tel: +886 2 2394 7316
Opening Hours: 11am – 8pm (Mon – Fri), 1pm – 8pm (Sat, Sun, PH) The store takes occasional Saturdays Off – check their Facebook for updates.
https://www.facebook.com/jacknanacoffee
Google Maps – Jack & NaNa Coffee Store
Under The Radar Cafe In Taipei With Solid Quality Coffee
Located at Linyi Street Zhongzheng District, Jack & NaNa Coffee Store is that lovely little coffee shop, that hole-in-the-wall that offers house-roasted coffee.
The baristas are happy to share everything there is to know about the coffee making process. Expect to hear soft Jazz music in the background while watching the baristas prepare your cup of coffee.
I flipped to the first page of the coffee menu. 18 different types of Pour Over Coffee, with beans from Costa Rica, Panama to Burundi. Amazing at how they are dedicated to their craft.
They serve up two types of cheesecake, a New York Cheesecake (TWD100, SGD4.50) provided by Little Explosions Sweets Studio; and a Baked Tea Cheeecake (TWD90, SGD4.00) making a suitable pairing with coffee with its non-rich texture and delicate tea fragrance. Jack & NaNa Coffee Store (Zhongzheng District, Taipei)
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Sugar Miss
106, Taiwan, Taipei City, Da’an District, Lane 290, Guangfu South Road (Sun Yat-sen Memorial Mall Station, Exit 2)
光復南路290巷4號1樓 (國父紀念館站2號出口)
Tel: +886 2 2771 5320
Opening Hours: 12:00pm – 8:30pm Daily
Google Maps – Sugar Miss
Popular Marble Cube Cake And Marble Cheese Cake
One of Taipei’s most instagrammable dessert café of late has to be Sugar Miss, with photos of their famed Marble Cube Cake trending in several social media feeds (at least the Chinese ones).
Each is priced about TWD240 – 265 (SGD10.80 – SGD11.90), considered on the higher side for Taiwan, though Singaporeans should be used to these prices for cakes.
While the top molten layer looked melty, it was solidified and didn’t add much taste wise. Beneath was a chiffon layer and raspberry fillings that didn’t quite flow at all.
Unfortunately, taste wise, it wasn’t the most impressive. It was OKAY. Sugar Miss (Da’an District, Taipei)
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Tamed Fox
No. 56, Lane 122, Section 4, Ren’ai Road, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106
仁愛路四段122巷56號
Opening Hours: 8.30am – 5:00pm (Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri), 10:00am – 6:00pm (Sat – Sun), Closed Wed
https://www.facebook.com/tamedfox.tw
Healthy Food, Desserts And Donuts On Latte
Tamed Fox is known to offer nutritious yet tasty food. Their motto is, “Eat well and heal thy self”.
Food options include Sandwich (TWD260-300, SGD12.10-14), Salmon Belly/ Baked Chicken Bowl (TWD330, SGD15.50) and Greek Yogurt (TWD150, SGD7), which make such attractive food options after a workout session.
Also available are Power Fruit Bowl (TWD180, SGD8.10), Banana Bread (TWD80, SGD3.60), and Flourless Brownie (TWD100, SGD4.50).
The Doughnuts (TWD80, SGD3.80) interestingly tasted slightly different from the norm.
It almost felt like having a carrot cake in the form of a doughnut, with tiny bits of shredded carrots found within, coupled with cinnamon. Tamed Fox (Ren’ai Road, Taipei)
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Coffee Lover’s Planet
106, Taiwan, Taipei City, Da’an District, Section 1, Dunhua South Road, 246
太平洋SOGO台北敦化館, 台北市敦化南路一段246號B1
Tel: +886 02 2752 4157
Opening Hours: 8am – 9:30pm (Sun – Thurs), 8am – 10pm (Fri, Sat, Eve of PH)
Google Maps – Coffee Lover’s Planet
Over 20 Coffee Options And 7 Brewing Methods
Unlike the typical coffee chains found in malls, Coffee Lover’s Planet offers over 20 different coffee options that range from fruity to bitter and light to strong.
Coffee connoisseurs will be happy to hear that the selection and quality of coffee here is note-worthy, and that you can choose the brewing method for each cup of coffee that you order.
Other than the usual espresso, they offer drip master, pour over, cold brew, water drip, siphon, French press.
What I like about Coffee Lover’s Planet is that the description of each type of beans is written on a small card.
All you need to do is to turn the card over and you will see a little mark on a printed world map to let you know from where the bean comes from.
The only downside of Coffee Lover’s Planet is that the coffee prices reflect the quality of their products, which means that coffees are quite expensive and range between TWD220 – TWD450 (SGD9.80 to SGD20.00, USD7.10 USD14.60). Coffee Lover’s Planet (Da’an District, Taipei)
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Ruins Coffee Roaster 小廢墟咖啡
No. 242, Section 3, Muzha Rd, Wenshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 116
台北市木柵路三段242號
Tel: +886 2 2234 0024
Opening Hours: 1:00pm – 9:00pm (Tues – Sun), Closed Mon
Google Maps – Ruins Coffee Roaster 小廢墟咖啡
The Ruins Come To Life At Taipei’s Best Kept Secret Café
Ruins Coffee Roaster is hidden behind a lamp post, along a stretch of almost ruined shophouses, and you may inadvertently walk pass without noticing its frontage.
Ruins terms themselves as a “Café Junkie X Leisure Café”.
Like most coffee roasters in Taipei, expect just coffee to be served with a wide range of Single Origin (all 11 of them) and Cold Brew. Lattes and hand drips are from TWD130 (SGD5.50) – TWD 200 (SGD9).
The café has recently found a resident baker to complement their brews.
The cakes go for around TWD130 (SGD5.50) a slice. The most popular dessert was the light and fluffy Strawberry Chiffon, though I also spotted an interest Maple Syrup Bacon Cupcake.
I found it an opportunity to take a more relaxing and reflective holiday, taking a scenic walk down the river banks. Ruins Coffee Roaster 小廢墟咖啡 (Wenshan District, Taipei)
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10 Must-Try Bubble Teas In Taipei
Click HERE for other TAIPEI Food Entries
* Compiled by Daniel Ang @DanielFoodDiary, Nicholas Tan @stormscape, and Lewis Tan @juicyfingers.
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