Where to stay & spots to hit up in Taichung.

A short ride away via HSR, regardless of where in Taiwan you’re coming from, Taichung is a welcoming city offering sunny weather and cool places to see. Here are my recommendations on where you should hit up and where you can stay if you decide to take a weekend trip:

RUMcafe & Yasen Home 悦升家居–the two spots are run by the same owner. The café lets in an abundant amount of sunlight which was a welcome change from the constant rain in Taipei. The food was alright but the furniture was what makes the place truly special–I believe almost everything is available for sale if you find something to your liking. Next door is the actual furniture shop offering restored Scandinavian furniture from various past decades as well as current designs from a curated selection of brands.

兆兆茶苑–the couple that runs this tea house is super friendly and is truly dedicated to and proud of their craft. From the furniture selection to the way the electric cords for the lighting is organized, there is so much attention to every detail in the space. They have a wide selection of teas including an award winning blend that they create in house. A truly fantastic spot that I highly, highly recommend.

花甜囍室–when we first arrived at the café, I was surprised that it was empty because it seemed like one of those super popular spots on Instagram. I was able to get the table of my choosing–the one with the best light, naturally. Of course, 30 minutes later, the whole place filled up and right as we got up to leave, the adjacent table of young college students moved right over to get their photos. The desserts were really quite good and the space is cute. I’d recommend a time to go but we got there in the middle of the day, not right at opening so not sure when’s the best time to go if you’re aiming for an empty space.

Fermento 發酵–not the most refined desserts and I was not a fan of the tableware or décor but the portions were big and the taste was pretty good. I found the set-up outside and downstairs interior to be misleading–almost looks like someone else creative directed it. It’s a fine spot if you’re not picky like me–I’m particular in what I like.

National Taiwan Museum of Art–much better than the Taipei Fine Arts Museum in my opinion. We caught the 2019 Asian Art Biennial show and it was pretty cool. There was one piece that really resonated with me by a Singaporean artist named Ho Rui An. It was a 20-30 min long video titled “Student Bodies” and I thought the artist made incredible social commentary on a lot of the issues Asian societies have faced in the past as well as today.

National Taichung Theater–built by Toyo Ito a few years back, this theater is truly beautiful. I hope to see a show there the next time I visit but even if you can’t catch a performance, you should still take a look around inside and on the roof top. They even have a small theater where you lay around on giant bean bags and watch a short video introducing you to the architect and his inspirations behind this work. There’s a café on the top floor that’s pretty but I haven’t eaten there and there’s also a VVG outpost on the first floor which offers some light meals and beverages.

分子藥局 Molecure Pharmacy–located right near the theater is this pharmacy. I’ve never seen a pharmacy quite like this and thought it’s pretty cool if you need to pick something up.

鳥人創意旅店 Birdman Motel–this was my first time staying at a motel and my boyfriend explained to me that normally the term motel has a negative connotation in Taiwan. I honestly booked it for the tub and it was fine for a one night stay. We didn’t even realize it was a motel until we arrived. I didn’t have a problem with it but just a heads up if you’re thinking of staying here: the tub and shower were great, the bed was not so comfy, and they don’t have very good soundproofing.

SOF Hotel 植光花園酒店–meets your basic needs, kind of hipster, pretty conveniently located, inexpensive. We were upgraded to a room with a terrace which was nice but we didn’t spend much time at the hotel so weren’t able to enjoy it.

Miscellaneous:

印度阿三甩饼 @ Hanxi Night Market (SO GOOD!! Not particularly photogenic so I didn’t take a nice picture but you must go), 台中李記麻糬, Doré French Bakehouse, walk around the area where 兆兆茶苑 is and you’ll find Reborn Antique 古董雜貨鋪, Cut&Paste Select Shop, Sun Berno 光焙若蔬食, CJSJ, and various cute shops and restaurants.

A secluded art space worth seeking out.

A. Heritage 襲園美術館 is a curated art space located, well, kind of in the middle of nowhere. We drove down tiny little roads on our way there and were greeted by a friendly staff member who worked out of the offices within the building–we later found out it’s part architecture studio, part gallery.

We were the only visitors since we went toward the end of the day on a weekday so were completely at ease while we wandered around. The building lets in a lot of natural light which allowed me to take photos even though the day was dreary.

The gallery is open Tuesday-Saturday from 10am-12pm and 1:30pm-5pm. Admission is free but make sure to call at least 2 days in advance to book a visit.

13 spots in Taoyuan worth checking out.

Perhaps Taoyuan isn’t the top choice when you’re visiting Taiwan but it’s actually a pretty quick trip from Taipei via HSR (20 minutes from Taipei Main Station and a one-way ticket is only $160NT which is approximately $5 USD). You can stop by Gloria Outlets (they have Loewe, Bottega Veneta, Lanvin, Gucci, etc) which is only a 5 minute walk from Taoyuan HSR station and make a stop at any one of these 10 spots and call it a day:

啡蒔 Verse Cafe by Minorcode–better quality food than almost all of the Australian cafés in New York and we all know how many Australian cafés have opened in New York in recent years. The menu offers a small array of options but each dish is done very well. We have tried everything on the menu already including their lasagna (which I can’t find my photo for) and would highly recommend everything. Favorites would have to be the avocado toast (it’s anything but basic) and their tiramisu. We typically order an Australian breakfast each with an avocado toast to share and end with a dessert. I would also highly recommend Minorcode–the womenswear store upstairs–if you’re looking for something chic and reasonably priced. See the three photos in the last row for some tops I’ve purchased from them.

Glück–situated near Zhongli’s Sogo department store, this café is both super photogenic and creative. I do have to say the presentation is much superior to the quality of the food. Nevertheless, the desserts are not bad!

友美子珈琲 Cafe Yumiko–this spot is almost always crowded but the desserts are quite tasty. The savory dishes are decent but I’d recommend the desserts more. The space is quaint and the staff is friendly and there are lots of charming little trinkets sprinkled all around if you’re good at picking up small details.

日福 OH HAPPY DAY–highly, highly suggest ordering the edamame smoothie. Every dessert we’ve had here is absolutely fantastic. They don’t offer savory options so you’ll have to find an actual meal somewhere else beforehand. Have been here multiple times and have never been disappointed with anything.

M PAIN Boulangerie & Pâtisserie–the chef here was trained at Le Cordon Bleu and this spot gives off cute countryside French vibes with sweet and simple décor. Wasn’t particularly impressed with the beverage options but at the end of the day, this place is about bread so I’m not holding that against them. The cured meats and cheese spread was great and the baguette perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

日青方好 Goodafter–Harbs who? The seasonal fruit mille crepe here is so much better than Harbs’. The savory dishes weren’t bad but nothing special aside from the presentation. Go for the desserts.

lindajia 甜点工作室–Linda makes some damn good desserts. She announces reservation times on her Instagram and posts a Google form 3 times a month to secure a table. She changes the menu pretty often and the two times we’ve gone, we were truly impressed by the quality. It’s clear that Linda is passionate about her craft and pours a lot of love into her café.

破舍咖啡 Për Se–this spot near Yuan Ze University (元智大學) in Neili seems like an IG trap but it’s not. The dessert and beverage options are great and the owner has a cute cat that will sometimes hang around the café. They also serve a few simple savory options if you want to eat a meal before moving on to dessert.

Tama Tama たまたま 慢食堂–the shaved ice here is good, especially if you want something less sweet than your typical shaved ice. The faint bitterness of the tea flavored ice offsets the sweetness quite nicely. The hot options are also really creative and delicious–we had the roasted red bean mochi dunked in matcha tea.

小舊閣樓 Glow–super rustic and traditional Taiwanese vibes here. The savory options are great (highly recommend the short rib risotto) and so are the beverages and desserts. They offer some house specials and daily specials as well so remember to check the chalkboard before choosing what to order.

巧遇甜點–came here for the chiffon cake topped with boba and was not disappointed. The place was a little difficult to find because of its geotag on Google maps but the staff was kind enough to direct my cab driver on the phone to the correct location.

花居樂花坊–this place is run by a Korean owner who brought bisu ice to Taoyuan. I believe it used to be a floral shop but now it also offers shaved ice. We have gone multiple times and were never able to try the pumpkin ice as it always sells out super quickly but I really love the taro bisu. It’s quite big so would recommend sharing one bisu between two people and ordering a beverage to meet the sit-in order minimum.

綠町冰室–traditional with a twist. This joint is so cute and I love the old school Taiwanese décor. The ice is on the sweet side but I like that they take advantage of the delicious fresh fruits Taiwan has to offer. Most ice shops tend to only offer strawberries in the winter and mangoes in the summer and no fruits in between but this spot offers pitted cherries, citrus fruits, pineapples, etc.

10 Instagram friendly spots in Taipei that are actually good.

We’ve all fallen for Instagram traps, but here are 10 spots in Taipei that are actually worth a try:

Liquide Ambré 琥泊–offers a beautiful tea service for $400NT (approximately $12 USD) with high quality tea and a relaxing ambience. The seasonal desserts and almond tofu were good but not spectacular, the real star is the tea. Everything from the chairs to the small flower vases used to decorate their serving plates is well thought out. This spot seats only 6 people so would highly recommend making a reservation online. It’s located on the second floor on top of a cute stationary store (also pictured below) run by the same owner.

二會 gojiby–this spot fills up very quickly, so would recommend going early. Very friendly staff and everything we ordered was great. Located off Zhongshan station. The café is on the second floor and their sign is small and discreet so make sure to look out for it!

昭和浪漫冰室–tried this spot for the first time a month after they opened and we ordered the chocolate shaved snow with whisky and the thai iced tea shaved snow with boba. Both were good but the Thai iced tea flavor was on the sweet side for me. We went back again a few days ago after having dinner in the area and tried their seasonal strawberry shaved snow with a cream-filled strawberry soufflé on top and are now totally obsessed with the place.

Cypress & Chestnut–borderline obnoxious with the way they take reservations (via Facebook messenger at a specific time on a specific day when they’re open to take reservations) but the place is super photogenic. I’ve found it more or less impossible to get a table so I stopped by on a day when they offered take-out orders. Unfortunately, though the desserts were delicious, they were kind of ruined by the time I brought them home (that’s why there are no photos…haha). Would recommend eating the desserts here if you’re able to secure the spot.

OTH: One Tree Hill Taipei–have gone here so many times and it’s amazing each time I go. Not all of the dessert/food options are set so depending on what they have when you go, you may or may not be able to order what I have pictured below. Don’t worry though, I’m 99.9% sure it’ll be delicious, whatever it is.

Quelques Pâtisseries 某某甜點–another one of those spots that I’ve gone to many times. The first time I came here was years ago when I was visiting my parents in Taiwan while I was still working in New York. It impressed me then and it still impresses me now. Their desserts are always so cute and they don’t skimp on the quality.

Nu Studio–a little far outside the city center but a cute spot to hit up if you have some time. Very minimal décor, the aesthetic is kind of reminiscent of some cafés I visited in Seoul.

Season Patisserie–I had so many photos of the food I’ve had here across multiple visits but I’ve managed to lose them since I didn’t have time to back them up to iCloud before I switched to a new phone. This is the most important photo, though. If you decide to get just one thing, make sure it’s their millefeuille. You won’t regret it. Would also recommend trying the savory options and please try their chocolate tea!!

十間茶屋–there’s barely any seating so I guess I’d categorize this more as a to-go spot. It’s really pretty, though, no? The tea was good and I’m a serious fan of their décor and serveware. You can stop by Aēsop after since it’s right next door or wander over to all of the department stores in Xinyi district.

貳房苑 Livingreen–get their bay area fresh shrimp brunch and try a few desserts. I’ve tried a few other menu options and they weren’t nearly as good as the shrimp brunch which comes with a shrimp sandwich and a house made savory egg tart with a side of salad. The salty egg dark chocolate ganache and the lychee tart are the two standout dessert choices for me.