Taiwanese people have fallen in love with coffee culture over the years, and this shows by the number of espresso-based cafes you can find throughout Taipei City. While you won’t have trouble getting your caffeine fix in Taipei, most coffee shops around town serve beans that have exported from other parts of the world. Visitors however, demand and want to taste locally grown Taiwanese coffee. If you’re among them we encourage you to check out our picks for the three best coffee shops in Taipei, detailed below.
3 Best Coffee Shops in Taipei That Serve Taiwanese Grown Coffee
Goodman Roaster
The owner of Goodman Roaster is Atsuomi Itou from Japan. Itou-san first came to Taiwan in 2008 in search of the best Taiwanese-grown coffee. Without knowing a word of the Taiwanese language, Itou-san trekked up to the Alishan mountains and tasted his first cup of local Taiwanese coffee. He found the taste of the coffee to be extremely flavourful, with hints of lemon red tea and tropical fruits. Tasting his first cup of Alishan tea changed his destiny as he moved from Japan to Taiwan to open his first coffee shop in Taipei. He was determined to promote Alishan coffee to local Taiwanese people and later to his homeland Japan and all around the world.
Address: No. 110, Tianyu Street, Shilin District, Taipei City
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 1 pm – 6 pm, Sat-Sun 11 am – 6 pm
Fika Fika Cafe
Fika Fika in Swedish means “let’s rest and enjoy a cup of coffee together.” The owner of Fika Fika, Mr. James Chen, represented Taiwan and won the Nordic Roaster competition back in 2013. Fika Fika serves both exported coffee and local Taiwanese coffee. He believes not many local Taiwanese know how to enjoy Taiwanese coffee, and his vision is to bring out the best of Taiwan coffee and allow more people to taste its unique flavours and aroma. Fika Fika also has a coffee lab in Nangang, Taipei city and roasts their coffee beans sourced from coffee farms in Taiwan.
Fika Fika Sunshine store
Address: No. 40, Lane 321, Yangguang Street, Neihu District, Taipei City
Opening Hours: Mon 11:00 am – 6:00 pm, Tues – Sun 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Fika Fika Yitong store
Address: No. 33, Yitong Street, Zhongshan District, Taipei City
Opening Hours: Mon 10:30 am – 9:00 pm, Tues – Sun 8:00 am – 9:00 pm
San Coffee
The Dadaocheng neighbourhood was once a British trading port in Taipei. There were at least five British trading firms settled in this area during the 1870s. Because of this, the Dadaocheng neighbourhood is full of rich Western history and many historical buildings. San Coffee is in a historical building near Dadaocheng. This cafe serves locally grown Taiwanese coffee from all around the island and has an extensive choice of local coffee for you to taste. The staff there are knowledgable and answers any questions you may have or give you useful recommendations.
Address: No.1, Yanping N Rd Sec 2, Taipei City
Opening Hours: Sun – Thurs 12:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Fri – Sat 12:00 pm to 10:00 pm
We hope you won’t get too thirsty after reading this. But if you do, and you’re on the island and would like a local guide to make your experience even more unique, be sure to book a Taipei Gourmet Experience Tour with one of our friendly locals.
