Join us as we explore four standout coffee shops within Taiwan’s capital.
BY JODEE FOK
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE
Featured photo by Tang Chi Lee. All other photos by Jodee Fok.
Though I’ve lost count of the times I’ve been to Taipei, every visit comes with something new. On my recent weekend trip to the city, I discovered and revisited a few cafés that made me fall deeper in love with coffee (and food).
Ao Tao Zu Café
Getting to Ao Tao Zu Café, a hidden yet insanely popular spot among locals, requires a bit of exploring around historic Dihua Street—known for its baroque-style architecture and numerous Taiwanese tea, medicine, and dried food stores—and climbing a few flights of stairs.
Open until midnight every day, it has gathered a crew of regulars from diligent students writing notes to avid readers getting lost in books, and night owls like me. The retro, kind-of-Showa-style interior, the light background music, and the captivating aroma of freshly made coffees and dumplings—what a perfect end of the night.
ABCD (A Better Coffee & Doughnut)
Zhongshan District stands out with its bold and unconventional style, where endless treasures can be found in quirky thrift stores and unique boutiques. ABCD (A Better Coffee & Doughnuts) captures this vibe well; as you pass by, your attention will soon be grabbed by a giant doughnut at its entrance.
As its name suggests, ABCD is a café that places equally high value on coffee and doughnuts. Its founder, Roger Wu, passionately explains: “We aim to craft better coffee and doughnuts together, finding a harmonious balance so each complements the other without overpowering.”
At ABCD, hospitality is at the heart of all they do, making sure that every customer’s needs and (perhaps more crucially) taste buds are taken care of. The team has combined various fillings, textures, and ingredients to create over ten doughnut flavor profiles: sweet, savory, sour, or a pleasant mix of everything. Choosing which flavor to try out will certainly take some time; after all, don’t they all look incredibly appetizing?
FabCafe Taipei
FabCafe Taipei is a brilliant spot to visit if you’re looking for a quick escape from the crowds of the bustling Ximending Walking District. Probably not the easiest to find, the coffee shop is tucked away in a quiet alley. What it offers, in turn, is a cozy ambience, with occasional exhibitions and events on the second floor.
While the selection of pourover coffees isn’t extensive, the cup I had was perfectly brewed. And even more delightful is that it was served with a small glass of cold brew of the same coffee—two different ways to savor and experience the flavors.
CAMA COFFEE ROASTERS
As the sun begins to set, take a leisurely stroll through the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, where you can consider spending the entire night at the only 24/7 Eslite bookstore in Taipei. As you wander, you will come across a beautifully revitalized coffee shop in an old factory building, CAMA COFFEE ROASTERS.
The prices here are a bit on the higher end, but the coffee shop’s wide array of offerings—including coffees sourced from all across Taiwan—may have made up for that; as its CEO says, “it’s to connect the threads of Taiwanese culture.” The perfect balance of acidity and sweetness in my cup of Pingtung-grown coffee, with notes like plum juice and maltose, is hard not to reminisce about.
Taiwan’s coffee cultivation, despite its still small production volume, has seen promising development toward innovation and experimentation in recent years. The first Cup of Excellence competition was launched in 2024, with five coffees scoring over 90 points at this year’s. Be it its coffee cultivation or specialty coffee scene, the robustness makes me want to revisit Taiwan over and over again.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jodee Fok is a social policy writer and researcher by day and an art and coffee enthusiast all the time. She is a curious learner with a passion for social causes such as sustainability and farmers’ welfare. Whether it’s making a great pourover coffee, checking out a local café, or reading anything coffee-related, those little moments brighten up her day.
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