Cafeography
精品咖啡 · Taipei

Specialty coffee cafés in Taipei

Roasters in Dongqu, a world champion near Huashan, beans from Alishan.

Photo: Beard Chou, Pexels License

精品咖啡 (specialty coffee) took time to catch on in Taipei. When Berg Wu (吳則霖) opened Simple Kaffa in 2011, he saw specialty coffee as a trend rather than part of the culture, and the shop relied on desserts such as its matcha roll to get through the first years.1 On 25 June 2016, in Dublin, he became the first barista from Taiwan to win the World Barista Championship, with a washed Geisha from Finca Deborah in Panama.1

The island grows its own coffee, too. Taiwan farms coffee on 1,178 hectares, mainly in Pingtung, Nantou, Taichung and Chiayi, and harvests more than 1,000 metric tons a year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.2 In Alishan, the mountain district of Chiayi, a sun-dried Geisha from Zou Zhou Yuan sold for NT$520,000 for five kilograms at a 2022 auction.2

Local tip: Look for 阿里山 (Alishan) or 古坑 (Gukeng) on the bean board and order that lot as a pour-over, next to an imported coffee from the same bar, to taste what Taiwan's own farms produce.

Where these cafés are: East District (Dongqu) (8), Xinyi (8), Tonghua & Technology Building (6), Minsheng Community & Songshan (6), Nanjing East Road & Xingtian Temple (6), Zhongzheng & Main Station (5), Neihu & Nangang (5), Sanchong (3), Wenshan & Muzha (3), Zhongshan & Chifeng Street (3), Gongguan (2), Yongkang Street & Shida (2), Ximending & Wanhua (1), Dazhi (1), Dadaocheng & Dihua Street (1), Shilin (1).

At a glance

61Cafés listed
19With opening hours
07:00Earliest opening
23:00Latest closing
East District (Dongqu)

忠孝復興店

Dreamers Coffee Roasters

  • 復興南路一段135巷 7
  • Daily 07:00–21:30
  • +886 2 2752 8229
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Nanjing East Road & Xingtian Temple

歐客佬長春店(原松江店)

Oklao Speciality Coffee (formerly Sonjiang store)

  • 長春路 133之1
  • Mon–Fri 10:00–19:00
  • +886 2-2581-7780
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Taiwan-grown coffee, from Gukeng to Alishan

Coffee is older here than the cafés. A British merchant working for Tait & Co brought seedlings to what was then Taipei County in the 1880s, and from 1902 the Japanese colonial government developed the crop, mainly in Gukeng (古坑), Yunlin, which had more than 700 of the over 1,000 hectares planted.3 When Japanese rule ended in 1945, the export link to Japan broke and production slowed; Gukeng's revival started with a farm founded in 1984.3

Taiwan now runs its own international competition. It is the third country in Asia, and the 17th in the world, to host a Cup of Excellence; at its first edition, judged by 33 jurors from 10 countries, four coffees scored above 90 points.4 Convenience stores trade on the same name: in January 2026, 7-ELEVEN sold an Alishan Geisha pour-over for NT$2,000 a cup in five shops, capped at 50 cups.5

What a cup of specialty coffee costs in Taipei

The everyday benchmark is low. As of 2026, chain cafés often charge NT$100 or more a cup, while FamilyMart sells an Americano or latte made with its Alishan blend for under NT$100 at more than 4,400 stores; the blend mixes beans from a Tsou community estate in Alishan with Brazilian and Colombian coffee.5

Simple Kaffa's flagship, a renovated two-story house at 27 Zhongxiao East Road Section 2 (忠孝東路二段) near Huashan, charged about NT$200 to NT$600 for coffee drinks in 2023, including NT$200 for its 南島煙燻冰咖啡 (smoked iced coffee). A matcha roll cost NT$150.6

Where Taipei's roasters and coffee bars are

Xinyi and the East District (Dongqu) have the most specialty cafés. Dreamers Coffee Roasters has several Dongqu branches, including 45 Fuxing South Road Section 1 (復興南路一段) and No. 7 in Lane 135 of the same road, both open daily 07:00–21:30. Coffee Olivia Roaster, at 50 Lane 346 Guangfu South Road (光復南路), opens 13:00–21:00.

West of the station, 丸花豆倉 (Monga Coffee Roasters) at 79 Yongfu Street (永福街) in Wanhua opens daily 10:00–18:00. In Zhongzheng, Peloso Coffee Roasters on Lane 75 of Zhonghua Road Section 2 serves 13:00–21:00, and 時時咖啡 (TokiDoki Coffee Roastery) at 115 Hangzhou South Road Section 1 (杭州南路一段) 08:30–16:00. Across the river in Sanchong, Koon coffee roasting studio bills itself as a 淺焙專賣店 (light-roast specialist), open Tuesday to Sunday.

Opening hours and where to sit longer

Specialty bars keep mostly daytime hours. Boom Coffee Roasters, in Lane 200 of Dunhua South Road Section 2 (敦化南路二段), opens at 08:30 on weekdays and has outdoor tables; Keystone coffee roaster, on Lane 267 of Bade Road Section 2 (八德路二段), runs 08:00–21:00 on weekdays. Daychill Specialty Coffee Co. on Nanjing East Road Section 5 serves until 23:00 Tuesday to Sunday, and RUFOUS COFFEE ROASTERS at 333 Fuxing South Road Section 2 until 22:00, closed Thursdays.

Near National Taiwan University, 聞山咖啡 (Wen Shan Roasting) at 11-1 Lane 56 Xinsheng South Road Section 3 (新生南路三段) opens daily 12:00–20:00. Marie Claire Taiwan called it long-established in 2026 and found no time limit at any hour, a one-drink minimum and outlets at most seats.7

Sources

  1. World Barista Champion Berg Wu: The Sprudge Interview, Sprudge (Jordan Michelman, July 29, 2016), accessed October 2026
  2. The sweet taste of premium coffee: Making the Rounds of Taiwan's coffee estates, Taiwan News (December 26, 2023), accessed October 2026
  3. Wake up and smell the Taiwan coffee festival, Taipei Times (September 26, 2005), accessed October 2026
  4. Taiwan Hosts Its First Cup of Excellence, Showcasing Exceptional Specialty Coffees, Alliance for Coffee Excellence (September 10, 2024), accessed October 2026
  5. 1杯2千元 超商搶攻頂級咖啡商機, United Daily News 聯合報 (January 20, 2026), accessed October 2026
  6. 台北│興波咖啡Simple Kaffa Flagship，咖啡冠軍打造老屋再生咖啡館, Yam Travel 蕃薯藤旅遊 (updated June 17, 2023), accessed October 2026
  7. 台北大安區咖啡廳盤點，有Wi-Fi、插座、不限時咖啡廳推薦, Marie Claire Taiwan 美麗佳人 (updated July 31, 2026), accessed October 2026
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By area: Dadaocheng & Dihua Street Zhongshan & Chifeng Street Minsheng Community & Songshan Gongguan Yongkang Street & Shida East District (Dongqu) Xinyi Ximending & Wanhua

FAQ

Specialty coffee in Taipei: questions

How much does specialty coffee cost in Taipei?

As of 2026, chain cafés in Taipei often charge NT$100 or more a cup, while FamilyMart's Alishan-blend Americano and latte cost under NT$100. At Simple Kaffa's flagship near Huashan, coffee drinks ran from about NT$200 to NT$600 in 2023. In January 2026, 7-ELEVEN sold an Alishan Geisha pour-over for NT$2,000 a cup in five stores.

Where is the Taiwan-grown coffee served in Taipei specialty cafés farmed?

Taiwan farms coffee on 1,178 hectares, mainly in Pingtung, Nantou, Taichung and Chiayi, the county that includes the Alishan mountain district, and harvests more than 1,000 metric tons a year. Gukeng in Yunlin was the center of planting under Japanese rule from 1902, and its revival began with a farm founded in 1984.

Which Taipei specialty coffee founder won the World Barista Championship?

Berg Wu (吳則霖), who opened Simple Kaffa in Taipei in 2011, won the World Barista Championship in Dublin on 25 June 2016, the first winner from Taiwan. He used a washed Geisha from Finca Deborah in Panama. Simple Kaffa's flagship is a renovated two-story house at 27 Zhongxiao East Road Section 2, near Huashan.

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