Not liking coffee and being fussy about tea, cafes are not normally my thing but when they come with desserts with faces, super goth ice creams or fluffy kittens to stroke while you snack, I can make an exception – and Taipei has all of these and more.
Here’s my list of the best cute cafes in Taipei, themed cafes in Taipei and animal cafes in Taipei that you’ll definitely want to check out…
Note: A lot of you are looking at this right now, so I’ve just done a quick update to check what is open and what’s not. This is accurate as of Nov 14th 2022 – I’m hoping more things will reopen as tourism returns and I will keep checking the list.
Cute Cafes in Taipei
These were what started my quest for Taipei cafes. I was hunting online for things to do in Taipei and I’d see the most amazing looking cutesy cafe desserts and interiors. A few others simply stopped me in my tracks when I was there. Most of them are independently owned and a real only-in-Taipei experience.
Not everyone in these cute Tapei cafes speaks English but everyone was really helpful and even when I was totally confused as to how to order, someone always came to help me out. Which brings me to our first cute cafe
Roji Monster Ice
(currently closed)
Yes, I totally went here because I could eat sweet stuff with googly eyes. They specialise in ice desserts and I admit I wasn’t actually expecting a dessert based on ice to taste nice, but I was wrong.
The cute fan shape is made of shaved ice which comes in five different flavours. You choose your favourite of these and then pick up to two toppings to go with it.
I had peanut butter ice with soft serve ice cream and pineapple goo on the side – and it was delicious.
The ordering process is not the easiest to understand if you don’t speak Taiwanese so here’s what to do.
First, pick your flavour by picking up the relevant flavour card from the brown cards on the right of this display.
Now pick the two side dishes you want with it from that grid of pictures on the wall and find the corresponding stamp from this selection which is on the shelf underneath. Stamp your card with the two choices and take it to the counter.
Pay – the desserts cost 200 NTD – and they’ll give you a buzzer. When your buzzer buzzes go get your super cute dessert and enjoy.
Find Roji Monster Ice at No. 10號, Section 4, Civic Blvd, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106. They’re open every day from 11am-10pm
Her Rose
This wasn’t originally on my list of cute cafes but one look at the pretty pink front and the adorable Shiba sitting by the door (see her in the pic above) and I had to wander in.
Then they showed me their incredible rose apple cupcakes and, bingo, on the list they went.
It’s not the biggest cafe in the world – just three seats along the front by the window, but it’s directly opposite Jaincheng Park and so you could get your cake to go and sit in there for a bit.
Find Her Rose at No. 5號, Lane 1, Section 2, Chengde Road, Datong District, Taipei City, Taiwan 103
Skaka Cafe
Nov 22 – the shop here is definitely open, but double check if the cafe is running.
If you like your coffee served with a side of kitsch nostalgia this is the place for you.
The cafe is located in an antique shop so you can, sit in a chintzy sofa surrounded by slightly scary dolls, old typewriters, dead boomboxes and basically anything else the owners managed to find at the local tat market!
It looks like you’re visiting the home of a slightly eccentric old lady with hoarding tendencies.
I only spotted this place as I was drawn by a sign for a shop called Chaos Punk in the next door alley – turns out the two are connected and that kind of fits! It did look super cool all lit up on a dark afternoon in December though.
Find it at No. 39, Lane 177, Section 1, Dunhua South Road, Taipei City
Origin Tofu Pudding
Okay, so it’s mostly takeaway and only has a few seats outside to chow down on the fruit-topped tofu pudding this tiny shop in Ximending is famous for, but the food is not the reason this is on my list of cute cafes in Taipei.
Instead, you’re going to see their absolutely adorable corgi who loves to poke his head out of a cat flap on the shop’s door and watch the world go by.
The night we went he wasn’t in cat flap mode but out on the street greeting his public – part of me was super excited to meet this local celebrity, part of me desperately wanted him to shove his head through the cat flap to get my picture! I refrained though and we just had cuddles and pats.
Find him at No. 265號, Xining Rd, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108
The shop is open from 2-9pm every day but Monday.
Dazzling Cafe Bad Ass Babes Club
(Another casualty – all the branches of this seem to have closed)
I admit, when I think of the word’s Bad Ass Babes, I don’t think pale pink and baby blue as my colour scheme, but who am I to argue with someone’s vision. If pastel colours are your thing you’ll love it here.
Not surprisingly, considering the sweet decor, the place is best known for desserts – specifically Honey Toast with a heap of different toppings.
A standout design highlight is the wall of pastel coloured Mentos as you walk in – however, don’t touch it! I needed to adjust my shoe and put my hand against the wall – and it was sticky. I’m hoping it was just the heat of the place rather than the after effects of someone licking them but…euww!
There’s a few Dazzling Cafes in Taipei, but Bad Ass Babes Club is at No. 11, Alley 7, Lane 205, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106.
I went there at about 5pm on a weekday and as you can see it was pretty empty, but if you did want to go for dinner or lunch, you might want to book in advance which can you do via Klook.
Hers Bistro
From one look at its white fun fur covered frontage and you know that Hers Bistro is not your normal cafe – and things only get better when you’re inside.
While the meals themselves are straightforward – lots of sandwiches and salads – this place is known for dessert and boy do they get creative.
You’ll find mousse cakes designed to look like swimming pools with tiny figures floating in them, or gardens with palm trees. Tarts are topped with little cat-shaped confections (and both are around 220-240 NTD)
Drinks come served in globes with clouds floating about, and if you fancy a drink drink, you can buy cocktails with whales or palm trees floating in them.
The creativity is amazing.
It’s open from 12-9 (ish) daily. Find it at No. 4, Alley 22, Lane 553, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City, Taiwan 110
FishBay Ice Cream
(Nov 22 also gone)
Served in fish-shaped cones with sweets stuck on the sides, this ice cream shop was made for Instagram.
You can pick from one of three daily flavours like matcha, peanut butter or chocolate and add your choice of toppings.
I picked a black cone and chocolate ice cream – complete with a pumpkin sweet (despite it being closer to Xmas than Halloween when I went) – which made for some super goth photos.
They also fill the bottom of the cone with a red bean paste which prevents that boring – ‘I’ve eaten all the ice cream and now I have to finish this dry biscuity thing’ – experience that I normally dislike with cones.
One thing to notice – charcoal cones can cause an, erm, interesting bathroom side effect in the next day or two – don’t panic, you don’t need a doctor. It’ll pass!!
Find FishBay at No. 11號, Lane 1, Section 2, Chengde Road, Datong District, Taipei City, Taiwan 10352. It’s open from 1-9pm.
Just In Bakery
The surroundings of this bakery are more chic than cute – lots of grey stone, but they get their cute points from the bread and cake they make.
Why wouldn’t you want your bread roll to come in the shape of carrot or stollen shaped like a tennis ball?
Find it at No. 8號, Alley 15, Lane 106, Section 3, Minquan East Road, Songshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 105. They are open 12-7.30 Monday to Saturday. There’s no seats inside that I recall, but you can sit outside.
Themed Cafes in Taipei
Themed cafes are incredibly popular all over the world – and Taipei is no exception. The basic idea of a themed cafe is simple – take a popular brand, often a cute cartoon character, and create a cafe based around them. As such, themed cafes in Taipei aren’t always unique to the country, but they are insanely popular with locals and tourists alike.
Vivienne Westwood Cafe
There are currently three Vivienne Westwood cafes around the world – Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taipei (with one planned for Milan). I have a bit of thing for Westwood and had already visited Hong Kong and so had to hit the Taipei Vivienne Westwood Cafe too.
The cafe is located in the back of the Westwood shop, so, trying not to look at pretty clothes and handbags head straight up the small set of stairs that take you directly to the cafe area.
Like the Hong Kong cafe, decor-wise it’s quite plain inside, most of the ‘Westwoodness’ comes from a background painting on the walls – but, as soon as you go to order everything changes. You can order a full-on afternoon tea on an orb topped gold cake stand (from 1pm-6pm), quesadillas or wraps with orbs grilled on (agggh, I’m about to die,) or, do as I did and try some of the individual logo-themed cakes you can pick from the display case.
I decided to pick a few different macarons to try and a pot of tea. Each macaron costs 90NTD and my pot of tea was 200NTD.
The Vivienne Westwood Cafe in Taipei is at No. 10, Alley 35, Lane 181, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106. It’sopen from 12-10pm
The Moomin Cafe
(currently closed)
One of the cutest themed cafes in Taipei the Moomin Cafe offers special Moomin-themed meals – like ice cream with Moomin biscuits stuck on the top or meals with Moomin-shaped rice.
My favourite touch though is if you go in there solo, they’ll sit one of their giant Moomin toys at your table so you don’t feel lonely – please try not to explode from the cuteness.
Oh, and if you are in Taipei on your own, check out my top things to do in Taipei for solo travellers here.
Find the Moomin Cafe at No. 81, Section 1, Da’an Road, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106. It’s open from 11.30am to 9.30pm
Hello Kitty Kitchen and Dining
(currently closed)
The Taipei branch of this worldwide favourite offers decor, main meals and desserts all with Kitty shaped touches – you want your rice with a Hello Kitty motif, no worries. Pancakes with Hello Kitty stamps – you got it. Pink kitty decor and kitty chairs – check, present, correct.
If you’re a Hello Kitty fan it’s an absolute must see. I admit, I didn’t go to the restaurant upstairs (just stared at the cake shop on the first floor) as I wanted to spend my calories in the smaller cafes I might not have seen before. But this post gives you a good idea what to expect.
Find Hello Kitty Kitchen and Dining at No. 1號, Jinshan North Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100
Modern Toilet
(Currently closed)
Okay so technically it’s more of a restaurant than a cafe but I can’t talk about themed places to eat in Taipei without mentioning it (and, as it was the reason I started this blog in the first place it wouldn’t be right to ignore it). It’s quite possibly the most unique cafe in Taipei.
It’s poop-themed.
You sit toilets instead of chairs, dishes are served in toilet bowls and drinks come in specimen bottles – and the free chocolate ice cream that comes with their set meals? Well, I’ll let you work that one out for yourself.
Personally I absolutely loved it – and actually the Pork Stir Fry I had wasn’t that bad. It’s insanely popular though so do get there early.
They have a few branches in Taipei, so visit their website to find the one nearest you. Click on the following link if you want to read my full review of the Modern Toilet Restaurant in Ximending.
Alice is Coming
(currently closed)
This Alice in Wonderland themed restaurant on the outskirts of Ximending looked like it could have been fun.
I saw pics of cool teacup shaped tables, desserts with white rabbit motifs and strategically placed playing cards and a cute checkerboard floor.
As I walked up to it though, I had my doubts.
The outside looks really run down and while it had nice touches like characters lining the staircase, the combination of the outside and the fact that I didn’t get a very friendly welcome from the staff meant after a quick stare around the room I reversed.
I might be doing them a disservice though – recent pictures from people dining there make the inside of the restaurant look super cool (although there weren’t make teacup tables and it seemed to have a very large group in it) so if you are an Alice in Wonderland fan you might want to go and scope it out but maybe check out up to date Trip Advisor reviews first.
You’ll find it at 100, Taiwan, Taipei City, Zhongzheng District, Yanping South Road, 111號
Rilakkuma
(Currently closed)
Cute bear Rilakkuma started life as a book character but now has all manner of merchandise and cafes in his name around the world.
I’d happily chowed down on Rilakkuma shaped ice creams in Kyoto and so didn’t double up on this trip, but the menu contains all manner of bear-shaped goodies like cakes, biscuits and rice – with a rather on brand omelette and rice dish that seems Rilakkuma all wrapped up in an snuggly duvet like omlette – his name does mean relax bear after all!
Find the cafe at No. 3號, Lane 248, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106
The cafe can get very busy so if you want to book in advance, you can book a meal set and a reservation time via Klook.
A few things to note if you’re visiting one of the themed cafes in Taipei – they are often very popular so, make a reservation if you can or, if not, get there either as they open, or at an odd time of day like mid afternoon to spend less of your precious holiday time queuing.
Most themed cafes also have a minimum order per person so don’t expect to go there and share one dish between two or anything – it’s not normally that expensive – at Modern Toilet for example, it was 100TW per person but it will often apply even for small children.
Animal Cafes in Taipei
There are a lot of animal cafes in Taipei – particularly cat cafes, but I’m only talking here about ones I either personally visited or that have been recommended by a source I trust as, from past experience, I know that how well the animals are kept in cafes can definitely vary.
The Alpaca Cafe
(currently closed)
It’s not in Taipei centre itself, but about an hour’s bus and train ride away, but if you love alpacas the trip is going to be worth it as you’ll get to eat ice cream or sip coffee while a couple of inquisitive alpacas wander around nibbling anything that isn’t tied down and laminated.
The alpacas are very cute, but I admit, I did have a few reservations about the place after my visit, so you might want to check this longer post on the Alpaca Cafe before you go. It also explains how to get there in detail if you do decide to go.
It’s at 252, Taiwan, New Taipei City, Sanzhi District, 後厝里北勢子12-1號
Pythonism Reptile Cafe
Spending my afternoon eating cake with a snake isn’t on my list of top ten things to do but this reptile cafe in Taipei’s Datong District comes very highly recommended by the team at Taipei Expat so, even though I didn’t actually get to go there, I’m going to add it onto the list.
Admittedly reading their review did make things sound more appealing – there’s a giant tortoise called Big Eyes who wanders around nibbling lettuce who I would have loved to meet, you get to pet lizards at your table and the whole thing is designed to change the reputation of reptiles among people like me that don’t think they are cute and cuddly.
I mean come on, how would you not want to meet him?
The cafe is run by a reptile breeder and so if local visitors do bond with any particular scaley friend they can buy them to take home and love forever and ever. That also means you know they are being well looked after.
You’ll find Pythonism at 103, Taiwan, Taipei City, Datong District, Section 2, Chongqing North Road, 235-3號 It’s open 2pm-10pm every day except Monday.
Kitten Coffee Garden
Hello Kitty is one thing but if you prefer your kitties purring and furry you’re in luck in Taipei – the place has a heap of cat cafes dotted around the city. The original though is Kitten Coffee Garden just outside Zhishan station near Shilin.
Here about 15 cats wander around deciding whether they feel like gracing you with their presence.
I’ve been to a few cat cafes and the cats here definitely seem happy – and it’s very much up to them whether they come to see you rather than vice versa. I’m also allergic to cats but didn’t sneeze or wheeze the whole time I was here which is a pretty good sign that it’s clean.
You’ll find Kitten Coffee Garden at No. 129, Fuhua Road, Shilin District, Taipei City, Taiwan 111
Like Taipei’s Themed Cafes, most of the animal cafes in Taipei have a minimum spend. At the Alpaca Cafe, for example, everyone had to order one item per person – at about 200 NTD each.
Who Writes Differentville?
My name is Helen Foster and I’m a journalist and author living in Sydney.
My travel articles have been published in titles include The Australian, Body & Soul at the Sunday Telegraph, RAC Horizons, Jetstar magazine and more.
I like the weird, the wonderful and anything that makes me jump and down with glee like I’m about three. That’s what you’ll find here.
I understand your reservations about the cafes featuring animals, I would question the ethics around it. However, there are so many cafes I want to try, including the one with toilets for chairs… I would absolutely try the one with the whacky desserts just to admire the amount of detail that goes into impressing customers. But my top one would be the Hello Kitty place. I had a serious obsession with Hello Kitty when I was a child, and madly collected branded stationary. I would still buy it today and would love to pass it onto my nieces… But today it’s all about Frozen…
Yes, it’s tricky – because I don’t have a pet I want to go and cuddle all the cute things, but I’ve been to some really awful ones. I sometimes wonder if I shouldn’t mention them at all – but then I figure, well people are going to go so if I can at least send them to ones where the animals look happy – or, tell them if they don’t, it might do some good.
There’s a Moomin Cafe! There’s a Moomin Cafe! There’s a Moomin Cafe! There’s a Moomin Cafe! There’s a Moomin Cafe! There’s a Moomin Cafe! There’s a Moomin Cafe! There’s a Moomin Cafe!
I am so going to Taipei now! Honestly, I am a huge fan of the Moomins, read the books, watched the tele series (havent seen the latest revamped verison) and hoping to do the theme park this summer in Finland…I so want to go here. 😀
Hahahaha. I think you should come on trips with me, that’s what I sound like! There’s actually a few Moomin Cafes…I’ve seen them in Fukuoka, Japan and Bangkok too.
Its so great to see innovation in interiors and food of cafes all over the world. The experience does get enhanced to several levels looking at interesting decor and creative presentation of dishes. I would go to each if i could.
What crazy cafes! Ok, I’m not so much a fan of live animal cafes, but the other cafes are really great. I especially like the black Icecream. Did the other cafes also have “specialties” or was it often designed exceptionally?
Other than Roji, I picked them mostly for the interior (or the cute dog!), there were more than had speciality desserts and things but I’d already eaten more sugar than I’d had all year in about four days – there was a place that set fire to pineapple that I really wanted to get to!
These are so cool and cute! We love a good theme cafe, it’s so much more fun than just going for some food and gives you an extra experience! The toilet place looks like the funniest, I reckon we’d go there despite it being the weirdest… or maybe because of that!! ah ha!
I’m a sucker for a good one….as I said, the whole reason I started this blog was that I finally got to go and eat out of a toilet!
This post is SO fun to read! I love themed cafes and Asia is known for the best ones in my opinion. I totally wouldn’t have thought Bad Ass Babes would have been light pink and blue either, but I love it! I would totally have to have the Rose Apple cupcakes, visit the Alpaca cafe (I love them and Peru is my favorite country), the Modern Toilet (hilarious) cafe and have FishBay ice cream! How fun is all of that? I’ve saved for trip planning!
OMG! What a cute post! Thanks so much for sharing such darling businesses and food concepts in a place that I haven’t been. I love them all but the Bad Ass Babes and the ice cream ones were my favorite. 😉 Loved it!
I love Cute and Themed Cafes and therefore I would love to visit some of them mentioned in your post, when I visit Taipei. Her Rose and Skaka cafe looks wonderful and photogenic too. Saving your post.
This is such a fun list! I just moved to Vietnam and there are tons of cheap flights to every major city in Taiwan including Taipei, so I’ll be heading over there sooner than later! Roji Monster Ice looks like so much fun and I’d love to see their options for toppings! I’ve seen variations of the toilet-themed cafe (I’m thinking of Shanghai) but the alpaca cafe looks totally original. I’d go the distance to check that out if I had a free afternoon!
Awesome post! We’ll have to check out the Vivian Westwood sometime for sure.