Since late August, I have relocated my digital nomad base from Taichung to Taipei. It is so easy to check out different neighborhoods in Taipei without a car. Because I am still “funemployed” and don’t have work income these days, I try keeping a balance of affordable and nice coffee shops. This post is updated as I check out more coffee shops 🙂

Last update: May 2019

City Hall MRT Station

• Treellage Lite Cafe (樹樂集)

  • 💰(no espresso drinks) tea/coffee $200, chocolate/matcha/sesame milk/soy milk $150
  • 🧡pretty spacious, creative decorations with “game” theme. Customers can make their own drink behind the counter, and handle payment. The reward of self-serving is any number of cookies, usually 6 flavors.
  • 🤔could be overwhelming if not in the mood of playing barista/cashier. Felt like a coworking space, gotta clean the cups ourselves. Just certain tables have outlets.
  • We had a fun time making our own drinks and ringing our own orders. Weekend afternoon could get a bit crowded, but this alley has maybe four coffee shops in the same block.

  

Zhongxiao Xinsheng MRT Station

This is the neighborhood I stay currently. Only two stops to Taipei train station, and a bunch of smaller restaurants with a 24hr Carrefour Market.

• Mr. Brown Coffee [Chain]

  • 💰black tea $80+, latte $120+
  • 🧡HUGE space, probably more than 50 tables, and some seats have outlets. Open most of the day.
  • 🤔black tea was mediocre, latte was better but not too impressive. Wifi was a bit slow sometimes.
  • Overall, it is a great spot for laptop work that opens early and closes late.

  

Yongkang Street

Coffee shops in this neighborhood generally open after noon. Most are great for working and hanging out with their own design styles, price range $150+.

• Cometrue 成真咖啡

  • 💰drinks ~$150+
  • 🧡pretty cozy and spacious, interior is clean and bright. Stable wifi. Opens late until 10pm.
  • 🤔a bit on the pricy side.
  • A coffee shop I knew from Taichung, recently opened in June 2018. Great for getting some work done in the evening.

  

• Xiaomijo (Little rice wine )

  • 💰drinks ~$150+
  • 🧡quiet space, enforced by the friendly staff. Felt like a library with light music, great for focusing. Comfortable distance between tables, with plenty of outlets and extension cables. Silent film playing on the wall. Many cute toys in the shop.
  • 🤔just about 10-15 tables, but easy on weekday afternoons. Sometimes they bake pastry that smells so good and is very dangerous 
  • Perfect for laptop work, a consistently quiet space with delicious drinks/desserts and cool interior.

  

• Youmoutoohana Coffee (羊毛與花)

  • 💰drinks ~$150+
  • 🧡one of my favorite coffee shops in Taipei. Interior is cozy, spacious with Japanese style details, and I was very impressed by their ginger chocolate. Also, I met their shiba inu behind the counter. There were outlets at my table.
  • 🤔a bit on the pricy side.
  • A coffee shop that is right on my frequency band. The ambience was comfortable and bright with natural light.

  

Daan

• Rufous

  • 💰coffee ~$150+, tea/chocolate $170+
  • 🧡relaxing vibes with dim lights, with good smell from coffee roasting at times. Drinks are very good, coffee or hot chocolate.
  • 🤔some tables are pretty small. Outlets are at extra charge. Not open until 1pm. Could get crowded as it is close to NTU campus.
  • Love the ambience, and drinks are outstanding.

  

Taipei Train Station

• OROMO

  • 💰latte $90+, chocolate $90+, milk drinks $90+
  • 🧡relatively affordable price. Opens early in the morning. Four floors of very interesting interior design, floral and royal flavors. Even a slide from the 4th floor! Many seats with outlets. A variety of creative table designs. Stamp card on LINE app.
  • 🤔when there are big groups (they take reservations), the place tends to get pretty loud. Generally pretty crowded, given its location in the cram school district. Bathrooms less maintained. It takes at least two trips of 1-3 flights of narrow stairs (one to order and the other to pick up drinks).
  • One of my favorite spots near the hustle and bustle, although I slightly prefer the Xinyi location due to its calmness. There are so many girls taking selfies by the walls and slide, pretty fun people watching.

  

Zhongxiao Fushing

• Homey’s

  • 💰latte $130+
  • 🧡cozy space on the second floor. There are plenty of outlets or extension cables. A library space with books (mostly Chinese) to read. Reliable Wifi.
  • 🤔not open until noon. Evening might be more of a bar vibe, and not the best for working.
  • It is usually pretty calm in the afternoon, with people working.

  

Louisa

Louisa deserves its own category, not just because it is a chain but also I have visited so many of them. It is a bit hard to find Louisa good for working, because there are so many locations in Taipei and they tend to get very busy. Here are some of my favorite Louisa locations:

• Minquan West Road MRT – three floors, with an open library. It could still be hard to find a seat on weekday evenings around dinner time though.
• Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall MRT – just one floor but the layout makes it feel spacious. It definitely still gets packed especially on weekends. Weekend evenings are not too bad.

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