Coffee Sweet is a cafe in Zhongzheng, Taipei.
Coffee Sweet near Taipei Main is one of the city's oldest specialty cafes, run by Sidney Kao with single-origin filters from Ninety Plus and competition lots.
Must order: Whatever Sidney suggests as the filter of the day.
Tip: Open 11:00 to 19:00, closed Sundays. Cash and mobile pay; bring patience for filter brewing.
Address: No. 5, Lane 38, Section 2, Hankou Street, Wanhua District, Taipei City 108
Smoothie House on Yongkang Street in Taipei runs the canonical mango snowflake ice, xue hua bing with chunks of mango, mango ice cream and condensed milk.
Signature drink: Mango snowflake ice
Order: Mango snowflake ice with mango ice cream and condensed milk.
Tip: Open 10:30 to 22:00 daily. Walk-in counter; mango is best May to October.
Rufous Coffee runs the city's most respected siphon-coffee counter, a dark wood-panelled room beside Liuzhangli MRT serving 1990s-style hand-brewed coffee.
Signature drink: Siphon coffee
Order: Siphon coffee of the day and the cheesecake.
Tip: Open 13:30 to 23:00 daily. Cash only; no laptops on weekends.
VWI by CHADWANG is Wang Ce-Chen's Da'an competition cafe. Located in Daan. Open 11:00 to 19:00, closed Mondays. Counter seating only; no laptops.
Signature drink: Competition-grade espresso flight
Order: Brewers Cup signature flight of three single origins.
Tip: Open 11:00 to 19:00, closed Mondays. Counter seating only; no laptops.
RL Cafe in Songshan runs a small filter-coffee bar above Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall MRT in Taipei. Roasters' competition cuppings, comfortable laptop room.
Signature drink: Hand drip filter
Order: Hand-drip filter and a slice of the daily cheesecake.
Tip: Open 09:00 to 21:00 daily. Weekday afternoons quiet; mobile pay accepted.
INK Coffee Roastery runs a third-wave brew bar above Daan Park MRT. Small-batch roasts, espresso of the season, slow drip filters by the half-pot.
Signature drink: Espresso of the season
Order: Espresso of the season and a slice of basque cheesecake.
Tip: Open 10:00 to 19:00, closed Mondays. Walk-in; counter seats limited.
Instil Coffee is Songshan's specialty roaster-cafe with rotating single-origins, slow filter brews, and a clean modern room with a working bar.
Signature drink: Specialty filter and espresso
Order: Single origin filter and the matcha latte.
Tip: Open 11:00 to 20:00, closed Tuesdays. Mobile pay accepted; small bench seating.
