Noise Kitchen
Address: No. 180, Fuhua Rd, Shilin District
Price: $ (out of 5)
Menu: light lunch, sorbet and gelato, smoothies, dessert
Best for: studying


Noise Kitchen, a minimalist café that also doubles as an exhibition room, is located a few minutes away from Zhishan MRT station. Because it’s attached to the Taipei Digital Arts Center, it’s pretty much in the middle of nowhere, making it the perfect place to study. The café is calm and sparsely decorated – unremarkable at first sight. But upon closer inspection, you’ll find that there are hidden musical games, which is what makes Noise Kitchen so fun to visit. Xylophones are embedded into the tables, a mini piano causes mallets to hit different glasses to produce unique musical notes, and a shelf of drawers also act as accordions. You can easily spend hours chatting in the café, eating the delicious food, or exploring their musical displays!

Topo+
Address: No. 7, Lane 38, Section 7, Zhongshan Rd, Shilin District
Opening Hours: Tuesday-Friday: 8 AM – 6 PM | Saturday-Sunday: 9 AM – 9 PM
Price: $$ (out of 5)
Menu: juice, milkshakes, brunch, desserts

Topo+ is the cheerful cafe that all TAS students have been looking for. Located just a short walk away from TAS, the whimsical and modern interior of Topo+ provides an escape from the drab concrete world outside. Not too crowded but always lively, the cafe features out of the ordinary decor: a fishpond flows from outside the doorway and then under the stairway, light bulbs filled with bright blue water dangle from the ceiling, and a fully painted back wall depicts the cross-section of large wooden ships. Their food is appetizing, and I highly recommend the grilled chicken sandwich with zucchini and egg yolk yogurt sauce (which sounds odd, but tastes great). So next time you and your friends are wondering where to eat lunch, just stop by Topo+.

Homey’s Café
Address: 2F., No.36, Lane 236, Sec.1, Dunhua S Rd., Daan
Price: $ (out of 5)
Menu: light lunch, sorbet & gelato, smoothies
Best for: studying

Homey’s Café is a great place to visit if you want a temporary escape from life. Located on the second floor of a nondescript apartment building, the cafe is easy to miss, especially if you don’t see their small orange sign. To reach the cafe, you have to make your way up a flight of sketchy unmarked, concrete stairs and open a closed door. It’s all as if Homey’s wants to stay the cozy, hidden café that it is. When you enter, the atmosphere is immediately relaxing, and there are numerous seating areas to choose from so you feel right at home. The mellow lights and calm music also make the space great for studying. Homey’s is uniquely decorated with artsy photographs, movie posters and an orange-checkered wall, and if you get bored, you can browse their collection of indie records and postcards.

Woolloomooloo WXY
Address: 379 Xinyi Road Section 4, Taipei
Opening Hours: Mon – Thu: 8 – 12am | Fri – Sat: 8am – 1pm | Sun: 8am – 12am
Price: $$-$$$ (out of 5)
Menu: Western & Eastern lunch dishes, coffee, dessert
Best for: good food

Woolloomooloo is an industrial-themed coffee shop located near Taipei 101, and named after a suburb of Sydney, Australia. It is a large, two-story café with communal and private tables, plush comfy sofas to chat at, as well as an outdoor seating area. The interior is heavily industrial – metal walls and wooden crates decorate most of the café, and the first floor has a bike and a multitude of newspapers on display. On the second floor, there are hanging light bulbs that use glass cups as lampshades, a yellowed globe, and metal bookshelves. The food there is delicious, especially their pizzas, and the homemade cakes are to die for. Their menu is also filled with cute names: the meat pie was called “me, pie please”. Around lunch time the café gets pretty busy but it calms down in the late afternoon. If you happen to be in the area with a bunch of friends, visit for lunch or a light meal… and don’t forget dessert!

Costumice Café
Address: No. 7, Lane 38, Section 7, Zhongshan Rd,
Opening Hours: Tues-Fri: 8 AM – 6 PM | Sat-Sun: 9 AM – 9 PM
Price: $$ (out of 5)
Menu: fresh juice, milkshakes, tea, brunch, desserts

Don’t see any hipsters hanging out in Starbucks? They’re probably all paying for their overpriced coffee at Costumice Café instead— and enjoying the amazing decor too. Although the food and drinks may be a bit overpriced at Costumice, the interior is beautifully designed. A mixture of industrial and artsy, bare light bulbs contrast with a cozy sofa area, a shelf of vintage books, and a picture frame tabletop. At the side of the café, a set of concrete stairs leads down to a library. The shelves are stocked with photography, art, fashion, and design books, making the place a hipster’s heaven. After you’ve finished marveling at all the unusual knickknacks and great furniture they have, they have a menu of lunches (which includes Korean food!) and snacks such as nuggets and fries. Everything tasted delicious (except for the garlic bread, take my word and don’t order that) and the atmosphere was lively and cheerful.