Do you ever scroll mindlessly through Instagram, and end up coming across images of cronut after cronut… after cronut? They’ve gone viral everywhere from New York to Singapore.
In 2013, the cronut took the New York food scene by storm, and people were seen lining up at Chef Dominique Ansel’s bakery as early as 6 AM to get their hands on the pastry. Now, two years later, the cronut has even made its way to Taiwan. If you still haven’t tried the donut-croissant hybrid, then it’s time to visit Drip Café, which is located near the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, a 10 minute walk from Taipei City Hall MRT station.
The interior of Drip Café is modern, with lots of wood, glass lamps, and metal chairs, and an open kitchen at the front of the café. As soon as it opens, the place is crowded and lively, with people snapping pictures with selfie sticks and even setting up mini tripods.
If you’re really craving a cronut, make sure to arrive before the café opens and risk a 30 minute wait. Otherwise, make a reservation a few weeks in advance. The wait for a seat at the cafe can be as long as 2 hours on weekends. Although Drip Cafe’s cronut simply seems like a croissant shaped like a donut, and not a mix between the two, it still makes for a delicious dessert, served with generous amounts of syrup, ice cream and fruit. Unlike Chef Ansel’s original cronut bakery, which offers elegant flavors like rose vanilla or fig mascarpone, Drip Café serves the classic strawberry, chocolate banana, tiramisu, as well as a Taiwanese twist: bubble tea.
The café also serves a variety of salads, pasta, and sandwiches if you’re in the mood for something savory. Drip Cafe is also a self-service cafe, which means you have to get your own utensils, cups, and water, which is uniquely provided in 1000 ml flasks. Due to its small size (and long queues outside), meals are limited to 90 minutes, which can be annoying. But there’s a bonus: free Wi-Fi! Now you can snap a photo of your cronut and hop on the Insta-foodie bandwagon.