Dao Nan Guan coffee shop (道南館)
文山區新光路一段8號 (近政大)
Wenshan District, Xing Guang Road, section 1, #8
A couple of weeks ago I discovered a wonderful coffee shop just 10 minutes away from my apartment. The owner, Alec, is a local Taiwanese guy who has been running the shop for about two years. He speaks good English, but appreciates the use of Chinese. The atmosphere is light, casual, and a little arty. Jazz or classical music plays through incredibly clear and punchy 20 year old Klipsch speakers. The music is provided either by the CD player or Alec’s 50 year old turntable, and the speakers are managed by his hand built pre-amp and power amp, which feature valves.
Upstairs is dominated by the long counter, which seats at least six in comfort. The back wall is covered in photos, mostly taken by local students of Cheng Chi University, in particular by Vida, Alec’s hired help (who sadly is now leaving since she has finished her degree). Visitors are free to take away photos they like and leave a note of appeciation in their place; Alec is also grateful for donated photos.
Alec takes his coffee seriously. If a glance behind the counter isn’t sufficient to convince you, his coffee bean roasting machine certainly will; he roasts his own beans for sale, with the roasting date marked clearly. Alec is well informed on the subject of coffee, and will happily explain to you the source and characteristics of coffee from around the world.
Downstairs you’ll find plenty of room for relaxing, reading, or studying; Alec caters well for the local university students who typically represent 70% of his business. There’s also a cosy little nook for those who would like to enjoy a quiet moment together while basing in the natural light which comes through a large glass screen door. Both upstairs and downstairs are well provided with reading material.
Other than a large range of coffee, Alec also provides cheesecake and brownies, which he makes by hand himself.
For more information, see here. For photos, see here.
