so ive started working outside recently. but so far its been only starbucks, which i’ve already had enough of. i’m only going there cus its the only place with any space ive found so far, at least in the area ive been hanging out(around the guting part of the green line). other than that its packed and people usually get in early and hog the good places for like the whole day. any suggestions?
2 Likes
Most cafes around there that I’ve been to/walked past are targeted towards students i.e. laptop friendly, wifi with drink, extended stay time. Just google for any coffee place and have a look :).
Forget about Starbucks, and try Louisa. A coffee shop is always better when they serve you a good coffee. 
Starbucks in Taiwan is a horrific place to get work done, especially on weekends. Try walking down the side roads and you’ll soon find a quiet independent coffee shop. The area around Guting is full of them. Only problem is that they can be quite expensive, but it isn’t so bad if you consider that you’re basically paying for the right to stay there for several hours uninterrupted, using their Wi-Fi, toilets, etc.
I love Louisa, but I’ve found that it isn’t a suitable place to work for long periods. From my experiences, when they actually have areas to sit comfortably, they don’t have toilets. I think it’s a place that’s designed to pick up a quick cup of coffee rather than somewhere to stay and be comfortable.
1 Like
thanks, i will explore more. so far i have found one but it doesn’t open early enough.
i agree starbucks is pretty much a mess. i like louisa, i would much prefer to go there but they just don’t have the space. theres a couple of decently sized ones but most are tiny.
this subject is talked about many times just search the form for coffee shops and you’ll find a lot of ideas.
Here are 4 unique spots because of their unique locations and facilities or old buildings or view or trendy.
Louisa Coffee 路易．莎咖啡(大安森林公園直營店) 106, Taipei City, Da’an
https://goo.gl/maps/GmX7NXbSELE2
STARBUCKS BangKa Store
No. 24, Lane 306, Section 1, Xiyuan Road, Wanhua District
https://goo.gl/maps/rPS4JCrKAh92
Starbucks
No. 11, Bao’an Street, Datong District
https://goo.gl/maps/pCipKxieHiL2
T-Park Café&eatery
No. 10, Lane 107, Linsen North Road
https://goo.gl/maps/UuEEpEzChq22
It’s going to take awhile to go through 1,700+ especially if every one of them is the best.
that link proved very useful. i’ve found a couple of places i really like. not super keen on most of the hip cafes i have came across though. i’ve noticed a trend in most of them.
1.cobbled together random old furniture passed off as a cool aeshtic. its not, i feel like im in a junk shop or an old persons house.
2. cats
3. expensive menu. no less than 150 nt for a cup of tea.
i like how louisa cafe has normal priced tea. i just want some basic sugarless tea! other than that i feel louisa is missing the boat. the menu is well priced and pretty good. the aesthetic is great and they have branded well but the rest of it just cha bu duo and lazy. there are no plugs anywhere(borderline useless for me). temperature is an issue(i just went to one today in this cold weather and was sweating inside) facilities sometimes suck such as no toilet paper. and the same song was just constantly on repeat. their sandwiches look like typical crap taiwanese sandwiches too. its a shame, i want to like the place but without plugs i gotta say starbucks is a better choice.
Try out a different Louisa. I’ve gotten different vibes from different stores. I think they’re all franchised, so they are required to a b and c, but are lenient on other things…especially operation hours.
yea i’m sure i found one a while ago that had actual plug sockets? it was a while ago though so i’m not really sure. the last two i have been to have had none and had the other problems i have mentioned, while otherwise being nice spacious cafes so i find it pretty disappointing.
Some of the newer Louisa’s are amazing. I was passing thru Ruifang last week and went to one there. Good coffee, good bagels, good seats, clean toilet. Well impressed.
1 Like
I like Louisa also. It’s got a good selection of drinks, and the pastries aren’t bad either. But it’s not a great place to spend an extended amount of time in. Sometimes I’d just look up whilst sipping my drink to find about four pairs of eyes staring at me, accompanied with their best gleaming smiles that said " Can I help you, sir?" The awkwardness of it all makes me leave soon. If that’s their strategy then it’s a good one
yea maybe the lack of plugs is intentional and part of their strategy to get people in and out rather quickly.
in that case louisa is a good place for a short stay, the bigger stores at least. i can’t be assed with those tiny permanently full ones. stresses me out even looking at them let alone going in for a cuppa.
Plugs and wireless, no cats, no trendy new-old furniture:
Jamaica
Off Longquan St. in the Shita night market.
Walking down Longquan from Hoping toward Roosevelt, look for the first alleyway to the right (heading toward Shita Rd), and keep going on Longquan. Jamaica is visible from the next (pretty sure; if not, the second) intersection after that, the lane to the left, building on the right side of the street.
I’ve been working there on and off for probably 25 years now. Tea prices have gone up some, obviously – the lower end stuff is about NT$70 now – but they also have simple meals and it’s almost never crowded. Every time I go back I’m afraid it will have closed down, so do me a solid and throw them some business. LOL
2 Likes
I’m not good with word directions. Is this it? Found this with Google Maps search for Jamaica.
牙買加倉庫
106, Taipei City, Da’an District, 泰順街40巷36號
02 2362 2862
https://goo.gl/maps/tXiKqfbwLb82
Yep, that’s it.
Sorry, I’m from the bad times before GPS, so I still give “foreigner directions”. Be thankful I didn’t just say “Turn left at the 7-11” or something like that. We actually had a woman stay with us briefly in Taipei years ago, who rented a room (finally), and when we asked where it was, that’s what she said…“It’s up north of Nanjing E Road, across from the 7-11.” Um, yeah. Right.
1 Like
I’ve heard otherwise. The smaller old-school places focused on take-out are the franchises; the newer bigger sleeker spaces (which are impressive!) are apparently operated directly by the parent company.
In the case of the latter, the way these guys have ramped up and upped their game is impressive. It’s like they’ve morphed into a completely different company!
Guy
Absolutely. They put Star*ucks to shame. Better, cheaper coffee, fresher food.
They don’t charge 3 digits for a cup of coffee like their competition, so they may have to off set the cost by getting customers to come and go.
1 Like