Starting your day with a freshly brewed cup of coffee is a delight, and Taiwan’s convenience stores make it surprisingly affordable. At Family Mart and 7-Eleven, the coffee is brewed from real coffee beans, made fresh upon order, and comes at a very reasonable price. These stores also offer a wide variety of teas, perfect for anyone seeking a quick and tasty drink. Below, you’ll find snapshots of their coffee and tea selections.

Sihai Soy Milk

While exploring, we stumbled upon a local eatery bustling with patrons. Little did we know, there were separate queues for dine-in and takeaway. Thankfully, a kind student directed us to the correct line. The service was quick despite the crowd, and we tried several dishes: salted soybean soup topped with donuts, a bread with donut filling, Steamed Bun with Green onions and egg, and a dish we picked from the menu based on a picture. To our surprise, the “steamed bun” we ordered turned out to be a large bun with a thin pork filling—not what we expected, and a bit disappointing. However, the salted soybean soup was savory and unique, and the clay oven rolls with spring onion and egg filling were satisfying.

Frog Kitchen at Taipei Zoo

Later at the Taipei Zoo, we grabbed a quick lunch from a food stall (Frog Kitchen – just translated the receipt). We ordered curry chicken rice and pork “honey barbecue” rice (though the latter tasted more like pork in gravy than barbecue). While the meals were a bit pricey and average in taste, they kept us energized for the rest of the day. Fun fact: there’s a McDonald’s near the zoo’s entrance if you’re looking for something familiar.

Soup Hong Kong Style Barbecue Stall

Another highlight was a crispy pork meal near our hotel. The pork came with tofu cubes, sprouts, chives, bok choy, and rice, all topped with a flavorful sauce. Even after 20 minutes, the pork skin stayed crispy—an impressive touch!

Beitou Lao You Xin Beef Noodle House

One accidental find was Beitou Lao You Xin Beef Noodle House near Beitou Train Station. Their braised beef noodle soup, beef jerky noodles, vegetable xiao long bao, and pig scalp were all fantastic. The soup, in particular, stood out and was even better than a more popular spot we tried earlier. Despite our late lunch (past 3 PM), the kind owner still accepted our orders ‘coz he was already closed for the late afternoon.

Hómee Kitchen

Before heading home, we wrapped up our food journey at Hómee Kitchen, where we enjoyed hearty set meals: stewed beef with tomato sauce and meatball vermicelli soup. Each set came with sides like vegetables and mango gelatin, making it a filling and satisfying end to our culinary adventure in Taiwan.

If you’re ever in Taiwan, don’t miss these spots for affordable coffee, unique local eats, and warm hospitality.

And please do correct me if the food establishment names are incorrect as I relied on Google Translation of my photos. TIA