Taichung also has traditional British-style brunches here too — featuring specialty baked beans, bacon, and oatmeal.

Text & Photos /Orange Dog Loves Candy

The selection of brunch spots in downtown Taichung is so vast that you could probably eat a different one every weekend for a whole year and still not run out. They’re really everywhere on every street, but this time I made a special effort to wake up early around 7 a.m. and head to the Hanxi area. I used to only come here late at night when the night market was open — it’s the first time I’ve seen Hanxi under the blue sky, and the view is actually pretty nice XD. I came here specifically for this place, 【Burger Bus】. Actually, it’s not exactly a new shop. Checking past online food reviews, it seems it was even temporarily closed for a while, and its location has changed slightly as well. After looking it up online, I found out that the owner and his wife are actually famous — they’ve published a book called ‘Driving Around the UK,’ which documents their year-long road trip across the UK after closing their first store. Quite enviable, right? The current 【Burger Bus BURGER BUS】 reopened after they returned from their trip, incorporating their travel experiences into the new shop.

I heard they open at 7 a.m. on weekdays, so I crazily woke someone up at 7 a.m. to come with me. Sure enough, we were the only ones there. The staff might have been a bit shocked too, wondering why someone was waiting outside before the doors even opened XD. But they still let us in and wait. Actually, I had walked around the area beforehand — the Hanxi neighborhood really isn’t as densely packed with coffee shops as the city center.

In this area, apart from Burger Bus and one other shop around the corner, the rest are just convenience stores. Once inside, about half of the first floor is kitchen space, and the other half is an exhibition area showcasing mostly illustration works by amateur designers. There are also lots of event flyers and books/magazines you can browse on the first floor, including the owners’ own book.

Heading upstairs to the second floor, the decor becomes much richer. There are many elements that create a British vibe, and most of the dining also takes place here. Interestingly, on the wall above the window at the very back, there are stickers where many famous British figures have been photoshopped into scenes from the shop, turning them into posters. And hanging from the ceiling are little teddy bears as dangling decorative dolls — feel free to take pictures, but don’t pull them, hey!!

There are also some posters on the walls, like Beatles posters and the like. There are quite a few things to take pictures with, but only for the first while after opening — because as it gets closer to noon, more and more customers will start coming in. A friend told me it gets pretty crowded on weekends, so I’m glad I chose a weekday.

The meals offered here mainly consist of brunch-style dishes, but besides brunch, there are also burger options, with a very wide selection overall. Pricing-wise, from the perspective of the city center, it’s actually not expensive — almost 95% of the menu items are priced under 200 NT.

Each brunch comes with a choice of five drinks — either coffee or tea. If you want a different drink, you can get a 35 NT discount. Other drink prices range between 90 and 110 NT, so with the 35 NT discount, it’s like adding a special mixed drink for just 55 NT more.

【English-Style Pressed Grilled Multigrain Toast │ Tarta Cod Tartare │ 188 NT with Chicken Nuggets and Drink】
This English-style pressed toast feels compact, but the outside is crispy, fragrant, and slightly chewy, with a great layered texture. It has a taste and mouthfeel somewhat similar to Danish toast. Even the side that I let cool down was still a bit springy — it’s quite delicious.

It’s filled with lettuce, crispy fried brill fish, and tartar sauce. The tender fish pairs nicely with the crispness of thick lettuce, offering a tangy and sweet appetizer. For the side, you can choose one of [crispy fries, veggie salad, or chicken nuggets] — of course I went with the chicken nuggets. It’s rare to have that as an option here. Even though the calories are a bit high with both fried chicken nuggets and fried brill fish, the overall feeling of fullness is actually pretty good.

【Traditional English-Style Brunch │ 188 NT with English Oatmeal and Drink】
I’ve had English-style brunch before at Qinmei’s Nick’s Café, but it seems different from this one. This one is much more hearty. It includes crispy sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs, sautéed mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, hash browns, baked beans, and English toast. The British touch is definitely the baked beans. The bacon isn’t the type that’s super crispy — it’s soft, oily, and tender. The sausages aren’t too salty, and the beans are fragrant and fluffy.

I thought there might be that dish ‘blood sausage’ in the English brunch, but luckily there wasn’t XD, because I’m not too keen on eating it. It comes with English oatmeal, which is a rather unique pairing — you don’t usually see that with brunch. It’s oatmeal mixed with honey and milk. If you find it bland, you can add some salt or other seasonings yourself. The portion is definitely filling enough.

【Super Burger Set │ Loch Ness Monster │ 209 NT with Fries Platter and Drink】
This name made me super curious about what it would look like. Turns out it’s designed based on the concept of the Loch Ness Monster in the UK. The sausages look like the monster’s feet (or fins) swimming underwater, and the burger bun has a ring of onion rings that look like a long neck.

At the bottom, there’s a stack of several types of lettuce and cheese — it’s tall and thick. The reason the price is a bit higher is justified — because the side is a [fries, chicken nuggets, potato balls, and hash browns] platter — all that fried goodness is yours alone.

【Colorful Highland Beef English Burger │ 238 NT with Fries Salad and Drink】
This is probably one of their more classic burger dishes. From the side, you can see the colorful ingredient arrangement. The four-ounce beef patty has a decent thickness, with bell peppers for decoration. When you cut into it, you can see the pink, tender meat inside.

The bun for this burger is also grilled and pressed, but it doesn’t go dry — it still has a good chew. The patty is a bit different from regular ones — the meat is a bit firmer, but it still has a good beef aroma with a bit of juice. It pairs nicely with the fresh veggies in terms of flavor balance.

【Brighton Beach Soda │ 90 NT】
Drinking such a colorful soda drink early in the morning, but it’s already super sunny and over 30°C by 7 or 8 a.m. in the summer. With ice cream, blue citrus, and the bright blue of the soda, the bubbles really hit your throat with a refreshing chill that totally beats the heat.

【Soil Coffee │ 110 NT (for dine-in only)】
I ordered this one out of curiosity, and it turned out just like I imagined — designed like a potted plant. The top looks like a chocolate cookie, and it has a sweet taste on top, while the bottom is a milk-forward, rich latte. Overall it’s kind of like chocolate milk.

【Toffee Latte │ 110 NT】
This one is pretty girly and playful, with a cute bear-face design drawn on it. It tastes sweet like toffee, but not overly sugary. The lattes here aren’t very bitter, so if you don’t like bitter coffee, the ones here should suit you pretty well.

【Matcha Latte │ 90 NT】
It’s actually a pretty large serving. If you care about portion size, I’d recommend this one. But I personally like my matcha flavor to be a bit stronger, so after finishing it, I did give the shop some feedback. After all, a matcha latte shouldn’t leave you wondering what makes it special.

Nowadays, the prices for brunch often range between NT$250 and NT$300. Sometimes you want to join the trend and try it out, but you still have to consider your budget. However, I didn’t expect to find a relatively affordable breakfast and coffee shop near the Hanxi Night Market. The dining area and kitchen are on different floors, which helps avoid any potential issues with cooking fumes. Plus, the surrounding area is quiet and there’s good parking during the day. Although it’s a bit out of the way, I personally think its portion sizes and taste are just as satisfying as those of city-center brunch spots. And when you’re here in your free time, you can also chat with the owners about traveling in the UK — it’s almost tempting enough to make you want to go check it out.

◎ Shop Introduction: [Burger Bus BURGER BUS Hanxi Night Market │ East District]
◎ Address: No. 306, Section 1, Hangan East Road, East District, Taichung City (next to FamilyMart)
◎ Phone: 04-22114131
◎ Business Hours: 7:00 AM – 3:00 PM (Closed on Mondays)
◎ Consumer Reminder: Open on weekends from 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM; last orders taken 30 minutes before closing

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