Arriving on a cloud of charm！The ultra-popular Mr. Black Bird Café, open for less than half a year

Text and photos byPingzi

When it comes to food and drink in Taipei’s East District, you absolutely can’t miss this creatively distinctive café — one that was even recommended on the show “Kangxi Lai Le” for its café food offerings. It’s the café opened by Qiu Jia-rui and Tsai Kang-yung’s good friends. Today, Pingzi is here to share this spot in the East District — Mr. Black Bird. In fact, Mr. Black Bird is the second branch of Dot Coffee. This place takes a creative approach, with unique dishes and fun names, making it an unforgettable ladies’ afternoon tea experience.

Taipei East District — Mr. Black Bird. Take the MRT’s Brown Line to Dunhua Station, Exit 2, then walk for 10 minutes toward Civic Boulevard. To put it simply, it’s closer to the Civic Boulevard end. Enter the alleyway next to Fu Lin Hotpot on Civic Boulevard, and it’s the first one you come to — that’s where you’ll find Mr. Black Bird.

Mr. Black Bird has a very easy-to-find location. On this street, its minimalist white façade gives off a low-key yet high-quality vibe.

The left wall features creative illustrations such as coffee cups and clouds, extending the design of the main wall.

The small logo of Mr. Black Bird is very design-forward, with one side showing a black bird illustration and the other featuring Chinese characters. The brand identity uses the black bird as its symbol — a clean and clear design that reminds one of Tsai Kang-yung’s signature look, with the bird perched on his shoulder.

This Mr. Black Bird café is a highly renowned and popular spot. It opened in January 2015 and gained fame through the “Kangxi Lai Le” café food recommendations, becoming a must-visit creative café for celebrities. Its first branch is famous for Dot Coffee.

Pingzi visited with her girlfriends around 1 p.m. on the day, and the place was packed. It’s recommended to make a reservation in advance, or else be as lucky as we were and only wait about 30 minutes for a table.

Upon entering, you’ll see the host area and the beverage bar. The restaurant layout mainly consists of two floors, with an open dining space that feels spacious overall. The counter area has a minimalist design with no excessive decoration.

The upstairs dining area is bright and airy, with quite a few seats that can accommodate 50–100 people. Dining time is limited to two hours. There are also sofa areas along the walls that are quite comfortable.

The tables are of a moderate size, just right for two people’s meals and perfect for taking photos.

The downstairs dining area is better suited for larger group gatherings, and the restroom is located in the corner downstairs.

No matter which dining area you’re in, the layout is square and neat, using wooden tables and chairs for a stylish design. Each wall showcases artworks by artists and illustrators, integrating art aesthetics. The diverse artworks are all great for photos.

A group of black birds standing together form part of the décor, adding a particularly design-savvy touch.

The menu is a full booklet, filled with both images and descriptions. There’s a wide variety of dishes, from sandwiches and pasta to desserts, coffee, and drinks. It feels like a fusion of global cuisines — Korean, American, Taiwanese, Thai, and Italian all in one. Prices range from NT$150 to NT$500, satisfying all kinds of tastes without worrying about dietary restrictions.

The menu is very thoughtfully designed, with neat layouts that are easy to read.

The soufflés and cakes that look amazing are part of the afternoon tea selection — they look delicious even just in the photos.

● ETtoday East News Cloud reminds you: Don’t drink and drive, and don’t drive after drinking.

The illustrated menu design is highly praiseworthy. Just by looking at the pictures, you can tell what the dishes will look like, which builds up anticipation. Every item looks so delicious — the food photography at Mr. Black Bird is mouthwateringly good, and the names are so creative too.

On this visit, we also ordered this one: Salty Hot Pancake — "You’re Ruthless" Fried Chicken Hot Pancake, priced at NT$420It’s a dish recommended by Teacher Qiu Jia-rui. As soon as it arrived, it caught Pingzi’s attention. As a graphic advertising designer, Pingzi especially loves the playful vibe of creative dishes — it’s surprising and delightful. No wonder it’s called “You’re Ruthless” — the name is really something. No wonder so many celebrities recommend this flavor from Mr. Black Bird.

“You’re Ruthless” really lives up to its name, with a knife stuck dramatically on top. Both the name and presentation are super creative. The bottom is a Japanese-style pancake, served hot with a refreshing custard-like sauce that has a hint of sesame aroma, balancing out the saltiness of the pancake. The fried chicken on top is golden and shiny, neither dry nor tough. When you bite into it, the juices burst on your tongue — absolutely delicious.

Nutella Hazelnut Chocolate Cream Muffin ?? NT$40For someone like Pingzi, a dessert lover, every visit to a place like this means ordering a sweet treat. The muffins here are quite unique — they’re filled with something special (text garbled), offering a pleasant pop of flavor. The Nutella hazelnut chocolate cream is not overly sweet or greasy, and the smooth texture adds layers of flavor to the muffin. Delicious.

Black Bird Cloud Hot Coffee, NT$170There’s actually a little black bird perched on a cloud, which is super creative and incredibly eye-catching.

From a different angle, the Blackbird Cloud Latte features a rich, hot coffee with a whole cloud of marshmallows that melts your heart—centered around a classic hot Americano.

The Blackbird Cloud Iced Latte is priced at NT$190 per cup.It’s also quite the eye-catcher, topped with a big cloud of fluffy marshmallows. The sweet marshmallows complement the iced latte, which is served without ice to avoid bitterness. While the coffee flavor is fairly standard, the creativity is off the charts—hugely Instagrammable. Almost everyone stops to snap photos of this inventive drink to commemorate the lovely moment.

Though the meal isn’t cheap, it’s absolutely worth it.

We spent the entire afternoon tea time enjoying the fun and creative dishes at Mr. Black Bird, feeling thoroughly relaxed. Everyone, hurry and plan a visit to Mr. Black Bird in the Dongcheng district to experience this delightful feast.
Mr. Black Bird.
02 2775 2787. Dining time is limited to 2 hours.
No. 8, Lane 35, Alley 181, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Da’an District, Taipei City.
(Near Exit 2 of Dunhua MRT Station, head toward Civic Boulevard and walk for 10 minutes.)
Business hours: 11:30 AM – 10:30 PM.https://www.facebook.com/mr.blackbird.cafe Fan page:
 

upssmile Pingzi (up’s smile – Upward Smile).
She is a designer and also the photographer behind Upward Smile Travel, Food, Design & Photography.
Passionate about “travel,” “food,” “design,” “photography,” and movies.
Blogger:http://upssmile.com/