Home-roasted coffee? Bubbles in Marseille seafood risotto?

Text and photos byPingzi

When visiting the East District, you’ll probably crave brunch, a cup of coffee or afternoon tea, or want to meet with clients to discuss design projects—Café Marché in Taipei’s East District is a high-quality café that roasts its own beans. The space is spacious, the food delicious, the coffee excellent, with free Wi-Fi and power outlets, no time restrictions on dining, making it perfect for business meetings.

Café Marché is located near Exit 3 of Zhongxiao Dunhua MRT Station, in the second alley behind Mingyao Department Store. It’s easy to find and very convenient, making this popular spot a favorite for upscale afternoon tea.

This café is part of the premium Hana? teppanyaki restaurant group. The original Tunghua branch has been open for over a year, but it’s smaller. In early October 2013, they opened this Zhongxiao branch on Dunhua South Road.

High stools are arranged here, making it a good spot for coffee when the place is busy.

The sign is cut from metal sheets, giving it a refined look.

The storefront combines wooden signage with a modern minimalist white aesthetic, exuding elegance just by its appearance.

The first thing you see are busy staff working behind an open counter, greeting guests.

At the back is a semi-transparent kitchen exhaust area, allowing visitors to clearly see the cooking process inside.

The interior is bright and well-ventilated, mainly on the first floor and B1 basement, with plenty of spacious seating that feels uncramped—perfect for spending an afternoon meeting clients or enjoying tea and coffee with friends.

The back section of the first floor features artwork displays, mostly portraits, with a strong artistic vibe. The portraits invite you to explore the stories behind the figures.

The wall of coffee bean displays at the entrance is a must-see for coffee lovers. You can also try the shop’s professional hand-brewed or siphon coffee—the secret to great coffee lies in the roasting method and temperature of the beans.

Great coffee all comes down to these beans.

Here, you’ll find coffee gear that enthusiasts love, like the shiny HARIO electric heater used for siphon brewing—a skill baristas must master. This professional machine really enhances the technique.

With such high rents in this area, single-origin coffee here is only NT$100—pretty good deal, right? Come try a cup!

There are also unique packaged flower tea sets available for purchase nearby.

Recently, Coffee Uncle released a book, and new titles are now on the shelves—feel free to check them out.

The basement doesn’t feel dark or cramped, maintaining a spacious vibe with wide walkways. There are no issues with air quality or humidity, thanks to proper interior design and dehumidification.

The basement’s openness makes it ideal for private events, and the café offers tailored rental services—great for interested groups.

Café Marché is so popular because it’s a self-roasting café, selling its own teas and coffees to satisfy every craving.

Dishware area.

Café Marché meets all your needs—from brunch as early as 7 AM, afternoon tea, to dinner, offering meals throughout the day in a very user-friendly way.

The menu is thoughtfully designed, with a sleek black long-strip layout that highlights a stylish vibe and opens in a unique way.

There’s a wide variety of single-origin coffee options.

Italian coffee choices are also diverse, covering almost all classic latte styles, including latte art options.

They also offer business lunch combo sets for noon.

The water glasses are uniquely designed—it’s lemonade.

Pingzi ordered a serving of Marseille seafood risotto for 290 NT dollars. As soon as it was served, the rich aroma of seafood wafted up, making the hungry Pingzi eager to dig in. Surprisingly delightful were the lemon bubbles that looked like little foam balls on the side. The staff recommended stirring them before eating so that the risotto would mix with this unique flavor, resulting in an exceptionally tasty and distinctive taste.

The risotto grains were distinct and not overly sticky, offering a hearty and satisfying texture. The rice was cooked to perfection, and topped with an abundance of seafood. The seafood was fresh, and when paired with the lemon bubble sauce, it was refreshing without being greasy, with a hint of acidity that enhanced the overall flavor, making the risotto even more delicious.

After the meal, it’s time for dessert — the Ganman Yi Soufflé in mango flavor, priced at 250 NT dollars. This is a must-try afternoon tea dessert for the ladies who lunch. The entire soufflé is thick and tall, and just looking at it is comforting. For a dessert lover like Pingzi, how could she resist the temptation? She’s so excited.

No matter which angle you look at it from, it looks thick and is puffing out white steam.

A soufflé should be hot and have a fluffy texture. First, she scooped out some of the soufflé.

After scooping out the soufflé, she poured on the sauce. The outer layer is slightly crispy, while the inside is fluffy, soft, and tender — not sweet at all, yet very delicious. Anyone who loves sweets shouldn’t miss this flavor.

The soufflé, once the mango sauce was poured over it, instantly mixed with the mango, turning into a creamy, melt-in-your-mouth texture.

She also ordered a caramel macchiato coffee for 120 NT dollars, served on a wooden tray for a touch of elegance.

The caramel macchiato is neither too sweet nor too greasy. The coffee at the bottom is rich and aromatic, the milk foam is smooth and velvety, and the generous topping of caramel makes it perfectly sweet.

Pingzi likes Café Marché, not only because of its great location near the Dunhua MRT Station in Taipei’s East District — the café is easy to find — but also because there are no restrictions on dining hours. The food is delicious, Wi-Fi and power outlets are provided, making it a quiet and perfect spot for those who often bring their MacBook Pros for client design meetings. Everyone should hurry over to check it out, enjoy a cup of their great coffee, and savor the tasty dishes.

Café Marché.
Phone: 02-2721-5252.
Address: No. 62, Lane 233, Section 1, Dunhua South Road, Da’an District, Taipei City (Exit 3, Zhongxiao Dunhua MRT Station).
Business Hours: 07:30–22:00 (Mon–Fri) / 07:30–23:00 (Sat–Sun).
Wi-Fi and power outlets available, no restrictions on dining hours.
Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/cafemarche2011.

Upssmile Pingzi (Up’s Smile / Upward Smile).
She is a designer and also the photographer behind “Upward Smile Travel, Food, Design, and Photography.”
Passionate about “Travel,” “Food,” “Design,” and “Photography/Film.”
Blogger:http://upssmile.com/