GQ / Two Hipster Restaurants: Eurasian Gourmet Bistro Enters Dihua Street for a Revival

Photos & Text / GQ

The long-dormant Dihua Street area has become increasingly vibrant in recent years, with old shops being revitalized, new restaurants and cafés moving in, and even well-established venues from elsewhere quietly setting up shop here. Two beloved hipster café-bars from National Taiwan Normal University—Salty Peanuts and Peacock—are the latest newcomers to the neighborhood.



Those familiar with the area around National Taiwan Normal University know that if you want to hide away in a quiet corner, listen to some rock music, flip through quirky books, and while away an afternoon, Salty Peanuts is the perfect spot. If you’re looking to have a drink late at night and lounge on a worn-out sofa, Peacock is the place to go. These two cafés, run by the same owners, have been around in the NTNU area for nearly 10 years. With both owners being musicians and artists, their naturally artistic vibe easily resonates with visitors, making them key gathering spots for Taipei’s hipster crowd. But after two years of disputes over the commercial district, the disheartened owners decided to close up shop. Unexpectedly, just after auctioning off their furniture, they received an invitation from Dadaocheng. After months of effort, the two shops that were once thought to be gone forever have finally reopened.

Reopening at the end of Dihua Street under their original names, the two venues now occupy a rather fascinating space. This renovated old building retains the traditional three-section layout of a historic street-front house, with inner courtyards, corridors, and a large garden in the middle and rear sections. In summer, you can enjoy a cool breeze, and in winter, soak up the sun in the yard—a rare bit of tranquility in land-scarce Taipei. The front section, closer to Dihua Street, is home to Salty Peanuts Café, which still retains its handmade, slightly whimsical artistic style, though it’s no longer as dimly lit and rock-and-roll as before. With simple, bright wooden accents and vintage furniture, the small shop feels more like a cozy neighborhood bakery café. It specializes in handcrafted baked goods, homemade jams, and desserts, paired with pour-over coffee and natural Taiwanese teas—an effortlessly relaxing experience.

Pass through a beautiful inner courtyard, a corridor tiled with retro floral bricks, and a large garden, and you’ll find Peacock Bistro-Bar at the back. The 40-plus-square-meter space is comfortably spacious, also adorned with plenty of vintage furniture and artworks, plus a long bar counter and dim lighting that give off the low-key ambiance of a classic bistro. Compared to the original location, the food and drinks here are more refined, focusing on innovative Franco-Italian cuisine infused with plenty of Taiwanese elements. Using produce from small farms, safe seafood, free-range chicken, and toxin-free pork, the menu features creative yet relaxed dishes such as confit duck gizzard salad, sorghum-fired clams, and shamrock beef water-boiled egg salad—all with a distinct Taiwanese twist. The cocktail menu highlights small-jar-infused fruit and spice liqueurs made in-house, such as longan-chili tequila, lychee sorghum, or bitter melon gin—each offering a truly unique flavor.

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