Taiwan’s first-ever MUJI restaurant！The refreshing taste of Japanese teishoku

Text & Photos /Nata

I’d been looking forward to it ever since I heard that Taipei would soon get Taiwan’s first MUJI restaurant. As a big fan of MUJI, I’d been thinking, “I’ve got to find time to dine here.” Yesterday, while heading up north, I stopped by the B2 floor of Uni-President Hankyu Department Store to check it out. Fortunately, I arrived at 11:30 AM when there were fewer than half the usual number of customers, so I quickly ordered and got seated. By the time I finished my meal and came out, the queue had gotten much longer—so glad I got there early.

If you love MUJI’s minimalist, hipster style, you must be curious about their approach to food too. To be honest, I came here to see how they plate their meals, hoping to draw inspiration for creating more dining table scenes at home using my collection of MUJI tableware.

The entrance displays what’s on the menu

To order, you queue up outside the display case, choose the dishes you want, then proceed to the counter to pay.

menu
I ordered the 4-item set meal plus a drink

(This photo is taken from the Café&Meal MUJI Taiwan official website)

A full view of the dining space

I enjoyed my solo lunch at a shared wooden table, and seeing these familiar utensils made me even happier.

It reminded me of the MOS Burger counter, where you can look right into the MUJI retail section while you eat.

Before ordering, please ask the staff to place the occupied seat marker on your table, then you can go ahead and order.

If you want to flavor your sugar-free drink further, you can help yourself to seasonings, or pour yourself some cold water.

Don’t forget to return your used tableware here after your meal

My 4-item set meal！
2 hot dishes + 2 cold dishes + rice + miso soup—that’s what the 4-item set includes, priced at NT$270. I swapped the white rice for multigrain rice, which cost an extra NT$20; and I added a cup of Rainforest Coffee au lait for another NT$60. It’s simple, but I really like the combination. Let me share my thoughts on the taste next.

Japanese-style grilled mackerel
Boneless mackerel is lightly salted and marinated with olive oil, then grilled. It’s topped with a sauce made from grated radish, cooking sake, and soy sauce, and sprinkled with chopped scallions. It’s refreshing yet flavorful, completely free of fishy smell—delicious.

Black vinegar pork
This is something I’ve always wanted to try making at home. It turns out the pork is marinated overnight with salt and pineapple, then cooked in a black vinegar sauce. The aroma has a subtle fruity note, and the rich, tangy black vinegar is full of flavor. The pork is tender and juicy—it’s a classic, rice-friendly dish.

Beetroot vinaigrette salad
If you’re not sure how to cook beetroot, take a cue from MUJI’s method: thinly slice or cube roasted beets, mix them with two types of lettuce, add pine nuts, walnuts, and dried fruit, then toss with red wine vinaigrette. It’s refreshing with a touch of mature flavor—yummy！

Big Long Lemon chicken spiral pasta salad
What makes this dish unique is the addition of juice from Japan’s Big Long Lemons for seasoning. These lemons have a delicate fragrance, with a refined aroma underlying their acidity. Mixed into the salad, they make it even more refreshing. Eating it made me want to recreate a similar flavor at home.

Multigrain rice
The rice has a slightly chewy texture with varied mouthfeel, giving a satisfying bite. I love how this kind of rice brings a sense of simple happiness and makes you appreciate every single grain. After eating this, I went to Breeze Supermarket and bought some sixteen-grain rice to try cooking at home someday.

Miso soup
I don’t have strong feelings about this cup of miso soup—it’s light and refreshing, neither particularly good nor bad, just average.

Rainforest Coffee Oolong Latte
The taste was nothing special either, just average.

Overall, you can imagine this set as a fusion of Japanese bento culture with Western elements, combined with a bit of the buffet-style Japanese dining feel. It’s definitely suitable for a casual café meal.

Info
café&meal muji Hankyu Store
Address: B2F, 8 Zhongxiao E. Rd. Sec. 5, Xinyi District, Taipei City (B2, Taipei Uni-President Hankyu Department Store)
Phone: 02-2345-8551
Business Hours: Mon–Thu 11:00–21:30, Last order 21:00; Fri–Sun & Public Holidays 11:00–22:00, Last order 21:30
Website: Taiwan Official Site

"Nata Not Sloppy
Happy to be a stylish lifestyle café-goer and cooking researcher"