A romantic flower shop in "Aurora Love" & a cultural café with flexible dining hours

Text & photos /Pingzi

In recent years, coffee shops made famous by movies have sprung up like mushrooms in Taipei’s streets. Pingzi wants to share Long Time Ago Cafe, a cultural and interactive café near Eslite Dunhua, which also served as a filming location for the movie Aurora Love. The handmade creative latte art by the European-French cuisine chef is one of the café’s highlights. The food here is delicious and varied — a must-try that Pingzi highly recommends.

Long Time Ago Cafe is a relatively new cultural and interactive café. Today, Pingzi is taking you to this must-visit spot. Located in a lane near Eslite Dunhua, it’s the perfect place to chat with friends when you’re tired from shopping at Eslite Dunhua. This café comes highly recommended for cozy catch-ups.

Looking out from the café toward the end of the lane, you can see the building of Eslite Dunhua — very close and easy to find.

The exterior of the café has a design-rich, tasteful vibe, giving Pingzi the illusion of being abroad. It’s so photogenic even before stepping inside.

Were it not for the sign indicating it’s a café, one might mistake it for a European-French flower shop. It’s so captivating that it makes you pause — and this scene was actually the main flower shop set where the young heir (played by Yusuke Santamaria) and Elisa (played by Rainie Yang) worked together in the movie Aurora Love.

It’s very popular lately as a filming location for Aurora Love — anyone who’s seen the movie will surely recognize it.

Upon entering, you’re greeted by a semi-outdoor area with a transparent roof. The lighting is fantastic, with sunlight refracting through the transparent ceiling panels, creating a mesmerizing play of light.

The green plants planted around help slow your pace and add a natural touch.

Hanging out with a few friends here, chatting and sipping coffee, definitely adds a sense of comfort.

The garden-like ambiance brings a fresh, countryside-relaxed mood. As a designer and photographer, Pingzi loves shooting in such well-lit settings — everything looks great and the vibe is wonderful.

Next to Long Time Ago Cafe are many distinctive European-style furnishings, exuding a classical and textured charm. They’re fun to admire and reveal the owner’s refined taste.

Walking further inside leads to the indoor area, which is small but filled with wooden decor that adds warmth and a relaxing feel.

This section with wooden tables and cabinets was a filming location for Aurora Love. Anyone who’s seen the movie will surely find it very familiar.

It’s a great spot for someone who wants to enjoy a coffee while working on their MacBook Pro. The lighting is excellent here.

Near the entrance is the open kitchen cooking area. When they make pancakes here, the aroma is irresistible — absolutely delicious. That day, Pingzi and her friends couldn’t resist the tempting pancake scent and ordered a dessert.

The layout features a staircase-style floor plan. Heading up the stairs leads to the second-floor indoor dining area.

The second floor also adopts a wooden-themed ambiance. Though compact, it has the feel of an old Japanese wooden house.

Looking out the window toward the entrance offers yet another distinct atmosphere.

There’s a dedicated sofa area designed for group gatherings of friends.

The menu this time is designed as a full magazine, introducing the café’s offerings. At the back, there’s information about the owner’s café management and the Aurora Love filming scenes.

The food selection is rich and diverse — from American burgers, light salads, afternoon tea, panini sandwiches, to pancakes. It’s so varied, you’ll spend quite some time deciding what delicious dish to choose.Prices range from NT$160 to NT$290, plus 10% service charge.

Of course, aside from the Aurora Love connection, the café’s most famous offering is its signature creative latte art. You can choose your favorite latte pattern — exclusive designs by the chef. The chef is just too nice.

White Wine Apple Sauce Burger, NT$240. The chef recommends this as the café’s signature burger. Once it arrives, it’s truly impressive — such a generous portion, and it looks incredibly rich. This burger comes in both pork and beef options, but the chef recommends the pork one, and of course, you should take the chef’s advice.

Once it’s served, you’ll see this uncommon American-style white wine apple sauce burger made with pork. The pork is thickly sliced — a generous 5 cm thick — and very generously portioned. For the price, it’s really worth it. On top, there are layers of apple slices, and underneath, a generous spread of onions and salad, combined with marinated apple puree. When you bite into it, it’s refreshing and not greasy. The bread on top is crispy, paired with tender pork that’s juicy and springy — absolutely delicious. Just looking at the thickness of the pork makes it feel like a great deal.

It’s accompanied by salad and fruit, along with a specially prepared yogurt that makes the meal feel refreshing. On the side, there are piles of golden, crispy, hot fries — not greasy at all, and incredibly tasty.

The fruit and honey ice cream pancake, priced at NT$190 per serving, was yet another delightful surprise when it arrived at the table — the portion was huge, enough to leave two people feeling very full. The highlight was the creative use of fruit and ice cream in the center, paired with a crispy wafer roll for contrast. The pancakes here have a soft, fluffy texture and are quite substantial, with an inviting aroma. They’re neither dry nor tough, and when eaten with the accompanying whipped cream and drizzle of honey on top, they’re not overly sweet.

Pingzi ordered a hot Brown Caramel Macchiato Latte for NT$150. As soon as it was served, a cute and friendly little bear was smiling up at you thanks to the latte art. This creative design adds a unique touch to the café. The coffee wasn’t bitter, and the milk foam was very smooth. If there’s any downside, it’s that the coffee wasn’t hot enough — the barista explained that too high a temperature makes latte art difficult to create, so they prepare it at this slightly lower temperature.

My best friend opted for the Hello Kitty Latte, also NT$140, which was absolutely adorable and incredibly photogenic. There are discounts if you order a set meal. In total, our meal came to about NT$350 per person (including service charge).

Every dish here is carefully and thoughtfully developed by the head chef, ensuring customers leave not only full but also impressed by the reasonable prices and exquisite presentation. The signature latte art adds personality to the coffee, giving it more character and an even more comforting taste.

The café offers free Wi-Fi and power outlets.Best of all, there are no restrictions on dining hours.It’s a very thoughtful setup, making this a great spot in Taipei City for long, relaxing chats with friends. Hurry and pay a visit with your besties.

Long Time Ago Cafe – A Cultural & Creative Interactive Café

Phone: 02-8773-3771.

Address: No. 9, Lane 21, Section 1, Anhe Road, Da’an District, Taipei City. (Near Exit 9 of Dunhua MRT Station)

Business Hours: 11:30 AM – 10:00 PM. Free Wi-Fi and power outlets available.

Fan Page:https://www.facebook.com/Longtimeagocafe

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/