The Dahan Forest Cafeteria officially opened on the 20th, offering up to 69 menu items.

▲ Dahan Forest Cafeteria officially began selling food on the 20th.

Reported and photographed by Huang Shiyuan, Taipei

The first Taiwan branch of Japan’s popular chain of casual cafeterias, Maido Ookini Shokudo — “Dahan Forest Cafeteria” — officially opened on the 20th. Continuing the Japanese cafeteria tradition of emphasizing affordable, everyday meals, the restaurant serves home-style dishes with a homely touch, such as Japanese omelets, tempura shrimp, and beef sukiyaki, along with side dishes and udon noodles. There are as many as 69 different items available. The chefs at the restaurant said that Japanese omelets, grilled mackerel, and simmered hamburgers were particularly popular during the trial sales period.

Dahan Forest Cafeteria began trial operations on November 9th, and even before its official opening, it had already attracted large crowds. TECO Group Chairman Huang Maohsiung, who brought Maido Ookini Shokudo to the Taiwan market, even queued up himself, saying he waited 40 minutes before being able to dine. Huang Maohsiung noted that there are now many Japanese restaurants in Taiwan, and breaking through the competition has always been a key focus. Maido Ookini Shokudo stands out for being healthy, affordable, and down-to-earth, which is why they specifically introduced it to the Taiwan market.


▲ Even on weekday noons, it still draws large lines of diners.

The dining process at Dahan Forest Cafeteria is somewhat similar to a self-service buffet in Taiwan. Customers take a tray and walk along the open kitchen, selecting dishes they like to put on their plate. If a desired dish is not immediately available, the chef will give you a number ticket, and the dish will be delivered to your seat once it's ready. The open kitchen is divided into sections: the grill area, fried foods area, stewed dishes area, rice/noodles/soup area, and finally the cashier.


▲ Japanese omelet is one of the popular items.

In the Japanese side dish section, the cheapest item is raw egg at NT$15, while more expensive options include tuna sashimi and salmon sashimi (NT$150). Most other sides cost between NT$30-35. For hot dishes, the cheapest might be miso soup at NT$25, while korokke (Japanese croquettes) are just NT$35. Grilled fish dishes are around NT$90-110, and the popular scallion Japanese omelet costs NT$60. For noodle dishes, you can choose from udon, soba, or Chinese-style noodles, priced between NT$80-100. Dahan Forest Cafeteria’s public relations representative, Zheng Anqiao, said that during the trial sales period, Japanese omelets and grilled fish were must-order dishes for every customer, and simmered hamburgers were also very popular.

One special feature of Dahan Forest Cafeteria is that as soon as you enter, you’ll see a “rice polisher” (pictured below). The white rice served here every day is polished using this machine, then cooked using the traditional “kamado cooking” method.

Dahan Forest Cafeteria is the first outlet in the cafeteria series. A second branch is planned to open in February 2015 at the Jinguan Plaza in Xinzhuang, with the goal of expanding to six locations next year.

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Dahan Forest Cafeteria
Address: No. 161-3, Section 1, Xinsheng South Road, Taipei City (next to MOS Burger)
Business Hours: 11:00–22:00 (last entry at 21:30)
Phone: 02-27550997