The city with the most breakfast shops – Hong Kong bloggers recommend 10 must-try breakfast spots in Taipei

Text & Photos /Miss kitb
Although I haven’t traveled around the world, I’m certain that Taipei is the city with the most breakfast shops.

There’s a small shop every three steps and a big one every five. The streets are never quiet in the early morning. With a wide variety of options and affordable prices, even street vendors operating out of a small box take great care with their food. To try all the delicious breakfasts Taipei has to offer, I think you’d need to live here for years and eat diligently every day. So as travelers, this time we’re focusing on ten breakfast shops where you can sit down and enjoy a delicious meal (these are actual breakfast shops that open at seven or eight in the morning—not brunch spots you go to after sleeping in!).

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1/ Second Floor Cafe (Renai Branch)
Address: No. 108, Section 2, Ren’ai Road, Taipei City (intersection of Ren’ai Road and Xinsheng South Road)
Phone: +886-02-2357-9222
Business Hours: 10:00 – 22:30 (Mon–Fri), 08:00 – 22:30 (Sat–Sun)
The first time I ate here, I was blown away by the food. I had always thought, “It’s just another American-style brunch spot,” so I didn’t prioritize trying it. By chance, I walked by the branch the day before, and the next day it opened early at eight on a Saturday—which led to this love-at-first-sight moment. Truly fate! The interior decoration is exquisitely cozy, the service staff are friendly and professional, and the dishes are flawless in plating, pairing, and flavor. The eggs they use are called “Golden Premium Eggs,” and the bread is handmade fresh every day.

Although many brunch spots in Taiwan are quite good, Second Floor stands out to me in terms of cooking techniques and overall experience. I hope every future visit will bring another breakfast that moves me. Keep it up, guys!

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2/ Fu Hang Soy Milk
Address: 2nd floor, Huashan Market, Taipei (Exit 5 of Shandao Temple MRT Station)
Business Hours: 05:30 – 12:30 (Closed Mondays)

Fu Hang is the kind of place you love and hate at the same time. You can’t stop thinking about their thick scallion pancakes with egg, but the thought of getting up at five or six to go there holds you back. And afterward, you’ll smell like fried dough sticks and oil. For easier access, consider staying at the nearby Hotel Cozzi Zhongxiao, which is a good option. Or you could join the early-morning queue—most of my Fu Hang experiences came from lining up overnight at Legacy for Show Lo (Lu Guangzhong) concerts and grabbing breakfast on the way.

If you can finish it, definitely try the thick scallion pancake with egg and fried dough stick. The pancake here is truly unique—each layer is crispy, paired with also-crispy dough sticks and a tender egg cooked with scallions. It’s so filling, yet you don’t want to stop eating. In winter, you must try the savory soy milk—it’s loaded with toppings, has a special texture, and isn’t greasy, though it might be too heavy in summer.

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3/ The Diner (Rui’an Branch)
Address: 145 Rui’an St., Da’an District, Taipei City (1st floor)
Phone: +886-02-2700-1680
Business Hours: 09:00 – 23:00 (Mon–Fri), 08:00 – 23:00 (Sat–Sun)
Website: http://www.thediner.com.tw/

A place I ended up visiting frequently for strange reasons—I’ve tried every vegetarian option on the menu. The ambiance is comfy, and the food is satisfying. Going there early in the morning has a really relaxed vibe. They have quite a few vegetarian options, such as a touching poached egg with spinach and mushrooms underneath, and other dishes like scrambled eggs or omelets that usually have at least one or two vegetarian versions. They even use organic eggs. However, the vegetable portion in most dishes is quite small—if there were a side salad, the meals would be more balanced.

Their fresh fruit American-style pancakes are definitely meant for three people. It’s better to come with a group of friends, otherwise you’ll end up wasting food. Lately, my favorite has been the fresh fruit French toast—it has plenty of fruit, and the French toast is just the right size, much lighter than a full breakfast spread. That said, I find their hash browns a bit dry and the potatoes not very fragrant, so the fruit French toast is enough to satisfy me, haha.

Also, my absolute, most recommended dish is the “Tomato Cheese Rustic Baked Egg” available only at the Xinyi branch—it’s unforgettable every time.

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4/ Chen Gen Cha (Tea Quest)
Address: No. 7, Lane 391, Zhuangjing Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City
Business Hours: Weekdays 06:00 – 12:30 / Holidays 06:30 – 13:00

When in Taiwan, you have to eat egg pancakes—and when you do, go for the best. Chen Gen Cha serves my favorite egg pancake. It uses classic ingredients, but the incredibly crispy pancake skin paired with perfectly melted cheese sauce has an addictive charm—you’ll definitely want seconds (ordering three portions for two people is more satisfying). With the Xinyi Line now open, it’s very easy to get there—just exit at Taipei 101 Station and walk a short distance (or rent a YouBike; there’s a bike-return station right across the street).

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5/ Feng Sheng Hao (Abundance No. 1)
Address: No. 4, Lane 223, Zhongzheng Rd., Shilin District, Taipei City
Business hours: Weekdays 07:00 until sold out / Weekends and holidays 08:00 until sold out (Closed on Mondays)

I’ve regretted not being able to get their black tea milk two times in a row already—black tea milk~ black tea milk~ that perfectly proportioned, incredibly lovely black tea milk~ On weekdays, you should also arrive before eight to get some too. Aside from the black tea milk, which I can’t stop thinking about, all their other meals are full of love—lovingly made, thoughtfully prepared, and delicious. It’s a family-run business, and the small shop always exudes a warm and cozy vibe. Their toast is baked in a small charcoal oven, and their signature Abundant No. 1 sandwich is packed with fillings. The Vegetable Dazi vegetarian option is a potato cheese one—that is, cheese mashed potato inside bread. For sweets, the sweet potato powder and marshmallows (only available in winter) pictured above are must-tries.

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6/ Daily Ryou, hi, Ryou Cafe
Address: No. 24-1, Pucheng Street, Da’an District, Taipei City
Phone: +886-02-2363 6268
Business hours: 8:30 ~ 20:30 (Closed on Tuesdays)

Perfect for those who want to play at being pseudo-literati, and the breakfast is naturally delicious—killing two birds with one stone. Located around the Guting / Taiwan Power Building area, it already has a relatively strong artistic atmosphere. The first time I came, I was also charmed by the little green garden at the front, and their resident cat is quite the character (a favorite among pseudo-literati!). One of the big features here is sourcing ingredients directly from local farmers—the items on your plate all have names and stories, clearly showing where they come from. This kind of earnest attention to food and respect for the land is already worth supporting, not to mention the food is genuinely tasty.

Breakfast consists of the ten options on the hand-drawn menu, each with its own unique flair. There are two vegetarian options for Vegetable Dazi: Mushroom Uncle’s Sunny Veggie Meal and Soft-Hearted Mushroom French Toast Meal, with drinks available as add-ons. After trying both, I prefer the Mushroom French Toast—their French toast is soaked in egg mixture overnight, truly gentle and refined.

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7/ Haochu Breakfast
Address: No. 70, Lane 125, Section 2, Wenhua Road, Banqiao District, New Taipei City (Jiangzicui MRT Station)
Phone: +886-02-2253-2087
Business hours: 08:00 ~ 16:00 (Monday to Sunday)

A super popular breakfast spot—you’ll need to mentally prepare yourself for a wait. It’s a bit far from the city center, located in Banqiao District where you’ll need to take a few more MRT stops (by the way, Banqiao has recently gotten many stylish brunch spots too, worth checking out). After exiting the MRT station, you’ll walk a short distance, and wandering through the unfamiliar neighborhood feels fun and makes you wonder why so many people specifically queue up for this place.

It turns out that the little details put into a small place really do get noticed (you’ll see their Facebook posts are pretty unique too, haha), and their tiny shop with only about twenty seats is packed every day. The menu includes various burgers, pressed pancakes, slipper buns, and sandwiches. The vegetarian option for Vegetable Dazi is the egg salad toast and homemade yogurt fruit salad shown in the photo. Just look at the grid pattern on the toast—you can tell the meal design involved some thought, and there’s even a surprise peanut butter filling inside.

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8/ LOCO FOOD 乐口福
Address: No. 5-4, Lane 89, Section 3, Nanjing East Road, Taipei City
Phone: +886-02-2506 8917
Business hours: 06:00 ~ 18:00 (Monday to Friday), 06:00 ~ 15:30 (Saturday) (Closed on Sundays)

A cute little shop certified by the “good looks association,” where meals are served in small iron pots, and the shop itself is quite pretty inside and out. Taiwanese shops just love playing with names, and their menu is pretty special too. The recommended vegetarian option for Vegetable Dazi is the golden sweet potato pancake with cheese omelet roll—yes, a fried sweet potato pancake inside a bread omelet roll. Just hearing about this combo makes you want to try it, and it really does live up to expectations, crispy from the inside out. The sweet potato pancake is wrapped in half-melted cheese and thin slices of fried egg, with a crispy, golden omelet skin on the outside. A bit rich, so best enjoyed once in a while.

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9/ PAUL (Taipei Ren’ai Branch)
Address: No. 107, Section 4, Ren’ai Road, Taipei City (Ren’ai Circle)
Phone: +886-02-2771-3200
Business hours: 08:00 ~ 22:00

You don’t have to go to France to play at being French—PAUL, found in many cities, works too. PAUL has several branches in Taiwan, and because they bake all kinds of French bread (and desserts!!) in-house, their breakfast is also quite famous. The first time I went, it actually took me some time to decide what to order from the menu. The most classic, of course, is the Parisian bread platter breakfast, which comes with croissants and baguettes, plus butter, jam, French-style scrambled eggs, and yogurt. If you find plain bread too boring, there are also sets with omelets and poached eggs, all of which look very appealing. I believe there were three vegetarian options for Vegetable Dazi, if I remember correctly.

The croissants here (according to Wu Pao-chun) are the best in Taiwan. I personally prefer the French baguette—after all, bread fills you up. But I find the breakfast black tea here a bit too fruity, not really suiting my taste for pure, strong tea.

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10/ NY Bagel (Ren’ai Branch)
Address: No. 147, Section 4, Ren’ai Road, Da’an District, Taipei City
Phone: +886-02-2752-1669
Business hours: 24 hours

Taiwan’s original American-style brunch spot, having gone through many changes over the years. NY Bagel has many branches in Taipei—I don’t particularly favor any one of them, since any nearby one will do (the only 24-hour branch is the Ren’ai Branch behind Eslite Dunhua). Since I always order the same thing—a basil tomato scrambled egg with onion bagel—every time I go, I’m extremely familiar with the changes in plating and side dishes here.

The latest version no longer serves the fruit platter separately beforehand (it's all piled on the plate), and the potato wedges have gone from being delicious and flavorful to rather ordinary. Only the bagels have consistently maintained their charm. Just now, at the Jingzhan Transit Station branch, I saw the two tables next to me both order just a single bagel each. Yeah, I think I’ll try ordering just a bagel next time too. (But I’ve still never had the chance to try the American-style pancakes or French toast over the years...)

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"miss kitB

A core member of the Unfocused Professionals Association, or perhaps a "multifunctional cross-media freelance creator." Believes boredom is the mother of creativity and happiness is life’s greatest asset. Eats breakfast every day and travels the earth daily.
Blog:http://kitx.mysinablog.com/index.php"