Taipei’s Hidden Old-House Cafés: A Dreamy Space Filled with Dried Flowers

Text & Photos /Pingzi

In recent years, the fusion of flowers and cafés has created a new urban lifestyle. Pingzi would like to recommend a café near Taipei Metro’s Technology Building Station — Taipei Café - Black Kite Coffee, which specializes in dried flower décor. As the second branch of Flower Epidemic Room, this old-house revival spot is a hidden gem nestled within a residential building. It offers simple light meals, coffee, and tea, and has become a popular Instagram-worthy spot for dried flower photos. As one of Taipei’s hottest dried flower cafés, it’s a perfect place to elegantly enjoy a relaxing afternoon tea. The Taipei dried flower shop also sells dried flowers and offers dried flower workshops.

Black Kite Coffee is located near Taipei Metro’s Technology Building Station, a five-minute walk away, tucked away in an alley off Jianguo North Road, Heping West Road, and Fuxing South Road. It’s the second branch of Flower Epidemic Room, situated in an alley on Heping East Road, hidden within a residential building — so subtle that you might easily miss it.

This kind of dried flower café in a residential building has become a trendy blend of lifestyles in Taiwan’s café scene in recent years. It adds a touch of artistic flair to residential areas, enhances the ambiance with more textured décor, and enriches everyday life.

To visit Black Kite Coffee, enter through this very low-key black façade — its unassuming entrance is exactly what drew Pingzi here.

On the cement wall are the words “Black Kite,” written in a cursive Chinese font that adds a literary vibe while feeling less constrained and more relaxed — a brand identity that creates its own unique charm.

Upon entering, you’ll find a small courtyard filled with a delightful array of green plants. Even before stepping into the café, the sight is surprising enough to make you exclaim “Wow!” and start snapping photos.

The outdoor seating area at Black Kite Coffee is surrounded by greenery, adding a healing touch. Green is truly a color that soothes the soul — so comforting.

Every corner feels like a scene straight out of a storybook, full of magical charm, making it a perfect spot for admiration, photos, and memories.

Walking further inside, there’s a transparent wooden door that opens to a view of the café interior.

Black Kite Coffee isn’t very large, with about six to seven tables that can accommodate around 20 people. The space is surrounded by cement walls painted in unique white and light gray-blue tones, giving off a French elegance and a refreshing, comfortable vibe that’s very appealing.

The ceiling is covered with an abundance of dried flowers — the beauty of volume at Black Kite Coffee is simply mesmerizing. It’s rare to see such a large-scale display of dried flowers covering an entire old-house ceiling in Taipei. It’s truly distinctive.

Photos taken from different angles feel fresh and bright. This French-inspired elegance has added a fashionable charm to Taipei’s cafés in recent years.

Thanks to its scenography, Black Kite Coffee has become a popular Instagram hotspot.

The café’s only sofa seating area features black leather, blending in without clashing. Placed in a corner, it catches the sunlight streaming in through the glass.

Sunlight spills over the window seats, which are always the most sought-after spots. The wooden chairs add a rustic touch, and every corner is perfect for enjoying afternoon tea. Grab a book, order a coffee, and enjoy some reading time — even alone, it’s quite lovely.

The walls covered in dried flowers are an instant hit with girls looking to take photos. It’s the first reaction and instinct upon entering this café.

With multiple bundles of dried flowers hanging overhead, the whole café is filled with the scent of dried flowers, creating a calming atmosphere.

Black Kite Coffee lists its daily desserts on a small blackboard, which are updated periodically. Prices mostly range from NT$100 to NT$140, with a minimum drink order required. There’s no service charge, dining time is flexible, and water is self-service.

Looking back toward the entrance from inside Black Kite Coffee presents yet another unique ambiance — it’s also great for photos.

Heading up to the second and third floors reveals a hidden surprise: a floral workshop open for visits and photos, mainly themed around Taipei dried flower courses. It’s a romantic experience to be surrounded by a sea of flowers.

Though the hallway is small, it’s neat and clean, offering a strong visual impact. You can purchase your favorite flowers to take home.

Looking up, you’ll see rows of dried flowers neatly hung from the ceiling and walls of the mezzanine, all prepared for drying — an impressive sight.

The vibrant, colorful blooms radiate vitality. Just exploring this small space is enough to keep you enthralled for quite a while.

From different angles, the small second-floor flower studio displays flowers at varying heights, creating dynamic shifts in spatial perspective.

With a wide variety of types and colors, the flowers blend harmoniously within the space, resulting in great aesthetic appeal.

At Black Kite Coffee, the menu primarily offers light meals, drinks, and pound cakes. Hot food is available starting at 12:00 PM. The café opens at 11:00 AM, with a range of coffee and tea options among other beverages.

Water cups are provided, and each table is adorned with a small cup of dried flowers to delight the eye.

I ordered a savory pie,Pumpkin Smoked Chicken Savory Pie 160 NTD— the savory pie was also specially garnished when served, sprinkled with rosemary and other plants for added aroma, and presented on a Japanese century-old ceramic plate topped with fresh tomatoes, offering a unique way to enjoy a savory pie.

The Pumpkin Smoked Chicken Savory Pie also had a notably thick side, showing at a glance that it was made with quality ingredients and crafted with care.

When cut open, the Pumpkin Smoked Chicken Savory Pie revealed layers of pumpkin wrapping tender smoked chicken—layer upon layer that were very visually appealing. The soft, dense texture of the pumpkin paired with the sweetness of the tomato created rich layers of flavor, and it tasted delicious.

When the iced latte arrived, it had no ice cubes but still delivered a cool, rich coffee aroma. Its top layer featured extremely smooth and dense foam—it was really tasty. Without added sugar, you can better appreciate the professionalism and quality of the latte. It was smooth and highly recommended.

Desserts:Matcha Little Hill Pound Cake 120 NTD— upon serving, it was also specially decorated with dried flowers and roses, and sprinkled with some white sugar glaze to enhance visual appeal. It was very photogenic and showed great attention to detail.

The Matcha Little Hill Pound Cake had visibly thick sides, with a multi-layered crispy crust on the outside. This pound cake was specially baked and served warm. It didn’t have a soft, fluffy texture but rather a dense, layered feel. The matcha flavor wasn’t strong, but it was handled quite well and tasted good.

The Lemon Pound Cake had a stronger lemon aroma and was also garnished with roses for a colorful presentation. The lemon pound cake also had a dense, layered texture.

Just looking at a scene from Black Kite Coffee, doesn’t it feel very healing? You’re surrounded by a sea of flowers, creating a sense of comfort and relaxation. Girls will definitely fall in love with this place. Order a slice of cake, enjoy a cup of coffee, sip some tea, and find unparalleled relaxation in city life. Isn’t life just like this? Do you also enjoy floral-designed visual spaces? Hurry and gather your girl squad for a visit—take plenty of beautiful photos.

Black Kite Coffee
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Address: No. 10, Lane 23, Alley 107, Section 2, Heping East Road, Taipei City
Phone: 02-27036393
Business Hours: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM

upssmile Pingzi (up’s smile upward smile)!
She is a designer and also the photographer for Upward Smile Travel, Food, Design & Photography.
Passionate about “travel,” food, design, photography, and film.