Taichung Wine Barrel Mountain French Manor Landscape Restaurant – Admire the Breathtaking Mountain Scenery!

Text and Photos byFull Score Travel Notes

In Taichung’s Taiping District, there is a beautiful French manor % which is located on a mountain peak and holds the romantic story of a certain prince and princess. The restaurant has an open terrace, allowing diners to enjoy a bird's-eye view of the city. The atmosphere changes with the time of day and the weather, offering different experiences. It provides both lunch and dinner options, and the dishes are quite unique. It’s truly a place worth experiencing.

Spending the weekend wandering around Taichung, our last stop was to have afternoon tea at French Butterfly. Located on Wine Barrel Mountain in the Taiping District, you’ll need to drive there. The road up the mountain is a bit bumpy, so be sure to drive safely. I remember the last time I went to Ruoyin Farm in Heping Districtto see the beautiful sea of clouds. I wonder what unexpected scenic wonders this trip to Taiping District might bring. Upon arrival, we saw a pinkish-purple exotic building. The restaurant has an outdoor parking lot, which is very convenient.

After parking, Kevin took the opportunity while waiting for our table to admire an aerial view of Wine Barrel Mountain from the parking lot. Upon closer inspection, there aren’t many buildings in the mountain area. The French Butterfly Manor is surrounded by trees. Flying higher, you can see the majestic mountain ranges — a truly spectacular sight that even impressed us. Such natural scenery is normally hard to come by. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t great today, and visibility was poor, but you could still make out the rugged mountains and layers of clouds.

The exterior design of French Butterfly Restaurant is quite beautiful, with its exotic-style architecture, lush green courtyard, and wine barrel water feature. It’s not only aesthetically pleasing but also resonates with the beautiful Wine Barrel Mountain. The name “French Butterfly” is truly poetic and romantic. We felt as if it were a butterfly that flew all the way from France, fell in love with this place, and came to guide us in appreciating this beautiful scenery.

French Butterfly Manor is truly a great spot for enjoying the scenery. With outdoor seating facilities, having afternoon tea here is a real treat. You can sit at the same level as the mountain range and even gaze at the mountain peaks — the view stretching out as far as the eye can see is simply enchanting.

French Butterfly offers an open dining space, as well as indoor seating. However, most visitors choose the outdoor area because you can take in the vast beauty of the mountain peaks. Though French Butterfly is quite famous and popular online, the number of visitors that day wasn’t as high as expected. The lack of crowds made it even more relaxing.

Upon entering French Butterfly Manor, you’ll first see a large bar counter where you can pick up the menu before finding a seat. On the walls hang two hand-drawn illustrations of French Butterfly Manor — they’re actually two of my favorite landscape features. One can only say that the architecture of French Butterfly is truly captivating.

I chose a great spot at the viewing platform — having afternoon tea here is truly a luxury.

In addition to creative cuisine, French Butterfly also serves afternoon tea. The afternoon tea includes light meals like sandwiches, fried snacks, and cakes... Drinks include coffee, floral tea, and both hot and cold beverages. Afternoon tea hours: 14:30 ~ 17:00 / Minimum spend per person is $160 upon entry. You can find your own seat, place your order, and then pay at the counter.

The pinkish-purple building of French Butterfly Manor is incredibly picturesque. The three-dimensional signboard even features an actual butterfly — under the healing blue sky, it looks as if it’s about to take flight.

There are also many colorful little flowers planted along the pathway — red, pink, yellow, purple — quite lovely. I seem to recall someone posting photos of lavender they spotted here too.

This French Butterfly Garden is a must-visit photo spot. I was completely immersed in taking pictures here that day.

Strolling along the path, we came to another viewing platform. Standing there, with a gentle breeze blowing and no obstructions in sight, looking out, it felt as if the entire forest was beneath my feet. Suddenly, all my worries were forgotten.

While enjoying the view, I also discovered a thatched cottage in the woods — it had a strong Southeast Asian vibe. I just had to go down and take a look. The stone staircase was a bit steep, so ladies in heels should be careful. However, the view here was less impressive compared to the one from the restaurant. Heading up to a higher platform offers a much wider panorama.

After walking around and taking photos, the afternoon tea arrived. The staff were very thoughtful and even came to call us when our food was ready.

Iced Kumquat Tea $150 & Tiramisu Iced Latte $180

For drinks, I found them quite ordinary. Kevin’s iced kumquat tea was very sour, whereas my tiramisu iced latte was sweet and delicious — much better.

Taro Cake $90

The taste and texture of the cake were rather average, resembling traditional Taiwanese small pastries. The afternoon tea experience was a bit of a letdown. An exotic restaurant could really elevate the ambiance with some refined French pastries.

After strolling back to the entrance and this stunning purple wall of French Butterfly, I really fell in love with this spot. Even Kevin, while taking photos, was outdone by me — how many shots do I need to be happy? (Q?”)

The view from French Butterfly Manor is also incredibly beautiful. You can see Nantou’s Jiufeng Mountains and downtown Taichung. The mountain clouds are ever-changing, offering different scenery throughout the day. The breathtaking natural views from atop French Butterfly Manor allow you to take in the entire mountain range. The staff that day also enthusiastically introduced the scenery of French Butterfly, mentioning that each season brings a different kind of beauty here. That’s when I learned the owner is also a photography enthusiast.

The home of the French Butterfly owner. Not usually open to the public!

Seeing our shared interests, the staff kindly opened the owner’s private courtyard for us to visit. This area is generally not open to the public. I really struck gold that day. Walking into the courtyard, I saw a beautiful Eiffel Tower with a few butterflies fluttering around — it felt so lively!

The design of the owner’s courtyard is simply gorgeous, with comfortable grass pathways and charming dawn redwoods. I couldn’t help but act a little spoiled on someone else’s property.

I accidentally became the lady of the manor for a few minutes — so happy.

The shop owner really knows how to enjoy life—they’ve even set up a viewing platform in the courtyard. The view from here is absolutely breathtaking, and the vista is even more expansive.

The scenery is so beautiful that the two of them couldn’t bear to leave. If they could stay here overnight, they’d probably get to enjoy the mountain views at night and in the morning too. Fadette actually offers accommodations here, located in different exotic castles. I really envy waking up to a sea of mountain views—how relaxing that must be.

Fadette Manor is a great spot for scenic afternoon tea. The views on Wine Barrel Mountain are pleasant and incredibly relaxing, with layered mountains and cityscapes stretching as far as the eye can see. The beautiful foreign-style villas give visitors the feeling of being on a vacation abroad. Fadette Manor also serves creative cuisine and afternoon tea, but today’s afternoon tea offerings were quite average. If they were more refined and delicious, it would definitely score even higher. Just coming here to enjoy the scenery and watch the sea of clouds is pretty great—it’s a very healing holiday destination. Come here for a stroll on your day off.

Wine Barrel Mountain. Fadette

Address: No. 26, Changqing Lane, Shantian Road, Dongbian Li, Taiping District, Taichung City
Business Hours: Monday ~ Friday 11:00 ~ 20:00
Saturday ~ Sunday 10:30 ~ 21:00
Service Phone: 04 2276 6060
Official Website
Official Fan Page

Hi~ I’m Manfen, a girl who loves beauty and fun. I believe that seeing beautiful scenery in person is always more moving than looking at photos.
During our travels, we write stories with photos and enrich memories with videos, giving ourselves a 100-point life.
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