How Fun Canteen – Super-modern-Style Communal Rice Dishes

Intern Reporter Xu Jiaqi %q Reported and Photographed from Taipei

With a large working population in Taipei’s Neihu Science Park, many unique restaurants have set up shop to cater to the area. Among them, “How Fun Canteen” features communal rice with well-prepared sides, along with its daringly colorful entrance and interior, making it a hit with young professionals. Chris, born in the 1990s, jokes, “I paid two years’ worth of tuition to get to this level.” It turns out Chris’s first venture was a fusion restaurant that didn’t take off after two years of operation. He then decided to pivot his business model and focus solely on Spanish cuisine—thus giving birth to the distinctive How Fun Canteen.

▲ Open Kitchen

Typically, open kitchens are notorious for the smell of cooking oil, but “How Fun Canteen” has completely avoided this issue through special treatment, allowing diners to clearly watch every dish being prepared. The décor makes extensive use of exposed pipes, mosaic tiles, vibrant paints, and even features numerous pots hanging from the ceiling. The door handles are even shaped like pots, giving the entire venue a modern yet playful vibe.

One of the canteen’s signature dishes, the “Basil Sirloin Steak Communal Rice” (Image above), uses New Zealand beef paired with homemade basil pesto, served together with Thai jasmine rice in the oven, then topped with asparagus and some mushrooms. The distinct texture of each grain and the aroma of basil earned high praise from Qiu, a student who loves basil.

Another dish, the “How Fun Canteen Classic Communal Rice” (Image above), uses a homemade saffron seafood broth, served with fennel, lemon, and seafood. After baking, the rice not only carries the flavor of the sea but also has a slightly crispy, crunchy texture.

% If you can finish a meal worth NT$1,600 within five minutes, you’ll get it for free.

Owner Chris, born in 1973, actually studied mechanical engineering and worked as an engineer in Finland. Because he loved food so much, he decided to return to Taiwan to open a unique restaurant. Despite having no prior experience in the food industry, he’s already planning to open a third Spanish cuisine restaurant.

【How Fun Canteen】

Address: No. 589, Ruiguang Road, Neihu District, Taipei City
Telephone: 02-8751-3332
Business Hours: 11:30–21:30
Price Range: NT$400–NT$600