Taiwan’s most stunning landscape restaurant is in Taichung!“Star Moon Earth” boasts a million-dollar night view that’s simply enchanting.

Text and photos byFoodie Qiqi’s Gourmet Vision

I wonder if anyone else has the same problem as me... being super hungry but having no idea what to eat. Last Sunday, worried about weekend crowds, I didn’t want to squeeze into restaurants during peak dining hours. But going after the rush meant risking early closures—eating became stressful. So, I turned to my phone and Google, searching until I found a Big Data News interview with Star Moon Earth Landscape Leisure Park.

After reading the article, my friend and I agreed with the park’s philosophy. Full of curiosity and excitement—and noting they’re open until 1 AM—we grabbed our cameras, phones, and wallets and decided to go for it!(Luckily, it’s in Taichung, so not far haha!)

Oh, and just to clarify—I’m not a professional blogger (just a regular gal trying to document life through a blog). This post is a factual account of my visit with a friend; purely a personal share of dining and life experiences. Whether the following highlights pros or cons, all photos and words reflect my immediate (subjective) impressions.

▲ Star Moon Earth Parking Lot.

Transportation was more convenient than expected. We exited Highway 1 (heading toward Waipu) and arrived in about 3 minutes (right behind the big Ferris wheel). But after the wheel, the road narrows, and a section has dim lighting—first-timers, please slow down for safety’s sake. We arrived around 8 PM, and from the parking lot, we could already faintly see the park’s beautiful landscaping (my expectations were through the roof!). But the lot has a gravel surface—motorcyclists, slow down (it’s slippery), and car drivers, stay alert too.

▲ The Starry Corridor before the entrance.

Okay, fine. I just made up the name “Starry Corridor” (it just felt like twinkling stars to me). I took this photo because the effort the business put in is obvious. Walking under the glowing lights strung between the trees, you feel a romantic vibe even before entering the park.

▲ Entrance Service Counter.

Currently, the park charges a ¥100 cleaning fee per person upon entry (a notice above the entrance states kids under 110 cm and seniors over 65 are exempt). But after payment, you get a ¥100 food voucher with your receipt—essentially a full discount on purchases. The staff at the entrance were cheerful and super helpful, happily answering all our questions, earning two thumbs-up from us before we even entered.

▲ The “Path of Happiness” leading to the restaurant.

Inside the park, following the staff’s directions, we saw what looked like a tough hill? Oh no—staff clarified it’s the “Path of Happiness.” With many steps, most people (like me, who rarely exercises) would struggle to climb all at once. So, we stopped to admire the landscaping or take photos with friends, making the journey to the restaurant much quicker. The long staircase rewards you with a breathtaking elevated view—a bittersweet happiness, hence the name.

Also, staff mentioned that those with mobility issues or needing transport (like elderly or families) can request a golf cart shuttle from the entrance to the restaurant (how thoughtful!).

▲ Mid-section of the “Path of Happiness” to the restaurant.

Climbing these wooden stairs is seriously exhausting (I’m wiped). Halfway up, looking back, the layered terraces below are the park’s parking areas. Apparently, they often host car meets, weddings, and even New Year’s events—hence the ample parking. No worries about finding a spot.

▲ Late-section of the “Path of Happiness” to the restaurant.

Near the restaurant, at the path’s end, we spotted a castle-like structure.
Asking the staff, we learned it’s part of the park’s new lodging service launching mid-year (around June or July).
Once it opens, we’ll definitely come back to stay (my friend mused: “What’s there to stay for in Taichung haha?”).

▲ Restaurant Plaza and Landscaping.

The park has two restaurants. The first floor is a scenic banquet hall—unlike others focused on decor, this one boasts floor-to-ceiling windows for a view-filled dining experience. We already promised each other we’d come back next month, so stay tuned for the next post (oops).

Today, we reserved the second-floor casual café, with both indoor and outdoor seating. Due to unstable weather, we opted for indoors. We wanted to stroll the scenic area first, but with our reservation time nearing (they only hold bookings for 10 minutes), we headed straight to the café.

▲ Entrance to the Second-Floor Café.

The café has two entrances. Staff said the left is for general visitors, the right for strollers or those with mobility needs (so considerate!). (Wait, is “considerate” too old-fashioned? Hope young folks get it haha.)

▲ Aerial View of the Café from the Second Floor.

See the lightning-shaped pool? Looks like Pikachu’s tail, huh? Staff said it’s a public foot soak—warm water in colder weather. The castle-like future lodging area is fenced off, with “No Entry” signs, so parents with kids, stay safe.

▲ Outdoor Seating Area of the Second-Floor Café.

Upon going upstairs, you’ll first see the outdoor seating area of the second-floor leisure café. The entire park actually uses quite a lot of wood as a building material—spacious and bright, giving off a relaxing vibe. There were quite a few people dining in the outdoor seating area when we went up. The two photos above show the empty scene when we were leaving, already full from our meal. By the way, I also spotted some mosquito repellent provided for guests at the restaurant entrance (a nice touch)—you can really tell the operators pay attention to the little details.

▲ Indoor area of the second-floor leisure café (to the left after entering).

Once inside the restaurant, you can see the thoughtfulness put into running the place—the decor and overall style appeal to all ages, and I couldn’t stop snapping photos (like I was burning through memory cards).

▲ The indoor seating we reserved that day.

Guided kindly by the staff, we were led to our reserved seats. The pitcher was filled with cold water and there were clean glasses (they prepared two glasses for our party of two), so everyone could have some tea or water before ordering.
Even though it’s primarily a scenic leisure park, the hospitality is nothing short of excellent.

▲ Leisure café counter.

When we checked out, there were two lines. The staff double-checked the order contents before printing the receipt. There were quite a few people checking out that day—we waited about three to five minutes. It might take even longer during holiday peak hours. Don’t forget to present your dining voucher received with your entry ticket (it can be used for a full discount)!

▲ My friend’s French-style mustard chicken pasta (white sauce) set meal.

Price: ★★★☆☆
Taste: ★★★☆☆
Portion: ★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★☆

The one with cheese in the front is the grilled squid salad (if I remember correctly), and the back has big, thick, tender pieces of chicken. The portion of pasta is insanely generous—it’s practically a monk’s portion, too much for an average (or even larger-than-average) woman to finish (yup, we couldn’t finish it, haha).

▲ Side salad and soup that come with the French mustard chicken pasta.

Their salad really impressed me—the fruits and vegetables were super sweet. I’m someone who usually doesn’t eat raw veggies, but I finished it all, which shows how much I loved it. The soup was pumpkin soup. My friend said it was a bit lighter (not as thick), but still quite acceptable.

▲ Upgraded drink options: fruit tea (left / my friend’s) and lemon winter melon (right / mine).

My friend upgraded her side drink to fruit tea, and she said it was super fresh and authentic, with adjustable sweetness and ice level. If I hadn’t eaten so much that day, I would’ve totally gotten a refill on the spot. Mine was the lemon winter melon side drink (there were also options like hot black tea and coffee). Maybe because I ordered it without ice, I found it a bit too sweet.

▲ My scallion salted Matsusaka pork set meal.

Price: ★★★☆☆
Taste: ★★★★☆
Portion: ★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★☆

Let me start with a sorry—I couldn’t help digging into the Matsusaka pork as soon as the set meal arrived (truly a food monster, me!), so the portion of the main dish (pork) in the photo is actually missing about two more pieces for accuracy.

▲ My scallion salted Matsusaka pork set meal.

The set meal portions are all very generous—you can easily eat till you’re stuffed walking out of the restaurant (like us). Aside from the delicious salad mentioned earlier in the bottom left, the chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) is made with super fresh ingredients (seafood flavor). What really wowed me was the golden kimchi—it’s seriously so tasty with rice, so good I wanted to take some home to share with family (kidding)! The only small downside was that the soup was a bit salty. Since the price is a bit higher than average restaurants, I’d hope every dish could be top-notch (picky foodie here). But overall, the value for money is still pretty high (great food paired with beautiful scenery is truly a life highlight).

▲ Extra ordered combo fried platter (Hokkaido fried chicken + onion rings + fries).

Price: ★★★☆☆
Taste: ★★★★★
Portion: ★★★★☆
Overall: ★★★★☆

The staff recommended us the "Hokkaido Fried Chicken," but we were seriously torn between that and our original plan to order onion rings and fries (QiQi is definitely an onion ring enthusiast). Thankfully, there was a combo platter of assorted fried items that let us have it all. As for the fried dishes, the Hokkaido Fried Chicken is basically what’s commonly known as "Karaage," but the marinade here at Xingyue Dadi seems to have been slightly tweaked. Even before taking a bite, the aroma was incredible. Once you take a bite, the crust is crispy and the meat inside is tender and juicy. Most importantly, the flavor lingers from your mouth all the way into your stomach—(a bit dramatic, I know, but it really was that fragrant and delicious), no wonder it consistently ranks in the top three most ordered items.

The onion rings and fries were just as delicious as expected, and the restaurant even provided two kinds of dipping sauces (I think it was tartar sauce and ketchup), with the ketchup being specially seasoned. But!! But!! But I didn’t get a photo of it (sorry, will do better next time)! A friendly reminder to everyone: fried foods really must be eaten right away to fully enjoy them. We saved some to eat after finishing our set meals, but they weren’t nearly as good once they cooled down, haha.

▲ Banana Chocolate Muffin.

Price: ★★★★★
Texture: ★★★★★
Portion: ★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★★

This one absolutely deserves five stars. It’s on par with what you’d get at a dessert shop or a pancake specialty store, and they don’t hold back on price or ingredients (there was quite a lot of fruit), which is totally my style!

▲ Signature Honey Toast.

Even if girls have a separate stomach for desserts, and even if I’m a food monster like QiQi, and even though there were just the two of us girls,
we still couldn’t finish that ~~huge~~ amount of food, so we ended up borrowing our neighbor table’s (friend’s) honey toast to take photos. The staff said their honey toast is different from the classic toast “brick” we’re used to—they use Danish (or something like that) black sugar toast, which is baked to be crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, with a subtle black sugar fragrance. Then they top it with fresh fruits and either caramel or chocolate sauce, along with their selected premium ice cream ball. By the time I heard this, I was already banging the table regretting not ordering the honey toast myself.

Actually, we were also very torn between ordering the muffin or the honey toast (people with indecisiveness issues shouldn’t go out together, haha), but because the honey toast portions we saw others ordering were so huge (enough for two or three people to share), we decided to try the muffin first to test the waters. Little did we know, we'd instantly fall in love—and regretted not getting the honey toast even more (so wish we had!). But it’s okay, it gives me a reason to come back again (sneaky me).

▲ Another seating area on the other side of the restaurant.

Next time I visit, I’d love to reserve a seat in this area—right by the large floor-to-ceiling windows, perfect for enjoying the scenery or live band performances.

▲ A corner of the bar.

After the meal, while the indoor area was quieter, I walked around and took a look. The bar area has a really refreshing vibe—it’s just so pleasant to look at.

▲ Live band performance.

Every now and then, music wafts through the venue—it turns out there’s a live band performing. I heard they even take requests for songs on the spot (that day they sang in Mandarin, Taiwanese, and English—pretty impressive and friendly, haha).

▲ Side entrance of the casual café.

We entered through the main entrance and exited through the side door. Stepping out the side door, we were greeted by the venue’s luxurious landscaping—we and my friend couldn’t stop going “wow!” the whole time. When we asked the staff, we found out this place has been open for four or five years already—it’s truly a hidden gem in Greater Taichung!

▲ Landscaping in the venue (above).

I took a photo at literally every step—my memory card was full from all the food and my camera died. Not exaggerating, every photo in this blog post is handpicked (which is really tough for someone with indecision issues—I wanted to upload all two or three hundred photos). Oh, and from this angle you can also see the nearby giant Ferris wheel!

▲ Landscaping in the venue (below).

Walking down the steps felt like entering another world—the venue is bigger than I imagined, and maintaining it must be quite a task.

▲ Waterfall landscaping in the venue.

Going further in, while others have small bridges and gentle waterfalls, this place features a grand, majestic waterfall. The flowing water seems on some kind of timed cycle? Because after I took a photo, the water stopped.

▲ The much-anticipated night view.

A breathtakingly beautiful night view, just as expected. Gazing into the distance, you can see the Zhongshan Expressway on the right side of the venue (if I remember correctly), and the staff mentioned that the scenery is most beautiful on weekends when traffic is heavier. Also, the area with the wooden tables and chairs in the photo above is the venue’s barbecue area—perfect for friends and family to enjoy a night barbecue (but I just wanted to eat, not grill, haha).

▲ A corner of the venue.

We went up via the wooden stairs (Happiness Path) and came down via Brave Man Slope (I just made that name up). Halfway down, I looked back, thought the angle was nice, so I took out my camera to shoot again. Luckily my friend was very patient and didn’t rush me—otherwise, I wouldn’t have these photos. (Is it important to carefully choose travel companions? Haha.) Also, a reminder to parents bringing young kids: personally, I think this slope is quite steep, and you must hold on to (or watch) your child closely when going downhill. Otherwise, they might easily run around and fall face-first.

▲ Grassland area below the park.

Behind the big tree in the photo above, the upper right area facing the tree is the barbecue area we saw earlier, and the left side is the camping zone. There were three or four groups camping that day, but we didn’t go over to take pictures to avoid disturbing them.

▲ Landmark of the park.

The park has a frame-like landmark similar to Penglai Boulevard, which is a super popular photo spot. To capture this empty-scene shot, my friend and I waited nearby for nearly ten minutes before it was our turn.

▲ Upward view of the park.

I think the geographical location of Xingyue Earth Park is pretty good. Each area is naturally divided layer by layer, step by step. After reading their park brochure, I learned that it’s situated on the highest flat terrain of a river terrace. No wonder you can see far without having to climb high. I heard you can see the magnificent Huoyan Mountain in the morning, as well as distant ports (a feature where mountain, sea, and sky align). I definitely need to visit again during the daytime.

Overall Review (Impressions):

Price Level: ★★★☆☆
Park Cleanliness: ★★★★☆
Park Planning: ★★★★☆
Overall Rating: ★★★★☆

I wonder if everyone still remembers the interview report from

The park's layout is quite impressive, and the staff were incredibly patient in answering all my questions (I’m such a curious one!), while the meals completely amazed both me and my friends. I had assumed that a place marketed as a scenic park or scenic restaurant would focus more on the views, with the food being just average. But coming here totally shattered those mediocre expectations. That day, most visitors were families with kids (at least from what I saw), but personally, I think this place is absolutely perfect for couples, longtime partners on a date, or friends gathering for a meal.

The only more practical considerations are... although the overall pricing isn’t expensive, it is a bit higher than your average restaurant. Also, many areas of the park are still under construction and planning. So if you’re looking at it purely as a restaurant, it’s definitely a huge and stunning scenic one. But if you see it as a leisure park, based on what I actually walked through and saw that day, it’s not yet entirely complete or polished. It’s more suited for visiting once or twice a month to enjoy the changing scenery across seasons (or for out-of-town friends to dine). It might not be somewhere you’d come every day, week, or too frequently—after all, one must maintain quality of life and keep an eye on the wallet, haha.

Oh yeah！All the photos above were taken with a Nikon D5500 (all lenses are stock equipment), and I just randomly pressed buttons and set things (I’m still not great at adjusting aperture or shutter speed or whatever). Anyway, just take a bunch of shots, adjust as you go, and there’ll always be usable photos. If someone like me, who’s not great at photography, can still capture decent-enough pictures, then surely you all watching this can capture million-dollar-worthy views without any problem！(Truly, the experts are among us！Haha)

So, people who aren’t great at photography—or who are still learning—welcome to come and capture every beautiful and amazing corner of this park. I also recommend it to anyone who, like me before, didn’t know about this place called Xingyue Earth, or wants to learn more about it. Below, I’ve included the operating information for the venue, which I gathered from the internet and the brochures handed out that day (if any info is incorrect, please refer to the official details released by the venue).

Leisure café menu from the day we dined:

And finally, finally, finally, while looking up info just now, I saw their official Facebook page also posted details about Mother’s Day set menus and related events—so tempting！Friends who are interested can click through to check it out; it sounds like a great choice！If you want to learn more about the park or have any dining-related questions, it’s best to call Xingyue Earth directly for inquiries！

Xingyue Earth Scenic Leisure Park
Address: No. 486, Yuemei North Road, Houli District, Taichung City
Phone: 04-26831671
Business Hours: 10:00–01:00
Services: Chinese cuisine, corporate dining, wedding banquets, garden café, barbecue camping, scenic leisure
Official Website:www.starmoonland.com.tw
Facebook Page:www.facebook.com/starmoon688/