Alleyway Cafés / Turning Art into Life – Enjoy Coffee in a Gallery

By Lai Yanru

When the bustling main roads grow tiresome, turn into a quiet alleyway. There, you’ll find small bookstores, grocery shops, and delightful cafés and teahouses… The idol drama “Big Red Riding Hood and Little Wolf” produced by Dreamland Culture collaborated with 15 alleyway shops in Taipei for the “Big Red Riding Hood Drops By” gift campaign. Each shop has its own unique charm, worth exploring.


▲ A gallery café where art and life aren’t so far apart. (Photo provided by Dreamland Culture)
“People in Taiwan are too intimidated to walk into grand, imposing galleries!” said Huang Qihuang, owner of VG Gallery (also known as Weijia Gallery) and VG Café. To share art with more people, he decided to open a gallery café that feels approachable, where art feels close to everyday life.

“Actually, there are many spaces abroad that combine art exhibitions and cafés. What’s displayed isn’t just paintings—it could also be sculptures, various light fixtures, candles—people take it all for granted.” Huang Qihuang believes art shouldn’t be a privilege reserved for the elite but should be a common part of everyone’s life. “The artworks displayed at VG Café will all appear in art auctions, but I refuse to put price tags on them. I don’t want people to judge the art based on price.”


▲ Just like the neighboring café, VG Gallery hopes to bring people closer to art. (Photo provided by Dreamland Culture)


Huang Qihuang, who holds an MBA, stumbled into the art world by chance. “While waiting to be drafted into the military, I worked part-time at a gallery, helping move paintings to auctions. That’s when I realized art isn’t just beautiful—it’s also a market worth developing and investing in.” And just like that, he dove headfirst into the gallery scene, starting from the ground up. He seized every opportunity to attend auctions and exhibitions, eventually opening his own gallery.

After deciding to open VG Café, Huang Qihuang applied the same determination to learning everything he needed to know about running a coffee shop. “At first, I didn’t know anything about coffee,” Huang admitted, “but when you don’t know something, you have to work hard to learn.” From knowing nothing to becoming well-versed in all things coffee, he truly put in the effort. He even enlisted friends to learn alongside him and hired a friend to manage the café operations full-time because, “Running a café is a profession. If you’re going to do it, you have to do it right.”


▲ Huang Qihuang highly recommends his signature “Brown Sugar Coffee,” where warm coffee is topped with a layer of caramel for a rich flavor. (Photo provided by Dreamland Culture)



▲ The tables and chairs in the shop are secondhand furniture the owner sourced from abroad. (Photo provided by Dreamland Culture)


Huang Qihuang jokes that art is meant to be shared and discussed. He loves chatting with customers about the paintings and exchanging thoughts on the artworks. As someone who treats art as a way of life, he hopes to bring more people closer to art and help them fall in love with it through VG Café. If you have time, stop by VG Café, boldly share your thoughts on the paintings on the walls, and Huang Qihuang will be happy to listen and tell you more stories behind the art.


▲ A rare gem in Taipei where you can enjoy coffee and appreciate art at the same time. (Photos provided by VG Gallery and Dreamland Culture)

【VG Café】
Phone: 02-23781005
Address: 1F, No. 4, Lane 279, Section 1, Fuxing South Road, Da’an District, Taipei City 106