Kōichi Coffee Opens Its Third Store！Pancakes Made with Taiwan Rice & Freshly Squeezed Juices

Text & Photos /A Man’s Daily Life
(Text by Man E, Photography by Man J)

What’s this little yellow door, and why is it kinda adorable? Turns out it’s the third branch of the Kōichi Coffee brand — “Kōichi Travel Collection.” As always, it’s located on the second floor of a building. This time, it’s in the Taipei University Gongguan shopping area. After removing the previous signage of the Lion Taipei University Humanities Space, the space now feels bright and open, with independent window seats where you might even catch a glimpse of the lively scene in the small alley market.

It’s been almost a year since my last visit to Kōichi Shuju in Zhongshan District. I liked that coffee shop in the old apartment building — the space felt casual but also exuded a nostalgic vibe reminiscent of old Taiwan. In comparison, Kōichi Travel Collection adopts a more commercial interior design style. It doesn’t feel too different from the former Lion Taipei University Humanities Space. The rectangular space features marble tables, and next to the staircase you climb up, there are also a few various books available for reading.

%techstrong>Berry & Banana Chocolate Besties $195 / Banana&Berries

Made with strawberries, fresh cream, banana, chocolate sauce, walnuts / Pancakes are made to order and take about 10–15 minutes.

The menu states that Kōichi Travel Collection’s pancakes use Taiwan-grown Ponlai rice from small farms, offering a combo of two flavors. The overall pancake was slightly crispy. That day, due to no blueberries being available, strawberries were used instead, making it taste somewhat bland. The fresh cream was dispensed from a can, resulting in a thinner texture. The other flavor was chocolate banana. The presentation of the dish looked cute, but overall the taste wasn’t really to my and J’s liking. The side kiwi yogurt was fairly average.

%techstrong>Gold Medal $185(Photo right), made with strawberries, bananas, pineapple, honey, and homemade yogurt as a freshly blended smoothie — rich in flavor and quite tasty.

%techstrong>Super Vitamin C $185(Photo left), made with orange, pineapple, and kiwi, featuring the sweetness of pineapple, smooth and easy to drink.

Epilogue

Kōichi Travel Collection officially opened on March 15th. For drinks, they offer coffee, tea, beer, and blended juices. The food menu mainly consists of salads, paninis, and light pancake dishes. They selected parts of the menus from both Kōichi Coffee and Kōichi Shuju to create this new combination.

This time incorporating travel elements, it’s situated on the second floor above Lion Travel, presenting a completely new look. In fact, it’s not very evocative of being a continuation of Kōichi Coffee. The food prices are also a bit on the high side, but the service is quite friendly.

Kōichi Travel Collection
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Address: 2F, No. 331, Section 3, Roosevelt Rd., Da’an District, Taipei City (5 mins from Exit 3 of Gongguan Station)
Business Hours: Mon–Thu 11:30–20:45 / Fri 11:30–21:45 / Sat 10:00–21:45 / Sun 10:00–20:45
Phone: 02-2364-2345

2 Men from Taipei
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Man E is the rational free spirit, Man J is the stubborn free spirit.
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