Historic Buildings Transformed into Hip Cafés: Two Must-Visit Japanese-Era Structures in Tainan

By MOOK Scenic Spots Editorial Team

In recent years, besides the popular trend of revitalizing old houses, there have been increasingly more cases of historic buildings being given new life. Tainan’s first commemorative building, “Former Ori Ristorante,” and the municipal heritage site “Former Tainan Branch of the Taiwan Governor-General’s Office Monopoly Bureau (Yancheng Substation),” officially opened to the public in April and May respectively.

During the Japanese colonial period, Ori Ristorante was known as the “dream ryotei (Japanese restaurant),” while Yancheng Substation once exclusively handled Taiwan’s earliest and most historic sun-dried salt. Both buildings have recently been restored and are now operated under concession.

The operation of Former Ori Ristorante has been entrusted to Ah Hsia Restaurant, Tainan’s most renowned Taiwanese cuisine eatery, which specially reconstructed the lost ryotei and named it “Eagle Ridge Eatery.” The venue will later offer innovative and refined dishes, reviving the former glory of Ori Ristorante as a dreamy ryotei.

To revitalize the space, the Cultural Affairs Bureau held an open tender, which was awarded to the operating team of Ah Hsia Restaurant. After two years of effort, the missing front wing of Former Ori Ristorante has been reconstructed into the newly reborn Eagle Ridge Eatery. The first floor sells light meals and drinks, while the second floor will serve as an exhibition space for art and culture.

The municipal heritage site, Former Tainan Branch of the Taiwan Governor-General’s Office Monopoly Bureau (Yancheng Substation), originally served as a salt administration office during the Japanese colonial period. It is the only surviving Japanese-era hall structure built using the “relocation construction” method. After restoration by the city government, the site has been entrusted to a local operator who successfully transformed an old knitting factory into the refined café “Manmanlong Café.” In the future, it will integrate stories and alleys of Yancheng to become a new tourist attraction in southern Tainan.