Have you tried these restaurants? A lazy guide to 15 popular new Taipei eateries opening in the second half of the year

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

Do you feel like 2015 is flying by? The second half of the year sees the launch of many new dining spots, many of which are popular queue-worthy eateries from Japan and Korea. ETtoday EBC has compiled a list of 15 highly sought-after restaurants that opened in the latter half of the year for your reference.

▲ Burger Ray’s Heart Attack Burger. (Photo / Huang Shih-yuan)

Burger Ray
Burger Ray makes its burgers using Choice-grade steak beef. The meat is ground on-site when customers enter the store, and they can choose their preferred level of doneness—rare, medium, or well-done—as well as customize toppings and sauces. In addition to its signature burger (beef), Burger Ray also offers five other varieties: a special Southeast Asian pork burger, pan-seared seafood burger, Heart Attack Burger, and mushroom & quinoa burger. Its second branch officially opened on December 6, debuting two limited-edition flavors: “Lemon Salmon Burger” and the Jamaican-spicy “Voodoo Chicken Leg Burger.”

Burger Ray Shilin Branch
Address: 1F, 211 Zhongzheng Rd., Shilin District, Taipei City (near Exit 2 of Shilin MRT Station)
Phone: 02-28833899


▲ Deluxe Club Sandwich. (Photo / Huang Shih-yuan)

Lee's Sandwiches
Following the successful introduction of Hong Kong’s Michelin one-star restaurant Tim Ho Wan, He Yi Life is now bringing in the American chain French-Vietnamese sandwich brand Lee's Sandwiches. Its first overseas branch will open on August 9 at HOYII He Yi North Station. Lee's Sandwiches offers a total of 32 sandwich varieties, divided into French-Vietnamese and European-style categories, with the standout feature being its proprietary baguette. Prices range from NT$128 to NT$188 for 10-inch sandwiches and NT$78 to NT$108 for 5-inch ones.

Address: 1F, 36 Section 1, Zhongxiao West Rd., Zhongzheng District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2370-0378


▲ The eight Korean BBQ flavors include ginseng, red wine, pine needles, garlic, herbs, curry, miso (soybean paste), and chili sauce. (Photo / Huang Shih-yuan)

Korean Eight-Flavor BBQ
Officially opened on August 1, the Taiwanese branch of the Korean Eight-Flavor BBQ is introduced by Taiwan’s Aiseikai Group. This eatery specializes in thick-cut pork belly, served in eight unique flavors: ginseng, red wine, pine needles, garlic, herbs, curry, miso (soybean paste), and chili sauce. Tableside service is provided to grill the meat to perfection. Staff recommend eating the meat immediately after grilling, as leaving it on the grill too long can make it tougher.

Address: No. 3, Lane 10, Alley 223, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Rd., Da’an District
Reservation Phone: 02-8773-9050


▲ Haidilao Hotpot Taiwan No. 1 Store. (Photo / Huang Shih-yuan)


Haidilao
The well-known mainland Chinese hotpot chain Haidilao officially began operations on September 20, serving customers from 11:00 AM to 4:00 AM the next day without breaks. Known for its “overly attentive service” on the mainland, Haidilao staff go beyond offering tea, massages, and manicures—they even provide “kid sitting” services. The restaurant features a roughly 5-ping play area where parents can leave their children if they’re worried about burns or simply want to enjoy their meal undistracted. The play area includes a small ball pit and staff to watch and play with the kids.

Address: 6F, 12 Songshou Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-77431855 / 02-77431899


▲ The shrimp powder (dark brown on the left) and crispy noodles (pink) are two highlights of Ichigen Ramen. (Photo / Huang Shih-yuan)

Ichigen Ramen
Opened on September 11, Ichigen Ramen sources its broth exclusively from shrimp heads, a specialty brought from Hokkaido. The rich, sweet umami of the shrimp head broth differs greatly from typical pork bone broths. Around 60 kilograms of shrimp heads—enough for approximately 600 bowls of ramen—are used daily. Ichigen Ramen’s head chef, Lin Chikyu, who has over 10 years of ramen experience, explained that the idea came from a creativity challenge at Ookura Ramen, where the team experimented with crab, scallop, and clam broths before discovering the uniquely delicious flavor of shrimp heads. This led to the founding of Ichigen Ramen in 2009.

Address: 1F, 22 Songshou Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City (Neo19)
Phone: 02-27235578


▲ Rilakkuma-themed restaurant.

Rilakkuma Cafe
The Rilakkuma Cafe, a Rilakkuma-themed restaurant, began soft operations on September 1. The interior is filled with Rilakkuma elements—from the giant Rilakkuma plush at the entrance and Rilakkuma fabric wall to tableware, chair cushions, plates, painted walls, and various decorations, creating an extremely soothing atmosphere. The themed food is a major draw, with desserts like Rilakkuma fresh cream cheese cake, Milk Bear strawberry cheese cake, and tri-color pudding all shaped like Rilakkuma. Main dishes include Rilakkuma pork cutlet curry rice, Rilakkuma white sauce chicken rice, and Rilakkuma pancakes.

Address: No. 3, Lane 248, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Taipei City
Business Hours: 11:30~22:00


▲▲ An abundance of seafood, crab, and sashimi is one of the hallmarks of Han Lai Harbor Restaurant. (Photo by Chen Ruizhong)

Han Lai Harbor Restaurant SOGO Dunhua Branch
Regarded by many as the “all-you-can-eat king of the south,” Han Lai Harbor Restaurant officially opened at Taipei SOGO Dunhua Branch today (October 30), becoming its 6th branch following those in Kaohsiung, Taichung, Tainan, and Taoyuan, and its first location in Taipei. The restaurant offers over 200 dishes across nine themed zones, including a seafood cold bar, international cuisine, Asian dishes, Japanese grill and fried foods, made-to-order dishes, soups, desserts, and more, with 5–6 chefs stationed at each zone.

In addition to popular choices such as Wanli crabs, red crabs, and fresh sashimi, the Dunhua branch also introduces local Taiwanese specialties among its wide range of international dishes. These include Shilin-style large sausages, freshly boiled beef soup from Tainan, milkfish noodle soup with seafood, and rotating rice cakes. Dunhua Branch is also the only harbor restaurant in the group that offers an all-you-can-eat selection of American oysters.

Address: 6F, No. 246, Section 1, Dunhua South Road, Taipei City
Phone: 02-8773-6656


▲ IZUMI CURRY’s ultra-heavy 12-ounce cheeseburger curry rice. (NT$480) (Photo by Huang Shiyuan)

IZUMI CURRY
The Japanese Osaka-based curry restaurant Izumi Curry officially opened at Taipei’s Beijing Station Fashion Plaza on October 1. Its curry sauce is made with an abundance of natural spices, apples, onions, ginger, bananas, honey, vegetables, wheat flour, carrots, and self-brewed beef bone broth. To ensure overseas branches match the taste of the original store, up to 15 types of natural spices are imported from Japan. The restaurant’s signature dishes include the ultra-heavy 12-ounce burger curry rice, angel egg beef curry, and pork cutlet curry rice.

Address: B3, No. 1, Section 1, Chengde Road, Datong District, Taipei City (Beijing Station Flagship Store)
Phone: 02-23458199


▲ Maru Po Gull Taiwan’s No. 1 store finally opened on November 14, with gull meat (pork diaphragm) and stovetop eggs as two flagship offerings. (Photo by Huang Shiyuan)

New Maru Po Gull Taiwan Store
The Korean BBQ chain brand New Maru Po Gull officially opened its No. 1 store in Taiwan on November 14. In addition to sourcing ingredients locally in Taiwan, the kitchenware and sauces used are directly imported from Korea. Here, you can enjoy authentic Korean-style gull meat (pork diaphragm) and stovetop eggs, as well as grilled pig skin featured in Korean dramas. Grilled pig skin is also a specialty of New Maru Po Gull. Qiu Qianfang mentioned that after obtaining the pig skin from suppliers, they not only remove all the hair but also clean off the subcutaneous fat layer, leaving only the collagen-rich skin.

Address: No. 35, Lane 131, Yanji Street, Taipei City (across from CTS)
Phone: 02-2775-5110

▲ Dreamy chicken wings from Nagoya arrive in Taiwan — just a gentle bite makes the meat fall off the bone. (Photo by Huang Shiyuan)

World’s Yamachan
The renowned Japanese chicken wing chain “World’s Yamachan” opened its first Taiwan branch on the evening of November 27 in the Xinyi commercial district, making it its third overseas location after Thailand and Hong Kong. Established in Nagoya in 1981, World’s Yamachan currently operates over 70 branches both in Japan and internationally. Among its diverse menu of fried foods, salads, and stir-fries, the “dreamy chicken wings” are the most iconic. The Taipei Xinyi store will be located in the alleyway next to Exit 1 of Taipei City Hall MRT Station.

Address: 1F, No. 10, Lane 15, Section 5, Zhongxiao East Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City
Business Hours: 17:00～24:00

▲ Lotte Imperial’s Eight-Colored Xiao Long Bao (NT$320), available in flavors including original, ginseng, foie gras, black truffle, cheese, crab roe, garlic, and spicy. (Photo by Huang Shiyuan)

Lotte Imperial
Lotte Imperial, the most popular brand under Singapore’s Chinese dining group Lotte Catering, officially opened at Xinyi Breeze on November 5. In addition to a variety of classic Chinese dishes, Lotte Imperial is best known for its “Eight-Colored Xiao Long Bao.” Aside from the original flavor, other options include ginseng, foie gras, black truffle, cheese, crab roe, garlic, and spicy. Lotte Imperial states that the dough colors are made solely from vegetable, squid, and red grain (or goji berry) juices, containing no artificial coloring or chemical additives.

Address: No. 68, Section 5, Zhongxiao East Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City (Breeze Xinyi)
Phone: 02-6636-6699


▲ Honest pineapple buns really do contain pineapple.

Dian Dian Xian
Dubbed the strongest rival to Tim Ho Wan, Dian Dian Xian officially opened at Xinyi Breeze in early November. Currently, it’s fully booked during mealtimes every day, with the most popular item being the super-cute little pig-shaped “Piglet Flowing Sand Bun,” selling up to a thousand a day. Other signatures include honest pineapple buns, crystal-clear shrimp dumplings, and crispy shrimp sausages.

Dim Sum Square opened in 2010 in Jordan, Hong Kong, and quickly gained popularity thanks to its delicious fusion of innovation and tradition. Within four years, it had expanded to branches in Mong Kok, Wan Chai, Sha Tin, and other districts. In 2012, it entered the Shanghai market, and finally made its way to Taiwan in 2015. The Taiwanese branch of Dim Sum Square is located at Breeze XinYi, featuring an interior decorated with numerous light boxes, birdcages, mosaics, and other Hong Kong-style elements to create an authentically Hong Kong atmosphere.

Address: B1, No. 68, Section 5, Zhongxiao East Road, Taipei City
Phone: 02-23450509


▲ Kanesuke’s Edomae Tempura<。(图／黄士原摄)

Kanesuke
Japan’s popular queue-worthy food “Kanesuke’s Edomae Tempura”<专卖店终于在11月10日于微风台北车站开幕了！这次台湾分店提供的菜单不只有日本桥本店的“江户前天N<”，还有“上天N<”及“天N<”共3款人料理，而江户前天N<中使用的“穴子(星鳗)”还是由日本进口，长度比手掌还要大。至于金子半之助最重要的秘制酱汁，也是由日本调制好再运送来台湾。

Address: 2F, No. 3, Beiping West Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City (Breeze Taipei Station)
Phone: 02-2314-0298


▲ Now you can enjoy Osaka’s famous original skewered tempura “Skewered Daruma” in Taipei. (Photo by Huang Shiyuan)

Skewered Daruma
The Osaka New World original skewered tempura “Skewered Daruma,” a must-try in Osaka, officially opened its Taipei branch on December 1st. Except for the flour, breadcrumbs, and dipping sauce which are imported from Japan, all ingredients are sourced locally in Taiwan. As a result, prices in Taipei are almost on par with those in Japan—starting as low as NT$20 per skewer, most are around NT$30, and the most expensive, eel, is NT$70 per skewer.

Skewered tempura involves threading various ingredients onto bamboo skewers, coating them in batter, then rolling them in breadcrumbs before deep-frying them in oil. Once fried, they are dipped in the shop’s signature sauce before eating. In Japan, this sauce is shared among customers, and for hygiene reasons, “double-dipping” is prohibited—you may not dip again after taking a bite if you feel the flavor is not strong enough. To accommodate those who might not get enough sauce on their first dip, Skewered Daruma provides cabbage that can be used to scoop up the sauce and drizzle it over the tempura; of course, the cabbage can also be eaten with the sauce.

Taipei branch address: No. 15, Section 1, Chang’an East Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2523-3037



▲ 16-ounce ribeye steak.

Morton’s The Steakhouse Taipei
The biggest highlight of Morton’s The Steakhouse Taipei is likely the view—you can gaze out over the entire Taipei 101 building and the city’s night scenery while enjoying a delicious steak. Unlike many steakhouses in Taiwan, Morton’s operates on an à la carte system with no minimum spend. You can freely mix and match appetizers, desserts, main courses, and steaks, and you can even visit just for dessert.

The steaks at Morton’s The Steakhouse Taipei are supplied by its exclusive provider, featuring top-grade dry-aged grain-fed beef. The beef is wet-aged for 23 to 28 days to enhance its tenderness and richness. Fresh fish, premium shrimp, and crab are also available to meet the needs of different diners. All beef served at Morton’s is USDA Prime grade. Highlights include oversized steaks such as the 48-ounce (1300g) Premium Delmonico, 20-ounce (550g) New York Strip, and 16-ounce (450g) ribeye—all of which are signature dishes of the restaurant.

Address: 45F, Breeze XinYi, No. 68, Section 5, Zhongxiao East Road, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2723-7000