A Hundred New Restaurants Bloom in 2015: Taipei’s 10 Most Popular Eateries of the Year

Reported by Huang Shiyuan / Taipei

As 2015 draws to a close, Taiwan’s dining scene has been bustling this year, with nearly 50 new gourmet restaurants opening. Many introduced international cuisines, allowing food enthusiasts to savor global flavors without booking a flight—think Korean BBQ imported from South Korea or various popular queue-worthy dishes from Japan. However, local cuisine held its ground against foreign brands, with themed restaurants popping up one after another, and all-you-can-eat spots expanding from the south to the north. These were some of the most popular restaurants of 2015.

With so many new restaurants opening this year, we’ve compiled a list of 10 highly popular or representative new eateries. Of course, tastes vary, and some of these restaurants may be quietly tucked away in cities and counties across Taiwan. These 10 are just for your reference.

▲ The first Charlie Brown Café opened in Kaohsiung. (Photo by You Ru)

Charlie Brown Café
Taiwan’s first “Charlie Brown Café” debuted in March this year in the Hanshin Dome Mall area of Kaohsiung, making it one of the few international restaurant franchises to open its first branch in Kaohsiung. Every corner of the café is adorned with decorations featuring the beloved characters. Charlie Brown Café’s marketing director, Cheng Yuming, noted that as Taiwan’s first Charlie Brown Café, both details and menu items were customized “specifically for Taiwan.” For example, they introduced a diverse range of hot meals, opted for a light color scheme throughout the café, displayed exclusive fan-collected memorabilia, and even developed Taiwan-exclusive, locally inspired Charlie Brown merchandise—each element is worth a photo op or an immersive experience for fans.

Aside from the Kaohsiung branch, the Charlie Brown Café in Hsinchu also began operations in October, with the second branch themed around “American sports style.” It was also recently announced that the third branch will open in Taichung (what about Taipei?), with a scheduled grand opening on January 1, 2016.

Kaohsiung Dome Branch
Address: No. 35, Bo’ai 3rd Rd., Zuoying District, Kaohsiung City
Phone: 07-334-2559

Hsinchu Branch
Address: No. 323, Xida Rd., Hsinchu City (7F, Hsinchu Big City Department Store)
Phone: 03-523-5826

Taichung Branch
Address: No. 2, Chaofu Rd., Xitun District, Taichung City


▲ The Secret Garden Café of Uglydolls. (Photo by Huang Shiyuan)

Uglydolls Themed Restaurant
Ugly they may be, but Uglydolls have quite the fanbase. Before its opening, the Uglydolls-themed Secret Garden Café of Light Meals and Coffee saw two months of sold-out reservations, marking the start of this year’s themed restaurant trend. Though it’s not as packed as it was at launch, weekend customers remain steady. A second branch also opened in September, adopting a pastoral style instead of the forest theme of the first, along with a completely updated menu.

The first branch, the Secret Garden Café of Light Meals and Coffee, adopts a semi-self-service dining style, with no service charge, a minimum spend of NT$200, and a two-hour dining time. Menu items include fries, chicken nuggets as appetizers, as well as pasta, sandwiches, pizza, pancakes, and most notably, a series of head-shaped risottos—shaped like little flower heads, grandma heads, and the three mushroom brothers—integrating Uglydolls into the dishes.

The second branch, Uglydolls’ Secret Room, distinguishes itself with a pastoral-style interior featuring melon vines and fruit stalls. The menu is also entirely redesigned, incorporating fruits and vegetables into the dishes. Branch manager Mia said the chef created around 100 dishes, which were narrowed down to 25 after staff tastings. These include brunch, lunch, afternoon tea, and hearty dinner options—completely different from the first branch.

The Secret Garden Café of Light Meals and Coffee
Address: No. 2, Lane 40, Aly. 181, Sec. 4, Zhongxiao E. Rd., Da’an District, Taipei City
Reservation Hotline: 02-2775-5161

Uglydolls’ Secret Room (Zhongshan Branch)
Address: 2F, No. 13, Nanjing W. Rd., Taipei City (Exit 3, Zhongshan MRT Station)
Reservation Hotline: 0905-082-407 & 0905-083-024


▲▲ CaliBurger Zhongxiao Branch. (Photo by Huang Shiyuan)

CaliBurger
American burger chain CaliBurger opened in April and, despite some initial controversy, has maintained steady customer traffic thanks to owner David Chao’s commitment to serving the highest quality burgers. More than half a year later, CaliBurger opened its second branch in December, located in Ximending. CaliBurger emphasizes using only the freshest ingredients—the potatoes are hand-cut and fried to order, and the cheese is placed on the burger patties while they’re being grilled, ensuring the beef and cheese meld together perfectly. Additionally, their patties aren’t overly pressed, resulting in a juicy, tender bite.

Zhongxiao Branch
Address: No. 7, Lane 7, Alley 205, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Taipei City

Ximen Branch
Address: 2F, No. 107, Hanzhong Street, Wanhua District, Taipei City

▲ Hello Kitty Shabu-Shabu is Taiwan’s first officially licensed hot pot restaurant. (Photo by Huang Shiyuan)

Hello Kitty Shabu-Shabu
Hello Kitty Shabu-Shabu is Taiwan’s first officially licensed hot pot restaurant. The large Kitty plush at the entrance wears not a bow, but a camellia on its head — a design specially created by Sanrio Taiwan for the world’s first HELLO KITTY-inspired Japanese-style hot pot. The motif appears throughout the restaurant to highlight HELLO KITTY’s subtle, elegant, refined, yet adorable personality.

To immerse guests in the HELLO KITTY experience, the decor and tableware all feature the character. Even the menu is shaped like HELLO KITTY, ensuring fans can spot her everywhere. Highlights include the bow-shaped pot lid, HELLO KITTY cheese/salmon roe, red shrimp and squid balls, bow-shaped squid balls, HELLO KITTY pumpkin, HELLO KITTY tofu, HELLO KITTY fortune bags, and even HELLO KITTY rice.

Address: No. 16, Lane 27, Alley 216, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2711-5216


▲ Rilakkuma Café, a themed restaurant based on the popular bear character. (Photo by Huang Shiyuan)

Rilakkuma Café
Rilakkuma Café officially opened in October, and its interior is filled with the adorable bear character. Upon entering, you’ll see a giant Rilakkuma plush, a full wall of Rilakkuma dolls, Rilakkuma patterns on the tables, various sizes of Rilakkuma pillows on the chairs, Rilakkuma-themed plates, painted Rilakkuma walls, and numerous Rilakkuma decorations — creating an incredibly soothing atmosphere. The star attraction is the Rilakkuma-shaped food items, such as the Rilakkuma fresh milk cheese cake, strawberry cheese cake, and trio of puddings in the dessert case. Main dishes include Rilakkuma pork cutlet curry rice, Rilakkuma white sauce chicken rice, and Rilakkuma pancakes. Since opening, all seats are available only via online reservations; phone bookings are no longer accepted.

Address: No. 3, Alley 3, Lane 248, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2773-0303


▲ The eight flavors of BBQR Korean BBQ are ginseng, red wine, pine needles, garlic, floral, curry, miso (soybean paste), and chili sauce. (Photo by Huang Shiyuan)

BBQR Korean BBQ
Officially launched on August 1st, BBQR Korean BBQ is brought to Taiwan by the Taiwanese Aisheui Group from South Korea. The restaurant specializes in thick-cut pork belly, with its standout feature being eight different flavored pork belly options: ginseng, red wine, pine needles, garlic, floral, curry, miso (soybean paste), and chili sauce. Staff provide tableside grilling service, and they recommend eating the meat as soon as it’s cooked for the best tenderness — leaving it too long on the grill makes it tougher. Despite having been open for four months, securing a table during peak hours remains difficult.

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


▲ The biggest highlight of Haidilao is its “over-the-top” service. (Photo by Huang Shiyuan)

Haidilao
The well-known mainland Chinese hot pot chain Haidilao has officially launched in Taiwan, and its biggest draw is its “over-the-top” customer service. The waiting area offers complimentary services such as manicures, massage chairs, and shoe shining, while fruits, herbal teas, and ice cream are also free. In the dining area, fruits and congee are provided at no extra cost. In addition to constant attentive service — including offers of tea, massages, or manicures — the most unique perk is the “kids’ room,” where parents worried about their children burning themselves can have them looked after. The roughly 5 ping (16.5 m²) playroom features a small ball pit and attendants who play with the kids.

The popular mainland Chinese hot pot chain Haidilao officially opened in Taiwan on September 20th. Two months later, reports emerged of price hikes on certain dishes. Restaurant manager Li Yu explained that after operating in Taiwan for some time, the price adjustments were mainly to improve ingredient quality, with an average increase of around 10%, affecting approximately 80% of the menu items. The goal is to offer better ingredients to Taiwanese customers. However, according to a comparison by reporters of old and new menus, most price hikes ranged from 20–30%, with only pork belly slices, streaky pork, and plain rice seeing increases over 40% — at 44%, 47%, and 50% respectively.

Address: 6F, No. 12, Songshou Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-77431855 / 02-77431899


▲ An abundance of seafood, crab legs, and sashimi is one of the restaurant’s main highlights. (Photo by Chen Ruizhong)

Han Lai Harbor Restaurant Dunhua Branch
Regarded by many as the “king of all-you-can-eat buffets in southern Taiwan,” Han Lai Harbor Restaurant’s Taipei SOGO Dunhua branch officially opened on October 30th. This marks its sixth branch overall, and its first in Taipei. Focused on fresh seafood and abundant ingredients, the buffet has stirred up competition among major hotel buffets in the greater Taipei area, giving diners more choices. The restaurant offers over 200 dishes across nine themed sections, including a seafood cold station, international cuisine, Asian dishes, Japanese grill and fried foods, made-to-order dishes, soups, and desserts. Each section is staffed by 5–6 chefs.

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


▲Tian N<。内容有舞菇、大虾、小干贝加花枝海鲜炸、青龙、炸半熟玉子、炸海苔片。300元+10%

Kin no Hananosuke
Japan’s Queued-Up Food Spot “Kin no Hananosuke” Tian N<专卖店终于要在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

▲When eating skewered fried food, always dip it in the sauce — place the whole skewer into the sauce bowl, but only dip once. Once you've dipped, do not dip again, as the sauce is shared by everyone.

Skewered Fried Tofu Daruma　
The Osaka Shinsekai original skewered fried food “Skewered Fried Daruma,” a must-eat in Osaka, Japan, has officially opened its Taipei branch on December 1st. Aside from the flour, breadcrumbs, and dipping sauce being imported from Japan, all ingredients are sourced locally in Taiwan. Therefore, prices in Taipei are nearly the same as in Japan: the lowest price per skewer is NT$20, most skewers are around NT$30, and the most expensive one, eel, is NT$70 per skewer.

Skewered fried food involves threading various ingredients onto bamboo skewers, coating them with batter, then rolling them in breadcrumbs before deep-frying the whole thing. After frying, before eating, you dip it in the shop's signature sauce. In Japan, this sauce is shared, and to maintain hygiene, skewered fried shops prohibit “double-dipping.” You absolutely cannot dip again after taking a bite just because you feel the flavor isn’t strong enough. Since many Taiwanese are not familiar with how to eat skewered fried food, the Taipei branch is the first to serve the special sauce in small sauce containers. For those concerned about using the communal dip, you can also directly pour the sauce from the small container onto your skewer.

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

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