It's so popular—5 hard-to-book restaurants in Taipei

Tourism Center / Taipei Report

Taiwanese people love good food, but some restaurants are so popular and attract many visitors that they have limited seating or require reservations. Each time reservations open, it’s like scrambling for train tickets during Chinese New Year. For example, RAW, opened by André Chiang, sees its reservation slots sell out instantly the moment they open, and a slight hesitation means missing out. Other hard-to-book restaurants include the Park Lane Restaurant at Regent Taipei, the newly opened Han Lai Harbor Restaurant Dunhua Branch, the Rilakkuma-themed restaurant, and Song’s Kitchen serving authentic Peking duck.

RAW
“RAW” is about to celebrate its first anniversary on December 9. Even though it has been open for some time, its seats remain hard to book. Reservations open at 12 PM for the next 14 days (for example: at 12 PM on February 13, you can book for February 26). Those who want to make a reservation need to be ready in front of their computers just like booking train tickets—the moment it opens. As RAW celebrates its one-year milestone, it has selected the best of the best from past dishes, along with fan-favorite and much-requested popular items, launching the “RAW Annual Selection Menu.” The menu will be available from November 4, 2015 to January 10, 2016.

Location:Address: No. 301, Lequn 3rd Road, Taipei City
Business Hours:
Lunch and dinner are available Wednesday to Sunday
Lunch: 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM
Dinner: 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays
Note: From November 4, 2015 to January 10, 2016, RAW will only serve the RAW Annual Selection Menu during lunch and dinner. The cost is NT$2,680 + 10% service charge per person for either meal.

▲ Seafood station at Park Lane Restaurant. (Photo / Huang Shih-yuan)

Park Lane Buffet Restaurant
After a brief closure, the popular Park Lane Buffet Restaurant at Regent Taipei reopened on October 21. The number of daily phone inquiries surged to over 20,000 (computer-recorded, including unanswered calls), with the highest record reaching 28,000 calls. Currently, reservations are fully booked until the end of November. Weekday lunch and dinner reservations can be made starting December, while weekend lunch and dinner reservations must be made starting January 2016. There may still be some availability for afternoon tea, but special holidays are particularly competitive. Try calling around 5 PM when there might be a chance to get through.

Address: No. 3, Lane 39, Section 2, Zhongshan N. Road, Taipei City
Phone: 02-25238000 ext. 3870
Pricing: Breakfast NT$690 + 10%; Lunch weekdays NT$990 + 10%, weekends NT$1,290 + 10%; Afternoon tea weekdays NT$690 + 10%, weekends NT$790 + 10%; Dinner weekdays NT$1,190 + 10%, weekends NT$1,290 + 10% (including Fridays). Children between 100–130 cm pay half price, children under 100 cm eat free.


▲ American oysters are an exclusive dish at Han Lai Harbor Dunhua Branch. (Photo / Chen Jui-chung)

Han Lai Harbor Restaurant Dunhua Branch
Regarded by many as the “king of all-you-can-eat dining in southern Taiwan,” Han Lai Harbor Restaurant officially opened its Taipei SOGO Dunhua Branch on October 30. This marks its sixth branch following those in Kaohsiung, Taichung, Tainan, and Taoyuan, and its first entry into Taipei. With a focus on fresh seafood and a wide variety of ingredients, the harbor-style buffet restaurant has ignited new competition among large hotel buffets in the Greater Taipei area and offers diners more choices. The restaurant serves over 200 dishes divided into 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 five to six chefs.

▲ Rilakkuma Café is also nearly impossible to get a seat at. (Photo / Huang Shih-yuan)

Rilakkuma Café
Since beginning its trial operations, the Rilakkuma-themed Rilakkuma Café has been incredibly hard to get into. After its official opening on October 2, all seats became available only via online reservations, and phone bookings are no longer accepted. The café also announced that it will open online reservations for the entire following month on the 20th of each month. Customers can make reservations via the official Facebook fan page or Line@. Booking instructions are also available on the official Facebook page. Rilakkuma Café offers five daily time slots for reservations: 11:30 AM, 1:40 PM, 3:40 PM, 5:50 PM, and 8:00 PM. Each meal session is limited to 120 minutes, and reservations are held for only 10 minutes—if you don’t arrive or cancel within that time, your seat will go to a walk-in. Additionally, the café does not serve meals on weekday afternoons, offering only desserts, snacks, and drinks. Full meals are served on weekends and holidays.

Address: No. 3, Lane 248, Section 4, Zhongxiao E. Road, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2773-0303
Business Hours: 11:30 AM – 10:00 PM

Song’s Kitchen
Song’s Kitchen, formerly known as Quanjude, was renamed Song’s Kitchen. Its most talked-about dish is Peking duck. Some food bloggers claim it serves the best Peking duck in Taipei. Whether it really is the best is subjective, but if there’s one Peking duck restaurant that’s the hardest to book, it’s definitely Song’s Kitchen. Song’s Kitchen opens up reservations for the following month on the 1st of each month, and walk-ins are given priority for booking on-site. That’s why you’ll often see people lining up outside the restaurant early on the 1st of every month.

Address: No. 14, Lane 15, Section 5, Zhongxiao East Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2764-4788

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