MRT accesible coffee shops for work & study

One thing Taipei doesn’t lack is coffee shops! But of course only a few of them end up on bloggers best of the city lists. Still, what if you don’t want the best coffee? What if you just want a place that’s conveniently located and good for studying at? This is often the situation we find ourselves in. And to help ourselves, we’ve started compiling a running list of coffee shops within a 10 minute walk of Taipei’s MRT Stations. Some of these are NOT ideal for studying at and we note that as a reminder to ourselves! Others are great, but only at certain times of day or if you bring your own three-prong adapter,or if you don’t need reliable internet, etc. Others check all the boxes (strong wifi, plenty of outlets, lots of seating room, reasonable prices and the freedom to stay for hours, etc). Read on to see which places might fit your coffee shop studying needs! And if you have a suggestion for somewhere we haven’t been yet – let us know!

( ✓ mark coffee shops we’ve been to. Stations are listed starting in Northwest Taipei moving roughly Southeast through the city. Click on the coffee shop’s name to see it in google maps)

Neihu Station: Brown Line

✓ Felice Café Used to be a favorite on our list but it’s closed now, guys – sorry! But we hear there’s a Louisa Coffee in the area now that might be a good option. Louisa Coffee is a big coffee chain in Taiwan (Think local Starbucks rival). But many are quite small and close early, so they often aren’t the best study cafes. This one might be the exception though, as its supposed to be quite large and is open til 10pm daily.

Wende Station: Brown Line

✓ Joker Café ( ≈ 10 min walk)

wifi – yes.
outlets – some. At least five tables have access to outlets but they all appear to be two prong outlets so you may want to bring a three prong converter
size – Medium size with a nice large outdoor patio
atmosphere & service – We were greeted warmly as soon as we stepped in. Noticing that we had computer bags they directed us to a table with outlets. The space is really fun. It’s full of cute little touches (like the plate of lego cake pieces on top of the dessert display case)
drinks & food – The reason this place was on my radar is because of rave reviews on google for its homemade desserts. The day I came I was in the mood for something simple. So I had the lemon sponge cake. It was very nice. Although others looked more decadent. (I’ll have to try the tiramisu next time) I was impressed with the latte art on my honey cinnamon latte and Josh was very happy with his milk tea. One big surprise here was that their menu was pretty much entirely in Chinese. The staff spoke some English though and were very helpful! So between that and the google translator app, we managed ok 🙂
Other notes: They have a 3 hour time limit to stay here. But staff said that’s only when its really busy and people are waiting for a seat.

Gangqian Station: Brown Line

✓Moon River Café & Books ( ≈ 5 min walk)

wifi – yes
outlets – yes
space – its a large space but many of the tables are very small and it’s not the kind of place where you feel free to push tables together. So depending on the type of project you want to work on this could be a draw back. (They appear to reserve larger tables for groups & people ordering full meals)
atmosphere & service – go here for the atmosphere! It totally wows you. It’s Victorian library themed with super high ceilings & velvet plush chairs. Even the menu comes tucked inside an old book. The buildings storefront doesn’t look like anything special that makes inside all the more striking.
drinks & food – this place is a bit spendy – you pay for the atmosphere. The drink was nice but not amazing.

Xihu Sataion: Brown Line

✓ Le Coin du Pain ( ≈ 3 min walk)

wifi – yes, but a bit slow. Staff had to restart the router for us once.
outlets – YES! Lots 🙂 There’s a wall of 10 tables on the first floor, each equipped with a 3 prong outlet. The large center table also has outlets every few seats, and almost all of the tables on the second floor have outlets nearby.
space – really big space. You should have no problem finding a table here.
atmosphere & service – Josh and I were walking to a different coffee shop (there are a few in the area) when this place caught my eye. It’s exactly the kind of place I imagine cozying up in and working at for hours. When a coffee shop seems more like a restaurant, we are never sure if it is a good work space. But we could clearly see through the windows that despite displaying a cafe food menu, customers inside felt free to use it as a studying/working space. Staff here were super friendly. With some broken English and gestures they even helped me realize that I could get a set discount on what I’d ordered. They upgraded my house coffee to a cappuccino basically for free.
drinks & food – Our cappuccinos were wonderful. The apple crumble was a splurge, and although it wasn’t exceptional, it was nice. A house coffee here is $90, cappuccino $130 and flavored lattes $150 and up.

Jiannan Station: Brown Line

Our day of attempting to coffee shop study around Jiannan station was a complete bust!! Jiannan station is great if you’re looking for good food, mall shopping, movies, or a butterfly hike. But not so much for study appropriate coffee shops. There are a couple of Starbucks that will do the job. But Xihu & Dazhi station on either side of Jiannan have so many great little independent coffee shops, you really shouldn’t need Starbucks to save you. That said, just in case you’re curious, here’s a rundown of our less than successful coffee shop hunt at Jiannan Station.

✓Moment Cafe & Bakery (≈ 9 min walk)

wifi – probably, but we didn’t get that far
outlets – a good amount! There’s a wall of approx 10 tables against the wall, most of which have access to a three prong outlet. A few other tables also have outlets
space – medium sized, but spacious design, doesn’t feel crowded
atmosphere & service – cute cafe, well lit & spacious
drinks & food – a nice selection of specialty coffees, teas and drinks… but definitely a splurge! Lattes start at $160NT. They also have some great looking desserts. You can buy a drink and a dessert for $350 as a set. But we were just in for drinks that day.
Other notes: After getting all set up at our table we noticed in tiny letters at the bottom of the menu “$290NT minimum per person”! We always expect a one drink minimum, but this $290 pp is a bit steep. So we opted not to stay.

✓ La Vazza Cafe ( ≈ 2 min walk)

wifi – ?
outlets – nope. this is all outdoor sidewalk seating
space – very small, just two or three tables
atmosphere & service – super nice staff at a very casual sidewalk coffee stand. Cheap prices, worth checking out if you’re grabbing a coffee on your way up to Jiannan Butterfly trail (its just a minute away from the same MRT exit you take for that hike)
drinks & food – didn’t notice if they serve food.

✓ Kaffa Cafe 卡發咖啡專賣店 (≈ 8 min walk)

wifi – ?
outlets – did not appear to have many
space – very small, just 3 or 4 tables
atmosphere & service – sweet little space with friendly staff who informed us that they were just closing (at 7pm).
drinks & food – didn’t make it in far enough to look at their menu. This is the cheaper side of the street so we’d expect reasonable prices. But can’t say for sure!

Dazhi Station: Brown Line

There are dozens coffee shops within a 10 min walk of Dazhi station. The following are just a couple of our favorites. A few others to consider are Kooka Coffee (pricey coffee but great space!), The Balcony Cafe (small and cute), Cuckoo’s Nest (a cat cafe and a good late night option), and Coffee Buff (a great morning/afternoon study space, but very busy at lunchtime!) – all of them are within 10 minutes of the MRT and have free wifi.

✓ Maven Coworking Café ( ≈ 2 min walk from exit 2)

wifi – yes! fast & reliable
outlets – every table has access to an outlet and a usb charger. Although if you are coming with a friend and plan to plug in 2 computers at one table you may want to bring a small power strip.
space – medium small, but I’ve never had a problem getting a seat.
atmosphere & service – A coworking space with a clean modern design. The ladies who work here are really nice and of course they welcome you to stay as long as you want.
drinks & food – a nice selection of specialty coffees, teas and drinks… they even have chai! They also have a couple desserts but no food beyond that.
Other notes – There is a one drink minimum per person here. Also keep in mind this is more of a daytime study spot and they aren’t open on Sundays.

✓Izhi Coffe 一直咖啡 ( ≈ 1 min walk from exit 1)

wifi – Yes. We’ve go often and its been quite reliable
outlets – there are outlets within reach of most tables but often two tables share access to one outlet, so consider bringing a power strip.
space – medium indoor space (about 12 tables plus bar seating for another 4 people) It also has a nice size outdoor balcony.
atmosphere & service – relaxed space with friendly staff. I like that they have water pitcher out so you can refill your glass as many times as you like. I also love the jazz music they play in the background.
drinks & food – the drinks are nice. Their latte art is great! And the prices are really good for a sit down coffee shop (my hazelnut latte was $120 NT, a cappuccino is $100, and American $90)
other notes – there is a 100NT pp minimum here, which is more than reasonable! Also note, if you really don’t like walking, you can’t get a coffee shop much closer to an MRT station then this one.

✓ Fortunate Café ( ≈ 5 min walk)

wifi – yes
outlets – almost every table has outlet access!
space – medium size
atmosphere & service – spacious, quite and uncluttered. The lady who owns the place is super sweet and the hot drinks are served in a charming teacups.
drinks & food – nice drinks. Josh especially appreciates the pot of matte tea he can get her. And its also a favorite coffee shop of my vegan friends who appreciate the milk alternatives available here.

Zhongshan Junior High School Station: Brown Line

✓ GaBee 咖啡店 ( ≈ 5 min walk)

wifi – yes (but not particularly fast)
outlets – Some. The first time I went I didn’t realize that the line of tables against the wall all have outlets up behind them. But they may be just 2 prong outlets
space – large
atmosphere & service – Cute space. Very friendly, helpful staff.
drinks & food – come here for the drinks! They literally wrote the book on latte art here in Taipei. They have tons of specialy coffee and I personally am a big fan of their hot chocolate.

✓Trust Café ( ≈ 3 min walk)

wifi – yes, fast & reliable!
outlets – many
space – medium large. (If the first floor is getting full they will open up the downstairs, but it isn’t always open)
atmosphere & service – spacious and bright with some of the friendliest of staff I’ve interacted with. This place is meant to be a working space so feel free to stay for hours.
drinks & food – straightforward drink selection, nicely done.

Astar Coffee House ( ≈ 4 min walk)

wifi – ?
outlets – ?
space – looks cozy, but with a medium amount of seating
atmosphere & service – has very good reviews on googlemaps
drinks & food – according to reviews their BLT is fantastic. Drinks are supposed to be good too.
other notes – we hope to check out this place sometime soon!

✓ Starbucks ( ≈ 1 min walk)

wifi – not free! (which can be a shock when you’ve been trained to expect all Starbucks to have free wifi)
outlets – many
space – medium
atmosphere & service – its Starbucks 🙂
drinks & food – again it’s Starbucks. But that said, Starbucks’ drinks aren’t the same as in the States! No Cinnamon Dulce lattes *sigh* but they do have different teas and specialty drink flavors you don’t see in the States.

There are Starbucks everywhere in Taipei. I won’t mention any others. But thought I’d note at least one 🙂

Nanjing Fuxing Brown & Green line

✓ Coffee Z ≈ 2 min walk from exit 4 or 5

wifi – yes. And the handful of times we’ve been there its been quite reliable
outlets – only about half of the tables have access to a 3-prong outlets. So you may have to start at place without outlet access and then move once a spot w/outlet access becomes available. Although on the first floor they do have a row of bar seats with USB outlets.
space – Fairly large (possibly quite large, the day we went the 3rd floor was closed so we don’t know how much extra seating is up there!)
atmosphere & service – modern, clean design.
drinks & food – straightforward menu with very reasonable prices. They offer 3 different espresso options for all drinks. From their you choose your style of coffee ie: Americano 70NT, Latte 90 or Mocha 100. Adding flavor is an extra 10NT and 20NT for an extra shot. They also offer hand drip coffee for 120NT as well as a variety of teas for 85NT or a milk tea 110. As for food, they have a few light desserts but nothing really by way of savory food.

Zhongxiao Fuxing Brown & Blue Line

✓ Homey Café ≈ 9 min walk

Wifi – yes
outlets – lots! Almost every station has outlet access.
space – large ( bigger than it looks! there’s a whole second room you don’t see when you first walk in, plus lots of seats on the balcony if you don’t mind the smoke)
atmosphere & service – this place is tucked upstairs above a Japanese restaurant…it sort of feels like a secret club when you step through the door into this apartment turned coffee shop.
drinks and food – I was particularly happy with my hazelnut latte and Josh had a really nice caramel milk tea. They also have a few meal options & desserts but we didn’t try them
Bonus: Open til midnight! (but doesn’t open til noon)

*This place has lots of good reviews online… I’d read that it gets very busy on weekend afternoons. But when we arrived at 2:15 the places was mostly empty. By 3:30 though it was starting to fill up.

Da’an Station Brown & Red Line

✓Swell Co. Café ( ≈ 9 min walk)

wifi – yes
outlets – One large center square bar that has outlets for each seat. Not sure how many tables have access to outlets though.
size – medium
atmosphere & service – Really fun space! The surfing theme is played up in a very engaging way – with surf boards and live cactus plants. Staff were friendly and had no problem with us staying there for a couple hours working away on our laptops.
drinks & food – their latte was really nice (although they didn’t appear to offer any flavored specialty drinks beyond a mocha), my passion fruit kiwi spritzer was great, but the scone was the star of the show. If you go here, don’t pass up the scones!!

Technology Station: Brown Line

✓La Clé D’or 克雷朵咖啡 ( ≈ 3 min walk)

wifi – yes
outlets – yes! There’s a wall of 10 small tables each of which has access to 3 prong outlets
space – medium
atmosphere & service – quiet cozy working space. I appreciated soft jazz music and the natural lighting provided from all the big windows.
drinks & food – I generally don’t judge desserts here by my American standards… but the mango tart here was good even by American standards! As for drinks they have a very large tea assortment while also offering coffee and a variety of flavored lattes. I went for the rose lime spritzer and was very happy.

Dongmen Station Red Line

Yaboo Café ( ≈ 7 min walk)

wifi – yes (reported to be very fast)
outlets – yes (reportedly many)
space – looked fairly large with a great patio
atmosphere & service – judging from the outside it has a fun eclectic artsy vibe. But when we arrived on a Sunday afternoon, staff promptly informed us nicely in English that they were full. So we didn’t get any further than one step in. Still it looks like a place worth going back to.
drinks & food – we’ll find out next time!

Café Libero ( ≈ 7 min walk)

wifi – yes (don’t know how reliable it is though, we didn’t stay long enough to use it)
outlets – some, but when we went no tables were available with access to outlets
space – large with a great patio space as well
atmosphere & service – lovely vintage motif! Friendly staff, greeted us right away and tried to help us find seats
drinks & food – ? (since there wasn’t outlet access, we didn’t stay for drinks)

Zhongxiao Dunhua Station Blue Line

✓ Impct Coffee (≈ 6 minute walk)

wifi – yes
outlets – no
size – very small
atmosphere – a very clean bright space with super friendly English speaking staff
drinks & food – Got my attention because of its perfect 5 star rating on google after 204 reviews. It’s known for its excellent single origin coffees. But when we went we tried a couple of their cold specialty drinks and really enjoyed them!
Other notes – Actually the most exciting thing about this place is that it’s a social enterprise, using the sale of coffee to help fund the construction of schools in central America. The business was started by a Candadian, Hondoruan, El Salvadorian and Tawainese person – a truly international collaboration!

Zhongxiao Xinsheng Blue Line

Paper St. Coffee Company (≈ 5 minute walk)

wifi – No
outlets – a few
size – pretty small but not a closet
atmosphere – really cute space with friendly staff
drinks & food – went but didn’t stay because of no wifi – but they’re reported to have great drinks

Taipei Main Station Red & Blue Line

✓ Helen Café (≈ 6 min walk via exit M8) or (≈ 6 min from Red Line NTU Hospital Station)

wifi – yes
outlets – many
size – very large
atmosphere & service – Feels very classy, but with friendly staff who don’t care if you camp out for hours.
drinks & food – Wonderful lattes and cappuccino’s! (never tried the food)
other notes – This was my favorite working coffee shop when we lived around Taipei Main.

✓ Notch Cafe (≈ 3 min walk via exit M8)

wifi – If it weren’t for how bad the internet was the day we went, this place would have instantly become my favorite study coffee shop in the city. But unfortunately the connection was so spotty it was basically non-existent, even after the staff reset the router for us.
outlets – Almost every table seems to have access to an outlet. But they’re all 2-prong outlets so bring an adapter if you’re looking to plug in your computer! And maybe a power strip too in case you end up sharing an outlet with another table.
space – This place is much bigger then it looks. I had actually walked by it multiple times thinking it looked too small and crowded to make for a good study space. But it turns out there are at least 4 floors to this coffee shop, meaning it can easily fit 100 people at a time.
atmosphere & service – The pictures of this space are what caught my attention! And in person its even cuter. Staff were super friendly and helpful, speaking to us in English.
drinks & food – They have a nice variety of drinks here. I really enjoyed my vanilla latte and was especially happy about the $100NT price! This is definitely one of the cheapest sit down study coffee shops I know of in Taipei.
other notes – unlike any other coffee shop I’ve been to in Taipei, here you have to order your drinks before going to find a seat. But that’s because they monitor all of different floors with camera’s and will assign you a free table or seat when you order. You can tell them if you need access to an outlet or more space for you computer. In our case they gave us a seat a the bar with outlet access but when we mentioned we were concerned about space the barista offered to let us move to a table as soon as one opened up – which she did. Personally I like this system they have worked out. Its way better than wandering 4 floors, finding one table after another that looks like its unoccupied only to find a purse or coat guarding the empty table (a common Taiwan phenomenon)

✓ Mr. Brown Coffee ( ≈ 6 min walk via exit M4) or ( ≈ 9 min. walk from Green Line’s Zhongshan Station)

wifi – yes
outlets – many
size – very large
atmosphere & service – I love the brick exterior with the big pillars on either side of the entrance, but the ambiance begins and ends there.
drinks & food – This is the down side. Josh & I went here a few times. Its such a great work space. But we never liked anything we tried. I like sweet drinks and Josh likes black coffee or unflavored lattes – so usually at least one of us finds something we like. But we struck out here.

Zhongshan Station Red & Green Line

Zhongshan is chalk full of cute little alley housing cute cafes and boutiques. But that means this is not the place to look for casual coffee shops that are cool with you hanging out using their outlets and wifi all day. But if you want just a couple hours working in cafe, with fancy desserts and great atmosphere… Zhongshan might be a good choice. But don’t expect to pay under $160NT for your vanilla latte.

Megane Café ( ≈ 7 min walk)

wifi – yes – according to reviews online
outlets – ?? didn’t go inside to see
space – medium small
atmosphere & service – fits right in Zhongshan’s cute boutique-y neighborhood
drinks & food – mentioned in a few best of coffee shop lists for Taipei and has good reviews on google
Other notes – we tried going here on a Saturday around 1:30 but it looked very busy. As we found with most “coffee shops” in the area, this place seems to function more as a cafe then a coffee shop. Guests appeared to be having meals or desserts with friends. It didn’t seem like a place to just buy a coffee, set up your computer, and work. Of course, this might be different on weekdays.

這裡 ICI Origin

Wifi – probably
Outlets – At quick glance it seemed like maybe half the tables had access to outlets. And there were outlets out on the small balcony.
Size – medium small. About 10 tables inside plus a small balcony that would seat maybe 3-4 people.
Atmosphere – very cute, cozy space up on the second floor of the building. Pictures of this place were what drew us to Zhongshan that day. And it was just as cute in person as in the pictures.
Other notes – this is another café that serves full meals as well as coffee. Unlike all the other street level cafe’s we walked past that Saturday afternoon, it had plenty of open tables. They asked us to sit at a small table though, and when we requested a larger table for our computers, we were told that larger tables are reserved for groups of 3 or more. We could have taken the bar seating on balcony, but it was a bit cold that day. We also discovered that they have a a 2-hour time limit for guests, so considering all of that we decided to decided to try somewhere else.

✓Hour Coffee

Wifi – yes.
Outlets – Only a couple tables appear to have outlet access. And here’s something we’ve never come across before in Tapei – they charge 50NT for using the outlets!
Size – medium small. There are 4 tables (one of which is fairly large) and a wall of bar seats. Could maybe fit 25 people max.
Atmosphere – not a boutique-y cafe, this is a straightforward coffee shop with a garage band / industrial warehouse feel.
Drinks & food – Josh ordered a regular cappuccino. But based on the foam to milk ratio, what arrived might arguably have been called a latte. But a very nice latte! I meanwhile ordered an almond latte, which I was exactly what I got and I was quite happy with it. Even though this space has casual vibe though, the prices are still Zhongshan prices (Almond latte $160, Cappuccino $135).
Other notes – They have 1 drink per person minimum charge. And FYI the menu asks not to take pictures (which we obviously cheated on a bit )

Ximen Station Blue & Green Line (or Taipei Main)

Heritage Bakery Cafe ( ≈ 7 use Ximen Underground Mall Exit 6 or ≈ 4 from Taipei Main)

wifi – Yes.
outlets – very few. we only saw one table with clear access to an outlet
size – medium large. 8 small tables, a few bar seats & two long tables. Maybe fits 40 people max (unless they ever open the 3rd floor)
atmosphere – beautiful space with old brick and rough cement walls, displaying colorful art.
drinks & food – The google reviews for this places desserts is what drew me here. And their guava cheesecake did not disappoint! Its seriously one of the best cheesecakes I’ve ever had. Actually all of their food looks amazing, the pastries, the fruit bowls, the sandwiches – (which includes a vegetarian option -yay!) all of it. Our drinks – cappuccino, 130NT & roasted nuts salted caramel latte, 160NT – on the other hand were nice but nothing exceptional. And everything here is a bit of a splurge, so I’ll skip the coffee next time. But I might try their apple cider!
Other Notes: We prefer to walk here from Ximen Station because its less crowded than Taipei Main. And its still a pretty quick walk (maybe 4 minutes from Ximen underground mall Exit 6) Also note they do enforce a 120 minute stay limit on weekdays, and 90 minutes on weekends.

Taipei 101/World Trade Center Red Line

Woolloomooloo (≈ 6 minute walk)

wifi – ?
outlets -?
size –?
atmosphere and ambiance – It’s an Ausie café.
drinks and food – apparently people come for their flat white among other things
other notes: this place comes up in so many best of lists! Although its reviews on googlemaps are only hai hao (so-so) and its also supposed to be on the expensive side.

Of course this doesn’t even begin to cover all the MRT stations, let alone coffee shops in Taipei! But its a running list! So it will grow. Feel free to make suggestions too!

Meanwhile if you’d like to check out some lists of best coffee shops in Taipei , here’s a couple to get you started…Eater.com’s top ten coffee shops in Taipei provides a review along with pinned locations on a map for each shop and this fantastic article by Saveur will both educates you on the history of coffee culture in Taiwan as well as provide a list of places to consider visiting.