Regular readers will know that I am a big dessert lover. Whenever I travel to a city, I will make it my mission to track down the best dessert spots to satisfy my sweet tooth.
And it has been proven that I am not the only one. Desserts seem to be an Asian thing, and it is fast becoming a lifestyle to spend an afternoon at a dessert cafe, or to simply take-away some macarons and eat while you shop. Being a frequent visitor to Taipei, I have discovered that this city has many amazing French and Japanese patisseries and cake shops, and during my past few visits, I managed to check out quite a few highly raved dessert places. Here is a list of the best desserts in Taipei.
Boite de Bijou
Boite de Bijou is a lovely patisserie located at the end of Yong Kang Street, nearer to National Taiwan Normal University.
Cakes like Mont Blanc, Chocolate Banana Mousse, Yuzu Mousse, Blueberry Tart and Citron Tart are some of the options here. Their financiers and madeleines (NT$450/box) come in nice packaging, and make excellent gifts for friends and relatives.
No 19-1 Lane 33 Lishui Street
Tel: 02 3322 2461
Daily: 10am – 9pm
Nearest Station: Dongmen
Dazzling Cafe
Dazzling Cafe is one of the most popular cafes in Taipei, and it is where ladies go with their girlfriends for a girls’ night out. They are most well-known for its signature honey toast, and you can find a dozen of flavours such as Mont Blanc, Chocolate Fondue, Strawberry, and Banana Chocolate honey toasts.
No 11, Alley 7, Lane 205, Section 4, Zhongxiào East Road
Tel: 02 8773 9238
Nearest Station: Taipei City Hall
La Douceur Patisserie
There are many patisseries selling macarons, but in my opinion, the best macaron in Taipei award goes to La Douceur Patisserie. Not to worry if you are not a fan of macarons, because you still have every reason to pay them a visit – they also offer desserts like Matcha Cake, Cherry Mousse, 72% Dark Chocolate Tart.
No. 223, Jinhua Street
Tel: 02 3322 2833
Nearest Station: Dongmen
Mayu Bistro
It is easy to miss Mayu Bistro if you do not know Taipei well. Tucked in an alley beside the Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei, Mayu Bistro is one of the top patisseries in Taipei which serves excellent French desserts. A must-stop when you are in the city.
47-2 Changan West Road
Tel: 02 2550 3636
Tue to Sun: 10am – 6pm
Nearest Station: Taipei Main Station
Melange Cafe
The Taiwanese are crazy about waffles, and you can easily find a dozen of cafes that serve waffles on their menu. But you must make a trip to Melange, a posh cafe where locals go to for desserts and tea. The long queues are a testament to their popularity. Besides their signature Waffles (NT$140-170), Melange Cafe also serves desserts (NT$120-150) like Matcha Tart, Banana Chocolate Mousse and Mont Blanc.
No 23 Lane 16 Section 2 ZhongShan North Road
Tel: 02 2567 3787
Mon to Fri: 7.30am – 10pm
Sat & Sun: 9.30am – 10pm
Nearest Station: ZhongShan
Piece of Cake
This highly popular cake shop is located near ZhongShan Station, and it offers Japanese cake rolls in several flavours such as chocolate, tiramisu, and plain cheese.
No 19 Alley 9 Lane 64 Nanjing West Road
Tel: 02 2559 7981
Daily: 10am – 6pm
Nearest Station: ZhongShan
Sadaharu Aoki
Besides Paris and Tokyo, Sadaharu Aoki can also be found in Taipei. It is known for its French desserts with Japanese flavours. I always go there to buy their macarons, especially the Japanese flavours such as sesame, matcha, yuzu and genmaicha. And their eclairs… Oh, the eclairs are awesome. To me, Sadaharu Aoki has the best eclairs I have ever had in my life.
Bellavita Basement 2
No. 28, Song Ren Road
Tel: 02 8729 2759
Sun to Thu: 11am – 10pm
Fri & Sat: 11am – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: Taipei City Hall
Salon de Thé de Joël Robuchon
For a luxurious afternoon tea, Salon de Thé de Joël Robuchon at Bellavita is the place to head to. The tea salon serves a variety of pastries, macarons and desserts. Go for their afternoon tea set (NT$1,200) which features sandwich, pastries, macarons and drinks for two.
Level 3 Bellavita
No. 28 Song Ren Road
Mon to Fri: 10am – 10pm
Sat & Sun: 10am – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: Taipei City Hall
Smith & Hsu
Smith & Hsu has hands down, one of the best scones I have ever had. Whenever I am in Taipei, I always make sure to go there for afternoon tea. You can order a three-tiered dessert set (NT$1200 or S$50) to share among 2-4 people. Or just get the cream tea set (NT$260 or S$10) which comes with two home-made scones, clotted cream, English farm jam, and a cup of tea.
No.33 Zhong Xiao E. Road, Section 5
Tel: 02 2747 4857
Nearest Station: Taipei City Hall
Sweet Tea
Sweet Tea is a tea salon in Taipei 101 which features desserts by the pastry chef at its sister restaurant, STAY. Expect cakes, pastries, macarons and gelato of the highest quality.
No. 45 Shifu Rd, 4F
Taipei 101
Tel: 02 8101 8177
Nearest Station: Taipei City Hall
Wendel’s German Bakery Bistro
Wendel’s German Bakery Bistro is quite a household name in Taipei. Their original branch in Tienmu is slightly out of the way, so the second branch at GuangFu South Road is perfect as it is just walking distance from SYS Memorial Hall Station.
It serves European-style bread, pastries and cakes (NT$65-75) such as Cheesecake, Raspberry Cake and their signature Cakewich.
No. 28, Lane 260, GuangFu S. Rd.
Tel: 02 2711 8919
Nearest Station: SYS Memorial Hall
Zenique Patisserie
At Zenique, you will be spoilt with tea-based desserts (NT$160-180/slice) like Kyoto Matcha, Rose Versailles, Tarte Aux Fraises, and Jardin des Fraises. They also have nine different macarons (NT$60), with Rose being the most popular flavour.
No 8 Lane 4 Yong Kang Street
Tel: 02 2395 1558
Sun to Thu: 11am – 11pm
Fri & Sat: 11am – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: Dongmen
For more recommendations, read our guide on where to eat in Taipei
Thank you! It is so useful as I will be visiting Taipei in Sept
Thank you for the tips! Now we know how to hunt for desserts next March when we go Taiwan for our honeymoon!
These all look great! Planning a visit for next Summer, really excited!
thank you for this write up! i have a suggestion, do try The Grand Place near Zhongxiao Dunhua station. they have these amazing cheese waffles which are so good & i have not found them anywhere else. (: they serve good pancakes too https://www.facebook.com/TheGrandPlace
I suggest Le Reuban Patisserie! Their swissrolls have to be pre-ordered 2 weeks before and are sold in limited quantities. Very fresh and light cream, they are really super!
I love your picture and the captions are very good. I now know which shop I can’t miss..
Thank you!
Oh my gosh. I don’t know what to pick, here in Taipei! Thanks for this intro
I’ve lived in Taipei for 9 years and highly recommend fellow dessert lovers to check out Yu Chocolatier (opened in 2015). To me, Yu’s creations are a cut above the rest in terms of taste, texture and freshness (dessert made fresh daily). I love his “Black Forest” (served in a glass): Crème Chantilly and chocolate mousse over liquored cherries in chocolate cake. Flavourful yet light. Also love the chocolate raspberry choux pastry and chocolate tarts (7 types in all, using single origin chocolate from Valrhona, Chocolaterie de l’Opéra, Marou). Be sure to try Yu’s “Breath of Java” chocolate tart which has the smoky taste of dried longan inherent in Chocolaterie de l’Opéra’s single origin chocolate.
The passion fruit chocolate cake and lemon-basil tart are divine, as are the Chinese teas and hot chocolate (dark chocolate melted in milk, not made from cocoa powder). Yu’s dessert is made with just the right amount of sugar, cream and butter, so one can enjoy several cakes without feeling bloated.
Even their chocolate Madeleine is the best I’ve had so far, using Lescure french butter, with a piece of milk chocolate embedded. Although the dessert selection is quite limited, with just 5-6 items (NT$140-NT$180) and 11 handmade chocolate (NT$85 each), they are of very high quality.
Chef-owner Yu, who was trained in Ferrandi, Paris, is fluent in English and is happy to explain more about his creations.
Elegant space with only 8 seats, so a reservation is recommended. Minimum spend of NT$200 per head during weekend and public holidays; no service charge.
Address: ??????4?112?3?10? No. 10, Alley 3, Lane 112, Sec. 4, Ren’ai Road, Taipei
Open: 12-8pm, close on Tuesdays
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yuchocolatier/
TVBS interview with owner-chef of Yu Chocolatier (Chinese): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQWaV1bRR1k
I kind of hate myself for not seeing this post before my trip to Taipei earlier this year. This is like the perfect food bucket list!
For the best éclairs in Taipei, please visit Bonheur?Bonne Heure in Banqiao. Chef-owner Claire Lin lived in Paris for 8 years and had honed her skills in L’Eclair de génie. Her fleur de sel caramel éclair is to die for, with just the right balance of sweet and bitterness. The oasis lemon tart (tart base uses crumble with a sprinkling of cane sugar crystals for added crunch), raspberry-tonka chantilly choux pastry, macarons are also highly recommended! Open: Wed-Sun 2-6.30pm https://www.facebook.com/bonheurbonneheure/