Quiet afternoons are meant for scones and tea. It is such an elegant combination and we can do with a good set anytime.

You need not be English to love scones and tea; you only need to find Smith & Hsu, and all is well. How this Taiwanese brand captured our hearts and made us fall head over heels in love with them is simple. And they cast the same spell on whoever steps in too. You’d never want to leave, simply because Smith & Hsu is indeed the best place for scones and tea in Taipei.

Homely. Cosy. Peaceful.

These are but a few reasons why you have to stop by Smith & Hsu when in Taipei. The interior is every bit inviting, almost like a living room. It is nothing like a Victorian tea room – no long curtains, no plush seats, no roses.

Instead, it is a simple and well-lit space with low-hanging lamps, many shelves of books that are free for reading, and simple wooden tables with white chairs. Unpretentious and comfy; that’s just where we prefer to spend our afternoons at.

And of course, when at Smith & Hsu, thou shalt not leave without trying their signature scones. Buttery and warm and lightly glazed on the crust, the scones are served with clotted cream and a spread of your choice. Pick from their homemade jams and marmalades, honey and lemon curd; our favourites are the strawberry jam and lemon curd.

Eat your scones with the strawberry jam and you’d get a sweet delight, or you can always go for honey too. Eat your scones with the lemon curd if you are a fan of tangy flavours; the curd is always tart at the perfect degree such that it does not musk the fragrance of the buttery scones.

Picking your tea is always the most fun part of the Smith & Hsu experience. We always look forward to when the server brings us the whole tray of samples, and we would spend what seemed like a decade smelling every jar; deciding on just one tea is of course as tough as rocket science. But whatever you have a taste for – green or black teas, fruity or floral – the range of teas will have something to please you.

Smith & Hsu is definitely a place that we’d visit every time we are in Taipei, and if it is not your list yet, you don’t know what you are missing out on!

Smith & Hsu
No. 8, Section 5, Zhongxiao East Road
Tel: +886 2 8786 2877
Sun to Thu: 11am – 9.30pm
Fri & Sat: 11am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Taipei City Hall

No. 21, Section 1, Nanjing East Road
Tel: +886 2 2562 5565
Daily: 10am – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: Zhongshan