We spent three days exploring Taipei during a stopover on the journey home from Sydney to London. Armed with a long list of saved locations and very little else, we spent our time wandering neighbourhoods, seeking out independent businesses and discovering why Taipei deserves a place on every design lover’s travel list.
Unlike many city-break destinations, Taipei feels relatively underrepresented in Western travel media. That turned out to be one of its strengths.
Taipei at a Glance
Best coffee shop: Beam Coast Coffee
Best independent fashion store: SOLDOUT
Best homewares store: Eye Candle
Best vintage furniture store: VG House
Best bookshop: Pon Ding
Best noodle spot: Master Jim Noodles
Best dumplings: Din Tai Fung
Best area for wandering: Songshan Cultural and Creative Park
The Best Fashion and Design Shops in Taipei
Taipei surprised us with the quality of its independent retail scene. Rather than large international brands, many of our favourite stores focused on smaller designers, thoughtful curation and pieces that felt difficult to find elsewhere.
SOLDOUT
One of our favourite retail discoveries in Taipei. The store combines contemporary fashion, homewares and design objects, with a particular focus on brands from Korea and Japan.
NIOH
A beautifully presented store bringing together fashion, accessories and design-led products. The curation feels thoughtful throughout and rewards a slow browse.
Unsimple
Located within Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, Unsimple specialises in handmade leather goods and one-off clothing pieces. I left with both a jacket and a skirt.
Fujin Tree 355
A collection of smaller designers and independent brands, making it a great place to discover labels you won’t find elsewhere.
Good Spot
Part café, part clothing store, combining good coffee with a carefully selected range of fashion and lifestyle products.
BEAMS Taipei
The Japanese retailer’s Taipei outpost is worth visiting for both the products and the inspiration.
The Cellar
A carefully curated vintage clothing store focusing on timeless pieces rather than trends.
The Best Homeware and Interior Design Stores in Taipei
For anyone interested in interiors, Taipei offers plenty of temptation.
Eye Candle
Known for sculptural candles, skincare and beautifully designed retail spaces. A great place for gifts and inspiration.
VG House
A carefully curated vintage furniture store filled with timeless pieces, lighting and objects that feel selected rather than sourced in volume.
FunFun Town
A playful collection of homewares, furniture, stationery and design objects.
Everyday Wear & Co
A thoughtfully curated selection of homewares and everyday objects that are both functional and beautifully made.
The Best Coffee Shops in Taipei
Beam Coast Coffee
We first spotted Beam Coast Coffee from across the road whilst queueing for Master Jim Noodles and immediately added it to our list for the following day. The interiors are beautifully considered and the coffee more than justifies a visit.
Le Cinq
One of our favourite cafés in Taipei. Calm, understated and the sort of place where an intended quick stop can easily turn into an hour.
G’Day Café
A relaxed neighbourhood café with a strong Australian influence and excellent coffee.
HOF Shop & Coffee
Part retail space, part café. A good example of Taipei’s blend of hospitality and design.
Sounds Good
Part café, part listening bar. A beautifully considered space where music and atmosphere are as important as the coffee itself.
Greek Yoghurt Day
Our first breakfast in Taipei and the perfect starting point for exploring the surrounding neighbourhood.
The Best Bookshops, Photography Spaces and Creative Culture in Taipei
Pon Ding
Part independent bookshop, part gallery and part café, Pon Ding occupies several floors of a former apartment building and was one of the most interesting creative spaces we visited.
Moon Bookshop
A small independent bookshop with a carefully curated selection of books, magazines and creative publications.
Lomography Taipei
A must-visit for anyone interested in analogue photography, with cameras, film stock and accessories from across the Lomography range.
Snapp Photo Lab
More than just a film processing lab, Snapp combines photography, books and creative culture under one roof.
Vinyl Decision
A record store with a strong connection to Taipei’s independent creative scene and a carefully selected collection of vinyl.
Where to Eat in Taipei
At sixteen weeks pregnant, my first-trimester nausea and food aversions were still lingering, so some of our culinary choices were perhaps less adventurous than they might otherwise have been.
Master Jim Noodles
Worth the queue. The noodles were unlike anything we’ve had at home and remain one of the most memorable meals of the trip.
Din Tai Fung
I’d initially dismissed it after realising it was a chain, but the recommendation came up often enough that we decided to give it a chance. It was busy, but entirely worth the wait.
Ossu Hand Roll Bar
A small, design-conscious hand roll bar serving fresh sushi in a relaxed setting.
Wang’s Broth
One of our favourite meals in Taipei. Comforting, satisfying and exactly what we wanted after a day spent exploring the city.
Balle Balle
Not every meal on a trip needs to be local. A welcome option when pregnancy cravings called for something a little more familiar.
Final Thoughts
Taipei felt different to many of the cities we visited on this trip.
We arrived with relatively little knowledge of where to go and left wishing we’d had a few more days.
For anyone interested in architecture, fashion, interiors, coffee and independent businesses, it’s a city that rewards wandering.