SanFormosan Coffee

Dong Ding He spent six months travelling Taiwan to meet coffee farmers after a visit to a village rebuilding from Typhoon Morakot introduced him to domestic grown beans. When cafe owners balked at buying Taiwan coffee for being pricey and inconsistent, he opened this flagship himself in 2016 inside a 1930s building on Yanping North Road, once home to Cafe Werther, the first coffee house opened by a Taiwanese owner, and later the Black Beauty dance hall where the city's political and business circles gathered.

Every bean on the menu is grown somewhere in Taiwan, poured as single origin hand drip and labelled by township so the cup carries a specific place rather than a generic blend. The historic room keeps its original tiled floors and skylight, wifi runs but there are no power outlets given the building's age, and one drink minimum applies per guest. Small pets are welcome if kept off the floor.