Cat Cafes in Hualien County

Hualien City, Hualien County

壹樓貓·咖啡 First Floor Caf'e is a relaxed pet cafe on Zhongmei Road in Hualien City, close to Hualien Senior High School and the Meilun seaside park. Its resident cats, Zhongfen, Pangfen and the black cat Migao, roam the dining room and have a dedicated cat house that takes up part of the floor, so they can retreat whenever they like; a shy Shiba Inu named Haji lives here too. Because the cafe is pet-friendly, visitors' own dogs and cats are also welcome, which makes it a different experience from a cats-only lounge. The kitchen is known for bamboo-charcoal waffles, panini, brunch plates, German sausages and fried snacks, with espresso drinks and creative fruit drinks. The minimum is one set meal or one drink per person. Private parties and birthday events can be arranged by message through the cafe's Facebook page.

Hualien City, Hualien County

喵café自家烘焙館 is a small home-roasting coffee house on Zhongyi 2nd Street in Hualien City, set in a converted house that feels like a family living room or study. Owners Peter and Yvonne share it with six resident cats who take turns as 'store managers'. The best known is Afufu, who greets guests at the door, slips off to nap in a back room and comes out again to see people off; the cats are calm and used to people, and children are welcome to stroke them, though some visits catch them all asleep. Indoor seating is limited, with a few extra tables outside, and a guesthouse next door is linked to the cafe. The focus is the coffee: pour-overs and lattes made from beans roasted on site, alongside cakes, fruit toast, cookies and other light bites. Reservations are accepted, and payment is cash only.

Hualien City, Hualien County

貓棒棒咖啡 Chat Bon Café is a family-friendly cat restaurant on Bo'ai Street in Hualien City that describes itself as a halfway home for cats. The cats, including some kittens, live in a large glass-fronted cat room beside the dining area, so you can watch them while you eat, and at set times they are let out to mingle with diners, when guests can feed them lickable treats. Staff ask that the cats not be picked up. The menu is broad and inexpensive: stone-pot bibimbap, risotto, Thai basil pork, sukiyaki and other hot pots, set meals with soup and panna cotta, waffles and ice cream, with coffee and tea and free refills of drinks with meals. Dogs are welcome, and the restaurant is popular with families and for group meals; it also offers private hire and delivery.

Hualien City, Hualien County

艾倫貓舖子 is a cat cafe and licensed cattery on Zhongshan Road in Hualien City, run by the team behind the earlier 當狐獴遇見貓 animal cafe, which moved here. Pedigree kittens are displayed and sold on the ground floor, so this is a breeder's shop as well as a cafe. Upstairs, diners can visit a separate play area with the adult cats, many of them fluffy Ragdolls, and stroke them or feed them lickable treats; a few lemurs also live on site. Shoe covers are handed out before you go in, and the dining tables are kept apart from the cat area. The kitchen serves curry pork cutlet rice, braised beef brisket, sukiyaki beef hot pot, fried chicken curry, cakes and coffee. The shop also offers cat boarding and sells pet supplies.

Yuli, Hualien County

誠家綠葉 is a countryside coffee house and homestay right beside the railway line in Yuli Township, in the East Rift Valley of southern Hualien, within walking distance of Yuli Station. Run by a couple who moved to the east coast, the blue-and-white two-storey house has big windows for watching trains go by, and several friendly resident cats, three or four at recent visits, greet guests and ask for attention. The owners are coffee specialists who brew imported specialty beans and let you smell them before making a pour-over, and the bakes include fresh cinnamon rolls, brownies, cheesecakes and crepe cakes. At weekends and on public holidays there is a minimum of NT$150 per person for 1.5 hours, with longer stays charged in proportion. Guests who have just eaten Yuli's famous stinky tofu are asked not to come in. The entrance is from the Yufu bike path, not the lane behind.