Cat Cafes in Taiwan

Sanxing Township, Yilan County

喵豆梓 Miao Douzi is a homely Korean restaurant with a cattery upstairs, set in a farmhouse on Annong North Road, Section 3, in Sanxing Township, right beside the Annong River. Downstairs the owners cook home-style Korean food such as soft tofu stew, seolleongtang beef bone soup, spicy rice cakes, seafood pancakes, bulgogi and banchan side dishes, plus coffee and drinks. After the meal, guests can go upstairs to the cat floor, where a good number of cats of various breeds are friendly and happy to be stroked. The house has plenty of solid wood furniture, and shoes come off at the door. Tables are by reservation only, by phone or through the restaurant's Facebook page, with 90 minutes per table and cash payment only. Pets are welcome if kept in a stroller or on a lead, and roadside parking nearby is easy.

Jiaoxi Township, Yilan County

萬記商行 The One's Shop is a coffee roaster and cat cafe set among rice paddies on Xingnong Road in Jiaoxi Township, beside National Freeway 5, with its own car park. A large family of shop cats, many of them black, roam the bright dining room, whose big windows look out over the fields; they are well fed and well cared for, and while most are happy to be stroked, they tend to go about their own business. The owners roast their own beans on a 4 kg roaster and serve pour-overs, espresso drinks and tea, along with brunch plates, dishes featuring Yilan duck-shang, Basque cheesecake and other cakes. Tea and water are self-service, the minimum spend is NT$100 per person, and groups of six or more pay a 10% service charge. Seats can be booked through the shop's website. A second branch, with its own cats, is in Yilan City.

Yilan City, Yilan County

The Yilan City branch of 萬記商行 The One's Shop sits on a street corner on Nongquan Road, Section 2, and is one of the few cat cafes in central Yilan City. A handful of friendly cats, four at recent count, share the spacious, clean dining room and come over to be stroked; ask the staff to clear empty plates promptly so the cats do not lick them. Like the original shop in Jiaoxi, it serves coffee roasted in house, alongside a full menu of brunch plates such as the continental breakfast with pulled pork and wild mushrooms, ciabatta sandwiches, curry, roast chicken, waffles, mochi desserts, puddings, banana splits and brownies. The minimum spend is NT$120 per person, payment is cash only, and booking ahead is recommended; seats can be reserved through the shop's website.

Sanxing Township, Yilan County

漫步小森林咖啡 is a spacious, light-filled cat cafe on Xingjian 2nd Road in the countryside of Sanxing Township, Yilan. A number of well-cared-for cats live here, and on arrival staff introduce the cats on duty that day and explain their personalities, so you know who enjoys attention. To keep both the cats and young visitors safe, the cafe does not admit children under 12. The kitchen goes well beyond typical cafe fare, with spiced curry served with cat-shaped rice, duck breast pizza, bagels with homemade jam, waffles, brownies and other desserts, plus coffee and drinks. The interior is carefully designed and full of thoughtful details worth a look in their own right, and the owner is happy to chat when she has a moment. Opening days are limited and updates are posted on the cafe's Facebook page, so check there before making the trip.

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.

Huwei, Yunlin County

Tinco Metalwork Huwei (庭口金工 虎尾店) is a silversmith's studio and cafe in Building D of the restored Jianguo Military Dependents' Village in Huwei Township, Yunlin. Half of the vintage space is for jewellery-making and half for the cafe, and four resident cats, introduced by the shop as its cat managers, roam both, greeting guests table by table before wandering off for a nap. Visitors change into slippers at the door. Silver ring, bracelet and necklace workshops run in booked sessions of about two and a half hours, and the shop also sells handmade jewellery and takes custom orders. Cafe seating is walk-in, and the menu draws on military-village home cooking, with hot-and-sour noodles, spicy dumplings and braised beef shank, plus rice-cake snacks, ice cream, coffee and tea. Keep the door closed behind you, as the cats are free to roam. Park at the Jianguo village car park and walk in.

Chiayi City

Tinco Metalwork Chiayi (庭口金工 嘉義市店) is a jewellery studio, cafe and evening bistro in an old house on busy Zhongshan Road in Chiayi's East District. Several resident cats roam the building, joining diners at their tables, and staff will hand you a feather wand to play with them. Some are shy, so let them come to you. The ground floor is the dining room and upstairs is the workshop, where you can book a session to make your own silver ring, with staff helping and taking photos. By day the kitchen serves pasta, smoked salmon dishes and coffee. In the evening the shop becomes a softly lit metalwork bistro with creative cocktails and local-style plates. Bookings for meals and workshops are made online. For parking, use the Central Plaza underground car park or the city hall car park.

Puzi, Chiayi County

Tinco Metalwork Puzi (庭口金工 朴子店) is the original branch of this jewellery-and-cats studio, set among the restored Japanese-era houses of the Shuidaotou creative cluster in Puzi City, Chiayi County. The wooden house is small, half metal workshop and half Japanese-style tearoom with only four tables, and the resident cats wander freely between the two. Shoes come off at the entrance, and diners order by QR code. Silver ring workshops can be booked, with a teacher guiding you through the piece; the studio also makes jewellery, tableware and wedding rings to order. The tearoom serves taiyaki, rice-cake skewers, pudding, sundaes, pasta, coffee and tea at modest prices. With its few tables and the cats napping around the workbenches, it is a quiet place for a slow afternoon. Parking is easy nearby.