Vegan Voyage Taiwan
We are on a Vegan Voyage to 21 countries. First up was Vegan Voyage Japan, and here is country number two Vegan Voyage Taiwan.
Check out what to pack for your own trip around the world here.
Culture Notes
- Taipei is a hidden gem that doesn’t get the hype it deserves. If it wasn’t on your list before, I highly recommend looking into it.
- English speakers can get around very easily as most people speak some English.
- The city may look a bit run down on the outside, the culture doesn’t seem to put a lot of value on building exteriors. However inside buildings it is clean and lovely. Don’t let pictures of the streets scare you off.
- The people are SO NICE. We made friends in unlikely places and found that often if we asked help with directions or information people wouldn’t just point us in the right direction but rather walk us where we were trying to go if they had time.
- The food. The food is a vegan paradise! It is so easy to find vegan food that is unique and delicious. Buddhism is a primary religion in this area and because of that many people have a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle.
- This is a cash culture. Most places don’t take credit card. Stop at a money exchange counter when you arrive and get cash. There are ATMs to pull from when you need more.
- Don’t drink the water. The government officially says it okay to drink but people still don’t drink it. Get a filtering water bottle: we got two this LifeStraw one that we can fill and drink straight out of. And this push Grayl so we could filter water to put into glasses or our camel back.
- Many places you can’t flush the toilet paper, you put it in a garbage can instead.
Getting around
The metro and public transportation in combination with Google Maps makes getting around Taipei easy and inexpensive. They have a great system that can get you all around the country on the same city card.
In fact this CityCard can also rent bikes on the side of the road, pay for the gondola, pay for food at many places, and more. It’s a really cool city card.
Lodging
It looked like there were decent hotel options around the city, but we opted to get an AirBNB to have a washing machine, a kitchen, and a more homey vibe. Let me know if you’d like the contact information of the AirBNB we stayed in, it was really lovely and well priced.
Food in Taipei
Delectable vegan Japanese food, in a restaurant filled with smiling joyful staff, owned by a couple who are vegan and spreading the vegan message to their staff and the world, next door to a vegan bakery. Does it get any better? I don’t think so.
Hoshina has 6 locations throughout Taipei. This restaurant is a spectacular place to visit. High quality food, great atmosphere, and supporting such a great mission.
See more of Hoshina in our video:
We are totally in love with Vege Creek. We met with Sam Lee, the social media manager, who was a gem. He is so kind and very passionate about the restaurant and sharing health with people in a delicious and fun say. The other restaurant employees were wonderful as well. They make your dining experience fun and feel like you’re with friends instead of strangers.
If you are traveling with kids, or people with a childlike spirit, you absolutely can’t miss this spot. It made me wish Brian and I had a child to bring with us, though you can see in my Taipei videos that Brian was as excited as a little kid when he was creating his Vege Creek meal.
Okay, enough of me going on about how awesome it is. Let me tell you why: you pick your ingredients out of cubbies in biodegradable bags on the wall, and then pick more fresh greens off of their vegetable wall! It is so fun. Then you take your picks to the front where they cook them for you in some Chinese herb broth and you top your creation with sauces and spices. YUM!
Check out our video of our stop over at Vege Creek:
The sister company of Vege Creek, Taiga, is a vegan restaurant open for breakfast, brunch, and lunch. It is a lovely spot with really delicious food. They have sweet, savory, and very creative dishes that are artistically put together. If you have the chance, grab the seat on the second floor next to the window so you can people watch the people down below.
This is a fabulous brunch spot.
Check out our Taiga video:
A lovely, high-end, plant-based restaurant with a powerhouse of an owner, Michel. As you’ll see in the video of Mianto (coming soon!) , this boss lady owner is bringing delicious veganism to people because of her love of keeping animals from harm, human health, and delicious food.
When you stop at Mianto (and you should) be sure to get the Bunny Chow. This delightfully unique dish is worth the whole visit, and the other dishes will leave you satisfied and fulfilled as well!
NUTTEA has the slogan “Love Animals, Peace with Earth”. Their ultra creamy, totally delicious cream topped drinks are made from walnuts, hazelnuts, and almonds. You can get caffeinated or decaf teas, juice drinks, and quick grab wraps and food. Brian and I are brainstorming how to get a NUTTEA in California because these products are so good.
Check out our video of NUTTEA Nut Mylk:
We LOVED Herban! The food is amazing, the owner Marco is full of information about the city and so kind, and the decoration of the venue is awesome. I’m not an interior designer or even someone who usually notices design, but this place is so fun to see.
I recommend coming for a full meal and then coming back in the evening for drinks. They have a great drinks menu and the energy in the place is so much fun. *Note Herban is a vegetarian restaurant with a strong vegan lean. Of course we think it would be even better if it was fully vegan 😊
Check out our video of our stop over at Herban:
A health, whole foods, organics based restaurant can be found in Taipei that focuses on nutrition first. The owner goes to great lengths to be transparent about the sources of his food and the farmers he supports. This is a fun, unique dining experience.
Check out our video on Taiwan Su:
The owner of this pizza shop is vegan and wants to make vegan food more accessible to people. In fact, the vegan pizzas are sold at cost so they are available to more people! This is in a bustling fun area of Taipei so you can come for dinner and then spend some time walking around and soaking in the sights.
Check out our video of So Free Pizza:
Everyone inside Vegan Taipei seemed to know each other. When we were there they had an eating competition going on in order to create community and fun. They have mostly pizza, pasta, paninis, and pies. This is not a grab and go spot. Plan a little time to be here.
You can also order cheese and mylk ahead of time and come pick it up to bring back to your home or hotel.
I know, with a name that cute everyone wants to visit. This restaurant isn’t right in Taipei. It’s approximately 30 minutes by public transportation in a town called Beitou. You can spend a full day or half day excursion in Beitou visiting the Bathhouse Museum, hiking to the hot springs, hiking to a volcano, and more.
You can see more about this restaurant in our Yummy Vegan Home video:
Things to do in Taipei
Glass Bottom Gondola: There is a glass bottom gondola that you can take the metro to (at the Taipei zoo, but don’t go to the zoo). You get in at the bottom and can use your CityCard to pay to go up. It costs around $12 USD per person round trip. You can stop at a few different levels on the way up for hiking and viewing of temples. You could spend a couple hours here or the whole day riding and hiking. The glass bottom gondola has a longer wait but it is really cool to see during the day. Don’t save it for night time because you can’t see much on the ride down in the dark.
Elephant Mountain Hike: This is a steep hike that gives you great views of the city and the 101 building. You can hike up just to the view point in about 20 minutes, do a larger loop in about 45 minutes, or do a much longer hike if you take some of the longer trails.
We went on a cloudy rainy day and were still able to get some lovely views. The hike is covered by greenery a fair amount so even a hot day it might be doable.
Tea Pot Mountain Hike: This is one of the coolest hikes I’ve ever done. Only plan to complete the full hike if you are in excellent physical health. Wear true hiking gear. Prepare to sweat and scramble over rocks.
Check out our video of Tea Pot Mountain Hike (coming soon).
You can go see the bathhouse museum, bathe in hot springs, take a short hike around the town, or take a 3 hour intense hike to volcanoes.
If nightclubs are your thing (or if they aren’t but you want to check one out) OMNI is a blast. It has a huge DJ stage, bottles, a bar across the way, and endless people watching. Peak hour is 2 am and the club closes at 4:30. Dress code applies, including close toed shoes.
Two countries down, 19 to go! Hong Kong blog coming soon!
Thanks for being with us on this journey!
Xo,
Seyka & Brian
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