Simple Kaffa

Founded in 2011 and elevated to global recognition when Berg Wu took the World Barista Championship title in 2016, Simple Kaffa is the cafe most travellers cite first when they ask where to drink coffee in Taipei. The Zhongxiao flagship works like a fine-dining room: wait staff bring the menu to the table, talk you through the bean before pouring, and check back as the cup cools.

The coffee programme is built around precision. Baristas pull pour-overs through Berg's proprietary Simple Kaffa Drip Shower, and the menu carries a wide single-origin range with rare lots — Panama Geshas can reach NT$1,500 a cup. Roasting happens in-house, and the team's competition-pedigree shows in every cup's consistency. Awards line the exposed-brick wall as a quiet reminder of where this room sits on the global map.

The space is calm, spacious, and deliberately understated; the cakes — a Simple Kaffa hallmark since the earliest days — are worth ordering alongside whatever single-origin you pick. If you visit only one specialty café in Taipei, this is the one. Expect to queue at peak hours, especially on weekends — and consider booking ahead at the Taipei 101 88F sister location, Coffee One, if you want the city skyline view.