12 addresses where Da'an / Yongkang Street actually eats.
Da'an lives on excellent coffee and soup dumplings eaten at plastic tables. Hao Kung Dao Jin Ji Yuan draws lines for its xiaolongbao, while Congrats Café pulls shots for the laptop crowd. After dark, Bar Mood serves precise cocktails to a crowd that takes drinking seriously. The range here is wide but the execution stays tight.
12 addresses across restaurants, bars, and cafes - all in Da'an / Yongkang Street.
Best restaurants in Da'an / Yongkang Street.
Restaurants on Yongkang Street and the lanes off Lishui run from James Kitchen's three-cup chicken to Yóu Sushi's eight-seat omakase counter, with xiaolongbao at Hao Kung Dao Jin Ji Yuan covering the tourist-grade craving. Da'an / Yongkang Street rewards walking a block past the obvious queue.
Restaurant
Hao Kung Dao Jin Ji Yuan
好公道金雞園
$$ · Dim sum restaurant
Hao Kung Dao Jin Ji Yuan on Yongkang Street serves xiaolongbao that rivals Din Tai Fung at half the wait time, plus fried chicken that keeps Taipei locals returning weekly. The Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition confirms what the neighborhood already knew.
Chef-driven omakase tucked into Lane 7 off Lishui Street, where the counter seats eight and the daily menu depends entirely on what came in fresh that morning. Skip the Yongkang tourist circuit and let someone else make the decisions for once.
Toasteria Café Yongkang started as a panini shop before expanding into a multi-floor Mediterranean-Middle Eastern spot on Xinyi Road. The menu now runs from shakshuka to fusion plates with Asian ingredients, paired with sangria and cocktails that keep the Yongkang Street crowd lingering past dinner.
Lane 4's taproom pours over 20 rotating Taiwanese craft beers in a narrow space that spills onto an outdoor terrace. Zhang Men helped kickstart Taipei's craft beer scene, and Yongkang Street locals treat it like a living room.
James Kitchen has anchored Yongkang Street since 2008 with unfussy Taiwanese home cooking that locals return to weekly. Order the three cup chicken and whatever seasonal fish they're running - the kitchen knows what it's doing.
The bar scene around Da'an / Yongkang Street rewards specialists. Quest enforces a no-requests rule over spiritual jazz on Jinhua Street, PS Sake Bar talks junmai versus daiginjo off Anhe Road, and Can Nature pours natural wine on Lane 53. Bar Mood splits its room between standing highballs and a slower back lounge.
Drink
PS Sake Bar
$$ · Pub
A sake-focused den on a quiet lane off Anhe Road where the staff actually knows the difference between junmai and daiginjo - and will guide you through their rotating selection without pretension. Japanese bar snacks hold their own, but you're here to drink seriously.
Kenny Lee's natural wine bar on Lane 53 keeps it simple: bottles line the walls, you pick what you want, staff opens it. The focus leans French and organic, with solid by-the-glass pours for anyone not ready to commit to a full bottle.
Quest on Jinhua Street runs a strict no-requests policy - you sit, you drink, you listen to whatever rare groove or spiritual jazz the owner pulls from the vinyl stacks. The analog-only setup and low lighting make this Da'an bar a proper listening room, not background noise.
Nick Wu opened this Da'an spot in 2017 with two moods on offer: a standing front bar pouring G&Ts and highballs, and a wood-toned back room where every chair and table was handmade by his parents, furniture makers of fifty-plus years. Native botanicals from the bartop garden drive cocktails like the pandan-and-pepper Spice Raft.
Coffee in Da'an / Yongkang Street splits between competition-grade pour-overs and laptop-friendly lanes. Congrats Café on Wenchang puts award-winning single-origins in the cup, Come True runs fair-trade beans as a social enterprise on Lane 37, and Yaboo on Lane 41 lets the resident cats audit your work.
Coffee
Come True Coffee Yongkang
成真咖啡 台北永康店
$$ · Cafe
Come True Coffee operates as a social enterprise on Lane 37 of Yongkang Street, sourcing fair-trade beans directly from African farmers. The specialty roasts justify the mission, but the real draw is watching Taipei's coffee obsessives debate extraction times at the bar.
Yaboo Cafe sits in Lane 41 off Yongkang Street, a narrow independent spot where resident cats roam between tables of laptop workers. The baristas pull solid specialty coffee and rotate creative seasonal drinks worth ordering off-menu.
Congrats Café on Wenchang Street earned its reputation when barista Chen took 4th place at the 2023 TSCA Golden Cup Awards. The single-origin pours are precise, the wabi-sabi interior lets natural light do the work, and the space stays mercifully quiet.
Do I need a reservation at restaurants in Da'an / Yongkang Street?
For sit-down restaurants and hot pot spots, reserve a day or two ahead, especially Friday through Sunday. Many places use LINE or Inline (a local booking app) rather than phone. Beef noodle shops, dumpling counters, and dessert spots are walk-in only; expect a queue of 20-40 minutes at peak lunch and dinner hours.
What's the tipping culture at restaurants in Taiwan?
Tipping is not expected anywhere in Taiwan. Sit-down restaurants often add a 10% service charge to the bill, which covers it. At noodle shops, night market stalls, and cafes, just pay the listed price. Leaving extra cash on the table can confuse staff. Round up only if you want change-free convenience.
Are restaurants in Taipei cash-only or do they take cards?
Carry cash. Mid-range and upscale restaurants take Visa and Mastercard, but most noodle shops, breakfast joints, dumpling counters, and night market stalls are cash-only. EasyCard (the metro card) works at some chains and convenience stores. ATMs at 7-Eleven and FamilyMart accept foreign cards reliably. NT$1,000 notes are widely accepted.
What time do restaurants close in Da'an / Yongkang Street?
Most sit-down restaurants close between 21:00 and 22:00, with last orders 30-45 minutes earlier. Many places also shut for a mid-afternoon break from roughly 14:30 to 17:30, so plan lunch before 14:00. Dessert shops and bubble tea counters often run until 23:00. Bars in the wider Da'an area go until 01:00 or 02:00.
Are there vegan or vegetarian options in Da'an / Yongkang Street?
Taiwan has one of Asia's strongest vegetarian infrastructures thanks to Buddhist tradition. Look for the green 素 character on signs - that means fully vegetarian, often vegan-adjacent but sometimes containing egg or dairy. Buffet-style sushi (蔬食) restaurants are common in Da'an. For strict vegan, say 純素 (chun su) and confirm no egg, milk, or the five pungent vegetables.
Is tap water safe to drink in Taipei?
Taipei tap water is treated to potable standards, but locals universally boil it or drink filtered water due to old building pipes. Every hotel room has a kettle or hot water dispenser. Convenience stores sell bottled water for NT$20-30. Most restaurants serve free filtered water or tea; refill stations are available in MRT stations and parks.
What's the late-night food scene in Da'an / Yongkang Street?
After 22:00, sit-down options thin out, but the neighborhood stays fed. Look for re chao (热炒) joints - loud stir-fry spots with beer and seafood that run until 01:00. Convenience stores sell hot tea eggs, oden, and microwaved rice bowls 24 hours. For something more substantial, head north toward the late-night noodle and porridge strips around the eastern Da'an blocks.