Fantastic Desserts at Flügel Studio

New safety measures for COVID-19: Customers must spray their hands with alcohol spray upon entrance and keep their mask on unless they are seated and eating or drinking. Surfaces are disinfected regularly and staff wear masks at all times.

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Over our years in Taipei, we’ve lost count of the number of people who have recommended Flügel Studio to us. A cosy dessert cafe located near Taipower Building, they’re well-known for their constantly changing selection of photogenic cakes and tarts. We’ve been meaning to go for the longest time after hearing rave reviews from our friends and seeing their high rating on Google, but we were put off by the long waiting times due to their popularity amongst the Instagram crowd. Still, curiosity overcame us as we were walking past for dinner one day and we were finally able to try it for ourselves, confirming what all of those positive reviews had told us: there’s hype for a reason.

Since there is a minimum charge of one drink per person (even if you order food, a pretty dumb rule that’s prevalent among the Taipei’s more popular cafes) we started with their version of a café au lait ($180). A twist on the classic, it was served deconstructed: hot coffee poured into a glass of cold milk and coffee ice cubes. We had just come in from torrential rain and were hoping for something simple and warming, but this was actually pretty good. The coffee was strong and aromatic, and we liked that it didn’t get too watered down as the ice melted.

There’s a pretty limited selection of coffees at Flügel Studio, so we decided to switch to tea. The first one we got was a fancy green tea, which was light and fragrant but pretty steeply priced at $200. Delicious as it was, we wouldn’t order it again.

We also got a Rooibus tea ($160), a sweet, woody-tasting tea from South Africa. This is always a polarizing tea for our group, as some people find it a little too cloying. If you like it, you like it. If you don’t, stick to something else.

For dessert, we agonized over the many options on display until we saw the lychee sommerkuchen ($170), a yoghurt-based cake topped with fresh lychees and lime zest. We were excited to try it since lychee is such an unusual ingredient to find in cakes, and because we didn’t want to go overboard after gorging ourselves at nearby Sababa Pita Bar. This turned out to be the perfect summer cake: light, with just the right amount of sweetness and the slightest hint of tartness from both the lychee and the yoghurt. If you like your cakes unique or you don’t like heavy desserts, try this one out for size.

We also couldn’t resist getting the flügel tiramisu ($160), which was incredible. It was sweet and dense and creamy, everything you’d want in a tiramisu but with the addition of orange zest, which gave it a fresh new twist. Every bite of this was perfection, and we were genuinely sad when it was done. Next time we return, this will be the first thing we order.

Overall, we had Flügel Studio unfairly pegged as one of those Instagram-famous places that served gorgeous desserts with no substance, but we were proved wrong during our visit. Yes, there is an element of that — all around us were beautiful girls obsessively photographing their equally beautiful desserts — but everything we ordered was legitimately good and interesting. The only thing stopping us from truly falling in love with Flügel Studio was the hour and a half waiting time — ain’t nobody got time for that.

What’s the vibe? 

Insta-famous cafe that’s especially popular with young women. It’s cosy, but it gets crowded.

Worth it?

The desserts were fantastic, but the waiting time can be a little ridiculous. They don’t take reservations, and having to go there to physically put your name down is tedious. We recommend going during off-hours to make it really worth it.

Would you go back?

We’re a little put off by the long lines, but we’d definitely go back someday for more of that tiramisu.

Last updated July 2020

Flügel Studio

Hours: Mon-Fri 2pm – 7pm Sat & Sun 1pm – 7pm Closed Tuesdays

Phone: 0965856588

English Address: 1st Floor, No. 3, Lane 34, Section 1, Xinhai Road, Daan District, Taipei City

Chinese Address: 台北市大安區辛亥路一段34巷3號一樓