Great Coffee & Parisian Vibes at The Lobby of Simple Kaffa

The Lobby of Simple Kaffa is a beautiful little coffee shop inside the boutique hotel Hotel V in Zhongxiao Dunhua. Despite being somewhat hidden, The Lobby of Simple Kaffa has a loyal following due to its founder Berg Wu, winner of the 2016 World Barista Championships, the first person in Taiwan to win the award. The coffee at The Lobby of Simple Kaffa lives up to the hype — we enjoyed every single drop.

There are two seating areas at The Lobby of Simple Kaffa — the outisde courtyard, pictured above, and the inside area. Despite the summer heat, we chose to sit outside, where we were surrounded by (fake) purple maple leaves and plants. There was a nice breeze, and for the most part the hotel was able to offer us some welcome shade. There is no smoking outside.

There are more seating options inside, but we would strongly urge you to sit outside if you can — the inside is rather uninspired, with little atmosphere and hardly anything to distinguish it from the many other cafes in the neighbourhood. The only bonus to being in here would be the airconditioning and the relative ease with which you can capture the wait staff’s attention. The staff here were kind and helpful, but would rarely venture outside once customers had been served. This really isn’t a problem as it’s a short walk to get their attention.

Next door to the cafe are some boutique shops with fancy designer clothes and a hallway that leads to the hotel. The bathrooms are in one of these hallways and can only be accessed by requesting a password from the staff, so don’t venture off by yourself!

After admiring the view, we quickly settled in and placed our orders with the staff. They kindly explained how some of the coffees rotate, so there are new ones to try every time you visit. We had read that The Lobby of Simple Kaffa is well-known for their hand-drip coffee, but since we aren’t massive coffee buffs it was hard to justify the $200-400 price tag. We settled for regular coffees instead.

The double espresso ($140) was bold and aromatic, without the usual bitterness that one would associate with it. It was the perfect choice for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up.

The iced Americano with milk ($140) was also great, noticeably better than many we’ve tried in the past. It was strong, smooth, and robust.

Finally, the latte ($160) was creamy and perfectly-balanced, with the milk perfectly complementing the flavour of the espresso rather than drowning it out. It was everything you’d hope for in a latte.

We’ve heard incredible things about the matcha roll from The Lobby of Simple Kaffa, but they had run out on the day we went, and we aren’t huge matcha fans to begin with. We decided to post our review without having tried it, but matcha fans are encouraged by many reviewers to give it a go. For us, the coffee was good enough to instantly decide we love this place, but we’ll probably check out some of their sweets next time. Coffee aside, our real attraction to this place is the leaf-covered walls and wrought-iron table and chairs in the outdoor courtyard, which give it an elegant, Parisian feel that we had yet to find in Taipei.

What’s the vibe?

The inside is relaxed and cozy, but not much in the way of atmosphere. The outside is a beautiful, tranquil area that will make you forget you’re in Asia. When we went the crowd was mostly Taiwanese, well-off, and older, many with adult children.

Worth it?

We think so! Some of the drip coffees are quite pricey, but if that’s not your thing then regular coffees are affordable and delicious. Minimum order is one drink, but that’s to be expected. Our coffees were well worth what we paid, and the experience of sitting outside in that courtyard was unbeatable.

Would you go back?

Yes! We immediately decided that it would be a great place to take visiting parents or friends who were feeling homesick. There are lots of places to get good coffee, but this one stands out for its beautiful setting.

The Lobby of Simple Kaffa

Hours: Sun - Thurs 12:30pm - 9:30pm Fri & Sat 12:30 - 10pm

Phone: 02 8771 1127

English Address: No. 48, Lane 177, Section 1, Dunhua South Road, Songshan District, Taipei

Chinese Address: 敦化南路一段177巷48號B1