Lutetia: Popular French Bakery in Tianmu
If you spend much time in Tianmu, you will definitely have heard of Lutetia. Located on Zhongshan North Road and also on Wenlin Road, this recently-expanded bakery is a go-to for students and staff at Taipei American School and Taipei European School, and it even has its own stand at the Carrefour next to Zhishan Station. Like the other customers, we love coming here for authentic French baguettes and consistently delicious pastries.
Most of the time, we find ourselves at the Lutetia located near Taipei American School, which was recently refurbished so that it could seat more customers. There is plenty of seating inside in a clean, open area, and a few tables outside which are marvellous to sit at on a nice day. Note that this place gets pretty packed during lunchtime due to its proximity to several schools. It’s particularly popular with the TAS crowd, and at times the clientele is so diverse that you completely forget you’re in Taiwan.
One of the must-try items at Lutetia is the croissants ($50). Flaky and buttery, these are absolutely delicious warmed up and served with jam. Another staple is the bread, especially the baguettes, which are the real deal. We’ve also been impressed by their quiches (don’t forget to heat them, though) and pastries, which we’ve been slowly working through over the years. We’ve yet to be disappointed, though some are more to our taste than others. And if our word isn’t enough, everything we mentioned above got the stamp of approval from our French friend, who vouched for its authenticity. He did, however, laugh at how expensive some of the cheese and meat they were selling in their fridges were — we recommend going somewhere else for these.
If you’re in the mood for something more substantial than a pastry, Lutetia does some authentic sandwiches at reasonable prices. These are just like you’d find in France — a supremely crusty baguette with a filling of your choice. They’re not our favourite sandwich in Taipei by any means, but they’re great for the price. You can upgrade your sandwich (or crepe) to a meal deal for $190 too, which includes a salad and any drink worth $70, but we wouldn’t necessarily recommend this. The salad didn’t live up to our expectations, so we suggest you order your sandwich and drink separately, which will be less expensive. The classic sandwich ($80) and the chicken sandwich ($80) that we got were both good, and their coffee was worth ordering too.
Check out their menu below:
All things said, Lutetia is a go-to for the TAS/TES crowd not just because of its proximity to the schools, but because it offers some seriously authentic bread, sandwiches, quiches, and pastries at affordable prices. The bread and pastry, in particular, are absolutely fantastic, and we love the sandwiches because we miss having a crusty baguette with simple fillings.
| Lutetia (Zhongshan North Road Branch) |
| Chinese Name: 露特西亞咖啡店 |
| Hours: 6am – 10pm |
| Phone: 02 2874 3660 |
| English Address: No. 442, Section 6, Zhongshan North Road, Shilin District, Taipei City |
| Chinese Address: 台北市士林區中山北路六段442號 |
| Lutetia (Wenlin Road Branch) |
| Chinese Name: 露特西亞傳藝店 |
| Hours: 6:30am – 8pm |
| Phone: 02 2832 2836 |
| English Address: No. 751, Wenlin Road, Shilin District, Taipei City |
| Chinese Address: 台北市士林區文林路751號 |
