Visit the Highest Starbucks in the World at Taipei 101

From 2004 until 2010, Taipei 101 was officially recognized as the tallest building in the world. Even today, despite losing its title to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, it is the most iconic landmark of Taipei, with many people flocking to the observatory at the top every day for the spectacular views that it offers. And while we believe that the best views of Taipei are actually from Elephant Mountain, there’s no denying how impressive Taipei is from above.

Imagine our delight, then, to learn that in addition to being a magnificent building, Taipei 101 is actually home to the highest Starbucks in the world. Located on the 35th floor, this Starbucks is the same as any other, apart from its superstar status and the fantastic views it offers. We couldn’t wait to check it out for ourselves.

Now comes the catch: deciding to visit the Starbucks in Taipei 101 is the easy part. Actually getting a reservation is another matter altogether as there’s a process to follow:

1. Call them at least a day in advance — the number is 02 8101 0701. If you don’t speak Chinese, good luck: best get a friend or your hotel to call for you. If they don’t pick up, keep trying. The best time to call is right when they open at 7:30am.
2. Arrive 5-15 minutes before your reservation. If you’re late, you’ll miss the chance to go upstairs.
3. The dress code is smart-casual, so no sandals or shorts.
4. They have slots all throughout the day, but the last slot is 90 minutes before they close (at 8pm).

This all seems pretty straightforward, but our personal experience was anything but that. The real issue is getting ahold of Starbucks on the phone: we aren’t exaggerating when we say that we have been trying on and off for about a year before we actually got through. Now, were we just unlucky? Probably. We know lots of people who made reservations without the hassle that we did, but be warned: you might have the same experience as us.

The tour starts inside the Taipei 101 building. Enter and walk to the right-hand side, where you will see the sign for people to queue. Again, we strongly urge you to arrive at least five minutes early because if you miss the Starbucks worker sent to get you, there won’t be another chance to go upstairs.

Once you arrive in line, you will queue until an employee is sent to get you. They will lead you to to the elevator and upstairs, where you will have to queue again while you wait for each party to go in. Names are called by order of reservation.

The Starbucks itself looks like any other Starbucks, though it is on the small side. As soon as your party name is called, you can go in and claim your seats. Don’t hesitate, just go. There are a few tables with seats directly overlooking Taipei, but these are quickly snatched up, which is what you should do if you’re given half the chance. And although it is still possible to linger by the windows to take photos, it gets pretty awkward after a while if you’re hovering around another group’s table.

The view from Starbucks is, as you can imagine, pretty great. On a reasonably clear day, you can make out lots of buildings and the rolling hills behind Taipei. Check it out:

There is a minimum spend of $200 per person, and everyone in the party must order together to ensure that no one skips this step. For $200 you can comfortably order a drink and food, which we won’t go into too much detail about since it’s Starbucks and we’ve probably all visited at some point in our lives. Do note that some seasonal/special options were out of stock due to their popularity. Our food and drinks took a while to come due to everyone milling around and ordering at once, but it didn’t bother us since we had 90 minutes to kill.

Don’t forget to take your iconic “tourist at Starbucks” photo!

Overall, we were very happy to finally get the chance to visit the highest Starbucks in the world — we felt like we had officially scratched it off of our list. Still, if we’re being completely honest with ourselves, we don’t see what the big fuss is about. It’s a Starbucks. Yes, the view is good, but the whole process of reserving a spot was a huge pain in the behind that we wouldn’t put ourselves through again.

What’s the vibe?

It’s a Starbucks with a good view that’s very hard to get into. We saw lots of families and tourists.

Worth it?

No, not really. The novelty of being so high up fades pretty quickly, so ultimately you’re stuck in an expensive Starbucks for 90 minutes.

Would you go back?

Not unless a friend really wanted to go. Ultimately, we just felt that it was too much hassle from start to finish to visit Starbucks. Yes it was high up, yes the view was impressive, and yes we didn’t have to pay the entrance fee to the Taipei 101 observatory. Still, we felt it was skippable.

Visited: January 2019