Fong Da Coffee 蜂大咖啡
I Really Don't Recommend ☆
Taipei coffee shop offering: Espresso Based Coffee / Syphon Coffee / Coffee Beans / Tea / Cookies / Frappes / Ice Cream / Soup / Sandwiches / Snacks / Soda
Address:
No. 42, Chengdu Rd., Wanhua Dist., Taipei City 108
台北市萬華區成都路42號
Phone: (02) 2371-9577
Hours: 8am - 10pm Daily
Last Reviewed: 7 April 2016
Fong Da Coffee opened in 1956 and is said to be one of the first coffee shops in Taipei. I wish I could share how lovely this old-time treasure is and convey that they've been open for so long because they serve quality coffee, but instead, I'm going to do what I always do: tell it like it is and give my honest opinion without holding anything back.
First off, the service was definitely old-school Taiwanese: served with a frown with words spat in your face, such as, "What do you want?" I looked past this and didn't think much of it. I knew that they were old-school, so I was kind of expecting it. Besides, I've been to Hong Kong, so I know what a complete lack of service is like. I don't base my reviews on customer service, I stick to the product. However, the product was much worse than the service. My first coffee ordered, a cappuccino, took about 15 minutes to cool down before I could drink it. Upon my first sip, I was horrified with apocalyptic visions of doom: The coffee tasted exactly like convenience store coffee, but for double the price -- I'm not exaggerating in the least. Actually, I've had better convenience store coffee: dark roast latte at FamilyMart for NT$45. I decided to time the second drink to see exactly how long it would take to cool down before I could drink it (Yes, I actually ordered another drink after that horrible experience so I could gather up enough material for my lovely readers. And keep in mind, this is my hobby; I don't get paid and don't accept free food). My second drink was a cup of Vienna coffee, and it took exactly 19 minutes to cool down before I could drink it! Yo man, that's FUBAR! Then of course, the coffee was horrible; worst Vienna coffee I've ever had in my life. I could tell that it was going to be brutal when it was served to me because it had multicolored sugar sprinkles on top of the cream. I was like, 'Oh no, come on man.' Those multicolored sprinkles were telepathically shouting obscenities at me for a whole nineteen minutes before I could send them to their doom at the bottom of my stomach where my stomach acid, composed of hydrochloric acid (HCl), potassium chloride (KCl), and sodium chloride (NaCl), dissolved them and wiped their terroristic acts off the face of the planet.
Taiwanese stores that have been open and selling a product for a long time are usually really special because they're selling a product that is timeless, or done better than the modern way. But when it comes to coffee in Taiwan, being old-school is a horrible thing. Especially considering how coffee didn't even get popular in Taiwan till about ten to fifteen years ago; it was all tea, kaoliang, scotch, and whiskey before that. It wasn't till recently that Taiwanese took an interest in coffee and trained to be savvy professional baristas that opened up top notch coffee joints in Taipei. Now Taipei is one of the best coffee cities in the world:
BBC Travel - The World's Top Coffee Cities & USA Today - World's 10 Best Cities For Coffee. Fong Da Coffee being open since 1956 is equivalent to regressing 60 years back to the stone-ages of coffee in Taiwan. One cup of coffee from them conveys this message perfectly. I don't know how they have stayed in business for so long. During my visit, 90% of the clientele were over 50 years old. Don't get me wrong, old people rock, but relying on an old Taiwanese's opinion on coffee is like relying on an American Walmart shoppers' opinion on healthy food. You just don't do it if you know what's good for you; you're barking up the wrong tree, my friend.
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Fong Da Coffee website
Fong Da Coffee unofficial Facebook page
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Address:
No. 42, Chengdu Rd., Wanhua Dist., Taipei City 108 台北市萬華區成都路42號 Phone: (02) 2371-9577 Hours: 8am - 10pm Daily Chinese & English Menu No Stupid 10% Service Charge Cash Only Click on the link below for their Google Map page for the street view and/or other visitor's photos. Afterwards, you can click the dedicated back button on Google Maps to view the destination on a full-screened Google Map for directions. Fong Da Coffee |
A clip about Fong Da Coffee on TMACTV.
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