Wengu Cafe 溫古咖啡
I Recommend ☆☆☆☆
Taipei cafe offering: Pancakes / Coffee / Plant Beverage / Milk Tea / Icees / Tea / Stew with Rice / Chicken Curry with Rice / Pasta / Brunch / Crepes / Salad / Waffles / Cake / Chips & Dip / Scones / Fried Chicken / Ice Cream / Fries / Cocktails / Wine / Beer / Irish Coffee
Address:
No. 16, Ln. 160, Sec. 1, Dunhua S. Rd., Da’an Dist., Taipei City 106
台北市敦化南路一段160巷16號
Phone: (02) 2711-7181
Hours: Mon - Fri: 1pm - 9:30pm, Sat & Sun: 12pm - 9:30pm
Last Reviewed: 3 January 2017
Normally I don't like or visit Taiwanese-style cafes with Western food that tend to focus more on decor, food presentation, and gimmicks rather than delicious food, but I found Wengu Cafe to be an exception to the rule, because besides having the three elements I just listed, they also have some yummy food. The relaxing hammock seating area is unique and a good idea, rather than a gimmick. The overall atmosphere was nicely chilled on my three visits. Also, I appreciated their attention to detail when it came to decor and give them props for displaying so much Pink Floyd memorabilia.
One of the main draws to Wengu Cafe for locals is Wengu's Plant Beverages: latte, milk tea, and cocoa drinks that have chocolaty crumbles on top that mimic the look of dirt with a little plant sprout (mint) sticking out of it. This is a good example of what I would call a gimmick that can be found at a Taiwanese cafe, but it's fairly good for a dessert drink -- overpriced for sure, but what drinks aren't at a cafe in Taipei. Their normal espresso based drinks are OK: too milky and not strong enough for my particular taste. The one major thing that I didn't like about Wengu is that they have that stupid Taipei-cafe rule where there is a mandatory purchase of one drink per person. If you order food with your drink, you get NT$30 off your drink. I think it would be better to set a minimum purchase rule or even make a mandatory meal purchase instead of a drink purchase.
I was drawn to return to Wengu Cafe for their food, not their drinks; they have some yummy food options, both savory and sweet -- another reason why I don't like the one drink per person rule; on certain days, it may even stop me from wanting to visit period. The only non-brunch savory meal that I recommend is their Signature Curry w/ Rice (NT$260). It's a Japanese-style dish with spicy curry, an omelet filled with rice, fried chicken, and a side salad. It was very satisfying and the spiciness level wasn't too high but possessed an excellent crescendo of spiciness till the last bite. The fried chicken was great and tasted very similar to that of which one would get at a Japanese restaurant.
The sweet-food items that I found satisfying at Wengu Cafe were their pancakes. Most Taiwanese-run restaurants/cafes only give their customers a small container of honey or maple syrup with pancakes or waffles, which is incredibly appalling for Westerners who want to use an abundant amount. Wengu Cafe only serves a little container of honey like other said places, but being that they have no 10% service charge, they have a self-serving cabinet that includes a pot of honey so that you may put as much honey on your pancakes or waffles as you desire. It's not maples syrup, but the taste of honey and maple syrup are so close that I didn't have a problem with it. I'll give you a very important tip when deciding which pancakes of theirs to choose: The Chocolate Sundae Pancake[s] (NT$190) is the same price as most of the other pancake choices, but you get double the amount of pancakes and toppings. I have no idea what they were thinking when they priced it, so take advantage of this sweet loophole.
The brunches aren't anything exceptional, but some of the brunch choices were fairly good for Taiwanese cafe Western brunches; mostly because you can add as much honey to your pancakes or waffles as you want.
Vegetarian options: Pancakes (NT$160-260), Waffles (NT$160-190), Homemade Scone (NT$160), Countryside Vegetables Chips Pizza [tortilla chips in the shape of pizza slices with dip] (NT$290, Apple Cinnamon Chips Pizza [again, not pizza] (NT$290), dessert, and drinks.
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Wengu Cafe 溫古咖啡 Chinese review by Paine
Wengu Cafe 溫古咖啡 Chinese review by Yuki
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Address:
No. 16, Ln. 160, Sec. 1, Dunhua S. Rd., Da’an Dist., Taipei City 106 台北市敦化南路一段160巷16號 Phone: (02) 2711-7181 Hours: Mon - Fri: 1pm - 9:30pm Sat & Sun: 12pm - 9:30pm Chinese & English Menu Drink Order Per Person Rule :( Cash Only No Stupid 10% Service Charge Free Wi-Fi Reservations Accepted 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. Wengu Cafe 溫古咖啡 |
Lady Moka and her sister visit Wengu Cafe and order a matcha latte, a milk tea, and the matcha red bean cheese pancake. And uhhh........she dyes her hair.
The owner of Wengu Cafe prepares one of his signature plant beverages.
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