The Best Cat Cafes in Taipei, the Birthplace of Cat Cafe Culture

A little known fact about Taiwan is that the world’s first cat café was opened in its capital, Taipei!

Cats & Dog Café (now “Kitten Coffee Garden”) first opened in 1998. Their concept was simple: let customers be surrounded by fury felines while enjoying their sipping coffee or enjoying a light meal.

It wasn’t until 2004 that Japan took notice and opened their first cat café in Osaka. It soon became a global phenomenon, and now you can even find Shiba Inu cafés, goat cafés, racoon cafés, and more. Today, there are even meerkat and capybara cafes in Taipei! Today, there are dozens of cat cafés across Taiwan, from Yilan to Kaohsiung, and visiting them is one of the quirkier things you can do in Taiwan.

My kids are I are huge cat lovers. We even adopted a street cat from Taiwan and brought her back to Canada where we now live. On our most recent trip to Taiwan, we made it our goal to scope out all of Taipei’s cat cafés and find out which ones are the best.

Below I’ll introduce the best cat cafés in Taipei, including which ones allow children, for those of you traveling to Taipei with kids!

Things to Know about Visiting Cat Cafes in Taiwan

• If you want to search for cat cafés in Taiwan on GoogleMaps, just zoom in on an area and search for 貓咪咖啡 (maomi kafei, literally “cat coffee”).
• Some cat cafés in Taiwan don’t allow children 12 and under, but several do. I’ll point out which ones do in each entry below.
• Most cat cafés have a minimum charge, which is usually equivalent to a single drink or snack, but the drinks tend to be above average price, such as NT120-150 for an iced tea of coffee. Some have a minimum time you can spend inside.
• Taking pictures or standing up to pet the cats in fine, so long as you are quiet and don’t bother the cats or other customers. Most cafes don’t want you to pick the cats up. Never bring in your own treats – they are usually available for purchase.
• Some cafés bill themselves as a cat café but only have a single cat inside, and are otherwise a totally normal café. I’ve mostly left these ones out of the article.
• Be careful not to let the cats escape from the front door when you visit!
• Some cat cafés in Taiwan also sell cat-related souvenirs.
• Most of Taiwan’s cat cafés have a poster or sign inside showing the names and pictures of all the resident cats.

For another quirky cat experience in Taiwan, don’t miss Houtong Cat Village!

The Top 3 Cat Cafés in Taipei

These are our top picks for the best cat cafés in Taipei. My kids helped me decide the winners.

Genki Cat Café

• Kids allowed: Yes, with permission
• Location: a few blocks north of Zhishan MRT
• Opening hours: 2-10 p.m., 1-10 pm weekends, closed Monday
• Price: NT 300 for 2 hours

In our opinion, Genki Cat Café (元氣貓主題樂園) provides the ultimate cat café experience in Taipei. If the cats themselves are your #1 priority, then go here.

Genki Cat Café feels more like a big room full of cats than an actual coffee shop. We counted over 20 cats, most of which are extremely puffy Maine Coons, so I would describe this specifically as a Maine Coon café.

From the moment we entered, we were in kitty heaven. The cats surrounded us, and never got tired of being petted or fed.

Please note, one reader, a Maine coon owner, informed me (see her comment at the end of the article) that the Maine coons here didn’t look super healthy when she visited. This is something you may want to consider before visiting.

The café officially doesn’t allow kids, but if you ask politely, and ensure that your kids are quiet and well behaved, they allow them in. My kids are very calm and well behaved, but if you show up with toddlers, or your kids are rambunctious, you may not be allowed in.

The 300 NT cover charge (same for kids) includes one drink per person OR a cat treat to feed the cats. Additional cat treats can be purchased for NT 50.

The selection of drinks wasn’t amazing, with more teas than coffee-based drinks. But the drinks did come in reusable cups, which we appreciated. They also came with lids, so the cats don’t knock them over. You need to take off your shoes, place them in a small locker, and put on slippers before you go in to the main cat room.

Genki Cat Café is only a few blocks away from Kitten Coffee Garden (see next entry), so serious cat lovers may want to visit both on the same trip.

Here’s a video from our visit to Genki Cafe, so you can see just how many cats there are in there:

Kitten Coffee Garden

• Kids allowed: No. Hight school age and above only.
• Location: right next to Zhishan MRT station
• Opening hours: 12-10 p.m., closed Tuesday
• Price: Minimum order NT 140 per person

The OG of Taiwan’s cat cafés is Kitten Coffee Garden (小貓花園). First opened in 1998, it holds the title for world’s first cat café.

When we first visited this cat café over a decade ago, it was called Café Dog and Cats, because they had several cats and only one dog inside.

This spot is a close second for us (demoted mainly because my kids were not allowed in). However, if you only plan to visit one cat café in Taipei, you might want to make it this one.

Not only is it the original one, so you can say you’ve been there, but also it offers a combination of lots of cats (including different breeds) and decent coffee and dining options (mainly Taiwanese versions of Western food). There are also a few alcoholic drinks on the menu.

Currently, Kitten Coffee Garden has about a dozen cats, two dogs, and one bird. There is lots of space and tables, but it’s a popular spot, so you make want to make a reservation. The café is cozy, with a decent amount of space relative to number of cats.

Besides a full range of hot, iced, and slushy drinks, they have a full menu including pasta, lasagna, rice gratin, and smaller snacks.

Fufu Cat Café

• Kids allowed: No. Above 12 only.
• Location: Ximending
• Opening hours: 12-9 p.m.
• Price: NT 40/10 min, maximum fee NT 360

Fufu Cat Café (貓咖啡) is a close third place winner on our list. As you might expect given its location in trendy Ximending shopping area, this café is mainly aimed at teenagers and young adults, though 12 and under are not allowed.

Like Genki Café, the focus here is on cats rather than café, but even more so. In fact, most visitors don’t even bother getting a drink. Instead, the café offers the budget-friendly option to pay only NT 40 for a 10-minute “healing session” with the cats. Perfect for teenagers who don’t have much cash but want to snuggle some kitties after school.

I was quite impressed with the range of cat types inside the enclosed cat room, including a few sphinxes. Despite the young age of the guests, the vibe was very quiet and calm inside. Several teens come alone, choose a corner of the room to chill with a blankee, and wait for the cats to come to them.

If you want a drink, it’s NT 100 for all-you-can-drink of anything. You’ll need to take off your shoes at the entrance and wear slippers. Any bags need to be placed inside a locker in the main cat room, and you’ll be given a key card to wear around your neck.

The NT 40 per 10 minutes maxes out after 90 minutes, so even if you stay longer than that, you won’t pay more than NT 360. If you plan to only visit for 10 minutes, watch your clock, as it goes by really fast!

If you can, come at 1 or 8 p.m. when all the cats are fed at the same time from a row of cute wooden dishes. The café is on the second floor, with a front window looking down on the popular shopping street. It’s easy to miss the entrance staircase. It’s a popular spot, so it may be hard to get in at peak times. Try visiting during school hours.

See here for more interesting places to eat in Ximending.

Other Taipei Cat Cafés Worth Checking Out

We also enjoyed the following cat cafés in Taipei, but they didn’t quite make the cut for our top-3 list.

Time With Cats

• Kids allowed: No. Above 12 only.
• Location: Between Taipower and Gongguan MRT stations
• Opening hours: 12-8:30 p.m., closed Monday and Tuesday
• Price: Minimum order 1 drink or food item per person

Time With Cats is the best cat café in hip Da’an, a district which is home to several universities and night markets, and has an international vibe. This cafe was was one of my favorites, but I just wish they would have let me kids in.

One thing I liked about this one is that all the felines are rescued cats, and some are available for adoption. There were 11 cats when I visited, but the number varies. The café is a large, open room, with some low tables with cushions on the floor as well as regular tables. There’s a large window looking into a lovely courtyard full of greenery.

Most people stay at their tables, but you’re allowed to walk around and meet the cats. The café is roomy, so you don’t feel like you’re bothering anyone when you do so.

When you first arrive, you’ll need to buzz at the door to be let in, then take off your shoes and place them in a cubby. They offer standard café drinks and snacks.

Minimal Café

• Kids allowed: Yes.
• Location: 10-minite walk from Guting
• Opening hours: 12-9 p.m., closed Monday
• Price: minimum order 1 drink per person

We found Minimal Café (貓孩在極簡/極簡咖啡館) to be a quiet little gem in the popular Shida University area, a short walk south of Yongkang Street (which is famous for its traditional Taiwanese tea shops) and southwest of Da’an park

To my kids’ great enjoyment, when we sent the café a message before visiting to find out whether kids were allowed, their resident cat Abby replied to our message.

Besides regular coffees and yummy slushy drinks, there are also sandwiches available. We counted 4 cats in total, but didn’t get to do much petting, as they mostly hung out at the bar or in their safe spots.

The shop has nice large windows at the front, which the cats can often be seen peering out from.

Nezo Café

• Kids allowed: Yes.
• Location: between Shuanglian and Zhongshan MRT stations
• Opening hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Saturday, 10:30 to 5:30 on Sunday
• Price: minimum order NT 50 per person

Nezo Café (猫蔵咖啡) is not a typical cat café but a Japanese cat-themed “mini izakaya”. Like many quintessential izakaya, or Japanese pubs, it is tiny, with just four double tables along a bar, but with a focus on tea and coffee drinks, not liquor. There’s only one resident cat, an orange one, but he’s seldom there. We missed him but were told Sunday is a good day to catch him.

But even without any live cats, Nezo Café is worth visiting for its cuteness. It’s decked out in traditional decorations from Japan, including of course lots of cats.

Their Mount Fuji matcha tea (富士抹茶飲) is a bestseller. We also recommend their cherry blossom Raindrop Cake (水信玄餅), which literally looks like a large drop of water with a flower suspended in it, and their cat paw-shaped Madeleine cakes.

There’s a minimum order of NT 50 per person and a maximum stay of 90 minutes. They only take cash, no reservations, and there’s no restroom on site (the Zhongshan to Shuanglian underground mall is only one block away).

Kids are allowed, but the shop is tiny and tables are VERY close together, so I wouldn’t recommend going if your kids aren’t old enough to stay put.

The next entry is a short walk away, so consider visiting both on the same trip.

3 Cat Shop

• Kids allowed: Yes.
• Location: between Shuanglian and Zhongshan MRT stations
• Opening hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Saturday, 10:30 to 5:30 on Sunday
• Price: minimum order NT 50 per person

3 Cat Shop (3貓小舖-貓咪文創咖啡館)  is better than the name implies – we actually counted nine cats inside, not three.

The café has one large, common, L-shaped table that can seat about a dozen people. Unfortunately, several of the cats were shy and stayed hidden in the back room when we visited, though a few did come out to let us pet them.

One cat even tried to sneak into another guest’s shopping bag, which was funny. Another cat was very meowy throughout our visit, and the bar tender seemed to be able to communicate with him in cat language.

One thing that stands out about this café is that they also sell a wide range of kitty souvenirs, including cat postcards, teacups, drink coasters, puzzles, clothing, accessories, and more.

A minimum order of $150 per person covers a drink and a snack, with a fairly normal range of treats on offer, including some boozy coffees. You can photograph the cats, but refrain from using flash, and don’t photograph the shop’s products. Also don’t go into the back room, which is the cats’ retreat area.

While kids are allowed, we didn’t find it to be the best for kids. The chairs are very tall, and most guests stayed seated. Still, the shop workers were very friendly and didn’t mind if we walked around to pet the cats. Our main issue was that the cats just didn’t come out much during our visit, so we barely got to see or pet them.

Mask Cat Café

• Kids allowed: Yes.
• Location: between Zhongshan and Taipei Main Station, one of the most convenient areas to stay in Taipei
• Opening hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., to 9 p.m. on Friday/Saturday
• Price: minimum order NT 50 per person

With only two cats in residence, Mask Cat Café (貓妝自家烘焙咖啡館) just barely makes my list.

Still, Mask Cat Café had the best coffee of any cat café we visited in Taipei, with multiple single-origin coffees on offer. There are also light meals, such as calzones, pizzas, and rice dishes. The chairs are very cozy, and the atmosphere is laid back and a little dark.

The cats’ names are Kiki (black) and Mega (orange), and they can mostly be seen gazing out the glass door and windows at the front. Although the owner of the café is said to be an art teacher, the cat decorations and paintings on the walls in the café are in need of a little facelift.

If you can read Mandarin, the owner’s full story is on the menu, and there are some articles describing Taiwan’s cat café culture posted outside.

Second Cat Café

• Kids allowed: Yes, but 6 and under on weekends only.
• Location: near Technology Building MRT
• Opening hours: weekdays 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., weekends 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Price: minimum order 1 drink per person

Second Cat Café (曬貓咖啡) is a very small cat café with just a handful of tables and four cats, by my count. When I visited, I got a prime spot at a bar table at the front window, with all the cats sleeping near me.

Don’t go out of your way for this one, but if you happen to be in the Technology Building area on the brown MRT line, give it a try. The cat beds were desperately in need of a good cleaning, but the drinks were the cheapest of any cat cafe we visited.

Other Taipei Cat Cafés We Didn’t Bother Visiting

We tried visiting Fun Life Gelato Cats Café (中途貓餐廳) three times without success. First, they were closed on Wednesday (we should have checked). The second time, they wouldn’t let me in because they were supposedly full, even when I begged to just go in for quick look. And the third time, they wouldn’t let my kids in, even though my kids are super well behaved and quiet. On top of that, the “gelato” we could see through the window just looked like regular Taiwanese ice cream.

Finally, the café is quite a walk from Beimen or Zhongshan MRT stations. For all these reasons, we don’t recommend visiting this cat café. Unless you are a bunny lover, that is, because besides cats, they also have a few rabbits. Minimum spend is NT 200.

CAT.jpg Café (貓圖咖啡) just off popular Yongkang Street bills itself as a cat café, but they only have one cat. It’s basically just a regular café that happens to have one cat. Still, prices are low, and it’s in a cool old building. It’s very quiet, as many people seem to go there to study, so I wouldn’t recommend bringing kids.

Spring Day Pet Shop Café (小春日和 動物雜貨‧珈琲) is a bit out of the way in Minsheng Community, so we never made it there. But the café seems to be an all-out pets paradise. It’s not a cat café specifically but a “pet-friendly café”. There are cats inside, but they allow guests to bring in their dogs and other pets. It’s very popular, and kids above 2 are allowed. Minimum order is NT 150.

Date with a Cat Cat-Themed Café (和貓咪有約貓咪主題咖啡館) near Nanjing Sanming MRT looks like a full-on cat café with loads of cats inside. However, we purposely didn’t support this cat café because they are one of those ignorant businesses that banned foreigners from entering during COVID in Taiwan, despite the fact that the only foreigners in the country at that time were ones that already lived there.

More Cat Cafés in Taiwan

I’m not going to list every cat café in Taiwan ­– there are just too many – but here I’ll mention a few that I’ve come across in my travels around the country.

Two Rabbit Café (Two兔CAFÉ, cutely pronounced “Two Tu Café”) in Taichung is an outdoor café perched on a hill with a beautiful view of the surrounding area, especially at night. They’ve got multiple rabbits and a few cats, and some guests bring their own pet rabbits to play in a dedicated area. You’ll need your own wheels to get there, though. It’s a short drive from the popular Gaomei Wetland.

In Taichung city center, try 奶泡貓咖啡, or type 貓咪咖啡 into GoogleMaps to find several to others.

In Yilan county, try the popular Cat’s Day (貓的生活提案) in Luodong township. Read more in my guide to things to do in Yilan and guide to Luodong Night Market. In Taichung, you ca try Mao Mao Maid Café (貓貓領域女僕咖啡) in Yizhong Street Night Market.

In Tainan, I enjoyed my visit to Fat Cat Story. Although there was only one cat, Bing Bing, he was super friendly, and they provided free food for me to feed him. Find out other things to do in the area in my guide to Tainan. A few of Tainan’s most interesting temples are also near this particular cafe.

Last but not least, there are at least a dozen cat cafés in Kaohsiung. Try 易易茶室, a modern but traditional-style teahouse with cats near Pier 2 Art Center, or 描Cafe X 屋 Brunch near Central Park. Learn more in my Kaohsiung travel guide.

I hope all you cat lovers enjoyed this article. Enjoy your time with cats in Taiwan, and please let me know if you discover any awesome new cat cafés not mentioned here!