Are you ready for a spontaneous trip to Taiwan? As a popular tourist destination for locals, Tainan not only offers the latest landmark, Nanmen Lane, as previously mentioned, but also showcases its unique feature of old houses!
Ten years ago, locals began converting old houses into guesthouses and cafes, making them a must-visit for many hipsters. This time, I will introduce Kokoni, the first generation old house cafe that opened ten years ago. It is well-known in the artistic circle of Tainan. A year ago, when Lu Guangzhong returned to his hometown of Tainan to film “Let’s Practice Love,” he chose this place for a dessert date!
They sit at the table by the full glass window on the right side of the main entrance, which has become a popular spot for customers to fight for. I also heard that even the most popular YouTuber in Taiwan came to this store at his own expense. Its popularity has not diminished over the years!
This shop has a greater sense of space than a typical cafe because it is converted from two connected houses, each with two floors. Not only are there many seats, but the decoration style on each floor is also different. On one side, there are floor-to-ceiling windows with a white color scheme, while on the other side, there are antique wooden furniture arrangements. Almost every corner can produce different effects for taking photos, making this cafe a great value for money with the ability to capture multiple Instagram-worthy shots.
There is a unique specialty food called “Half Moon Burnt” (NT$100), where a pancake of appropriate thickness is fried until fragrant, rolled into a half-moon shape, and then filled with filling. Lu Guangzhong tried the pearl milk tea flavor, which was filled with chewy and delicious pearls and very creamy and smooth cream.
If you like the taste of pearls, you can try the thick and fluffy Pancake (NT$180). The pancake has three layers and is rich in egg flavor. It is served with milk tea sauce, which is sweet and fragrant. There are also other flavors available such as passion fruit coconut, cocoa, cheese sweet potato, grandma’s sweet cake, matcha chestnut, etc.
In addition to desserts, there are main dishes such as onsen tamago yam rice and sukiyaki udon, all with a Japanese touch that is very flavorful. Sit by the window on the second floor, enjoy your meal while soaking up the sun, take some leisurely photos, and experience the taste of Tainan’s old houses.
Address: No. 23-1, Lane 372, Section 2, Ximen Road, Central West District, Tainan City
Business Hours: 11am-7pm
Processing Taiwan visas link: https://coa.immigration.gov.tw/coa-frontend/overseas-honk-macao
Officials stated that if all the required documents are complete, it will take approximately 5 working days for approval, but there is a chance it can be done in a shorter time. However, currently, applying for a Taiwan visa online requires submitting more documents, including properly formatted identification photos, so it is more secure to apply in advance.
There are currently no direct flights to Tainan. You can choose to fly to Kaohsiung from Hong Kong, then take the MRT to “Kaohsiung Station” and transfer to the Taiwan Railway (train) to Tainan Railway Station, which takes about an hour and a half.
