Cafe Dogs & Cats:  Taipei, Taiwan

Contact Information

Address:  No. 129, Fuhua Road, Shilin District, Taipei City, Taiwan 111

Phone:  +886 2 2835 3335

Hours:  Sun - Sat 12:00 - 22:00

Entrance Fee:  None

Ratings

Website / Social Media

Website:  none

Facebook: @nekocafe1998

Instagram:  none

Twitter:  none

Cat vs Cafe (50/50)

Kitten Coffee Garden:  Review of Cafe Dogs & Cats

Expectations were high and how could they not be?

I’m a cat cafe reviewer and was about to visit the first cat cafe to open in the world.

We had been in Taiwan for nearly a week and I was giddy with anticipation. Finally, late on a Tuesday afternoon, we planned a multi-stop outing to the Shilin district that included a visit to Cafe Dogs & Cats as well as famed Shilin Night Market.

Kitten Coffee Garden aka Cafe Dogs & Cats opened it’s doors in 1998. With Taiwan’s history as a colony of Japan, that influence persists to this day, complete with Japanese tourists. Those visitors took the idea back to Japan, where the concept flourished, growing into the worldwide phenomenon it is today.

Heading north on the MRT Tamsui line, we alighted at Zhishan station where the cafe is right across the street. I hesitated before entering, feeling a bit nervous.

Once inside, all that was forgotten as we were warmly greeted and promptly seated. The room was spacious, fresh and inviting filled with cute touches such as kitty tablecloths, but generally looks like a typical Taipei cafe that just happens to have cats, dogs… and one bird.

Speaking of which, the animal crew of Cafe Dogs & Cats, all rescues, were a lively bunch the day we visited. There were 12 felines in residence with my favorites being cream colored fluff ball Butter and sassy ginger Jin Jin. I also took a liking to Vivi, one of two blonde mutts and even the rambunctious black bird seemed to add a bit of spice to the proceedings.

We enjoyed lattes (one iced & one hot, each 160NT) and shared a chocolate mousse cake, all delicious and nicely presented. There is no entrance fee, but a purchase is required.

The space, the food and resident animals make Cafe Dogs & Cats an excellent cat cafe, but what really stood out to me were the owners. You would think that after 20 years of serving tourists and locals on a daily basis, the charm would be wearing thin, but not so. They were both so personable, genuine and friendly, that clearly they were made for this. They graciously posed for photos and answered all of my questions.

Overall, Cafe Dogs & Cats exceeds expectations and is a highly recommend stop on any Taipei itinerary- animal lover or not.

Date Visited:  4/3/18