Ooh Cha Cha

Ooh Cha Cha Guting Guting Station, Exit 2 Walk straight as you exit, take your first right and it's on the right when you reach the first corner (one minute from the station). Number 207, Section 2, Nanchang Road 台北市南昌路二段207號 Directions Mon – Fri: 10:00 – 21:00 Sat–Sun: 10:00 – 20:00 (02) 2367-7133 Vegan Taiwan, Facebook Ooh Cha Cha Tech (Cafe) / Hooch (Bar) 和平東路二段118巷4號之1 Heping East Road, Section 2, Lane 118, Number 4. Directions  (02) 2737-2994 (English speaking staff available) Cafe / Restaurant: Open from 11:30; when the restaurant closes food is available from the bar downstairs. Hooch (bar): 17:00 - Midnight Facebook

Ooh Cha Cha was one of the first Western cafes in Taipei, and several years on it's still one of the best place to go for simple, healthy, affordable, Western vegan food. This American-owned cafe is most famous for its sandwiches, smoothies and raw desserts, but in recent years it has recently expanded its menu significantly, and now even offers a range of healthy burgers, and has recently opened a new store near Technology Building Station which serves an even more international menu.

Original (Guting) Branch

Tofu Banh Mi, my favourite of Ooh Cha Cha's traditional sandwich menu, and a healthy smoothie

Taipei's Best Simple Western Food

As a resident of Taiwan, I get tired of the common vegetarian buffets, whose overcooked vegetables are usually laden with unhealthy sauces, and where it's very difficult to know what's vegan. So while studying nearby for a year Ooh Cha Cha was a godsend, offering healthy food I'd love to cook if I had the time, skills and motivation to do so. It's also extremely easy to reach (a few minutes from Guting Station, or fifteen minutes by MRT from Taipei Main Station). Its interior is friendly and welcoming. Ooh Cha Cha recently began offering vegan beer, making it one of the few vegan restaurants in Taipei which serves vegan alcohol. (Others are About Animals and Plants.)

Ooh Cha Cha are especially famous for their delectable raw desserts, however they are not always available. They also take online orders.

The new burger range diversifies Ooh Cha Cha's menu consid

Ooh Cha Cha serves nothing special, but that's what makes it so special.

While Ooh Cha Cha is as popular with visitors (who often miss food from home, and appreciate its proximity to Dictator (Chiang Kai Shek) Memorial Hall and other Central Taipei attractions), it's not for everyone; some visitors read the hype and come away thinking they just bought an overpriced sandwich. I think one needs to live in Taiwan, and eat too much unhealthy food, and have too many scares with fake meat and other falsely labelled food, to really appreciate a good sandwich, made with real, healthy bread, and hand-made, delicious, trustworthy sauces. If you have only a few meals to sample local cuisine it would be best to visit more traditional Taiwanese restaurants such as the Guangfu Loving Hut (for hotpots), Fruitful Food Buffet (vegetarian) or Vege Creek. But if you just need a delicious, healthy meal, one you'd dream of cooking yourself, Ooh Cha Cha is the place to go, and it's one of my most regular meals out in Taipei.erably. This was delicious, and it's especially refreshing to be able to get burgers which aren't filled with fried fake meat.

New Branch: Ooh Cha Cha Tech

Ooh Cha Cha Tech serve more creative fusion cuisine than the simpler, Guting fare, but I personally prefer the original food for its uniqueness in Taipei.

More recently, Ooh Cha Cha have opened a new branch near Technology Building Station, which serves a more international cuisine. More significantly for the foreign visitor (or resident) is that downstairs it runs Taipei's only vegan bar, Hooch, which is open until midnight each night. In my vegan guidebook to Taipei I recommend it as the best option for a late-night meal, perhaps after going up the Maokong Gondola, or coming back from Jiufen.