Astoria Cafe & Bakery

Delightful Russian ambience to dine in, which many local customers love to indulge in a different food culture. I was there for afternoon tea and the coffee they served was indeed flavourly generous. Never would I know, my brandy coffee packs a punch compared to other alcoholic coffee I had previously, so does the richness of the latté. However, the price is worth the quality plus its interior decoration -- with books and ornaments lining-up the shelve at the entrance. Also, they have a pastry confectionery at the ground floor, which is quite budget friendly.

An old cafe (since 1949) in the central of Taipei city. The coffee is without questioning decent, but the fish jelly is surprisingly amazing!!! Very delicate and savory. Not only but this place’s significant historical value, they also provide pretty well cuisine.

Everything one wants and expects from a 70+ year old Russian restaurant & coffee shop. The best old school service and atmosphere, excellent food and coffee. And a top notch bakery. They don't make'em like this any more.

The Astoria is a special place that needs a deep understanding to enjoy it. The food itself is special and has a lineage from the Russian royal family over 70 years ago. The decoration inside might look old, but the paintings on the wall are actually by a special customer, while each book sold in the shop are by the people who wrote the books, having spent time there. The ornaments are special and have a story, while even shining your phone on the picture of the coffee package links to a 3D image - very interesting. The food is actually tasty and the brolsche takes about 2-3 days to prepare. It is tasty and I strongly recommend it. As for the staff, they have been badly reviewed and I found on my visit that the staff were all kind, not overly, but helpful and explained the menu and actually seemed like a family. Some of the older staff in the bakery have been there for over 40 years, so how can there be so much criticism? The actual boss, the lady, is very passionate about what she does. If you get to see her, let know your thoughts. Overall, I understand that in general observation, the place seems like a normal old coffee shop, but it is, except that it’s not normal if you understand what it’s about and the type of experiences and stories that created this place. If you can read Mandarin, they have a book explaining it... I recommend going there and have someone read the book and translate it for the experience. If you are a writer/philosopher, I am not sure this is the place for you because it can be so busy and I don’t think they can cater to your needs. So, the food, the experience of knowing what this place means, the dessert and their special egg coffee makes this place very interesting and a must for those who haven’t been.

Historical Russian restaurant in Taipei from 1949. The seafood spaghetti is nice.

We came for its history and fame. Definitely the most iconic cafe in town. History is well kept and the interior is also very well maintained in the restaurant. The food service, however, was just so so. Wouldn’t revisit for the food and beverage.

Awesome place, great food, slightly pricy, but you are paying for the history and the overall vibe of the environment. This places is historical, and have tons of history in it.

The iconic Russian soft candy is pretty pillowy like marshmallows- even better (in my sense) after freezing it! (Per their recommendation)