Cafeography
高雄

Cafés in Kaohsiung harbor warehouses and milk-tea streets

Cold drip on Dagong Road, milk tea and an upstairs café on Sinle Street, and riverbank tables beside the Love River in Sanmin.

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686Cafés listed
0Open by 6am
10Open past 10pm
11Specialty & roasters

Kaohsiung (高雄) is Taiwan's third-largest city, with about 2.72 million people in August 2025, and its port, the busiest on the island, handles more than two-thirds of Taiwan's container trade.1 Hoklo settlers knew the harbor as Takau (打狗); Japan renamed it Takao in 1920, and the Mandarin reading of those characters gave the city its modern name.1 The port still shapes where you drink coffee: at Pier-2, disused harbor warehouses were converted into exhibition space and cafés.5

Tea came first and still dominates. At the end of May 2024 the city had 3,045 手搖飲 (shǒuyáoyǐn, hand-shaken drink) shops, more than any other city or county in Taiwan and nearly three times Taipei's 1,043.4 Across the island, new hand-shaken stands were opening at 40.2 a month, against 24.9 coffee shops and 0.9 traditional tea houses.4 Sinle Street (新樂街) in Yancheng, once lined with jewelry shops, is now known for its milk-tea counters.5

Coffee has local champions and local farms. Jacky Lai (賴昱權), a Kaohsiung roaster, was named World Coffee Roasting Champion in 2014, and the city's magazine counted two of that year's seven World Coffee Events titles as won by Kaohsiung residents.2 At the 2024 Kaohsiung City Coffee Festival in Aozihdi Park, the tourism bureau brought in coffee businesses from Maolin (茂林), Namasia (那瑪夏) and Neimen (內門), districts inside the city limits; some are run by young farmers who came home to grow their own coffee trees.3

From the harbor to the Love River

Kaohsiung by area

The Love River (愛河) runs 12 km from Renwu to the harbor through the city center.13 The oldest streets are beside the port, in Yancheng and Hamasen, both built on land reclaimed in the early 1900s, while Lingya shares the role of administrative center with Fongshan.141516

Yancheng & Pier-2

Pier-2's harbor warehouses, milk tea on Sinle Street and cafés in one of Kaohsiung's oldest districts.

54 cafés

Hamasen & Sizihwan

Japanese-era streets on reclaimed land, the Takao Railway Museum, the Cijin ferry and Sizihwan's sunset.

13 cafés

Cianjin & Sinsing

Formosa Boulevard's glass dome, Liuhe Night Market and cafés on Linsen 1st, Zhongshan 1st and Xintian roads.

122 cafés

Lingya

The 85 Sky Tower, the Cultural Center and cafés from Guanghua 1st Road to a stall inside Lingya Market.

119 cafés

Sanmin & Main Station

Kaohsiung Main Station, the dried-goods dealers of Sanfong Central Street and riverbank cafés on the Love River.

122 cafés

Museum of Fine Arts & Neiwei

The Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts in its lakeside park, with cafés on the Meishu streets and Qinghai Road.

38 cafés

Zuoying & Mingcheng Road

Lotus Pond's pagodas, the Old City gates, the high-speed rail terminus and Mingcheng Road toward the river.

108 cafés
Or start with what you need

Browse by mood and hour

精品咖啡

Specialty coffee

Roasteries in Zuoying, direct-flame roasting in Sanmin and Lingya, and beans from the hills.

11 cafés

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi from the Love River banks in Sanmin to Lingya Market and the Meishu streets.

29 cafés
戶外座位

Outdoor seating

Riverbank tables in Sanmin, downtown terraces on Linsen 1st Road and a harbor-side café in Hamasen.

14 cafés
深夜咖啡

Open late

Coffee past 22:00, from Linsen 1st Road and Lingya Market to a weekend night shift in Yancheng.

10 cafés
烘焙咖啡館

Bakery cafés

Wu Pao-chun's home base, Jiu Zhen Nan's pastries and café-bakeries near the Museum of Fine Arts.

9 cafés

Yancheng & Pier-2 54 cafés

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Hamasen & Sizihwan 13 cafés

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Cijin 5 cafés

Cianjin & Sinsing 122 cafés

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Lingya 119 cafés

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Cianjhen & Asia New Bay 60 cafés

Sanmin & Main Station 122 cafés

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Museum of Fine Arts & Neiwei 38 cafés

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Zuoying & Mingcheng Road 108 cafés

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Fengshan 45 cafés

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Coffee chains in Kaohsiung

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多那之 Donutes

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季洋咖啡

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咖啡深藏

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Before you sit down

How coffee works in Kaohsiung

The quickest cup is at a convenience-store counter. As of August 2026 a small americano at FamilyMart's Let's Café costs NT$25 and an extra-large NT$60, a medium latte at 7-Eleven's City Café NT$45, and 7-Eleven's premium City Prima line starts at NT$60 for a small americano; your own reusable cup earns NT$5 off at 7-Eleven.6 At the chain Louisa Coffee (路易莎), an americano went up to NT$60 and a latte to NT$80 on 6 January 2026.7

Café menus and signs use a few words worth knowing: 手沖 (shǒuchōng) is a pour-over, 冰滴 (bīngdī) cold drip, 自家烘焙 (zìjiā hōngbèi) roasted in-house and 直火焙煎 (zhíhuǒ bèijiān) roasted over an open flame. 喫茶 (kissa), borrowed from Japanese, marks an old-style coffee room. In a traditional tea house, look for a 茶水費 (cháshuǐ fèi, tea-water fee), which some add for preparing the tea and the snacks served with it.10

You don't tip; most full-service restaurants add a 10% service charge instead.10 iPASS (一卡通), the stored-value card launched with the Kaohsiung MRT in March 2008, also pays at 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Hi-Life and OK Mart.12 Finish your drink before the ticket gates: eating, drinking and chewing gum are banned in the MRT's restricted areas, with fines of NT$1,500 to NT$7,500.11

Expect heat for most of the year. Daily highs pass 30 °C from April to November and sit near 25 °C from December to March, and most rain falls from June to August, when August alone averages about 512 mm.1 Winter is the season for a terrace, and Sizihwan, at the harbor mouth, is at its best at sunset.5

What coffee costs in Kaohsiung

DrinkTypical price
超商美式
Convenience-store americano, small to extra-large		NT$25–60
FamilyMart Let's Café, 7-Eleven City Café
超商拿鐵
Convenience-store latte, small to extra-large		NT$35–70
FamilyMart Let's Café, 7-Eleven City Café
CITY PRIMA 美式 / 拿鐵
Premium convenience-store americano or latte		NT$60–110
7-Eleven City Prima
美式 / 拿鐵
Americano or latte at a local chain		NT$60–80
Louisa Coffee (路易莎)
卡布奇諾
Cappuccino, regular size		NT$40–155
Cafés citywide

Prices as of 2026: convenience-store and City Prima prices from Money101's August 2026 list, Louisa Coffee's after its January 2026 increase as reported by NOWnews, and the cappuccino range from Numbeo's Kaohsiung page (October 2026), where the average is about NT$94.678 In mid-October 2026, US$1 bought about NT$32.4.9

Sources

  1. Kaohsiung, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Coffee Master Yu-chuan Jacky Lai: The Pride of Kaohsiung (咖啡職人賴昱權 高雄之光), Maritime Capital Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung City Government (June 5, 2015), accessed October 2026
  3. 2024高雄城市咖啡節 凹子底公園登場, Newtalk (November 24, 2024), accessed October 2026
  4. 手搖飲店家數 高雄市3045家居全台之冠, Commercial Times / CTEE (August 15, 2024), accessed October 2026
  5. Kaohsiung, Wikivoyage, accessed October 2026
  6. 2026 超商咖啡優惠整理：7-11 CITY CAFE／全家 Let’s Café 價目表, Money101 (updated August 2026), accessed October 2026
  7. 路易莎今起漲價 美式、拿鐵各漲5元, NOWnews (January 6, 2026), accessed October 2026
  8. Cost of Living in Kaohsiung, Numbeo (updated October 24, 2026), accessed October 2026
  9. Taiwan Dollars to U.S. Dollar Spot Exchange Rate (DEXTAUS), Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED), accessed October 2026
  10. Taiwan, Wikivoyage, accessed October 2026
  11. Penalty Standards for Violations, Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corporation, accessed October 2026
  12. iPASS (smart card), Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  13. Love River, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  14. 鹽埕區, Wikipedia (Chinese), accessed October 2026
  15. 哈瑪星, Wikipedia (Chinese), accessed October 2026
  16. Lingya District, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
FAQ

Cafés in Kaohsiung: common questions

How much does coffee cost in Kaohsiung?

As of 2026, a convenience-store americano in Kaohsiung costs NT$25–60 and a latte NT$35–70, depending on size, and 7-Eleven's City Prima drinks cost NT$60–110. Louisa Coffee charges NT$60 for an americano and NT$80 for a latte. A regular cappuccino at a café runs NT$40–155, about NT$94 on average. US$1 was about NT$32.4 in October 2026.

Which area of Kaohsiung has the most cafés?

Cianjin & Sinsing and Sanmin & Main Station have the most cafés, followed by Lingya. Zuoying and Lingya have the most roasters, and Cianjin & Sinsing the most cafés serving until 22:00 or later.

How many tea shops does Kaohsiung have compared with Taipei?

At the end of May 2024 Kaohsiung had 3,045 hand-shaken drink shops, the most in Taiwan and nearly three times Taipei's 1,043. Across Taiwan, new tea stands were opening faster than coffee shops, at 40.2 a month against 24.9. In Yancheng, Sinle Street is known for its milk-tea counters.

Where does locally grown coffee in Kaohsiung come from?

From the city's own outlying districts. At the 2024 Kaohsiung City Coffee Festival in Aozihdi Park, the tourism bureau featured coffee businesses from Maolin, Namasia and Neimen, all districts of Kaohsiung, some run by young farmers who returned home to grow their own coffee trees.

Can you drink coffee on the Kaohsiung MRT?

No. Eating, drinking and chewing gum are banned in the restricted areas of the Kaohsiung MRT, and the fine is NT$1,500 to NT$7,500, so finish your cup before the ticket gates. The iPASS card used on the MRT also pays at 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Hi-Life and OK Mart.

Do you tip at cafés in Kaohsiung?

No. Tipping is generally not practiced in Taiwan, so you pay the menu price at Kaohsiung cafés. Most full-service restaurants add a 10% service charge instead. Traditional tea houses may add a tea-water fee (茶水費) for preparing the tea and the snacks served with it.

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