Cafeography
Kaohsiung · Sanmin & Main Station

Cafés in Sanmin & Main Station

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

Photo: 吳嘉偉, Pexels License

Sanmin (三民區) lies north of the old center and had 331,875 residents in October 2023.1 It holds Kaohsiung Main Station, the National Science and Technology Museum, Kaohsiung Medical University and Sanfong Central Street, the city's dried-goods market.1

Cafés here are spread across a large grid rather than packed into one strip. Bo'ai 1st Road (博愛一路) has the most, from FANs Cafe at No. 1 to 迷鹿小院子 at No. 437, with Qingyun Street (慶雲街) and Beiping 1st Street (北平一街) next. For beans roasted on site, Charon Coffee Roasters (卡戎精品咖啡) is in Lane 265 of Minzu 1st Road, and 德爾文咖啡 runs a direct-flame roastery (直火焙煎) at Dafeng 2nd Road 67.

Local tip: Unless you want the crowds, skip Sanfong Central Street in the month before Lunar New Year, when it becomes a New Year goods market running until New Year's Eve.3

At a glance

122Cafés listed
6With opening hours
09:00Earliest opening
23:00Latest closing

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Coffee chains in Sanmin & Main Station

Kaohsiung Main Station, rebuilt underground

Trains have stopped here since 22 June 1941. The southern half of the new underground station, platforms included, opened on 14 October 2018, the northern half and the rooftop spaces followed on 28 December 2024, and the complex was completed on 4 July 2025.2 The 1941 station building is to be moved back to its original position for display.2

The Red Line stop sits under Jianguo 2nd Road. On 5 September 2018 it was moved 100 m north, the first metro station in Taiwan to be relocated.2 Sankuaicuo, Minzu and Science and Technology Museum stations serve the rest of the district.1

Sanfong Central Street and the dried-goods trade

Sanfong Central Street (三鳳中街) runs through the old Sankuaicuo (三塊厝) settlement, north of Jianguo 3rd Road and south of the railway, and is lined with dealers in 南北貨 (nánběihuò, dried and preserved foods).3 A saying sums up its standing: 北迪化，南中街, Dihua Street in the north and Zhongjie in the south.3

From about a month before Lunar New Year until New Year's Eve it turns into a 年貨大街 (New Year goods street), busy enough that a managed parking lot was added and nearby roads opened for angled parking.3 Duanwu, Zhongyuan and Mid-Autumn bring smaller peaks.3 On Jianguo 3rd Road, Gerard Cocoa is at No. 2-2 and 皇山咖啡 at No. 148.

Riverbank cafés on the Love River

The Love River rises in Renwu and flows 12 km to the harbor. Cleanup began in 1979, when floodgates started diverting sewage to a treatment plant, and in July 2002 the city announced that the river was clean.4 Mingcheng 2nd Road crosses it on Mingcheng Bridge, and the 河堤公園 (hédī gōngyuán, riverbank park) lies along the same section.5

Several Sanmin cafés carry the riverbank name. 愛河戀手調咖啡河堤館 at Mingfu Street 11 has outdoor tables, air conditioning and Wi-Fi, and opens daily 14:00–23:00, the latest close in Sanmin. The 河堤 branch of 布蘭奇研磨咖啡 (Brunch Caffe Italiano) is at Mingzhe Road 24, Tuesday to Sunday 11:00–19:00, also with a terrace and Wi-Fi. Rabbit Rabbit Café (兔子兔子早午餐), a brunch café, is at Mingfu Street 44.

Opening hours and a museum café

Few cafés here open early. The founding shop of 36味咖啡館, at Zhengxing Road 74, opens 09:00–18:00 and closes on Tuesdays; it has Wi-Fi and no smoking. 咖樂聚 (Collage Café) on Beiping 1st Street 175 runs daily 10:00–21:00, and 程式咖啡 at Chongqing Street 117 daily 10:00–18:30. 巷茪咖啡 (The Alley Light), in Lane 243 of Ziqiang 1st Road, opens at 11:00, or at 13:00 on Wednesdays.

The National Science and Technology Museum, on Jiuru 1st Road, has a coffee gallery of its own: 識啡之地 is on its second floor at No. 720.1 Back near the station, 後站酒館‧咖啡 at Bo'ai 1st Road 66 is a bar that also serves coffee, and Daruma Saro (だるま茶廊) is at No. 176.

Sources

  1. Sanmin District, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Kaohsiung railway station, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. 三鳳中街, Wikipedia (Chinese), accessed October 2026
  4. Love River, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  5. 明誠路, Wikipedia (Chinese), accessed October 2026
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FAQ

Sanmin & Main Station cafés: questions

When did the new Kaohsiung Main Station open?

The southern half of the underground Kaohsiung Main Station opened on 14 October 2018, the northern half and rooftop spaces on 28 December 2024, and the complex was completed on 4 July 2025. The Red Line metro stop beneath Jianguo 2nd Road was moved 100 m north in September 2018. The 1941 station building is to return to its original position.

What is Sanfong Central Street in Kaohsiung's Sanmin District known for?

Sanfong Central Street is Kaohsiung's street of dried and preserved foods (南北貨), summed up in the saying 'Dihua Street in the north, Zhongjie in the south'. From about a month before Lunar New Year until New Year's Eve it becomes a New Year goods market, and Duanwu, Zhongyuan and Mid-Autumn bring smaller peaks.

Which cafés in Sanmin, Kaohsiung, stay open latest?

愛河戀手調咖啡河堤館 on Mingfu Street, by the Love River, is open daily 14:00–23:00 and has outdoor tables, air conditioning and Wi-Fi. 咖樂聚 (Collage Café) on Beiping 1st Street runs until 21:00. Most others close earlier: 程式咖啡 at 18:30 and the 36味 founding shop on Zhengxing Road at 18:00.

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