California Pizza Kitchen

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California Pizza Kitchen is a well known classier Pizza restaurant chain from the U.S. offering top notch pies with traditional toppings and daring new concoctions with either normal crust or thin crust. The Taiwanese location in the Xin Yi Vieshow Cinema foodcourt takes that innovation to another realm by offering their patrons the odd choices of Minced Pork Rice Pizza, Oyster Omelet Pizza, and the Boba Milk Tea Pizza. They are mind-blowing pizzas that make you double-take each bite and are very interesting to chew on. However they also have their signature Margheritas and Sicilian pizzas with their thin crust option. No longer are you forced to go to 15 Napoletana and pretend their thin crust pizzas are CPK. You can get the real deal here now...Well, as real as it can get.
Address: 台北市松壽路20號2樓

                 No. 20, Sōngshòu Road, Sinyi District, Taipei

Phone #: 02-2722-8383
Business Hours: 10:00-24:00
Website: http://www.cpk.com/locations/xinyi/

Accepts Credit Cards: yes

Price Range: $$$

Attire: casual

Good for kids: yes

Take out: yes
Waiter Service: yes
Outdoor seating: no
Alcohol: yes

Rating
Food Quality: 4 out of 5
Decor:  4 out of 5
Service: 4.5 out of 5

Overall: 4.17 out of 5

Side Note: Has unique Taiwanese Style Pizzas and Familar Signature Pizzas

Review

Indulge Experimental Bistro

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Indulge Experimental Bistro is a hidden treasure among the restaurants and lounges in Taipei. They are tucked away in a seemingly residential section of an alley near the Zhong Xiao FuXing MRT Station. Indulge offers some of the finest cocktails available and at a fair price. At around 350 NT, you can try the  concoctions of their reknown mixologists. The food is worth a try, but their appetizers and late night snack section are safer choices than their dinner menu, which contains entrees like "Spagetti with Wild Flower Crab and East Port Mullet Roe Slice". That entree is an example of Indugle's use of local Taiwanese ingredients to create new European influenced dishes to bring something unique to the food scene. Expect to spend at least 1000 per person to indulge in an array of good meals and mesmerizing cocktails.

Address:  台北市復興南路一段219巷11號
                 No. 11, Lane 219, Section 1, Fùxīng South Rd, Daan District

Phone #: 02-2773-0080
Business Hours: 17:00-02:00

Website: http://indulgetaipei.blogspot.com/

Accepts Credit Cards: yes
Price Range:   $$$$

Attire: casual

Good for kids: yes

Take out: yes
Waiter Service: yes
Outdoor seating:  no
Alcohol: yes

Rating

Food Quality: 4 out of 5
Decor:  4 out of 5
Service: 3.5 out of 5
Overall: 3.83 out of 5
Recommendation: Great Cocktails and Novel Dishes

Review

Alleyway BBQ 胡同燒肉

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Alleyway BBQ is an asian style BBQ house with manly locations including one in the NEO19 building in the bustling Sin Yi District. The Chinese name Hu Tong 胡同 invokes Beijing style cuisine, but the establishment is more like one of those pervasive Japanese style BBQ houses with a little more class. The prices are slightly higher than the average Japanese BBQ house, and each individual can expect to spend at least 1000 NT for a nice meal. They have excellent service and a posh clean atmosphere, and you can come here and dine freshly grilled filet mignon, sirloin steaks, lamb chops, butter chicken, and other bbq-able items you can think of. Out of all the Asian BBQ houses, this one sets the bar in terms of quality of food and service.

Address:  台北市松壽路22號
                 No. 22, SōngShòu Rd, Sinyi District Taipei City, Taiwan 110
Map:

Phone #: 02-2723-8838

Business Hours: 18:00-01:00
Website: http://www.hutong.com.tw/

Accepts Credit Cards: yes
Price Range:   $$$$

Attire: casual

Good for kids: yes

Take out: yes
Waiter Service: yes
Outdoor seating:  no
Alcohol: yes

Rating

Food Quality: 4.5 out of 5
Decor:  4 out of 5
Service: 4.5 out of 5
Overall: 4.33 out of 5
Recommendation: Classy Asian BBQ with great service



Review

Beautiful Garden 美觀園

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Address: 台北市萬華區峨嵋街36號
　　　　No. 36, ÉMéi St, Wanhua District Taipei City
Phone #:  02-2331-7000

Website: N/A

Price Range:   $$$
Accepts Credit Cards: idk

Attire: casual

Good for kids: yes

Take out: yes
Waiter Service: yes
Outdoor seating:  no
Alcohol: yes

Rating

Food Quality: 3.5 out of 5
Decor:  3 out of 5
Service: 3 out of 5
Overall: 3.16 out of 5
Recommendation: Old-school Taiwanese-Japanese Fare
Review
Beautiful Garden is an old school Japanese restaurant located in the heart of Xi Men Ding. They have been open since 1946, which is when the first generation owner learned his craft from a Japanese chef who was around during the time Taiwan was a Japanese colony. Although the restaurant has passed hands to the new generation, their menu items are made in the spirit of their ancestors. Their sashimi is cut very thick and meaty. It is not a good entry level place for sashimi virgins, because their cuts make each bite undeniably fishy. The menu items can be very cheap with set meals for under 300, but if you want to splurge and get sashimi or rare nigiri like sea urchin, then your bill can rack up to the size of your belly. I think an average person can be satiated for under 1000 NT. This is the right place to try traditional Taiwanese-Japanese Fusion. I would not recommend this place for delicate Japanese food, but would guide hearty eaters towards this place. The decor and service are subpar, since they are super busy and don't have the time to remodel. However, bring your non-picky tourists here to get a feel of old-school fare and enjoy the bustling Xi Men Ding while you are at it.

Hello Kitty Sweets

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Address:  台灣台北大安區大安路一段九十號
                 No. 90, Section 1, DàĀn Road, Da-an District Taipei City
Phone #:  02-27111132
Website: http://www.hellokittysweets.com.tw/

Price Range:   $$$

Accepts Credit Cards: yes

Take out: yes

Waiter Service: yes

Outdoor seating:  no

Alcohol: no

Rating

Food Quality: 3 out of 5

Decor:  4.5 out of 5

Service: 4.5 out of 5

Overall: 4 out of 5

Recommendation: Go for deserts, not for a meal.
Review
In the Da An road and Zhong Shiao road intersection lies Hello Kitty Sweets. As the name suggests, this is a bakery/cafe that is dedicated to serving Hello Kitty themed meals in a Hello Kitty themed dining space. This is probably the pinkest store in the Zhong Shiao Fu Shing MRT area. Don't come here expecting to get a good tasting meal. It's pretty much a store that wows you with hello kitty shaped items, which taste average. I do not recommend actually eating any of the meals here except for the hamburger or the bread bowls. Everything else does not resemble kitty, and no one should eat the overpriced spagetti/steaks there. I do recommend checking it out if you are in the area at least once, and trying their desserts, especially the yakult flavored hello kitty cake.

Chamonix 夏慕尼

Picture taken from: http://2010ben.wordpress.com/

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Address:  新竹縣竹北市光明一路128號1樓
                 No. 128, GuāngMíng 1st Rd, Jhubei City, Hsinchu County
Phone #:  03-657-0648

Website: http://www.chamonix.com.tw/

Price Range:   $$$

Accepts Credit Cards: yes

Take out: yes

Waiter Service: yes

Outdoor seating:  no

Alcohol: yes

Rating

Food Quality: 4.5 out of 5

Decor:  4.5 out of 5

Service: 5 out of 5

Overall: 4.67 out of 5

Recommendation: High-Value Teppanyaki with wide menu selection.

Review

Chamonix is a chain teppanyaki restaurant run by the Wowprime Group. They are known to deliver high quality dining experiences at each of their restaurants. Chamonix is no exception. At the flat rate of 980 NT a person, you can enjoy a full 6 course meal: appetizer, bread and salad, soup, entree with sides, and dessert with beverage. At under 1000 NT, it is a fair value for the meal you are receiving. You can also choose from a different combinations of entrees and sides, that a return trip could offer a whole different experience. It would be difficult to exaust the menu in few trips. I recommend Chamonix as a safe bet for quality teppanyaki at a bearable price. I have yet to find out if the Taipei 101 teppanyaki priced at 2k+ is worth its weight. For now, Chamonix is high up on the list, their food paired with their excellent service makes this place a solid leader in Taiwanese Teppanyaki restaurants.

DOZO

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Address:    台北市大安區光復南路102號1樓
                   No. 102, GuāngFù South Rd, Da-an District

       
Phone #:    02-2778-1135
Website: http://www.dozoizakaya.com/

Price Range:   $$$$

Accepts Credit Cards: yes

Attire: casual

Good for kids: no

Take out: yes
Waiter Service: yes
Outdoor seating:  no
Alcohol: yes

Rating

Food Quality: 4 out of 5
Decor:  4 out of 5
Service: 4 out of 5
Overall: 4 out of 5
Recommendation: Good place for drinks, pricey array of Japanese Cuisine.

Review

Near the Sun Yat Sen Memorial MRT station, there is a trendy Izakaya called Dozo. They serve an assortment of Japanese cuisine from sushi to yakiniku. A lot of their items do not seem very traditional, but a modernized twist of Japanese fare. It will also take a couple dollars to fill yourself up, since their menu items are quite pricey as the quantity of each dish is quite small. Three pieces of nigiri will run you around 300 NT. And six skewers of meat will run you 340. Yet, if you can afford the cost, Dozo offers a sleek modern space to enjoy intriguing cocktails over some snack-type foods. They also offer a small selection of original desserts that are delicious and well-presented.

So Free

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Address:    台灣台北大安區羅斯福路三段283巷28號

                   No. 28, Lane 283, Section 3, LuóSīFú Rd, Da-an District
Phone #:   02-2364-3351
Website: N/A

Price Range:   $$

Accepts Credit Cards: no

Attire: casual

Good for kids: yes

Take out: yes
Waiter Service: yes
Outdoor seating:  no
Alcohol: no

Rating

Food Quality: 3.5 out of 5
Decor:  3 out of 5
Service: 4 out of 5
Overall: 3.5 out of 5
Recommendation: Cheap novelty pizza, but limited seating.

Review

In the northwestern back alley area of NTU lies a novelty pizza restaurant that is famous for their eccentric Pizza creations like Ginger Superman, Korean Kimchi, and Apple Cinnamon. Seating is extremely limited at the store, and they only accomodate around 8 people dining in at a time, so most of their orders are take-out. However, I feel that the pizza is best when it is eating straight out of the oven, so you should insist on waiting to be seated before you order. The cheese began to solidify very soon after it was plopped in front of me, so I can't imagine how one would enjoy this pizza after even 5 minutes to another location. I would recommend this place for the person who wants to try wierd items. The Ginger Superman should be tried once in a lifetime. I will need to return and try Apple Cinnamon, and maybe Banana Almond.

Dazzling Cafe 蜜糖土司專賣

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Address:    台北市忠孝東路四段205巷7弄11號

                  No. 11, Alley 7, Lane 205, Section 4, ZhōngXiào East Rd, Da-an District
Phone #:   02-8773-9229
Website: http://cafe.dazzlingdazzling.com/

Price Range:   $$

Accepts Credit Cards: no

Attire: casual

Good for kids: yes

Take out: yes
Waiter Service: yes
Outdoor seating:  no
Alcohol: no

Rating

Food Quality: 3.7 out of 5
Decor:  4 out of 5
Service: 4.5 out of 5
Overall: 4.06 out of 5
Recommendation: Fancy cafe with delightful desserts and drinks.

Review

Dazzling cafe is a very bling bling eatery located on the east side on the alleyway behind Luxy. They feature a honey toast dessert that is very popular item. They have a wide assortment of drinks available to pair with the honey toast or meal proper.They also have many types of pasta dishes, sandwiches, and a few dinner entrees to chose from. The honey toasts run about 280 NT per order and drinks are around 120. I have not tried the hot food, so I will have to fill that information in on a later date. The place is a good place to kick back with some coffee and dessert.