Taipei Restaurant Bus is a new way to explore the city of Taipei. This double-decker bus offers luxurious meals provided by 5-star hotels which include afternoon tea & dinner. It allows you to admire eastern Taipei’s stunning cityscape, including the famous Taipei 101!
Taipei Restaurant Bus allows tourists to see Taipei from a different point of view.
How to book the Taipei Restaurant Bus?
Whilst you can book on their official website, it is much cheaper to book through Klook. The afternoon tea is usually NT$1000 per person, but it’s NT$900 per person on Klook. The dinner is NT$1800 per person, but only NT$1620 if booked through Klook as well. The cancellation policy depends on the website, so it’s a good idea to check the weather before booking.
The afternoon tea is at 2 pm, dinners are at 5 pm & 7.30 pm. Each bus ride is 1.5 hours long. They operate every day except for Mondays.
Pick-up and drop-off location: Exit 3 of MRT City Hall Station
What food is served on the Taipei Restaurant Bus Afternoon Tea?
The actual hotel the bus works with depends on the season, the day we visited was the Regent Hotel Taipei. They have a different menu for vegetarians. You can check out the dinner menu on the booking website.
Afternoon Tea Set (Meat Diet)
- Smoked Salmon Sandwich with Drill Cream
- Smoked Chicken Brioche
- Shrimp & Avocado Bruschetta
- Herbs Salad
- Chestnut Opera
- Canelé
- Caramel Canelé
- Marshmallow Yuzu Roll
- Fruits Salad
Vegetarian
- Carrot & Raisin Sandwich
- Egg Mimosa Brioche
- Tomato & Mozzarella Cheese Bruschetta
- Herbs Salad
- Opera
- Canelé
- Caramel Canelé
- Marshmallow Yuzu Roll
- Fruits Salad
The actual menu of the day in different languages.
The actual experience of the Taipei Restaurant Bus afternoon tea:
When we arrived at the MRT City Hall Station Exit 3, the black double-decker bus was about to park in its designated parking bay. We quickly took a photo from the outside since it departs right on time.
A quick photo with the double-decker bus before the departure. If you missed the bus, you will have to go to its next stop.
Masks are required when boarding and temperatures were measured. We had a quick glance downstairs, which I assumed was the kitchen area covered up by curtains before we were led upstairs. We were welcomed by the huge fortified glass windows that apparently can block 99% of the UV light.
The massive windows that can block UV and the four seater table across us.
On one side of the window there were tables for fours and on the other side were the tables for twos. All of which were beautifully decorated with a vase of flowers. There were acrylic racks in front of us to prevent glasses from moving during rides which I thought was very smart.
The route map & the acrylic racks prevent the glasses from moving in front of us.
The tables were not allocated, it seems like it’s based on a first come first served basis. As soon as all the patrons were onboard, the bus drove off. The narration of the bustling Xinyi District and the East District business district begins. It was my first time on a tour in Taipei, so it was quite refreshing.
It was interesting to hear the narration of Taipei’s Eastern districts.
The food & beverages
While we were admiring the architecture surrounding us, the savouries were served. I thought the whole plate looked a bit underwhelming visually, but still tasted ok. Alcohol was served at NT$250 per drink. The bottles were quite cute, so my friend ordered a pink-looking drink which was useful as a photo prop.
All four types of alcohol looked so yummy!
During this time we were busy taking photos around the bus while trying to capture Taipei 101. The attendant told us that there are better photo stops later, we should enjoy our food first. It seems like they know that everyone here is after a good photo for Instagram.
Even though there were 4 types of savouries on the menu, the plating didn’t look as appealing as it seems.
The dessert plate was better. The Canelés were on point, not overly sweet either. The dinosaur bread was very eye-catching, though it tasted very dry, wish they provided us with some jam or butter to go with it. Though it is not on the menu.
The bus will stay at a place where it’s perfect for Taipei 101, so concentrate on eating first. No need to worry.
Taiwanese people seem to love to doggy-bag their food, this place was no exception. Packing services are available, however, some items are required to be eaten immediately.
The dessert platter was much better.
At 3.30 pm, we arrived back at the metro station right on time. The bus quickly drove off as soon as we got off the bus, so if you want to take photos with the bus, you better do it at the beginning!
In conclusion:
Overall, I think it’s a fun way to explore Taipei if you want to see the city differently and get some nice photos. The food on the bus wasn’t made fresh onsite, so you can’t expect the same quality you would get at a hotel. I think the dinner is probably over-priced, however, afternoon tea is worth the experience.
Some activities are just better with friends. Cheers!
Please note, regardless of the age of the passengers, they are all required to purchase tickets. As I don’t think they can fit a high chair onboard, it’s probably not a baby-friendly activity. There are also no bathrooms onboard too.
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