This cafe initially caught our eye due to how black and white it is in contrast to its colorful surroundings. At first glance, it appeared to be a small coffee bar until we crossed the road and checked it out.
We quickly realized that they don’t just do coffees to go, surprisingly, have a spacious and cozy basement as well. Just as it’s signposted, you’re welcome to enter through their glass side door and go downstairs.
One of the biggest reasons why Instil Coffee Dimension became one of our favorite cafes in the area is due to how serious and professional they take their coffee. Not only do they change their coffee beans regularly, they even describe where they’ve imported them from, along with the individual ingredients of each cup.
There’s also a manor of professionalism here as they roast the beans themselves which allowed us to deeply enjoy every cup as they all overflowed with quality and flavor.
They’re conveniently located nearby Da’an Station, just a 4-minute walk from exit 5.
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1. About the Cafe |
If you’re pressed for time and prefer to have your coffee to go, then you’ll get a $40 takeout discount bonus!
It’s also worth mentioning that this cafe is English-friendly. We confirmed this as well as most of everything is translated into English and the staff we spoke to can speak English.
The entire basement design is woody and minimalist which gives a subtle modern Korean cafe vibe to it. It’s pretty spacious and can accommodate many people without the feeling of being crowded.
With its super simplistic style, it felt surprisingly cozy despite the fact all the seating is either solid wood or stone.
Just like all other decent cafes, there is free WIFI available. Better still, there are power sockets, making it an ideal place to get get a bit of work or studying done since the environment is generally quiet and not distracting.
Since the staff can speak English, we asked about their peak times so we could avoid them. They let us know it can get busy around 12pm to 5pm throughout the week since most people order to go in the mornings.
The biggest downfall of the basement is that there are no toilets. However, the staff advised us that there is a 7 Eleven just around the corner that should have toilets available.
What We Ordered
Pour-over coffee brewing ($160)
One of their specialties is their pour-over coffee, even in the equipment they use to brew it. For example, we noticed they use a specialized pour-over coffee scale which lets them know how much and when to stop pouring to achieve the absolute perfect results each time.
They gladly let us watch how they continuously replenish the liquid surrounding the coffee grounds with new, fresher water. This promotes a faster, more efficient brew which is unlike other methods of coffee brewing.
This coffee was, as expected, pretty strong, full-bodied with sweet notes and aromas. We were thoroughly impressed with this one, leaving us with no doubt as to why it’s on the top of their separate ‘Single Origin’ section of their menu.
They also serve it in cold (shown in the menu as (I) for iced – which is typically the term used in Taiwan for cold drinks). We could tell it’ll be very refreshing during the heat. We’d come back for this for sure.
2. Sicily ($160)
Our next coffee came from the general coffee section of the menu which is only served cold.
At first, we weren’t too sure about it as the first few sips were overpoweringly strong as it’s a sour lemon coffee. However, we started to enjoy the sweetness of the lemon flavor after about a third in as it gets less bitter in each sip.
Caffé Latte ($160)
Our last coffee order also came from the general coffee section of the menu, and it’s available in hot and cold.
We comfortably enjoyed this latte due to how refreshing and smooth it was due to the noticeably good quality dairy milk they used.
It didn’t have that typical bitter aftertaste that lattes usually have due to the beans they used, as well as how the milk helped neutralize it after we mixed it in.
Banana Cake ($120)
The banana cake was delicious. The cake was served smooth, fairly moist, and warm with it being slightly crispy on the outside.
It had a strong banana flavor, certainly more than most banana cakes we’ve ever eaten.
Basque Cheesecake ($180)
Their cheesecake was by far our favorite of the two cakes we tried on this particular visit. Be warned though, ours didn’t come slightly burnt at the top which is a traditional thing to give it that authentic touch.
As for us – as cheesecake lovers, we felt it was a slice of heaven due to how deep and creamy the taste was. The cake slice was fairly firm but it still maintained a level of moistness for us to easily cut into with a spoon.
The Menu
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Worth visiting?
Yes. Prices are not that far on the high side, so in our opinion, they’re worth paying when you want to treat yourself. Everything is delicious, and the atmosphere is on point.
It’s a cozy place for hanging out or for getting some work done on free Wi-Fi, or chatting with friends while you sip some high-quality coffee and desserts.
Will we go back?
We’ve been back, and loved it!
Instil Coffee DimensionHours: Telephone: 09 0666 3176 Social Media: Facebook: Instil Coffee Dimension Instagram: instilcoffee English address: B2, Lane 78, Section 2, Fuxing S Rd, Da’an District, Taipei City, 106 Chinese address: 號地下, 2復興南路二段78巷大安區台北市106 Closest MRT: Da’an Station |
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🗓️ Updated: May 2021 – Taipei.Expats
