ABCD: A Better Coffee and Doughnut

Good American-style doughnuts can be hard to come by in Taipei — especially ones that don’t come from a huge chain like Krispy Kreme or Mister Donut. We like the Japanese-style doughnuts from Haritts, but they can’t match the sweet, fatty goodness of their American counterparts. That’s why we were excited to discover ABCD: A Better Coffee and Doughnut. It’s a small cafe conveniently located a 1 minute walk from Zhongshan MRT. They have a simple menu serving a limited selection of unique and elevated doughnuts with delicious fried dough, and quality coffee as well. They’re not quite the same as you’d get back home as the dough isn’t super sugary, but they’re closer than the other options we’ve found here. This is a great casual spot to grab a tasty treat on the go!

The cafe is small and minimalist. It’s got a long counter for serving, with simple bench seating facing it from the opposite side of the room. There are low round tables to eat at, making ABCD a very casual place to enjoy your doughnut and coffee. However, you should expect that you might need to take your order to go, because the bench and tables are often full — especially on weekends.

As you can see, the menu is very simple and straightforward. There are a few limited options for coffee and currently 6 types of doughnuts on offer, which may change on a seasonal basis. So far we’ve tried 3 of them, and loved them all. The dough has more of that airy, oily texture that’s characteristic of American doughnuts, rather than the denser, less fried texture of Japanese-style doughnuts like the ones at Haritts. These doughnuts are sweeter and fattier (and therefore more enjoyable, in our opinion!), though the dough it a little less sweet than what you’d find in Western countries.

The Berry Garden ($75)

This doughnut is coated in a layer of sweet raspberry with pistachios and rose petals sprinkled on top. It’s a slightly elevated take on a classic ring doughnut, with more berry flavour. Simple yet satisfying!

The Crème Brûlée ($75)

This sticky doughnut is deeply fried and coated in a hard, sweet glaze. The inside is packed with rich crème brûlée filling that oozed out when we bit through the fatty dough. It was seriously delicious!

The Lemon Meringue ($75)

As you’d expect, this doughnut was just like a balled-up slice of lemon meringue pie with fatty dough. It was very sweet and tasted sooo good. We’ve barely come across lemon meringue here, so this was a special treat!

We also tried an Americano, which was strong and tasted great. Though the cafe is small and casual, we really enjoyed everything we tried. We’ve returned on 2 separate occasions and both times they were sold out of the Peanut Butter Bacon doughnut, which appears to be the most popular and the one we most want to try. We’re looking forward to heading back soon in the hopes of grabbing one before they’re all snatched up!

What’s the vibe?

Small cafe with a simple menu and limited bench seating. Customers are mostly locals.

Worth it?

Definitely — both the doughnuts and coffee were the real deal. They are a bit pricy but totally worth it!

Would you go back?

We already have!

Last updated December 2019

A Better Coffee & Doughnut

Hours: 10am - 7pm, closed Mondays

Phone: 02 2558 0678

English Address: No. 8, Lane 4, Lane 18, West Nanjing Road, Datong District

Chinese Address: 南京西路18巷4弄8號