Cuban Food & Cocktails at Coabana Cafe
We recently had the pleasure of visiting Cafe Coabana, a beautiful Cuban-themed cafe in Minsheng Community. We’d been excited to visit for a while, after seeing it pop up over and over again on Instagram, but had never found the opportunity to go. Luckily for us, we ended up going on the one sunny day over several weeks of rain and were able to experience the cafe at its best.
One of the reasons why Coabana Cafe is so popular is its eye-catching terrace. With its bright colours, leafy garden, and its Che Guevara metalwork, it truly is a gorgeous, relaxing space that’s just begging to be photographed. The only downside to the outside area is that it’s irresistible to aspiring influencers, who crowd the terrace on weekends in their bid to take the perfect shot. This wouldn’t be much of a problem if their photoshoots didn’t sometimes last upwards of 50 minutes (no, seriously), but as it stands, we suggest taking it into account if you were hoping to sit outside. If you have your heart set on sitting on the terrace, try to avoid the weekends.
The interior of Coabana Cafe’s is also lovely, with a faded charm that’s both aesthetically-pleasing and comfortable. We’d choose the terrace where possible, but you shouldn’t be heartbroken if you end up sitting inside.
As soon as we saw that there were cocktails on the menu, we were sold — there aren’t a huge number of places to have a boozy brunch in Taipei, and we’ll take any opportunity we can get. The first one we ordered was a Cuban-style mojito ($250). This was really tasty, though slightly on the sweeter side. It was refreshing and reasonably strong, and we would have ordered more if they hadn’t taken so long to arrive. Still, they were a great drink for sipping on the terrace on a hot summer day. The second drink we ordered was our favourite — the Angry Cuban ($250), made with Angry Orchard cider, rum, and pineapple juice. This was a much easier drink to make, so it came pretty quickly, and it was refreshing and strong. We were definitely feeling it after a couple of these, and look forward to ordering them again when we return.
There aren’t a ton of Cuban dishes on Coabana Cafe’s menu, but we really enjoyed the ones we tried. The first thing we got was a Cuban sandwich ($320), which was spiced roasted pork, sliced ham, pickles, and mustard sandwiched between some thick, delicious bread. We can’t speak for its authenticity, but it was great, possibly one of the best Cubanos we’ve ever had. It was crunchy and gooey, with a perfect mix of flavours and textures. We also liked that it was split into three, which made it easy to share. The side salad wasn’t mind-blowing and the plantains it was served with were pretty uninspired and bland, but the sandwich by itself was worth the trip alone. It was on the pricey side at $320, but it made for a nice treat.
The other dish we ordered was the Arroz a la Cubana ($250), a Cuban-style rice dish made with stewed ground pork, black beans, diced vegetables, and a soy-sauce base, served with a sunny-side egg and fried sliced banana. Again, we can’t speak for its authenticity, but it was very tasty and filling. The meat and rice worked well together, and the egg made it a brunch-worthy choice. The bananas were sweet and ever so slightly crispy, providing a contrast of flavours. We were really excited to be able to order something like this in a Taipei brunch restaurant and relished every bite. We probably enjoyed the Cubano slightly more but would get this dish again too because it’s so rare to find here.
Check out their English menu below:
All in all, we really liked Coabana Cafe. We enjoyed both the food and the drinks, and the setting was beautiful and unique. On a sunny day, sitting outside on the terrace with a cocktail was pure heaven. The staff were also really kind and accomodating and spoke great English. The only real downside to Coabana Cafe was the fact that it’s so popular for Instagram photoshoots, which sort of takes away from the experience — not only is it hard to get a seat during peak hours, but the crowds of people taking photos outside are distracting when you’re just trying to enjoy your meal. We would definitely still return, but we’d probably be a little smarter when it came to timing our visit.
What’s the vibe?
Beautiful Cuban-inspired cafe in Minsheng Community. The crowd is mostly young Taiwanese people, but there were also plenty of families there too.
Worth it?
We loved everything we ordered and thought the space was gorgeous, but we did wish we had chosen a weekday to visit so that we wouldn’t have felt crowded while we were sitting outside.
Would you go back?
Yes, but we’d make a reservation in advance and try to avoid the weekends.
Last updated May 2020
| Cafe Coabana |
| Chinese Name: 古巴娜咖啡 |
| Hours: Mon, Thurs, Fri 11am – 9pm Sat & Sun 11am – 8pm Closed Tuesdays |
| Phone: 0227475885 |
| English Address: No. 46, Alley 8, Lane 36, Section 5, Minsheng East Road, Songshan District, Taipei City |
| Chinese Address: 台北市松山區民生東路五段36巷8弄46號1樓 |
