Vegetarian Brunch and Dinner at Herban Kitchen
Herban Kitchen is a Western vegetarian restaurant and bar tucked away in a cute little alley in Zhongxiao Dunhua. It’s been on our radar for a while thanks to rave reviews, but every time we tried to drop in for food, we were faced with full bookings and long wait times. We had to see what all the hype was about, so we got serious about making reservations for both brunch and dinner.
Brunch
Weekend brunch is Herban’s busiest time. Even when we called to make a reservation a full day in advance, we had to limit our party size to 2 and arrive hours later than our preferred time, during off-peak Saturday service. The good news is brunch runs daily until 5pm, so don’t worry if your hangover keeps you in bed until the afternoon — you don’t have to miss out on the best meal of the week!
Walking into Herban Kitchen is an escape from Taipei. It feels like a Western restaurant, and it achieves this vibe naturally — nothing feels forced or try-hard. The secluded patio area is full of leafy greens and mural art, making for a very cute space. The inside has a relaxed environment with subtle decor and comfy chairs circling large wooden tables.
There was a mix of customers, both local and foreign. A high percentage of them were families with young children. The staff was very friendly and spoke great English. We had a hard time deciding what to order, but here’s what we settled on:
The Cinnamon Orange French Toast Dish ($350) was light on the french toast and heavy on the sides, including a mix of scrambled eggs, sautéed asparagus and mushrooms, salad, and fried sweet potatoes. We enjoyed all these sides but wished there had been more than just a single slice of french toast — it was fluffy and delicious thanks to its strong, sweet orange flavour. Overall though, this dish was a great choice because it included so many different tastes.
The Homemade Shroomutton Curry ($350) was a hearty, savoury dish with garlic and spice. The components included mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, broccoli, chickpeas, and onions, topped with cilantro and yogurt (which can be subbed for vegan chia pudding). There was also a healthy pile of pita bread to spoon it onto. This dish didn’t blow us away, but it was still a satisfying choice.
They made a mistake with our order, so we ended up waiting a long time for our french toast. We didn’t mind because we were happy to relax, but to apologize they gave us a free dessert anyway! There were so many great options to choose from (both vegetarian and vegan) including a lemon tart, a cheesecake, and a tiramisu, but we ended up going for the brownie a la mode (regularly $180). We absolutely did not regret our choice. As you can see, the warm brownie was topped with a tall stack of vanilla ice cream smothered in chocolate sauce and bits of walnut. We savoured every last bite.
Again, the service was excellent. We really enjoyed our brunch, satisfied with both the food and the atmosphere.
Dinner
We made a dinner reservation days in advance to be sure we’d get a table on a Friday night. Again, it’s highly recommended to call as far ahead of time as possible because the relatively small space fills quickly!
We loved the atmosphere during dinner as well. The patio lights were charming and the inside felt comfortable. The bar was really chilled out. Though Herban seems to be known for its brunch, the dinner menu was actually more diverse with salads, sandwiches, pastas, risottos, and mains like a tempeh burger and kebab.
A glass of wine was $200, but they had a 2-for-1 promotion at the time. We didn’t hesitate.
We also scored this free order of fries for liking Herban Kitchen on social media as part of the promotion. They were a great appetizer — crispy and herby with both ketchup and mayo.
The Pumpkin Risotto ($300) was a creamy delight, composed of mushrooms, carrots, garlic & onion, and edible flowers. It was topped with asparagus, pumpkin wedges, and dried tomatoes. We loved the addition of these textures and thought it was a solid dish overall.
The patty of this vegetarian burger was made of tempeh, black beans, flax seed, oatmeal, and garlic. It came with potato wedges, sauerkraut, and (delicious) vegan french mustard mayo for $340. The thick layer of caramelized onions, tomatoes, and red cabbage sprouts made it a mess to eat. The burger was decent, but we’ve had better tempeh burgers before — it didn’t totally disappoint, but we probably wouldn’t order it again. It was just lacking in flavour somehow.
The Kimchi Risotto ($300) was our favourite dish of the three. It was made up of kimchi, cherry radishes, water bamboo, green peppers, carrots, garlic & onion, cream, white sesame, and dried seaweed, with pickled radishes and a sunny side up egg on top. This dish was packed full of flavour (including garlic and a healthy amount of spice) and there was a richness to every bite.
We had two great experiences at Herban Kitchen. Although we weren’t in love with every dish we tried, overall we enjoyed the food, and were impressed by the cool atmosphere and quality of service.
Check out the full menu here.
What’s the vibe?
Warm and inviting restaurant hidden away in an alley. There’s a secluded outdoor patio shrouded in plants. The atmosphere feels authentically Western without trying too hard. Brunch lasts until 5pm every day, but the dinner menu also has lots of appeal.
Worth it?
We really enjoyed both of our trips. The food ranged from decent to very good, while the service and atmosphere were consistently great. All things considered, we thought prices were reasonable.
Would you go back?
Yes we would! Herban made enough of an impression to merit another trip.
Last updated: May 2019
| Herban Kitchen |
| Chinese Name: 二本餐廳 |
| Hours: Mon - Fri: 12pm - 10:30pm Sat: 10am - 11pm Sun: 10am - 10:30pm |
| Phone: 02 8773 7033 |
| English Address: No. 27, Lane 101, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Daan District |
| Chinese Address: 台北市大安區忠孝東路四段101巷27號 |
