Lao Chai Café House

the lattes here get mentioned a lot, and for good reason. lao chai café house sits along daguan road in sanxia district, a quieter stretch of new taipei city that doesn't get the foot traffic of zhongshan or daan but holds its own with locals who know where to go. sanxia has always had a certain unhurried character, old streets, temple crowds on weekends, and a pace that suits a place focused on roasting its own beans rather than chasing volume. you can feel that in how the coffee is approached. the roasting is done in-house, which means what ends up in your cup hasn't traveled through three middlemen before it reaches the grinder. worth making the trip out to daguan road for a slow afternoon latte.