Where to eat and drink in Taichung, Taiwan’s up-and-coming fine-dining hub – from Michelin-star yakiniku to a French bistro by former Asia’s Best Female Chef winner

Taichung wasn’t known for fine dining until Asia’s Best Female Chef winner Lanshu Chen put the city on the culinary map, and the Michelin guide arrived in 2020

Now the city has a flourishing gourmet food scene. Here are some of its best restaurants, plus a couple of great bars to round off a Taichung taste exploration

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A lobster dish from Taichung French restaurant Fleur de Sel. The central Taiwanese city hasn’t always been known for fine dining, but now it’s attracting international attention. Photo: Fleur de Sel

Published: 7:45am, 7 Mar 2023

As the home of Taiwan’s largest art museum and host of its biggest annual jazz festival, the city of Taichung is known for its art and culture. But it has traditionally been less well known as a fine-dining destination.

When Lanshu Chen, chef-owner of Taichung French restaurant Le Môut, won the Asia’s Best Female Chef award in 2014, some industry observers credited her with putting the city, and even Taiwan, on the world culinary map.

Before Chen closed Le Môut in 2018, the restaurant was often said to be worthy of a Michelin star, but ultimately it wasn’t to be. This is because the Michelin guide only arrived in Taiwan in 2020 and even then, Taichung venues weren’t included in the inaugural edition.

Regardless, the stage had been set, and the seeds sown for the restaurants that persevered and came after Le Môut.

The interior of Le Côté LM in Taichung. Lanshu Chen opened this restaurant after the closure of Le Môut. Photo: Le Côté LM

Two years later, in 2020, Michelin expanded its Taiwan guide to include Taichung, putting the city on the radar of international gourmands. Now Taichung has a flourishing scene that is beginning to attract foreign chefs in the know.

Here are some of our top fine-dining picks, plus a couple of great bars to round off a taste exploration of the city.