Yaoyue Teahouse

Review

Yaoyue Teahouse sits on a hillside along Section 3 of Zhinan Road in Maokong and is one of the area's best-known teahouses; its defining feature is that it is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Travel media often list it as the place to go late at night or at dawn, and many Taipei residents know it simply as the 24-hour teahouse on Maokong. Seating is split between indoor rooms and an outdoor area surrounded by tea gardens and trees.

The point here is brewing your own tea. The menu covers more than twenty teas, including Wenshan Baozhong, Tieguanyin, Oriental Beauty, high-mountain oolong, Biluochun and black tea; once you choose, staff bring a full tea set and hot water, and you can stay as long as you like. For food there are snacks such as scallion pancakes, turnip cake, rice blood cake, custard buns and cheese puffs, plus stir-fries and rice dishes cooked with tea. Reports do not give exact prices, so check the menu on site.

Visitors most often praise the lack of a time limit, the 24-hour access, the quiet setting and the city lights at night, which make it ideal for long talks. Hikers say it is a good place to rest after the trails, and some mention it is pet-friendly. Complaints focus on food that is only average, slow service on busy weekends, and some dishes being served only at set times, so arriving too early may mean they are unavailable.

Once the Maokong Gondola stops running, the only ways up are by car, scooter or taxi, and the winding mountain road needs care at night. Weekend afternoons into early evening are busiest and parking is scarce. You order on a tick-box form, and tea and snacks can be ordered separately. Summer evenings bring mosquitoes, so ask staff for repellent.

It suits anyone wanting to show friends a classic Taiwanese teahouse, as well as night owls and couples after a view. First-timers can order a pot of Wenshan Baozhong or Tieguanyin with one or two snacks and take their time over several infusions; larger groups can pick two teas to compare.