Astoria Cafe & Bakery, Historical bakery near City God Temple in Zhongzheng District, Taiwan
Astoria Cafe & Bakery is a two-story restaurant in Guangfu Village, Taipei, with a bakery on the ground floor and a cafe on the upper level. Western pastries are sold downstairs, while the upper floor serves a mix of international dishes including borscht and quesadillas.
The establishment was founded in October 1949 by Archibald Chien and six Russian emigrants who had fled Shanghai. It became the first Western-style bakery in Taiwan.
The cafe has long drawn writers and artists who came to sit, talk, and linger over coffee. That spirit is still present today in the way the space feels unhurried and open to conversation.
The cafe sits close to City God Temple and is easy to reach on foot from nearby streets. Both floors are open to visitors, with the bakery downstairs and the restaurant seating above.
The cafe is said to have prepared the last birthday cake ever made for Chiang Kai-shek, which says a lot about the standing it had in Taipei. This connection came to a place with Russian roots, which makes it an unusual piece of the city's history.
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