Baking Kedi Coffee Roastery 貓嘰咕自家烘焙咖啡 — Restaurant in Datong District

I happened across this cafe by chance while wandering about the area. It was already past 1, and as someone who badly needs a daily dose of caffeine, I figured I should find a cafe that serves other food apart from pastries.

And thank goodness I came, because Baking Kedi probably has to be one of the best animal/pet cafes I have ever been to so far (though I have not been to a lot, so there’s that). To think that I was even hesitating because I could not see the menu!

I just googled “cafe near me” and this place came third on the list. It piqued my interest because of its long name, and to my surprise, it said “Cat cafe” when I clicked on it. I happened to recognise the 猫 symbol too, but I did not take this literally thanks to a previous experience.

Anyway, if you are ever in the area, this cafe is worth a visit. It is such a cosy, quiet place, and the cats seem to be healthy and happy. The storefront also says which cats are “on duty” for the day. I only saw two cats on the cafe floor, but you can enter a basement floor to meet the others.

Just tell the staff you would like to see them, and they will let you know once you can, because they only allow customers one at a time, or customers who came together. Perhaps pairs are the max?

Anyway, I did hear the staff say something about one order being equivalent to 20 (?) minutes, so she might actually be referring to the time you can spend in the basement with the other cats. And yes, you MUST order something to be able to meet the cats (duh!) It serves as your “entrance fee”—and because I don’t want others to suffer the suspense of not knowing the menu, I have taken screenshots for everyone’s reference.

The way to meet the cats may seem troublesome, but I personally like this way of doing things as the cafe probably did this not just for the sake of rules and business, but also for the well-being of the cats.

It is a pretty neat system, which, even though it is expected; given that they have been around for a decade now, is very much appreciated for animal lovers like myself. It gives a sense that they have thought out how to run the place well so that both they and the animals benefit from it, and they are able to maintain the business well because of it.

The place itself is clean and well-maintained; you can hardly catch a whiff of that signature pet-in-the-house scent because the place has constant ventilation, with fans besides the standard air conditioner. We also employ this same technique at home, and visitors always comment on how our house does not smell like we have three cats and a big dog at all.

If you have a sensitive nose, you would smell it and the smell of coffee in turns. It may also depend on where you are seated, like I was seated at the table by the door to the basement. The cafe has a rather small space, but the tables have been laid out well enough so that it does not feel too crowded.

The menu is quite extensive compared to animal cafes I visited in the other countries, and I get the feeling that everything on the menu is actually good based on what I ordered—a Brown Sugar Latte and a Fried Snack combo of potato croquettes and king trumpet mushrooms.

The croquette is very creamy and is a touch sweet; it almost tastes like a dessert. As with all fried food, they are best eaten right away, though the snacks I ordered did not grow stale quickly. I did not expect to like the mushrooms; they are a bit chewy but they offered some much needed savoury flavour.

The coffee, meanwhile, is actually good. It does not taste too bitter, burnt, or acidic. I am no coffee connoisseur, but I really liked the brown sugar latte I got.

Overall, grabbing snacks and drinks here isn’t such a bad idea. The quality of the food tells you that this cat cafe takes the cafe part of their business very seriously as well—yay!

Just come over! The cats are lovely. Most are very sociable; one is even quite vocal, but they are also not overly sweet/clingy, like your typical feline. Be careful when approaching them so as not to...

Highlight of my Taipei visit. I was missing my cats back home so I went to look for this cat cafe, I knew it was worth it the moment I stepped inside and cats greeted me and being very friendly. The coffee, tea and cinnamon bun we ordered were really good too. We were coffee hopping our entire trip and Baking Kedi definitely has one of the best pour over coffee. Some cats were on our table chilling, others played around us. I was smiling the entire time and my partner even got to experience one of the cats making bread on her lap. I definitely recommend this cafe and I hope to see them again the next time I come back...

The coffee and the cake were fine. But when I came in, the place was full, then they told me to go to a free table next to the toilet.

I accepted because I thought it was the only table available. But, after a while, I realised that more people was coming in, and they were all going upstairs. I would have appreciate to be taken upstairs like other customers, instead of staying next...