Two days ago, for our last full day in Taiwan, we decided the nicest way to end our trip would be a visit to a traditional teahouse for dinner. Slow, quiet, and relaxing – to some extent when traveling with kids, the Yao Yue Teahouse is the perfect setting for winding down an eventful trip. Located about 20 mins from our hotel in Ximending district, the drive up the mountain is dark and secluded. The only thing I would’ve changed about our visit to Yao Yue would be that we went much earlier when the sun was still up so that we could enjoy the lovely view coming up the mountain and at the teahouse itself.
Yao Yue, which is nestled into the side of a steep mountain boasts amazing views of nature. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see those views, but we definitely heard and felt it. When we arrived it was raining, gently, and luckily the trees made for good shelter down the hiking path to the teahouse. A traditional, wood-filled cabin, the floors creaked as we walked over to our table and the smell of aged bark blanketed the room. The windows were left open and chilly breezes came bursting through every few minutes. It reminded me so much of the US during Autumn.
Once seated, I got to ordering right away. First thing to arrive was the tea set up with a booklet of easy instructions. They have you preform the tea ceremony yourself, so you can truly enjoy an immersive experience of proper tea preparation. While I prepared the tea, Luca walked around by himself, mostly looking out the windows into the darkness of the forest. Luca is really in-tune with nature and the sounds of insects and birds are what he loves the most. So this is definitely the place for an earth child, or any child really!
When the food arrived I honestly expected nothing of it, but boy was I wrong!
I would say the food we ate here was surprisingly one of the best meals we’ve had in Taiwan!
It’s simple Chinese comfort food, the must orders being the sweet potato pancake and handmade steamed buns! Gobble! Would we visit this place next time we’re in Taiwan? Yes! 100%! And we’d definitely make sure to go during the afternoon, preferably around 3pm. But don’t worry if you come late, Yao Yue is open 24 hours of the day!
A beautiful, quaint wooden cabin, with so much character and delicious food. A Taiwan Must See!
